Once Upon a Summertime (4 page)

“
How about if I take us out to dinner?”
Anna asked as she came into the house.

Her grandma frowned from the rocking recliner. “But I've already made us a tamale casserole. It's in the oven right now.”

“You could save it for another night.”

“But it's nearly done.” Grandma looked at her watch, then leaned forward and pushed herself to her feet. “In fact, I should check on it before it gets scorched.”

“You could just put it aside to cool,” Anna suggested. “Then we could go out. That way you'd have dinner all ready for tomorrow night.”

Grandma peered curiously at Anna. “But why do we need to go out for dinner? It's so expensive. It's not a special occasion, is it?”

Anna made a stiff smile. Of course, she was well aware that her grandmother had grown up on a midwest farm where cooking had been secondary to breathing and going out for a meal had been considered wastefully decadent. Apparently
old habits really did die hard. “No, it's not a special occasion,” Anna conceded. “I just hoped that we could talk.”

Grandma brightened. “What better place to talk than right here? That way we don't have a bunch of people interrupting us every five minutes.”

Anna nodded. “Yes, you're probably right.”

“You go get yourself into some comfy clothes,” Grandma said. “I'll set the table.”

Instead of protesting like she wanted to, Anna went to the coat closet by the front door. This narrow space served as her clothes closet, and since the front drapes were closed to keep the afternoon sun out, she proceeded to do a quick change right there by the front door. Originally, when they'd set up this “temporary” arrangement—with Anna sleeping on the sofa, keeping her clothes in the narrow closet, and using the tiny powder room for her personal bathroom—Grandma had been on a waiting list for a larger two-bedroom apartment. But because most of the two-bedroom units were on the second level and Grandma had a bad hip, she was still down here. Maybe that was a good thing. It would make it easier for Anna to leave.

Comfortable in some lightweight capri pants and a sleeveless shirt, Anna rejoined Grandma in the stuffy kitchen. The smell of the tamales combined with the overly warm kitchen made Anna feel less than hungry. She glanced longingly out at the tiny patio with the bistro table and chair set that Anna had gotten Grandma for her last birthday. She considered suggesting they eat out there since it was probably about the same temperature in the shade, plus the air was fresher. But she knew her grandma would think that was “too much trouble,” especially since she'd already set the table. Plus,
those “stiff metal chairs” were hard on her hip. Anna knew the drill.

“So what is it you want to talk to me about?” Grandma asked after she'd said the blessing. “You've aroused my curiosity, Anna.”

“Well . . .” Anna took in a deep breath as she laid her paper napkin in her lap. “I ran into my old friend Marley Ferris today. She's back in town to help out with her mom's café for a few days. Did you know that Louise Ferris had back surgery?”

“I hadn't heard that.” Grandma handed Anna the salad bowl. “But I haven't been to Lou's Café in a year or two, maybe more.”

Anna filled her in on Marley's career change. “I was so surprised. I thought all she ever wanted to do was teach school, but she sounds like she couldn't be happier.”

“She gave up her teaching job?” Grandma looked shocked. “What about all of her education? Seems a waste to go to school all those years to become a teacher and then just toss it aside. To quit teaching after such a short time—and to become a stewardess? What about her retirement? And surely she knows that teachers get their whole summers off. They can travel and—”

“Oh, she travels all the time now. Because she's fluent in so many languages, she gets to be on the international flights. She's been all over the world.”

“Sounds pretty risky to me.” Grandma dismally shook her head as she shook the salad dressing bottle. “With all the nutcases in the world nowadays . . . terrorist kooks with bombs in their underwear . . . well, you couldn't pay me enough to fly to a foreign country on an airplane. And just
imagine—what if you got stuck in some ghastly place with no way out?”

This was not going at all how Anna had hoped. She had planned to use Marley's career change to segue into her own revised plans. “I'm sure it wouldn't be your cup of tea, Grandma.” Anna smiled patiently. “But honestly, I've never seen Marley happier.”

