Page 164 of Penny For Your Thoughts
She didn’t, but drew on a memory from her earlier life and told a story of a girl named Greta.
Later, we sang and lit a single candle Tallus had specially made for the occasion. A wax ninety-three. Apparently, they weren’t easy to find. Nana couldn’t conjure enough breath to blow it out, so I helped.She ate some of the cake, but her appetite was fading with age, so she couldn’t finish it.
Nana opened a handful of presents, but none of them kept her attention like the music. She wanted to dance. She tried to sing. She clapped and smiled and reveled in the attention of people she didn’t honestly know or remember.
When Tallus announced the slideshow and requested someone dim the lights, I angled Nana’s chair so she could see and squatted next to her as it began.
“Oh.” She brought her hands to her mouth as she watched, enraptured by the montage of her life displayed in black and white and sepia tones across the bare wall.
She seemed to struggle to keep up with the pace, so I asked Tallus to slow it down, then she engaged, pointing and drawing up memories from her past.
“Look. That’s where you proposed to me, Boone.”
And, “I remember that car. Boy was it noisy. You took me to the lake, and we had a canoodle in the back.” She tittered, and I blushed. There were some things I didn’t need to know about my grandmother.
“That’s Matilda. We made those dresses for the school dance. Weren’t they darling?”
And, “Oh. Our wedding, Boone. Oh gosh. I was so young.”
And, “It’s my grandson. Do you see him? Isn’t he precious? His name is Diem. What a boy. I haven’t seen him in a while. He’s a policeman.” The photo was of Boone, not me, but the resemblance was uncanny.
“Your grandson’s a private investigator, Nana. Remember?”
On it went. I glanced at Tallus, who was running the projector. He watched me with a gentle smile.
“Thank you,” I mouthed.
He winked.
At one point, I introduced Darcy to Nana. She called him Jerry, and no one knew why, but that was Nana. Her shredded memories were all she had left. Not much from the present day stuck anymore.
Midway through the party, as Tallus took Nana for a spin around the dance floor and Darcy helped himself to his third piece of cake, I stood back and observed the gathering. Tallus had done a great job. Nana was having a blast. She may not remember it tomorrow, but it was special now, and that was all that mattered.
Kitty approached and stood beside me. “You look well, cuddle bear. Haven’t seen you smile this much in… ever.”
“I’m doing okay.”
“I hear you adopted a stray puppy.”
I chuckled. “Tallus needs to stop calling him that. His name’s Darcy.”
“Oh, I know who he is. Darcy Gingrick. His name never came up, by the way. Thought you’d want to know. I looked into it. Kept tabs on your boy, Aaron, too. He stayed true to his promise.”
“How the hell do you know about that?”
“I know everything, cuddle bear.”
“It’s frightening sometimes. Are you doing okay, Kitty Kat?”
“Still kicking. I’ve got enough piss and vinegar to last at least another ten or fifteen years. Maybe more.”
“I have no doubt.”
My gaze strayed from Tallus and Nana to my mother across the room. The instant she saw me looking, she shifted her attention to the floor. I’d gone to great lengths to avoid her all afternoon. She hung on the periphery of the party and appeared wretchedly uncomfortable. I couldn’t figure out why she had come or why she stayed. Nana wasmy paternal grandmother. She and Marlow had never had a good relationship, so far as I understood.
Kitty touched my arm, drawing my attention. “It’s time, Diem.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
