Back So Soon

After moping around for a while longer, Anna decided to visit her grandmother.

'Gramma will know what to do,' she thought to herself. 'I need him to understand the gravity of the situation.'

She decided to jump in the shower to freshen herself up before going out again. After quickly washing, she put on some comfortable, casual clothes. On her way to her grandmother's house, Anna stopped by a local store to pick up some things.

…

Ding dong!

Anna rang the bell to her grandmother's house and waited patiently for her to answer it.

"Who is it?" questioned her grandmother from within the house.

"It's me," Anna replied as usual.

"Oh, come in, come in," insisted Scroll.

Anna quickly carried her bags into the kitchen before turning around to give her grandmother a warm hug.

"Gramma, it's good to see you again. I bet you didn't think I'd be back so soon," said Anna with a kind smile.

"Yes, you have surprised me," her grandmother replied.

Thinking of something, Anna quickly said, "You didn't forget this time; this really is an impromptu visit."

"'Forget this time'? What are you talking about?" asked Scroll, confusion apparent on her face.

Anna's smile quickly disappeared, but before she could continue, her grandmother started laughing.

"Ha ha ha. I'm just yankin' your chain. I thought of that joke yesterday; I even wrote it down on my notepad." She winked at her granddaughter. Scroll knew that she'd made Anna worry after her previous visit, so she'd decided to make light of her own illness.

'That's Gramma,' Anna thought happily. 'No matter the adversity she's facing, she always raises others' spirits.'

Taking a quick peek in the shopping bags, her grandmother asked, "What's all this?"

"I bought some ingredients; I was hoping you'd let me cook for you today!"

"How lovely, what a treat!" Scroll smiled adoringly at her granddaughter. "While you're cooking, we can chat. I'll just sit and watch.

"So, how have you been? It's only been a single day and you're back. Has something happened that you want to talk about?"

"Nothing in particular," Anna answered. "I just wanted to visit you and thought it would be nice to cook you something."

Having tried the nicer, subtler method, her grandmother demanded in a stern voice, "I may be demented, but I'm not stupid. What happened?"

Anna stopped chopping and hesitated before turning around with tears streaming down her face.

Her grandmother leaped up from her chair and rush forward to embrace her. She pulled her head into her bosom and caressed her head gently, trying to calm her down.

"There, there. It's okay, let it out. Get it all out now, and we'll discuss it when you're ready."

When Anna calmed down, Scroll asked angrily, "So, who am I going to beat up? Eh? It's not that young man is it? Roland, is it him? I knew you were too good for him."

Anna stuttered, still choking back the tears slightly, "It was him, but it's not his fault. You see—"

Ding dong!

"Bear with me, I'll be right back after dealing with this."

Her grandmother rushed off to answer the door, leaving Anna in the kitchen. A moment later, she heard her grandmother shout, "Anna, this isn't the young man we were just talking about, is it?"