Her World Grew Smaller

Her world grew smaller

fiction
edward w Pritchard

Just before my Grandma died, I had a big fight with my husband, and left him and my 14 year old son and went to live with my grandma.

When I was a little girl Grandma had treated me well, and I felt safe and secure at her brick ranch house, which was a couple of miles from my Mother's house. Grandma's house and yard were always neat and clean, and she hired a lawn service to mow and trim each week, and they came rain or shine, until the first snow, and always raked and cleaned the flower beds and swept the clipping off the sidewalk before they left. She lived alone but had a nice old car that she kept in the locked garage, that was attached to the house, and every time she came or left the house she would use an opener to raise or lower the garage door. In fact Grandma wasn't outside much except to talk to and pay the yard guys, or to briefly admire the flowers after they had just left. In time, she only left the house once or so a week, to go to the store, mail a letter, or pick up a piece for something inside the house that may have broken.

Grandma made me feel real welcome and dotted on me, and after talking to her for a few days, I felt a lot better, and eventually returned one of my husband's phone calls and returned home to my own family.

I did learn one thing about Grandma in my last stay that made me feel real sad. Near the front door of her house, just inside, was another door that lead to a small coat closet, about 8 by 10 feet, under a set of steps, but not open at the top. Apparently, although the house was over 1200 square feet, Grandma now spent most of her time in that small coat closet, and had done so for over a year, since after her husband had died. I had come to find out, that Grandma only came out of the coat closet in the day to cook or go to the bath room, and at night to sleep. Of course as I said earlier, she did come out of there to go to the store occasionally or talk to or pay the lawn care guys.