Grandma has an adventure

The incident at the park made my grandma very popular. Would she now agree to stay on with us?

It was Grandma’s birthday the next day. The buzz in the family was chiefly about the ‘gift’. I had opted for the evergreen ‘Birthday Card’ with a warm message. But I was stuck; the message had to be as significant as her visit this time

Grandma was visiting us after a very long time and we were hugely excited. And then the pandemic struck and changed many things for the whole world. Grandma now had to stay on with us. While many of my classmates moaned about online school and missing friends, I was more fortunate. Grandma was as good as a buddy. Even during the days of the lockdown, when no one could venture out, I didn’t feel friendless, unlike other youngsters.

Grandma was very active and possessed many talents. But, day by day, the pandemic-imposed restrictions made her dispirited. We managed to dissuade her from going back to her home-town. She probably had a lot to do there but, with grandpa gone, it was better she stayed with us during these difficult days rather than all alone.

Fortunately, the restrictions eased gradually and the park in our neighbourhood was reopened after some maintenance work. Grandma always loved going there to meet people, make friends and hang out with them. This engaged her in the evenings while I got busy with school work and assignments.

One evening, my friend Rashi had come over to work on an assignment. When she was ready to leave, she said she would meet Grandma at the park on her way back home. Grandma was quite popular with my friends. I waved her off and went back to my work.

It was quite a while later when we realised that Grandma had still not retuned home. We were beginning to wonder whom to call, when she came back looking upset. She had quite a story to tell.

When she got to the park, it had been a bit deserted, as the day had seen some showers. As she waited for others to turn up, she saw a young girl heading towards her. Suddenly a man holding a piece of paper seemed to appear out of nowhere. Grandma watched as he showed the girl the paper. He seemed to be asking her something. Grandma felt something was fishy, as the man seemed to be dragging out the enquiries. As she got up to move towards them, the man snatched the chain around the girl’s neck and ran off. The girl, who was none other than my friend Rashi, had bruises round her neck. Grandma escorted her home after taking her to a nearby clinic to treat her wounds.