Their Lawn

THEIR LAWN

The letter arrives in the mail and she opens it. She reads it and remembers that sad day she received the out of state telephone call that her daughter was dead and the later events.
"Childbirth," she screamed at her son-in-law. "How? She is in perfect health."
"Not for giving birth," her son-in-law said.
"Well, why did she get pregnant?"
"It was a fifty-fifty risk the doctors told her and she made the choice to have a baby."
"Why didn’t she tell me?"
"She didn’t want you to worry."
"Bullshit. Worry. Hell. I would have convinced her to adopt."
"She wanted her own child by birth."
"Liar. That baby is what you wanted, damn-it."

"You’re not dressed for the memorial," her husband said.
"I’m not going," she told him.
"It’s for our daughter, our only child."
"He cremated our daughter without asking us then tossed her into the damn wind."
"He probably thought he was doing the right thing."
"He didn't do the right thing," she shouted.
"Honey, please get dress."
She shrieked. "I'm not getting dress for someplace I don't want to be."

Later in the day she answered the telephone. "He is bringing our grandchild to the house for you to see her before he leaves for home," her husband said.
"I don’t want to see that baby."
"She is our only grandchild."
"I don’t care."
"I’m bringing them to the house," her husband said.
"You listless man you do and tomorrow I will divorce you," she screamed.
Her husband stayed silent for a moment. "Okay. I’ll tell him something."
"You do just that; tell him to go to hell; don’t you dare bring them into my house."

The letter says that after knowing her stepmother for sixteen years, she would like to know what her birth mother was like, since all she knows of her is how pretty she looked from the descriptions by her father.
She replies to her grandchild all you need to know of my daughter is how pretty she looked on the day of her death during your birth both caused by your father. All else about my daughter is my memories so please do not contact me no more.
Without her knowledge, her husband witnesses her deed. Without talking to his wife about it, he makes a copy of the photo album of his daughter's life, with a letter attached. It tells his granddaughter, after your mother's memorial, your grandmother went to the city and found your mother's doctor. She found out he counseled your mother that she would not be able to carry a baby until birth. It would be a dangerous thing to do. However, your father did not believe in abortions. So, a medical regimen was put in place to ease your mother's pregnancy, especially at birth. You were born and my daughter died. He points out to her that she should never contact them again. He mails it to his grandchild
Almost all the time of the days, she sits on the porch looking over their lawn, reminiscing of her daughter's birthday parties, sweet sixteen party, graduation parties, a party for her departure to college and where her wedding would have happen. Occasionally, her husband does the same with her for many years until he passes away. Years later, she lies on a hospital bed with just her memories.

"It seems she passed on in a hurry," a nurse says.
"Yes. It did seem that way; everybody else wants to hang on as long as possible," another nurse says.
"There is no list of relatives to notify."
"It says here that her funeral arrangements is taken care of, and listen to this, she wants to be cremated."

Someone asks the funeral director what to do with her ashes.
"Her last wish is that she is to be thrown into the wind so she can find her daughter." END