Chapter 10 - THE GRANDCHILDREN IN THE MIDDLE
Two days after brunch, Lucy called me.
“Grandma, are you selling your house?”
I sat down at the kitchen table.
“Who told you that?”
“Mom said we're going to live in a bigger house, and you might move somewhere smaller.”
I closed my eyes.
“Nothing has been decided, sweetheart.”
“But Mom said you were being difficult.”
My heart ached.
Children should never have to carry adult financial problems.
“Lucy, listen to me. You have done nothing wrong. Your parents and I are discussing some grown-up decisions, and you don't have to choose sides.”
She was quiet for a moment.
“Will I still be able to visit you?”
“Of course. My door is always open to you and Ben.”
After we hung up, I called Daniel.
“What have you told the children?”
He sounded ashamed.
“Ashley told them the new house was almost theirs.”
“And that I was preventing it?”
He didn't deny it.
“Please don't let them become messengers in this argument,” I said. “They deserve honesty without being burdened by our disagreements.”
That weekend, I invited Lucy and Ben to spend Saturday afternoon with me.
We baked apple muffins, planted flowers, and played a board game Robert had loved.
Lucy asked whether the apple tree would still be here next year.
“Yes,” I told her. “And the year after that, if I have anything to say about it.”
She smiled.
For the first time since the argument, I felt peaceful.
Then, while helping Ben put away his backpack, I found a folded piece of paper in its front pocket.
It was a drawing of a house.
Beneath it, in a child's handwriting, were the words:
Grandma's new apartment.
I sat very still.
Someone had already made my future part of the children's expectations.
I folded the drawing carefully and put it away.
May you like
I would not confront the children.
But I would no longer pretend Ashley's behavior was harmless.
