Nancy reviewed her shopping list, which consisted of only the most inexpensive and essential items. Although she had worked hard her entire life, her pension was meager. Sometimes this realization upset the old woman so much that she would spend the entire evening crying in her small one-bedroom apartment.
Usually, after such evenings, her blood pressure would spike and insomnia would set in, but Nancy was used to managing with her medication.
***
The elderly woman stopped by the bulk candy aisle. As usual, she picked up several handfuls for her grandson, Sam. In reality, she only told herself that to feel better; she actually gave the candy to the children while sitting on the bench outside her apartment complex. After all, her own daughter wouldn't allow her to see Sam.
Nancy returned to her small but cozy apartment. She arranged the groceries on the refrigerator shelves and put the kettle on to boil. She checked her blood pressure just in case and hesitantly walked over to the phone. She knew her call wouldn't change anything, but the sight of the candy sitting lonely on the table forced her to pick up the receiver anyway.
She slowly dialed her daughter's number. Natalie, Nancy's daughter, didn't have a landline, but the old woman had memorized her mobile number by heart. After several long rings, an unwelcoming voice answered:
"Hello."
"Natalie, dear, hello," Nancy said, feeling a bit flustered; she hadn't expected her daughter to pick up.
"Hello."
"How are things at home?"
"Don't act like you actually care," Natalie replied crossly.
"Natalie, I do care... I really want to see Sam," tears welled up in her eyes. It couldn't be helped; the elderly often struggle to control their emotions, especially when it comes to children and grandchildren.
"Forget you even have a grandson!" the woman exclaimed angrily.
"Don't say that..." Nancy sobbed.
"You didn't seem to mind that prospect before."
"What are you talking about, Natalie?"
"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about."
"Can I please just see him for a little while?" the old woman asked piteously, no longer trying to hide her tears.
"No! You can't! I don't want to talk to you at all after what you did! How could you do that? You're beyond forgiveness, and you won't see Sam. So stop getting your friends to call me and plead your case."
"I didn't do anything like that..." but Natalie had already hung up.
For a few seconds, Nancy listened to the dial tone coming from the receiver of her old landline. Although the old woman was deeply distressed by the relationship with her daughter that had soured overnight, she truly had no idea who would have called Natalie to ask for a meeting with Sam. Perhaps it was these distracting thoughts that saved Nancy from the worst physical effects of a nervous breakdown.
She went to the kitchen, took out her medicine cabinet, and added some sedative drops to a glass of water, drinking it slowly. Then she went to her bed and lay down, continuing to dwell on her daughter's words.
***
Meanwhile, Natalie was pacing restlessly. It wasn't the first time she had heard her mother's tears over the phone, but she didn't want to change her mind. If she said her mother wasn't going to see Sam, then that was that.
"Was that your mother calling?" asked Andrew, Natalie's husband, walking over.
"Yes," the woman admitted reluctantly. "Since when did you pick up the habit of eavesdropping?"
"You were shouting so loud the neighbors probably heard," Andrew chuckled and hugged Natalie, trying to smooth things over.
He knew about the conflict between his wife and her mother, but he had no idea what it was about. He had tried to talk to Natalie about it several times, but she always changed the subject or simply refused to answer.
"She wants to see Sam," Natalie muttered through clenched teeth.
"So what's the problem? Let them meet."
"You don't understand!" The woman pulled away from her husband's embrace and moved to the opposite end of the room.
"Then explain it to me! I still don't know what kind of soap opera is going on between you two."
"And you won't."
"You can't hide your grandson from Nancy forever."
"The time to forgive her hasn't come yet," Natalie stood her ground.
"Be careful it doesn't become too late. How old is your mother?"
"Seventy-five."
"Think about making peace with her. It's very hard for her to spend her old age alone."
"You know, it was hard for me at another point in my life," Andrew raised an eyebrow, waiting for more, but Natalie fell silent. "I'm going to go take a shower," she grumbled, trying to escape her husband's searching gaze.
***
Nancy felt better the next day. She went down to the bench outside her building. Right across from her was a playground where children were frolicking, playing tag. Nancy watched them and couldn't help but smile.
