Kelsee entered the house, stopping for a moment and surveying the familiar setting. There was the old bookcase nestled in the corner, filled with leatherbound and paperback books, some of which she recognized. And there was the rocking chair, and the tidy little fireplace, and the pictures on the wall... It was as if nothing had changed since her childhood. Even the smell was the same.
Marveling over all of this, she suddenly remembered with a pang that Grandma didn't have a TV. Or internet for that matter. She cursed herself for not remembering sooner. A whole summer with no TV or internet? How was she going to cope with life now? After a moment of hot deliberation with herself, she finally admitted that it might not be so bad to be away from technology. She had felt herself sliding into a bit of a tech funk after leaving her job. Maybe a drastic change would be good for her.
Yeah, it'll be peachy, she grumbled to herself as she went and dropped her bags off in the guest room.
At her Grandma's insistence that she didn't need any help, Kelsee wandered to the backyard, where a platter of cookies was waiting for her on the table. She sat down and began to munch on them, savoring their warm crunchy and buttery flavors. Maybe mom had been smart not to come after all, she thought, as she reached for another one. She could eat the whole patter in one minute if she let herself.
She looked out at large backyard, where most of her Grandma's garden resided. There were fluffy shrubs and beautiful roses, lilies and chrysanthemums that all flowed around the property walls. To the right was a larger patch of dirt, where the simple green vegetable rows resided. Though it looked flawless, much how Grandma liked to keep a tight ship with everything, Kelsee could see where there were some weeds popping up; no doubt as result of Grandma being slowed down by her broken arm. She really did need the extra help
Grandma came outside, holding a kettle in one hand and balancing two tea cups in the crook of her elbow. When Kelsee rose and objected that she could have asked for assistance, Grandma just waved it off, saying “I've gotten used to it, just pipe down, it's honestly no trouble.”
Soon, with some warm cookies in their bellies and sipping on tea, they got to chatting about life and reminiscing on memories, which was broken by common intervals of Grandma exclaiming, "my how you’ve grown!" and "You're getting too old!" They talked about what they had been up to, how family was, etc. Grandma delved into the details of her new neighbors, and how they thought that their pink flamingos were quite stylish. Grandma made sure to assert they were really quite appalling and not stylish at all.
Kelsee endured the questions Grandma pelted at her about at her about her well-being, and how she was after leaving her job. It would have been painful to go into the details of how pathetic and lethargic she had become after her job. She didn't want her grandma to see her that way, so she glossed over the details and mainly tried to turn the conversation back to Grandma.
After some more chatting and laughter, Grandma set down her cup and seemed ready to launch into a different topic.
“Okay Kelsee, well, you know why you're here. I’m a bumbling fool who broke my arm and you’ve come to help me out. Now, I want to be straightforward with you, because I wasn't completely honest with you in my letter, so listen very carefully." Kelsee frowned. What could Grandma mean by that?
"Now, I will need your help around the house and with my own garden, but there is something more important than those things that will acquire more of your attention." She paused, taking this minute to stir her tea. "I know that you and your family think that I'm retired, but actually... I work as a groundskeeper for the Mayor."
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