It’s 2020, and I’m on the subway, going chugga-chugga to surprise Grandma. It’s also Tuesday, her bingo day, and I’m excited! I’m wearing a face mask, and it’s kinda hard to breathe. All I can smell is Mom’s yummy sweet potatoes and asparagus with my mask on. They’re Grandma’s special recipe.
Guess what? I have a surprise for Grandma — cozy slippers! They’re black and white with a fancy toe opening and feel all squishy, like my favorite stuffed bear. They even smell like Grandma’s home, mothballs and casseroles. But the material is a bit itchy, like Dad’s Christmas sweater. Not for me!
I can’t wait to give Grandma the slippers before something bad happens. I heard she wasn’t feeling well, so I borrowed Mom’s phone to check on her. Nobody answered, and that made me worried. Silence usually means bad things. Or it’s time to go to bed.
I was determined to reach Grandma, despite the silence on the other end of the line. I didn’t want to sneak around anymore, so I asked Mom to call Grandma. On the phone, Grandma told me everything about her Tuesdays. I took notes while Mom made cookie dough. It felt like I was a detective, like Nancy Drew.
That’s how I know that after Bingo, in the evenings, Grandma pours herself a cup of tea and watches Trivia re-runs. I like the idea of sitting with Grandma while she enjoys her show. That’s usually when I build my best Lego castles. Grandma can be my supervisor!
I overheard Mom and Dad talking about Grandma having something called COVID. That’s why I’m wearing a mask. It’s a bad cold. Mom looked really sad and said Grandma might not make it. I made mom a paper dove when she was crying, so she wouldn’t be sad. Sometimes, you have to be a distraction for Mom when she’s emotional. It helps her to smile.
On the phone with Grandma, I think I sounded sad. Mom says I show my feelings on my face. I know that really means my insides show on my outsides even when I don’t want them to. Like when I lost the spelling bee, I was really sad and cried. That’s not a poker face, Mom says.
I imagined Grandma on the other end of the line, coughing into a wooly sweater that smells like my cafeteria soup I get sometimes on Wednesday’s at school. I didn’t want Grandma to know I was coming, but I think she figured it out.
I don’t usually go see Grandma on my own, but I knew I had to give her the slippers before it was too late. It’s like an adventure, and I’m gonna make sure Grandma knows she’s loved!