She loved children dearly and had wanted a large family when she was young. But as it turned out, it took her a long time to find the right man, then there were problems with pregnancy, and during Natalie's birth, Nancy suffered serious complications. Back then, there was little that could be done, and doctors had to perform a hysterectomy to save her life.
Of course, after that, dreams of a large family had to be forgotten, and Nancy was only thirty. She was devastated, especially since her husband also dreamed of having several children. When Nancy finally gathered the courage to tell him what had happened, the man couldn't handle it and left her.
So Nancy was left alone with a child. It was very difficult to survive, but she managed only because of her immense love for her daughter, Natalie. And now, Natalie hated her. A few tears rolled down Nancy's hollow cheeks.
"Grandma, why are you crying?" asked a little girl in a white dress.
"Oh, the sun is just a bit too bright, it's shining right in my eyes," Nancy smiled. "Thank you for caring, sweetheart."
"Why are you just sitting here?" the girl asked. "By the way, my name is Harper."
"And I'm Nancy," the old woman smiled. "I'm sitting here so I don't get too lonely in my apartment."
"Are you lonely?"
"Very much so, dear," Nancy sighed.
"Let's play then!" the girl clapped her hands.
"How can I play with you? I'm an old woman, and you probably want to run around."
"Harper!" a man's voice called out. "Where are you?"
"I'm here, Daddy!" the girl replied brightly.
Nancy looked at the man who stepped around the corner of the building. He didn't look very well-kept, but he certainly wasn't a drinker. More like he was just very tired.
"Harper, I told you not to run off too far and not to talk to strangers," the man sighed. "I'm so sorry, Harper is very talkative," he said, turning to Nancy.
"She's not a stranger!" Harper protested. "This is Nancy, and we've already met. She's very lonely at home, so she came outside to play."
"To play?" the man asked in surprise, and Nancy laughed.
"I'm just warming my old bones, dear," the old woman explained. "But Harper, you really should listen to your father. There are bad people out there; you're very lucky I'm not one of them. Oh, I almost forgot—here, take some candy," Nancy treated the girl to a handful of sweets.
"What do you say?" the father prompted.
"Thank you, Nancy!" the little girl hugged the old woman, and Nancy smiled. "But I still want to play with you!"
"Harper, now, that's not polite," the father worried.
"It's fine," Nancy replied. "I have all the time in the world and would be happy to play with Harper. As long as it's not tag," the old woman added after a pause.
"Let's all play a word game!" Harper clapped her hands again.
"I can do word games," Nancy agreed.
"I'm so sorry, this is embarrassing," the man said bashfully, but the old woman was smiling. She was very happy that she was finally useful and interesting to someone.
***
"Well done," the old woman praised the girl. "You won."
"Yay, yay, yay!" Harper cheered. "Now I'm going to go bake us some pies and cookies in the sandbox to celebrate."
"Go ahead, sweetie," the father smiled. "Thank you for playing with my daughter."
"It was nothing; it was a pleasure to meet such a worthy opponent," Nancy smiled.
"Do you have grandchildren?" the man asked.
"I do..." the old woman immediately looked sad. Harper's dad noticed.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"My daughter and I have a complicated relationship," Nancy said. "She's against me seeing my grandson."
"Really? How can that be?" the man was surprised.
"We don't know each other well enough for me to start complaining about my life," the old woman smiled.
"Well, Harper really likes you. I haven't seen her this happy in a long time. You know, her mother passed away during childbirth, so I haven't been able to give her the attention she needs while trying to earn a living," Nancy threw up her hands and gasped.
"Oh dear, I can see you're overworked. I'm so sorry for your loss."
"Thank you. My name is David, by the way. I take it that because of the situation with your daughter, you have to do your own shopping, right?"
"Of course, I do it myself."
"Tell you what—let me run your errands a couple of times a week: groceries, prescriptions, whatever you need. In exchange, you can play word games with Harper."
"Oh, David, you don't need to do that!" Nancy waved her hands. "I'll play with Harper anyway! She's such a lovely girl."
"I know you can manage on your own, but it's still better when there's someone to help," the man smiled.
Tears welled up in the old woman's eyes. She had lived to see the day when a stranger did more for her than her own daughter.