“Yes, well, I'm glad for her. I suppose one has to sow one's oats. Best to do it while you're young. I'll wager that she'll tire of flying all over the place someday. Then she can return to a more dependable job—like teaching.” Grandma nodded as if this settled it.

Anna was rethinking her approach now. Obviously, her plan of getting Grandma on board with Marley's new lifestyle was not working. Time to move to the second part of her strategy. “You know that the reason I was attracted to working at the Value Lodge was to gain some managerial experience,” she said carefully.

“Yes.” Grandma nodded as she buttered a piece of bread. “And you've got almost two years in. That's impressive.”

“Yes, well, I think maybe two years is enough.”

“Enough?” Grandma set her knife down. “What do you mean?”

Anna started telling her the truth, starting with the troubles with Mickey and the rest of the staff and how her dreams of making improvements were constantly dashed. “The Value Lodge is just not where I see myself in the future,” she finally said.

“Oh.” Grandma just stared at her.

“I'm sorry,” Anna said contritely. “I know your friends Rich and Sharon were very generous to give me this oppor
tunity, especially straight out of college. I had hoped that I would bring something to the job. Instead, I just feel stuck.”

“I see.”

“I really appreciate that I was able to earn enough to pay off my student loans,” she continued. “I've managed to put aside some nice savings too.”

Grandma just nodded.

“I feel like I've hurt your feelings,” Anna said sadly. “Like you think I'm not grateful for all you've done for me.” She felt tears coming. “But I am. I really am. I don't know where I'd be without you, Grandma. I'll always be thankful for all you've done for me. Please don't feel bad.”

Grandma blinked. “Oh no, I don't feel bad, Anna. I was just thinking about all you were saying.”

“Oh?”

“I never expected you to stay here in Springville forever, dear girl.”

“You didn't?”

“No, of course not.”

Anna felt slightly blindsided. “So you don't mind if I move on?”

“Not if you have a good solid place to go.” Grandma reached for another serving of tamales.

“Well, I don't really know for sure what I'll do next, but Marley told me about something that might have potential.” She began telling Grandma about the boutique hotel in SoHo, starting out cautiously but gaining enthusiasm the more she talked about it.

Grandma seemed surprised. “New York City? You'd actually want to live there?”

“Yes,” Anna declared. “I've always dreamed of working
for a specialty hotel in a large city like New York. I realize it's probably a long shot for me, but if it really happened—well, I would be thrilled.”

“You honestly think you could be happy in such a big, busy place?”

“I absolutely do. I'll admit that it would be a huge challenge and a major adjustment. But I think it'd be truly rewarding. I could finally use the skills and training I got in college.” Anna confessed how she'd dreamed of working for a hotel that appreciated the finer things in life. “With all the amenities and where the guests come first.” She sighed. “Instead of boasting the cheapest rates in town, we would practice true hospitality.”

Grandma smiled. “When you say it like that, it really does sound appealing.”

Anna continued talking about the things she'd love to see practiced in an upscale hotel. “I've even heard of quality hotels that cater to singles, offering a social hour where they meet and greet,” she said. “Not anything improper, of course, but just a way for single professionals to mingle while they're visiting from out of town.” She went on and on but eventually realized that her grandmother was probably getting overwhelmed. “Sorry,” she said quietly. “I guess you can see this is something I feel passionate about.”

“I never realized how important this was to you.”

For a long moment, they both just sat at the small kitchen table. Anna could hear the kitchen clock ticking and a lawnmower running outside. “So you don't mind if I pursue something like this?” Anna asked hopefully. “I mean, even if the hotel in New York doesn't work out, well, there might be another hotel somewhere else.”

Grandma reached over and clasped Anna's hand. “I want you to follow your dreams, Anna. That's all I ever wanted.”

“Really?” Anna couldn't hide her surprise. “You don't want me to stay here with you and keep working at the Value Lodge?”

Grandma laughed, waving her other hand. “Oh, my dear. You know how small this apartment is. Did you really think I expected you to keep sleeping on the sofa forever?”

“No, probably not.”

