MY PARENTS DUMPED GRANDMA AT A NURSING HOME FOR "LUNCH"—THEY DIDN'T KNOW SHE KEPT THE REAL DEED IN HER COAT!
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Chapter 18 / 20
Chapter 18 - Grandma's Last Spring Planting
Grandma turned eighty-six in April.
She still insisted on planting pansies herself.
Her hands had become slower.
Her back hurt.
But every morning she walked through the greenhouse.
One afternoon she sat beside me beneath the sugar maples.
“Daniel?”
“Yeah?”
“When I'm gone, don't turn this place into a shrine.”
“I don't want to talk about that.”
“Too bad.”
She smiled.
“Fill it with children. Dogs. Mud. Bad cooking. People arguing over Thanksgiving pie.”
I laughed.
“You're planning my life now?”
“Someone has to.”
Then she leaned against my shoulder.
May you like
“Promise me the house stays alive.”
“I promise.”