"Thank you, David... Excuse me," she reached into her pocket for a handkerchief.
"It's okay, don't worry," the man said kindly, patting her thin shoulder.
***
From that day on, Nancy and Harper became friends. David had more time for work, and the old woman offered to have Harper over at her place, which the girl happily agreed to. David, of course, saw no threat in Nancy; Harper would retell stories from "Miss Nancy" every time, and the old woman knew plenty of them—she had been a librarian, after all.
David would pick up simple groceries for Nancy. It pained him to see her modest list: cereal, milk, bread, candy for Harper. David once asked the old woman when she had last eaten anything besides porridge. Nancy honestly replied that she didn't remember. Just porridge and the occasional simple soup. The man shook his head and decided this wouldn't do. Nancy had good dentures that allowed her to eat meat without trouble, so on his next trip to the store, David bought the old woman ground beef, steak, deli meat, cheese, fresh vegetables, various fruits, and high-quality loose-leaf tea instead of the cheapest tea bags.
When he walked into the small apartment with several bags and set them down in the kitchen, Nancy's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"David, dear, I think you forgot your groceries," the old woman called out.
"Nancy, those are yours," David waved it off.
"How... mine?" the elderly woman's eyes widened even more.
"Just because. There was a sale, so I picked up a few things."
"David, how much do I owe you..."
"Nothing," the man cut her off firmly.
"What do you mean, nothing?" the old woman blinked in surprise.
"Nancy, at your age, you need to eat well. So cook up something good for your health," David smiled.
"But how... why..." tears began to fall rapidly from Nancy's face.
There were fifty or sixty dollars' worth of groceries here; she only gave David money for the bare essentials, which meant he was paying for everything else out of his own pocket.
"Now, now, don't cry, it's all right."
"I don't know how to thank you..."
"You don't need to thank me."
From then on, David made the grocery list for Nancy himself every time. The woman tried to resist his generous offers as much as she could, but David wouldn't hear of it. Moreover, since Nancy spent the whole day with Harper so he could work in peace, his income increased.
David was a successful real estate agent, and with more time spent showing houses, the number of deals grew. It was no trouble at all for him to buy the necessary groceries for the old woman, and she eventually had to get used to it.
Of course, Nancy didn't want to be in his debt and constantly invited David and Harper over for lunches, dinners, and homemade pies. They became so close that the old woman instinctively began to consider the man almost like a son; she even gave him a set of keys to her apartment since he had done so much for her.
But the woman desperately wanted to mend fences with her daughter—to see her grandson and introduce him to Harper, as they were the same age. To be truly happy, she only needed Natalie's forgiveness. So one evening, after David had already picked up Harper, Nancy decided to call her daughter.
"Good grief, what now?" Natalie answered irritably.
"Hello, Natalie. I just wanted to know how you and Sam are doing?"
"Fine. And I thought I asked you not to call me anymore."
"But it's been almost a year since my last call..." the old woman felt a sharp pain in her heart.
In the time she had spent receiving warmth and care from David, she had almost forgotten how cruelly her daughter spoke to her.
"I'm still not ready to forgive you," Natalie snapped.
"But, Natalie... I could die soon..."
"Stop talking nonsense and trying to guilt-trip me," Natalie cut her off harshly.
At those words, Nancy's vision went dark, and her heart felt like it was on fire.
"Natalie, I... I don't feel well," Nancy said in a weak voice.
"And did I feel well then? Huh? When you were poisoning me with those pills!" The old woman didn't hear the last part of the sentence.
The pain in her heart was so sharp and her vision so clouded that her legs gave way. Nancy slumped into an armchair. She was conscious but understood almost nothing. The pain was terrible: burning, pressing, radiating into her left arm and neck. A cold sweat broke out.
"Nancy!.." David shouted from the hallway. "Harper forgot a toy and didn't want to go to sleep without it. Have you seen... Oh my God!" The man walked into the room. "Nancy, can you hear me?! Hang on, I'm calling 911!"
"What 911?.." Natalie turned pale, still continuing to shower her mother with insults and reproaches. "Hello!" she shouted into the phone with all her might, but the man was making a call on his cell.
The woman waited until the man finished talking, then shouted into the receiver again.