“It was just a stopping place until you were ready for the next stage of your life.” Grandma made a little sigh. “Of course, I love having you here. I will miss you. But I never want to stand in the way of your dreams.”

Anna got up, went around the table, and wrapped her arms around her grandma's shoulders to hug her. “Thank you,” she said happily. “You don't know how much that means to me.”

“If you ever need to come home, you know you are always welcome.” Grandma slowly stood and Anna could see that her eyes were misty. For that matter, Anna's were too.

“The same will be true for you,” Anna declared as she began to clear the table. “If I have a home someday, you will always be welcome. You can live with me or just visit or whatever.”

“I've heard it's terribly expensive to live in New York City,” Grandma said as Anna took her empty plate. “Do you think you'll make enough to afford your rent?”

“Managerial jobs in good hotels pay pretty well,” Anna said as she rinsed the plates. “I'm sure I'll be just fine.”

“Maybe they will let you live in the hotel.”

“Maybe.” Anna said this for Grandma's benefit, not
because she thought it was true. “Or maybe I can share an apartment with Marley.” Again, she said this for her grandmother. From what she'd heard, Marley's apartment was already overly full.

“Oh, wouldn't that be fun for you two girls.” Grandma smiled as she covered the leftovers with foil. “I remember when I was about your age. Actually, I suppose I was quite a bit younger, but I felt very grown-up at the time. My best friend Karla and I were just nineteen when we both got jobs in Indianapolis.”

“What?” Anna was shocked. “I've never heard about this.”

Grandma chuckled. “Well, it was all rather short-lived. You see, Karla and I had taken business classes in high school, and we got the idea we could make it in the big city. It was the mid-sixties, and a lot of young women were pursuing careers. We both got hired at a big insurance company, and with the help of our parents, we managed to rent ourselves a little apartment right downtown.”

“I had no idea.” Anna shook her head as she placed a plate in the dishwasher. “I always thought you and Grandpa were high school sweethearts and that you got married right out of high school.”

“It's true we were high school sweethearts. But your grandpa got drafted into the army right after graduation. Got sent straight to Vietnam. That's when Karla and I got it into our heads to go out and try our wings. I must admit that it was all rather exciting, for a spell anyway. We only lasted about a year before it all came apart.” Grandma frowned as she hung up a dish towel.

“What went wrong?”

“Oh . . . several things. Karla got involved with a fellow—
he turned out to be good for nothing, but poor Karla didn't see it. She married him anyway. That marriage didn't last for long.”

“What about you?”

Grandma made a sheepish smile. “Even before Karla decided to part ways with me, I was already homesick for my family. I missed the farm and the slower paced lifestyle. I went back home to live with my parents. Stayed there until your grandpa came home from Vietnam. That's when we got married.”

“I never knew that.” Anna closed the dishwasher door.

Grandma winked. “Well, a girl's got to have a few secrets.”

Anna laughed.

Grandma let out a sigh as she wiped off the kitchen table. “Then your mother came along, just a couple years after we got married. I thought our lives were so complete.”

Anna cringed inwardly. She really didn't want Grandma to go there unless she really needed to. She knew how painful the memories could be for her—how difficult it was to talk about Anna's mother, both for Grandma and for Anna. As Grandma often said, some stones were better left unturned.

“Your grandpa and I had a lot of happy years,” Grandma continued wistfully.

“I know.” Anna filled a glass with water, taking a long sip.

“And we had some hard years.”

Anna nodded. She was well aware that her mother had made some bad choices in life—she'd gotten pregnant at seventeen, married an addict, and moved away from the protection of her parents, and her sad little life had ended tragically. These were facts Anna could never escape, and
some of those early childhood memories remained indelibly imprinted in her mind.

“Your mother lived life on her own terms. In a lot of ways she reminded me of my old friend Karla.” Grandma hung the dishrag over the faucet, then turned to peer into Anna's eyes. “I'm so relieved that you are not like your mother, Anna. Not in that regard. I feel certain you will never make the same mistakes that she made.”