Elsie just wants Josh, her grandson, to meet someone with whom he can consider settling down. When a young new teacher enrolls at her kindergarten, she thinks that she has hit the jackpot. But when Josh meets Allison, Elsie learns that they already have a connection.
\nI\u2019m a meddling grandmother. Not in a bad way \u2014 I just want my grandson Josh to move along with his life. He\u2019s 27 and spends most of his time at work or gaming.<\/p>\n
During weekends, he stays at home, working on something around the house, or gaming.
\n\u201cYou need to get out more, Josh,\u201d I said. \u201cI want you to live your life to the fullest! Don\u2019t you want to meet someone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI get it, Gran,\u201d he would say, pausing his game. \u201cBut I\u2019m just not interested in that at the moment. Work is taking up all my time and energy, and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a bad thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not getting any younger,\u201d I said, handing him chips to snack on.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s because you\u2019re surrounded by kids all day, so you just want great-grandchildren,\u201d he laughed.
\nJosh wasn\u2019t wrong. I was a kindergarten teacher, and I loved every moment of it. But I was done with the life of raising children away from their homes. Now, at 70, I wanted a quiet life of knitting and baking \u2014 a soft life, as Josh put it.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m leaving my position at the school at the end of the year. And maybe it\u2019s just maternal instinct, but I wanted to know that Josh would be okay and not so alone.
\nA few months ago, we welcomed a new teacher at the kindergarten, Allison.<\/p>\n
She was a few years younger than Josh, and I loved having her around during the day. So, of course, I thought about setting her up with him.<\/p>\n
But I knew my grandson \u2014 Josh would never agree to an arranged date. He probably wouldn\u2019t even show up.<\/p>\n
The next best thing was to invite Allison over for dinner, where Josh would be forced to meet her.
\n\u201cAlli,\u201d I said to her one day during school. \u201cWould you like to come over for dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes! Of course, I would, Mrs. Barnard,\u201d she said. \u201cSince moving here, I\u2019ve really missed family dinners. This will be great.\u201d
\nI arranged for Allison to come over for dinner on a Friday evening. She went on and on about coming early to help with the cooking or bringing things over.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease just let me help, Mrs. Barnard,\u201d she pleaded, as she helped me put the toys away one afternoon.
\n\u201cYou can bring dessert,\u201d I told her. \u201cAnd call me Elsie.\u201d<\/p>\n
I loved her.<\/p>\n
And I knew that she would complement Josh well.<\/p>\n
But nothing on earth could have prepared me for the connection between Josh and Allison.
\nThat evening, as I was setting the table, Josh walked in.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s this about?\u201d he asked, nodding to the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re having a new teacher over for dinner, okay?\u201d I said, putting the cutlery in place.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure, do you need me to help you?\u201d he asked.
\nAllison arrived, her presence a breath of fresh air, carrying a cake with her.<\/p>\n
She hugged me at the door and made herself at home \u2014 while Josh was still in his bedroom.<\/p>\n
And then, the entire evening was turned upside down.
\n\u201cAllison?\u201d Josh\u2019s voice came from the doorway, a mix of disbelief and an inexplicable hint of recognition.<\/p>\n
\u201cJosh?\u201d Allison answered, her eyes wide. \u201cMrs. Barnard, this is your grandson? Josh?\u201d
\nConfusion wrapped the room like a thick fog.<\/p>\n
\u201cWait, you two know each other?\u201d I asked, my heart racing at the possibilities of their connection.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, Gran,\u201d Josh said, sitting down.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d I pressed on. We were past the niceties; I needed to know more.<\/p>\n
\u201cAllison is my sister,\u201d he declared, each word resonating with the weight of a thousand unspoken stories.
\nThe room fell silent.
\n\u201cExplain, please,\u201d I told Josh.<\/p>\n
Josh isn\u2019t my biological grandson. In fact, I had spent years of my life wanting a child, but I struggled with personal relationships. So, when I was 48, I took the plunge and went to an orphanage.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where I met Josh. He was 5 years old and was a survivor of an accident in which his parents had died.<\/p>\n
\u201cElsie,\u201d Mandy, the social worker, said. \u201cHe\u2019s a great kid! He\u2019s curious, charming, and polite as ever. He just needs a chance to get out of here and live.\u201d
\nWhen I met him, he was a scared little boy who had lost the most important people to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about the rest of his family?\u201d I asked. \u201cWouldn\u2019t they come looking?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere isn\u2019t anyone else,\u201d Mandy said. \u201cWe\u2019ve searched. Which is why he had to be separated from his sister, too. She was adopted three weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the family didn\u2019t want to take Josh?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cSadly, no,\u201d Mandy admitted. \u201cThey just wanted the youngest child we had, so that they could have as much of her childhood as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the end, despite my asking for more information about Josh\u2019s sister, there was just no way such confidential information could be given out.
\nI adopted Josh as his grandmother because I was already going gray, and I didn\u2019t want anyone to ask him why his mother was so old.
\nEventually, on his 15th birthday, I told him the truth about the adoption \u2014 but nothing about his sister because I just didn\u2019t have the information.<\/p>\n
So, Josh has known the truth \u2014 or as much of the truth as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me,\u201d I pressed on.<\/p>\n
\u201cGran, after you told me the truth about me being adopted, I felt settled. I mean, you had chosen me, after all. But I just felt that there was more to the story, you know?\u201d
\nI nodded. I didn\u2019t want to interrupt him. But I would choose this boy every single time.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, a few months ago, I went back to the orphanage, and I was told about a sister \u2014 Allison. And they were able to give me information because we were biological siblings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then, Josh found me on Facebook,\u201d Allison chimed in. \u201cWe\u2019ve been talking for a while. Although, he didn\u2019t tell me the truth at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I didn\u2019t know if you knew the truth or not,\u201d Josh retorted. \u201cI couldn\u2019t just say that I found your details in an old file at an orphanage.\u201d
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t think that our first meeting would happen here, in your home,\u201d Allison said.
\n\u201cI think we need some dinner,\u201d I said, waking up to get the food.<\/p>\n
As we sat down at the table, I silently observed Josh and Allison\u2019s reunion. I had absolutely no idea that there was a possibility that they could have known each other, let alone be siblings.<\/p>\n
Josh ate quietly, processing his thoughts while he chewed. Allison\u2019s eyes were glazed over \u2014 I wondered what she was thinking, and whether she was okay.
\n\u201cGran, why did you invite Allison over?\u201d Josh asked, pouring more wine.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I wanted to play matchmaker,\u201d I said honestly.<\/p>\n
Allison started giggling, and soon the room echoed with laughter.
\nThe sense of awkwardness that had initially overwhelmed me transformed into a profound joy \u2014 I had hoped to bring love into Josh\u2019s life, never imagining it would come in the form of a sister\u2019s bond long severed by fate.<\/p>\n
But their roles in each other\u2019s lives were restored.
\nLater, when Allison took it upon herself to do the dishes, Josh and I stood outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t believe this,\u201d Josh whispered, his voice cracking with emotion as he turned to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m as surprised as you are,\u201d I said, looking at the night sky.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve given me so much,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd now, you\u2019ve unknowingly brought Allison back. We\u2019ve been talking, but neither of us had the courage to actually meet.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Elsie just wants Josh, her grandson, to meet someone with whom he can consider settling down. When a young new teacher enrolls at her kindergarten, she thinks that she has hit the jackpot. But when Josh meets Allison, Elsie learns that they already have a connection. I\u2019m a meddling grandmother. Not in a bad way […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3107,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tales"],"yoast_head":"\n