"What the... Hello?" the man picked up the landline receiver.
"Who am I speaking to?" Natalie inquired professionally.
"Listen, if you're trying to sell this woman something, leave her alone!"
"Wait! I'm her daughter! What happened to her?" Natalie asked, sounding more concerned now.
"Oh, you're the daughter who abandoned her sick, elderly mother to her fate."
"How dare you speak to me like that?!" Natalie was outraged.
"I don't know, maybe because I've never seen you? Maybe because you haven't visited your mother once in a year? And maybe because your little family chat just gave Nancy a heart attack?" David replied sarcastically, trying to find the old woman's pulse.
Nancy closed her eyes and breathed heavily. There was such a noise in her ears that she didn't hear a single word. Natalie was silent.
"Which hospital are they taking her to?"
"I'm not sure you deserve to know," the man replied sourly.
"Believe me, I do," Natalie said sharply. "I'm her next of kin; they'll notify me regardless."
"Fair point. Just check which hospital is on call today. I think I hear sirens. Goodbye," and he hung up.
***
The paramedics arrived and quickly took Nancy away on a stretcher, having first given her oxygen and administered the necessary medication. They made it to the hospital in time and began intensive therapy, placing her immediately in the ICU. The man was told the critical period hadn't passed yet; it wasn't clear if the old woman would pull through. It was a massive heart attack.
David left his phone as the contact number since he had to return to his daughter. But first, he went back to Nancy's apartment to pack some essentials; surely the old woman would pull through—she was tough. Life had put her through enough; she could handle a heart attack.
David tried to calm himself, thinking about trivial things on the way to Nancy's apartment. There, he looked through the closet, took the necessary things, and searched for her documents. He was deeply worried about her health, hoping everything would be fine. He decided he would personally block her daughter's number for good. David had no doubt they had argued and the woman's heart couldn't take it.
He got a call at ten the next morning. They said the old woman had stabilized and the danger had passed. It felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders; he exhaled and thanked the nurse for the call. He asked when he could visit, and they told him he could bring her belongings in a week, but until then she would stay in the ICU as a precaution.
All week, Harper asked about "Miss Nancy." The girl missed her and was worried about her health. David explained to her that Nancy had a disagreement with her daughter, which was why she ended up in the hospital, but she was doing better now. There was no need for a little girl to know that the old woman could have died.
Harper immediately asked to go visit with her dad. David figured Nancy would only be happy to see her and agreed. On the day of the visit, David and Harper packed several large bags with clothes, shoes, basic necessities, toiletries, delicious food, fruit, and vegetables.
In short, they packed everything that would fit in the car. They both wanted the old woman to feel comfortable in the hospital. Harper added her drawings for Nancy, and David started the engine.
***
"Hello, could you tell me which room Nancy Miller is in?" the man greeted the nurse.
"Hello. And who are you to her?"
"I'm the one who called the ambulance—a family friend, you could say."
"I see. Room 306, but there's a visitor in there right now. Might be a bit crowded."
"Who's the visitor?" David frowned.
"A woman, said she's her daughter."
"Oh, I won't bother them; I'm just here to drop off these bags," the man replied and went to find the room.
God certainly "blessed" her with a daughter! She might just cause a second heart attack. Harper opened the door to the room, and David walked in abruptly, intending to chase Natalie away if she was trying to upset her mother again.
"David! Harper!" the old woman beamed.
"Nancy, you really gave us a scare! How are you feeling?" David walked over to the bed, glancing at the woman sitting nearby. She looked to be about thirty or thirty-five and seemed to be just sitting there quietly. Nancy didn't look agitated either.
"Everything is fine, I'm being well taken care of," the old woman smiled.
"Miss Nancy, don't ever go to the hospital again!" Harper hugged her.
" I'll try, sweetheart, I'll try," she patted the girl's head.
"I assume you're David, the one who called 911?" Natalie spoke up.
"I am," the man nodded. He didn't particularly want to talk to her.
"Thank you, of course, but maybe you can explain how you got into my mother's apartment? Who even are you?"
"Does it really concern you?" David asked defiantly.
"David, please don't. This is Natalie, my daughter. And this is David; he helps me around the house and lets me spend time with Harper," Nancy said.
