Grandma's Dream

I'm Tom, I'm busy in my work and have a usual 9 to 5 job, they tell its 9 to 5 but actually it extends till 8 pm most of the time. I have to look after my wife and a 5year old kid, I have saved enough to buy my dream house by 2 years from now.

It's a surprise to my wife and my kid.

I have my grandma and my aunt living in the town which is 200km away from the place where I live. I rarely visit them but we do call each other at least thrice in a month, okay okay, Sorry it's just once in a month.

It's Sunday and today is the day to clean our attic and of course, the sad part is it's my turn and the worst is to clean it along with my son who doesn't even understand the difference between cleaning and dirtying yet, but I can't complain he is my son.

      

It's very dusty out there, I have been to the attic 6 months back when I had to get rid of a rat which my wife was afraid of. My son is, of course, increasing my work! I saw an old chest, covered with dust, I don't remember what it contains, I'm opening it and it's covered with spider web...I opened up the chest and found my childhood things, I had a plane which was made of plastic which grandma had bought me on my 7th birthday, I have a photo album, I saw me, my parents, my grandparents and my aunts and uncles and my cousins.I'm feeling nostalgic, I'm drenched in beautiful memories...I search the trunk for other interesting things. I find a book which has yellowish pages and beautiful handwriting, I remembered that the book belonged to my grandmother and as I loved it, she gave it to me and forgot about it, I haven't read this book because in my childhood I couldn't read so well and alphabets seemed to me like some weird artist's painting, When I grew up I forgot about the book and didn't give time to read, but today is the day when I have time to read it.

The first few pages were about the savings she had made and the places where she saved them.The middle pages were about her life and how she had to work as my grandpa was a drunkard and never worked. I felt emotional reading those...The last 2 pages had my grandma's bucket list, I'm surprised to see her list, she has named it as Macri's bucket list which is my grandma's name but I can see hardly anything for her,

She just has things like, I want my daughter to gift a diamond necklace, My son in law a guitar, my son a luxury tie and this and that...she also has something for me which is to gift my one and only grandson, a good education, Next to that she also has some Bill's which are probably my school fees Bill's which she paid...Last but not the least was a wish finally for her, which said I want a tree which has my name carved onto its leaves...this was something very different and I didn't know why she wanted it...My son came and held my hand and dragged me to down to have lunch.

Later in the evening, when I was sitting down and thought of calling grandma and aunt, the phone rang and I was surprised to see grandma calling and I was happy and thought how we are connected...I said hello with a smile...but on the other side I could hear somebody breathing and it was my aunt who said Tom to come soon, your grandma isn't well. I was shocked and my aunt hurts into tears and couldn't speak anything.

I didn't inform my wife but I left a message for her saying, I'll be back soon, I have urgent work. Take care!

I drove my car and it was a rainy day, I drove as fast as I could and it took me 3hours to reach my grandma's town,I went near the hospital and saw her in bed, she smiled and gave her hand so that I hold her...she said Tom, I hugged her.

I asked my aunt about her illness and my aunt told me she is suffering from viral fever and is very serious, doctors cannot assure anything now. My aunt was in tears.

I came out of the hospital, had a cup of tea. I remembered how my grandma used to take care of me, take me to fairs on Sundays and buy me what I liked. I thought of fulfilling her wish, I saw a huge tree near the hospital which probably belonged to the hospital and I asked permission to carve it, they were shocked and laughed and said they cannot grant permission but I somehow made a deal telling to plant trees for them and also paid them half of my savings, yes you heard it right the savings of my dream home for a tree.

The tree was huge and I needed so many things to give it an exact shape and crabe my grandma's name, I worked hard and people made fun of me, some also appreciated it,2 days had passed and I finally managed to give it a heart shape and write my grandma's name on all the leaves, I also took the help of my aunt and some other people whom I hired. I brought some glittery paper and also wrote my grandma's name on it and hung it on the tree, finally, it was done.

I went into the hospital room, took a wheelchair made my grandma sit on it and closed her eyes, though she was old, she had a bison better than mine.

She didn't know what was it, she held my hand tightly and we reached. I opened the Cloth from her eyes and said it's your dream. My grandma was surprised and she burst out in tears, she was so happy that I can't tell any more than that she was surprised I took her neat the tree, she sat in her wheelchair under it and asked me to click a picture of her. She smiled the widest she can, I too had tears in eyes...I also took a leaf and showed her name carved onto it, she saw it for a minute or two and touched it to her heart. She held my hand and hugged me and we sat together under the tree for hours together and also had cups of tea and her favourite food I.e pancakes dripping with caramel sauce, she loved it.

I took her back to the bed as it was getting cold outside, but she wanted to stay more, she gave me a smile and held the leaf and my and hand, and she slept. I had fallen asleep, I dreamt of my grandma and I holding hands and going to an ice cream shop and having ice creams.

The morning I woke up and saw my grandma asleep but she wasn't leaving my hand and her hand was cold, I called her but she didn't reply, she had a pleasant smile on her face and she looked as if she slept forever, I called my aunt and the doctor said that she isn't anymore, I couldn't believe my eyes and I had tears in my eyes, my aunt hugged me and said she's gone.

"I remember hearing my grandma in my dream telling me I'll be with you always. Take care."

After the rituals, I returned home, I looked upset but had happy memories in my mind. I told about this to my wife and she wasn't happy as the savings were gone but my son who didn't understand anything, smiled at me.

I look at stars and see my grandma smiling and also I call my aunt every day and ask about her and her family.

I'm happy that I could make my grandma feel happy.