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“Let’s go in the backyard. But she’s not the way you remember her. I can’t promise she’l
l know who you are,” I warn him and then lead him outside.
“Grams?” I ask tentatively, sitting on the couch next to her. “Look who’s here.”
She snaps her head up to me, and then to Max, and then to my relief, she says, “Max, my dear boy. You’ve grown into quite a man.”
She quickly gets to her feet and pulls Max in for a tight hug.
“You don’t look a day older then when I last saw you, ma’am,” Max says, and that is almost true. On the outside, my Grams looks almost exactly as she did fifteen years ago.
“Ah, you’re such a charmer.” She looks him up and down. “You grew up to be such a fine man. Are you a smoker?”
“No, ma’am. Learned my lesson. Whenever someone asks me if I smoke, I still remember you chasing me with that broomstick.”
“As you should.” Grams looks around confused as she sits back on the couch. Max sits on a small stool we keep near the couch.
“Violet dear, did you ask him if he wants something to drink?”
My stomach constricts and Max blinks. After having been so lucid this morning, I hoped I would have my old Grams back for a while longer.
“Vi—” he begins, but I interrupt him with a headshake.
“Don’t correct her,” I whisper to him.
“I’m good, ma’am.” His voice wavers on the last word.
Grams inspects Max from head to toe, her eyes darting to me and then back to him. She’s becoming increasingly more agitated.
“So, what are your intentions with Violet? She and her little Emilia are precious and deserve to be loved.”
Stunned, I fiddle with my hands in my lap, biting down on my lip.
“Then you have nothing to worry about,” Max says, sounding like his usual, relaxed self again. He turns his head to me, his gaze lingering briefly on my face before dropping to my hands, which are trembling. Without hesitation, he reaches out, placing a strong, reassuring hand above mine.
“I promise to take care of both your precious girls, make them happy for as long as I can.”
It’s a good thing that neither Grams nor Max addresses me, because I couldn’t bring up any words. I focus on blinking back my tears and keeping my smile in place.
“You have a wonderful boy, here, Violet,” she says. “Take good care of him. I’ll keep an eye on you, young boy.”
“As you should,” Max replies.
Standing up, Grams says, “Now, I’ll leave you two lovebirds here.”
“I’ll help—”
“No need,” she cuts me off. “I might be an old woman, but I don’t need to be babysat. I’m going to watch some TV in my bedroom.”
She enters the house, and I let out a long, shaky breath.
***
Max
“That was rough,” I say, moving next to her on the couch.
“Yeah.” Her voice is small—damn it, she seems to have shrunk in the span of a few minutes. It kills me to know she’s hurting.
