“Gran, Mum said they have to put you in a care home.” I heard my parents talkinga child wouldnt make something like that up.
Margaret strolled through the lanes of a little village just outside Bath, on her way to pick up her granddaughter from school. Her face glowed with happiness, and the click of her heels on the pavement was as lively as in her distant youth, when life had felt like an endless melody. Today was specialshed finally got her own place. A bright, cosy one-bed flat in a new building, something shed dreamed of for years. Nearly two years of saving, putting aside every penny. Selling the old cottage in the countryside only covered half the cost, and her daughter, Emily, chipped in the restthough Margaret swore shed pay her back. A widow at seventy, she could manage on half her pension, while the younger onesEmily and her husbandneeded the money more. They had their whole lives ahead of them.
In the schoolyard, her granddaughter Lily, a second-year with plaits, was waiting. The little girl ran to her gran, and together they walked home, chatting about nothing in particular. The eight-year-old was the light of Margarets life, her greatest treasure. Emily had had her late, almost at forty, and then asked her mum for help. Margaret hadnt wanted to leave the cottage where every corner held a memory, but for the sake of her daughter and granddaughter, shed given it all up. She moved closer, took care of Lilycollected her from school, stayed with her till her parents got home from work, then went back to her snug little flat. The flat was in Emilys namejust in case, since the elderly could be easily taken advantage of, and life was unpredictable. Margaret didnt mindto her, it was just a formality.
“Gran,” Lily suddenly said, looking up at her with wide eyes, “Mum said they have to put you in a care home.”
Margaret froze, as if shed been drenched in icy water.
“A care home? Love, what do you mean?” she asked, feeling the chill sink into her bones.
“Yeah, where all the old grandmas and grandpas live. Mum told Dad youd be better off there, not having to worry about anything,” Lily whispered, but every word hit like a hammer.
“But I dont want to go there! Id rather rest in peace,” Margaret answered, her voice shaking as her thoughts spun. It was unbelievablecoming from a child.
“Gran, dont tell Mum I told you,” Lily murmured, pressing close. “I heard them talking last night. Mum said shes already sorted it with a lady, but they wont take you till Im a bit older.”
“I promise, sweetheart,” Margaret said as she unlocked the front door. Her legs wobbled, her throat tight. “I dont feel wellmy heads spinning. Ill just lie down a bit, alright? You go change.”
She sank onto the sofa, her heart pounding, the room blurring before her. Those words, spoken in that small, innocent voice, shattered her world. It was truea terrifying, undeniable truth a child wouldnt make up. Three months later, Margaret packed her things and went back to the countryside. Now she rents a little place there, saving up for somewhere stable. Old friends and distant relatives offer support, but inside, theres only emptiness and hurt.
Some people whisper behind her back”Shes partly to blame, shouldve talked to Emily, cleared the air.” But Margaret stands firm.
“A child doesnt invent this,” she says, voice steady, staring into space. “Emilys actions speak for themselves. She hasnt even rung, hasnt asked why I left.”
Seems her daughter understoodbut stays silent. And Margaret waits. Waits for a call, an explanation, any word at all. But she wont dial the number herselfpride and heartache chain her. She doesnt feel guilty, but the silence, the betrayal from those closest, breaks her. Every day, she wondersis this all thats left of her love and sacrifice? Is her old age just loneliness and being forgotten?
