Grandma's Big Surprise
So you did what grandma asked —you got a job. If it isn't apparent from your
signature khaki bottoms and red top, you work at Target. The 8 hour day is still new to you and it's rough, but today grandma picked you up after your shift and brought you back
to your —nay, her house to see the renovations. Now she's marching you
up to the 2nd floor where you're stunned to see a bright laundry room fully
stocked with supplies.
Apartment Three?
You can't help but notice that your old bedroom, a place where you once took great
comfort and celebrated many good times, is now Apartment 3. That
stings. You go ahead and open the door.
You can't believe the blank white space where your most personal belongings used to be. The room has been stripped, void of any
remnants of you. A loft bed and kitchenette stand where you once kept your altar, and on the other side of the room, a sink and sterile rack
occupy the site of your old vanity where you spent many hours artfully applying your makeup.
You walk over to where your vanity used to be. The reflection of your
face in the new mirror, contorted with bummer vibes, reminds you that this isn't your home
anymore —as if you needed reminding.
Grandma can sense your emotional spiral, so she brings your attention to the rabbit hutches that line the center of the empty room. "Just until we get it rented," she giggles. "Aren't they sweet?" And
just like that, she ushers you out the door, promising the best is yet to
come.
Your legs buckle a little as you exit your room for the last
time. Grandma hustles you up the stairs to see the top floor. She's pretty
excited to show you where you'll be living from now on.
A Room of One's Own
The top floor has no door, but grandma assures you her tenants will know
not to wander up there. At first, you think you're in a bathroom, but
this condensed space has so much going on, you're not sure what kind of room it is. Your personal belongings have been unpacked and laid out carefully on your
new vanity unit. There's a clawfoot tub with a shower and a privacy screen. "So you don't have to
do all your business downstairs," grandma says from on the
stairs with a wink.
Then you catch sight of the loft bed. "Surprise!"
grandma yells. "I got you all new bedding too!" You look up to your new bed with
some skepticism as it sinks in you'll be sleeping in the bathroom, something
you've never done before.
A Well-Designed Home
Bathroom loft bed aside, you start to feel lighter as you take in what
grandma has done with the space. The white wood floors do add a certain
spacious brand of cheer, and the olive green tables and gold dappled chairs
are chic but modern. Grandma did a great job with the fresh flowers
too. The place smells better than it ever did.
The kitchen is impressive, you have to admit. What was once a sad
little computer nook is now a fully equipped, well-stocked small kitchen
with expensive cookware and colorful crockery.
You can see grandma's stocked everything you'll need to cook for
yourself here. Despite your initial feelings of dejection since she took
her house back, you find yourself tickled by the line of
cork-lidded jars on a little shelf that lays perfectly between
your upper cabinet and freezer door. Grandma thought of
everything!
Starting to Feel at Home
Could it be that everything has worked out as it was supposed
to and that you'll be even happier here than you were before? It
sure feels like a distinct possibility.
You catch yourself smiling. You can't wait to see the rest of
the apartment. Grandma certainly has a knack for decorating, and at this point, you don't mind
letting her know!
Grandma's Final Surprise
"What's this room, grandma?" you ask before opening the door to see
for yourself. It's a large bright living room, but wait... what's that?
Pimento Melroy Aged 24
There on the couch of an otherwise fabulous living room is none other than
your cousin, Pimento. "Surprise..." grandma says meekly from over your
shoulder, not nearly as enthusiastic as when she presented the
bathroom bed. "It's just until we find you a roommate, hon.
Pim's on break from school and I thought you two would have a lot of
fun up here together."
Grandma tries to soften this blow by pointing out the new
desktop computer she bought you, and the new desk for that matter. "Your computer was so outdated, hon. I got you this
one at the Apple. Now you have a space to really do some work."
Pimento gets up and saunters over, to grandma's delight. "My two
girls!" she squeals. "Of course, you'll share the computer while
Pim's here..."
So This is Where Life Leaves You
And so here you are, a
seasoned woman of forty-five, sharing the top floor of a house that was once all yours with your cousin Pimento, or is she your niece? Either way, while
you've been hard at work stocking shelves and ringing up customers,
she's been here on your newly reupholstered couch
scrolling TikTok and binging shows on your new Quantum-dot
OLED TV that grandma bought you to take the edge off of
blowing up your life. You take a moment to really let that sink in.
