Shine Bright (Part Two)

Shine Bright (Part two)


Part Two: It's your Grandma

"Mandy," she heard a frail, elderly, female voice call from the other side of the door. "It's your Grandma. Open the door, honey."

It was as if her grandmother had sensed her hesitancy and knew that it was her on the other side of the door. Maybe she had heard the footsteps and knew that Mandy was afraid to open the door.

"Maybe Grandma is as scared as I am?" Mandy pondered. "She sounds so old."

She put her hand on the door knob and turned it very slowly. She opened the door just a crack and took a quick look. All she saw at first, was a collection of boxes in various sizes and a couple of brown suitcases.

"What on earth?" she wondered. "Grandma?" she called out. "Is that you?"

"Yes, it is me. I'm here," the voice said again. "You must be Mandy, but my, you look so mature for eleven."

All Mandy could see was someone in a long coat, wearing a pair of new black boots and glasses.

There were brilliant, blue eyes peering from behind a bunch of brightly wrapped presents with huge red bows. She could not really see her grandmother's face.

"Would you like to give me a hand with these, please?" the elderly lady asked. "Take the ones on the top. Be careful though, because one of those is really quite fragile. That one is crystal for your mom. I did a little bit of extra shopping at the airport."

"Sure, I'll help you," Mandy said shyly. "There, I've got them."

She stood there for just a moment, silently looking into the smiling face of the beautiful, elderly lady, dressed very elegantly in a full length, soft, white, wool coat and hat. Her hair was tied back from her face and shone in the light.

"What a pretty silvery colour!" she thought to herself. "You are my grandmother?" Mandy said in amazement.

"I am," the gracious lady said gently. "And you are Mandy. You are a really beautiful young lady, so grown up. But then I knew you would be, as your father told my that you were turning into a gorgeous teenager. Every word he said was true."

"I am not quite a teen yet," Mandy protested. She was just a little bit embarrassed and very conscious of the fact that what she was wearing was a t-shirt and blue jeans. Her feet were bare.

"This is not what I expected at all," she thought to herself. "I should have put on my good clothes." She was utterly amazed. "This is not somebody that needs to be taken care of. I am going to have a hard time keeping up with this lady as she is no crotchety old senior."

Only her grandmother's voice betrayed her age.

"Well, do I meet with your approval? And may I come in?" her grandmother asked, after the moment of total silence. "I am not really the person that you expected to see, am I?"

"It is just that you look so much like my dad that it took me by surprise," Mandy replied. "Yes, please do come in." She opened the door wider and helped her carry in all of the boxes, the suitcases and the presents. "This is not what I thought was going to happen," she said to herself.