Short Story by Erika D.

Granny was walking down the street of her new town in the dying sunlight. This was entirely new for her because she never tried to move into a small town before. She liked the open country, where she could be far away from other people. Since her husband had died, the openness seemed more lonely than comforting. Her granddaughter convinced her to move closer to her, and this time, Granny was going to try and stay in this town for a while. She usually moved around a lot-once or twice a year, but she was getting older, and was sick of everyone getting on her nerves because they didn’t really know her well enough not to judge her.

As she came up on her house, she turned into her driveway and walked up her front steps. She closed the door behind her and walked into the warmth of her house. Although it was mid-January, she still took a daily walk around the square. She refused to be one of those old women who sat around knitting because it was too hard for her to walk. She loved to feel the cool air as she pressed on through the aches in her legs. This was her way to escape from everyone and just have some time to think.

She walked into the hall and put down her coat, simultaneously pressing the button on the answering machine to check for new messages. She smiled when she heard her granddaughter’s voice play. “Hi, Granny, just calling to check in on you…wanted to see how you’re doing. I found a great job for you if you’re interested; I think it’s something you’ll really love. Give me a call back. Thanks.” A loud beep left Granny in silence. She grabbed the phone and sat down on the couch, dialing the familiar numbers.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Jenna I just got your message.”

“Granny!” Jenna replied excitedly. “Ya, I know some people who live in your town who are looking for someone to look after their son. His name’s Doodle.” Granny was thinking quietly. She hadn’t worked for almost 5 years, when she was nursing, and she hadn’t even thought about working since her husband had died. Still, this was the chance she’d been waiting for. A job right in town, doing something she could easily do, and she would be helping someone out.

Sensing her grandmothers uncertainty, Jenna quickly said, “I don’t think they want you to do anything major, they’re just looking for someone to spend some time with them when they’re gone. The boy, Doodle, is crippled, and needs help walking. I know how much you enjoyed nursing, and I thought you might want to do this for the family.”

“Ok,” Granny finally answered. “I’ll do it.” They spent the next twenty minutes discussing the details, Granny assuring her that she would call them the first chance she got.

The next morning, Granny picked up the phone and called the number her granddaughter had given to her. A kind woman answered the phone, and Granny started up the story about Jenna telling her that they were looking for someone to care for their son. Granny told the woman about her past nurse work, and how much she would appreciate this job.

The woman laughed kindly into the phone and said that she would gladly hire Granny and that she didn’t need to persuade her any more. Her son needed someone to just be there with him, to take him for walks, to strengthen him a little. Both her and her husband worked full-time to try and keep up with the medical bills, and she couldn’t have him sitting around all the time because it was too risky for him to be out alone.

“I just want Doodle to have someone be there for him when I can’t,” she finished, somewhat breathlessly. Granny smiled and assured her that this would be a perfect job for her, and she would start whenever they needed her. They agreed on the next morning, and Granny put down the phone feeling much better, and looking forward to the following day.

Granny spent the rest of day thinking about what she would as her first day on the job. It was nice to actually have something to look forward to. She didn’t know much about Doodle’s disability, so she wasn’t sure how she could help him. Granny only knew how hard it was for him to walk, and she planned to change that. She wanted to show the boy that he could do this; that even someone her age could work that hard. She went to bed that night hoping that she would be able to help Doodle.

The next morning Granny woke up at 7:00 and got ready for her first day on the new job. She dressed warmly and laced up her walking shoes. She finished getting ready and walked out the door and, following her granddaughter’s directions, she arrived at the house where she would be working. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Doodle’s mother, dressed in a suit, welcomed her graciously into the house. Granny walked in, relieving Doodle’s mom, and met the boy she had heard about. Doodle was sitting in an armchair reading a book. Granny walked up to him and sat next to him without saying a word. The boy looked up curiously and Granny smiled warmly. “Want to go for a walk?” she asked. Doodle smiled back at her and nodded.

Granny worked with Doodle all through the year, every day walking a little farther and longer. By the end of the year, Doodle could walk for almost a mile without having to stop and rest, or without limping at all. Granny came every day to help him, and they became very close. Granny was always welcome for dinner at their house, and she spent most of her time there. Though Granny was used to walking every day, she was also getting older, and it started to get harder for her. Doodle was helping her as much as she was helping him.

One morning, Granny didn’t show up. Doodle knew, then, that she was gone. Granny had spent the last of her life doing something that she enjoyed. She had helped someone else, and, in turn, had helped herself. Granny was finally content, and she left the world happier than she had ever been. Doodle lost his best friend that day, but smiled, knowing how much happier they had been together, and how much Granny would have wanted him to keep going, to improve himself. Doodle walked by himself that day, walking farther and faster than he ever had before. Granny had succeeded, and Doodle knew how much that meant to her.