Crushing on Royalty (The Cuttings #1) [To Be Reconstructed]

12 | Flight Time Terrors and New Beginnings

I could hear the dowager exclaiming in her regal voice, "No, Albert! It's supposed to be dug on the left side. The left!"

I knew, for a fact, though, that she was simply trying to busy herself instead of coming to our side and demand what was wrong.

For some reason, that made me wail even harder. Grams ran her fingers through my ponytailed curls and waves, kissing the top of my head. "Are you sure," she whispered, "about what you agreed to, sweetie?"

I closed my eyes, tasting the salt. I thought of Grams working hard in her old age, trying to raise money to pay our mounting bills, seeing her use a fan -- a typical move-your-wrist-to-form-air kind of fan -- just to cool her off in this hot spring weather, seeing Tommy sell my stuff on eBay and his. I imagined him unable to afford going to college (he'd always wanted to go to New York and study at NYU) because of our financial situation.

I mean, I didn't care about Cookie. I just thought he'd rather fly away and move to Canada or Minnesota and freeze to death there in the winter, never coming back or something, but I thought of Grams again and how sad she would be if the stupid parrot wasn't by her side.

He was practically a memento from Gramps.

I sniffed and raised my dark green eyes to her soft blue ones. And just like that, I knew what I had to do.

"I'm sure," I said firmly.

I brushed my tears away, not caring if I ruined my makeup. I stood up and hugged my grandma.

She didn't question me any further and just hugged me back, kissing my hair as she did so.

"I love you, sweetie," she whispered softly. "You're a little too young to get married, but heck, I got married when I was only fifteen!"

For some reason, that made me laugh. I felt a little better now that my grandma was here with me.

She pulled back, staring into my eyes with a little smile on her lips.

"Gramps and I met at an ice cream parlor back in the day."

I'd heard her story a million times, but right now, it was like I was hearing it for the first time again.

"He was a handsome son of gun way back! I was your typical wallflower -- then he saw me in a corner, dressed in a pink floral dress, my blond hair curled in the fashion.

"He was only eighteen that time, and even if there were several girls there older than I was -- and prettier than I'd ever be -- he approached me.

"Ain't that something? Oh, how the other girls grew green with envy! He bought me a milkshake and when a favorite song of mine, by Billie Holiday, played, it turned out that it was his favorite too.

"So, he stood up and offered his hand for me to hold, asking, 'Will you dance with me? Better say yes, because it's gon' be a mighty embarassing thing if a pretty little lady like you turned me down. I'm eighteen; I have to be magnetic to the ladies.'

"I blushed and giggled, then took his hand and danced with him. Right there in the ice cream parlor!

"After a month of going steady, he asked me to marry him. And we'd been together for nearly sixty-one years. We were young and happy back in our marriage the first time in 1949...and now he's gone...and then my daughter and your daddy..."

She touched my cheek.

"But I'm lucky to have you and Tommy to care for me. Without you two, I'd feel even lonelier than ever. I can't say this is the best way to solve our problems, but I'm sure this is what you're sure of. And for that, I thank you.