Chapter 11 #2
I returned home that evening feeling lighter and more contented than I had in a long while.
As I entered the living room, I noticed that Elijah had made his way over to Gabriella’s side of the house.
They were watching the final scene of a movie together, their faces lit by the flickering screen.
The scent of popcorn filled the air—but this wasn’t just ordinary popcorn.
This had a spicy, sugary smell. Gabriella, with her culinary genius, had somehow managed to elevate it into something extraordinary.
“Hey there, Elijah,” I called softly, not wanting to interrupt their experience. He looked up and grinned at me.
“Hi, Grandma! Gabriella let me watch the movie with her. And this popcorn is amazing!”
“Of course it is.” I smiled, walking over to them. “Gabriella’s special touch, no doubt.”
Gabriella beamed at the compliment. She swiped at her shoulder. “Well, you know how I do it. Gotta add a little zest and fire when I can.” She glanced at the bracelet on my wrist. “Looks like you two had a nice time.”
“I did. Richard proved himself a good friend tonight, and he gave me this as a reminder of my own strength.”
“Beautiful,” she murmured, admiring the simple piece of jewelry.
“Ugh, Grandma!” Elijah groaned, covering his face with his hands. “Did you kiss him?”
“Absolutely not.” I chuckled, raising an eyebrow at Gabriella as she tried to suppress her laughter. “We’re just friends, remember?”
“Aw, that’s too bad,” Gabriella teased, a playful frown crossing her face.
“Yay!” Elijah exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. We all shared a laugh at his dramatic reaction.
“Thank you again for watching Elijah tonight.”
“Of course, Ms. Joyce,” she said warmly. “He’s always welcome here on the…”
“East siiiiiide!” she and Elijah bellowed in unison. I guess those two had formed their own little popcorn gang.
“All right, kiddo,” I said, running a hand affectionately through Elijah’s hair. “Time to go back to the west side. Say good night to Gabriella.”
“Good night, Miss Gabriella. Thanks for the popcorn and the movie.”
“Night, Elijah. You’re welcome anytime.”
Elijah followed me back to our side, still chatting excitedly about the movie they had watched. As I tucked him into bed and listened to his sleepy chatter, I gave silent thanks for the few weeks I was spending with my grandson that summer.
“Grandma?” Elijah whispered, reaching for my hand as I stood up to leave his room.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Thanks for everything.”
“Anytime, EJ,” I whispered back, squeezing his hand gently before turning off the light and closing the door behind me.
Once Elijah was settled in his room, I decided it was time to call Terri and discuss my situation. The need for a job weighed heavily on my mind, and I hoped she would understand my predicament.
“Hey, Mom,” Terri’s voice echoed through the phone, her tone guarded.
“Hi, sweetheart,” I said, trying to keep my own voice steady. “I wanted to talk to you about something important.”
“Okay, what’s up? Is everything okay with Elijah?”
“Yes, he’s fine. It’s just… I need to find a job,” I confessed, bracing myself for her reaction.
“Mom, this is exactly why you shouldn’t have divorced Dad,” Terri snapped, her voice rising with frustration.
“I have money saved, and I have a retirement income. But remodeling a home takes money, and I might as well work since I’m still able.”
“You wouldn’t be in this mess if—”
“Terri, that’s not fair,” I replied, my heart sinking at her harsh response. “I’m doing my best to start over. I need a job, which means I’m going to need to send Elijah back as soon as possible. I need your support moving forward.”
“Support?” she scoffed. “You’re going to go back into the workforce, expose yourself to germs and bad attitudes and stress.
You are retired. You’re supposed to be volunteering, traveling, playing bingo.
But you can’t because you divorced Dad at the last minute.
How is that a story anyone would want for their mother? I can’t support it.”
“Terri, there is no shame in working and providing for myself,” I countered, glancing down at the Strength bracelet Richard had given me earlier in the night.
I clung to that word as I faced my daughter’s judgment.
“I don’t have a problem getting up and going to work every day, so long as it’s for a good reason. ”
“Whatever, Mom,” she muttered, clearly uninterested in seeing things from my perspective. “Do what you want. I’ll ask Dad if Elijah can go there sooner.”
“Good. Your father should be happy to spend a little more time with EJ. He is a delightful child. You and Chris are doing an excellent job.”
She skipped over my compliment. “But this is not the example I want to set for Elijah. We’re teaching him that if he works hard in school and gets a good job, one day he will retire and enjoy his senior years because of the education and the dues he paid.
Seeing his grandma, who has a master’s degree, get up every day to work for minimum wage does not support our theory. ”
“Terri. Dial it down a notch. Elijah is ten. He knows nothing about minimum wage or degrees or how the real world works. And you’re not serving him well with this fairy tale you’re painting, by the way. The economy can be rough. Plenty of people my age are still working. My friend Richard—”
“Richard? You have a friend named Richard?”
“Yes. And I have a new friend named Gabriella, and another one named Eileen, too, since you’re askin’.”
She made that tooth-sucking sound. “I gotta go, Mom. Bye.”
“Terri, please—” I tried to appeal to her one last time, but she had already hung up, leaving our conversation unresolved.
My heart ached at the disconnect between us, but I couldn’t let her negativity dictate my choices.
I needed to forge my own path, even if it meant facing some disapproval along the way.
Besides, I realized that Terri’s problem wasn’t with me, exactly.
She was more upset that her ideas about how life should go were crumbling before her eyes.
Join the club, Terri. I’m the president.
“Grandma?” Elijah’s voice wobbled as he stood in the doorway, clearly having overheard our tense exchange. “You’re sending me away early?”
His wide, fearful eyes tugged at my heartstrings, and I immediately crossed the room to pull him into a tight embrace.
“Oh, sweetheart,” I murmured into his hair, stroking his back to soothe both his worries and mine.
“I have to find a job. You need supervision throughout the day while I look and when I start working, so you’ll have to go to your grandfather sooner than we planned. ”
“What if Grandpa won’t let me come?” he whispered against my chest, his small frame trembling ever so slightly.
“I’m sure he will,” I cooed.
“My mom sounds mad about it.”
“Your mom is just…worried about me, and sometimes that comes out as anger,” I explained gently, rubbing his back.
“But I promise you, it has nothing to do with you. We both love you so much, and we want what’s best for you.
It has been great having you here for most of the month.
And I’ll be sure to get a schedule for you and Grandpa, just like I told you before. ”
“Really?” He pulled away, searching my face for reassurance. “No one’s mad at me?”
“Really. No one has any reason to be upset with you,” I confirmed, offering him a smile that I hoped conveyed certainty. That’s the funny thing about children—they somehow feel responsible for what grown-ups do.
His expression lightened, and he wrapped his arms around my waist once more. “I love you, Grandma.”
“I love you, too, EJ.”