"Oh, was that a jab at me?" Natalie got worked up.
"Natalie, I didn't mean it like that."
"Yes, you did. Don't play dumb."
"Look, either you two make peace right now, or you'll have to leave, Natalie, before you make things worse for Nancy," David said, crossing his arms.
"You don't even know what she did to me," Natalie replied coldly.
"Well, maybe it's time to tell us? You did come here, after all, because you were worried about your mother." Natalie fell silent and took a deep breath.
"My mother is a woman with a difficult past," she began. "She had bad luck with her husband, her pregnancy, and childbirth. They both wanted a big family, but they only got me. My dad left my mom because after me, she couldn't have any more children, and my mom saw me as her only outlet. Her dream of having kids didn't come true, so she decided I shouldn't have any either.
And when my first husband and I tried... well, nothing worked. Later, I found out she had been giving me high-dose birth control pills because I visited her every day! I don't know if it was in the tea or the coffee, but she was slipping me pills! My first husband and I split up because of that! And I loved him! But he left me, said he didn't want someone who was 'defective.'
And then I caught my mother red-handed: I found a pack of pills in her purse. You're not going to tell me, Mom, that you were taking birth control yourself?!"
"Natalie... I can't take this anymore... It wasn't like that at all!.." the old woman cried out.
"Oh, really? That's exactly how it was! And if I hadn't found those pills and cut off all contact with you, I wouldn't have the children I have now!"
"Alright, you've had your say, Natalie. Nancy, why don't you tell your side of the story?" David asked.
"There's not much to tell. Your first husband was the one giving you the pills," the old woman sighed. "He didn't want children, and you were always complaining about how nothing was working, how much you wanted a family... I found the pack of pills and read the label. I realized why you weren't having children and told him I knew and would tell you.
But back then, he was in love with you and said that if I told you, you wouldn't believe me, and then he'd leave you with a child when it was too late to do anything about it. He knew you wouldn't give up a child, and I knew how hard it is for a woman to raise a child alone. He just wanted to play house with you. I still wanted to tell you, hoping you loved your mother more than your husband, but I was wrong.
You saw the pills I had taken from his desk. And then... you remember the argument. You wouldn't listen to me, just like he said. You kicked me out of your apartment and told me never to call... But apparently, he didn't stop giving you the pills if you still didn't get pregnant. If you don't believe me, you can call him and ask; I think by now he'll tell the truth," Nancy finished.
Natalie sat there in shock. She realized her mother's story sounded very much like the truth, especially since she had stayed with her first husband for another year after the fight but still couldn't get pregnant. She pulled out her phone.
"I'll do just that," Natalie said grimly and left the room.
"Nancy, is that really what happened?" a stunned David asked.
"Yes," the old woman shrugged. "I'm to blame, of course, but not enough to be kept from my grandson. But how have you and Harper been?" the old woman changed the subject.
Harper was happy to finally get a turn to talk and rattled on about everything that had happened that week, showing her drawings and saying how much she missed Nancy and was waiting for her to come home. About ten minutes later, Natalie returned. Mascara was smeared across her reddened face.
"Mom... Mom, I'm so sorry!.." Natalie began to sob loudly and fell to her knees by the old woman's bed. "You were telling the truth! And all this time I didn't believe you! I kept you from your grandson for ten years! Oh my God! Forgive me! What kind of daughter am I?!"
"Natalie, now, that's enough," the old woman hugged her daughter, who wouldn't stop crying, her face buried in the cold hospital blanket. "I still love you very much. You're my daughter, after all."
David tugged on Harper's sleeve, deciding it was time to let the mother and daughter reunite in peace. He was just happy that the long-standing conflict was finally resolved.
***
David and Harper visited Nancy every day until she was discharged. They agreed to pick her up and take her home. The old woman told them that Natalie was visiting very often now, constantly apologizing and trying to make up for lost time.
On the day of her discharge, David walked Nancy to the hospital doors, but there was a surprise waiting in the parking lot. Standing by David's car was Natalie. She was holding the hand of a young boy, who immediately broke free and ran toward Nancy with a joyful shout:
"Grandma!.."
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