Chapter 5: Grandma Morris

“WHERE IS MY GRANDSON?” my grandmother called as she entered the store.

There was no mistaking who she was looking for. Even though she was fifty years older than I was, the family resemblance was definite. She’d been traveling again, living on a retirement visa in Thailand for the past three months. We were never sure when she would show up in La Alegria. It was always a surprise visit and I loved it when she arrived.

I hurried from the back of the store where I’d been straightening shelves and putting some new arrivals in the proper places. By the time I’d reached the front of the store, Pearl and Ruby were rushing down the stairs. Grandma Morris was considered as much their grandmother as mine.

“Grandma!” we all chorused as we converged on her.

“My lovely grandchildren!” she said as she caught us all in a hug as if we were six instead of twenty-seven. Pat and Marge were only a few steps behind the rest of us, beaming at the reunion.

“You look younger and more fit every time I see you,” I said. “Come have a cup of coffee and tell us all about your latest adventure.”

“Is that nice Denise at the coffee counter? I’ve been craving a caramel latte.”

“Coming right up, Grandma!” Denise called from her station.

We all ordered drinks, which is unusual since we’re normally too busy to take breaks. All too often, I’d discovered a drink I’d ordered hours before, sitting cold on a counter.

“Well, Thailand is lovely, but the summer can be brutal. It’s nice to be back where the temperature is only in the nineties,” she said as she settled at a table with us. I kept an eye out for any customers, but we were at a slow point in the afternoon. “I was in Chiang Mai until the burning started in March. Then I spent a month in Pattaya, mostly lying on the beach or walking along it. Of course, there were the markets. You girls will love the little sarongs I got you, and Sky will look very sexy in the fisherman’s pants.”

“Grandma! I’m not likely to look sexy in anything!” I laughed.

“You look sexy in everything,” Ruby said. “Don’t be modest.”

“So, which of you two is going to marry my grandson?” Grandma asked.

All three of us blushed and looked at each other in disbelief. Certainly, it was an idea that had crossed my mind more than once, and Grandma inevitably brought it up on each of her visits. It seemed a little more aggressive now, though.

“We’re best friends,” I sputtered. “Don’t clutter that up with notions of romance.”

“Well, I’m just saying you are all three twenty-seven now. I’d like to have a great grandchild before I’m too old to care,” Grandma said.

“Mother Cora,” Marge said. “Maybe we’d better let the children figure that out for themselves.”

“Forgive me for getting impatient. You know I consider you all to be my family. I just want you all to be happy.”

“How long will you be able to stay this time, Grandma?” I asked.

“Hmm. It all depends. I might have to rent back my own house if I stay long.”

“You can have my room, Grandma. I can bunk with Ruby for a while. We do that a lot anyway,” Pearl said.

“Well, that’s a short term solution. I got rather tired on the trip this year. I love Thailand, but I might need to stay closer to family for a while,” she said.

That sounded a little ominous. Not that I didn’t want Grandma to be nearby for a long time, but that she felt she might need to stay closer. I couldn’t help thinking there might be something wrong.

I didn’t realize how many hours work was taking up until I tried to decide when I could just spend some time with my grandmother. I finally managed to just take Sunday off entirely and took my grandmother down to a comfy little restaurant in La Jolla. I knew she loved to visit down there, though I didn’t see that La Jolla had anything on La Alegria myself.