Flying With a Broken Wing by Laura Best

Author:Laura Best
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nimbus
Published: 2013-07-23T00:00:00+00:00

My grandmother looked at us across the top of her teacup and silently sipped her tea. The springs on the chesterfield squeaked as Evelyn wiggled uncomfortably.

Two fancy cups of tea were sitting on a little table in front us. I added a bit of cream and stirred them with a spoon. I wondered how long it would be before my grandmother would start walking the questions to me. I hoped Evelyn would be a little help.

“Drink up,” she said with a tiny nod. “A good hostess never drinks alone.” It seemed like some devious act of trickery on her part. She would try and trip me up, tell me I was just packing a bunch of lies. I took a quick sip of tea and set my teacup down. Evelyn did the same. I told myself I was prepared for anything she could throw my way.

“So tell me, is there a reason why you think I’m your grandmother or did you just dream it up one day?” she finally asked.

“My aunt Millie told me so.” No way was she going to make me back down now.

“And who is this Aunt Millie of yours? Is she someone I should know?” She set her teacup down.

“Know her? Of course you know her. You were best friends when you were young! Well, maybe you weren’t so young, but Aunt Millie was.” No sense beating around the bush. I figured it was best to tell it the way it was.

“My best friend, you say?” There was fake disbelief in her voice. She pretended not to know.

“Only you stopped being fun. You got all serious about your money and that ended you two being friends. Who knows, maybe you were scared your husband would start chasing after her. Men do that, you know.”

“Do what?”

“Chase after Aunt Millie. The men flock to her like crows to a gut pile.”

“You don’t say! And you think my Herman might have been tempted?”

I gave a beats-me kind of shrug. “No telling with Aunt Millie. She’s not bad looking, you know.”

My grandmother took a stingy sip of tea. “Just how old are you, my dear?”

“I’m eleven.” Her question kind of threw me. What difference did it make how old I was?

“I’d have to say you’re far too young to be a granddaughter of mine.”

“I just know what Aunt Millie told me.” Doubt stuck its tongue out at me. Aunt Millie better not have lied about any of this.

“What did your aunt tell you? I’d be interested in hearing.You still haven’t explained how any of this makes you my granddaughter.”

I had to go slow. Old people don’t always catch on to things if you don’t. This was my only chance to make her understand.

“Your son, Charles, got my mother in the family way.”

“My son Charles, you say? Oh dear!” She took another sip of tea.

“But you already know this.” She was trying to distract me.

“I do?”

This was no time for her to be playing dumb.

“Of course you do.”

Who was she trying to kid? Why was she pretending that she couldn’t remember? It hadn’t happened that long ago.

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