She Was a Lady

My Granny

I used to think she was insane. In fact, everyone used to think so. Its not until she is dead and buried that I can begin to understand the force of energy that was Granny.
She never shut up. Her jaws were never still. Even when she had nothing to say she would chater on regardless. Words were changed, new names given. Soup, somehow became Ouple de douple dy. Polos were Olops. Nothing kept its original name.
She came from a different generation. Where she came from ladies were good girls who looked after their lord and master and spoke the Queen's english. And she did. Wonderfully. She just mastered it slightly differently.
Grandad was a Navy man. He watched men die in front of him and showed nothing, so you can imagine what he was like to live with. I'm sure he loved her in his own way, but no one ever saw it.
I took her to the dentist one day. He was black. She was so overjoyed I was embarrassed. She kept saying how wonderful it was that he could get such a prestigious job, she was almost fawning over him. Fortunately Cranleigh is an area populated by the elderly so he took it in his stride. "People forget that they come from a time when people like me cleaned boots and that was it" he told me, brushing aside my apologies.
Bless her, she was wonderful.
Anyway. My sister got Chronic non Hodgekinsons Lymphatic Lymphoma crossed with Leukemia. She was the youngest person in England to have it even though she was 29. She went through hell to get better, but she survived it.
Granny sent her letters and cards and things to make her feel better when all she wanted to do was curl up and die. No one knew that secretly Granny had breast cancer. She decided that at the age of 86 she didn't want to go through treatment.
The cancer spread like wildfire. Eventually she sucumbed with a massive heart attack.
We went to the house after the funeral. Even filled with people the silence was unbearable. Someone found a video with her on it and put it on. It was amazing how she filled the room.
As we were clearing her things I found a little piece of paper tucked inside her book that she will never finish. It said: "Don't be sad, just look over your shoulder. I'll whisper in your ear."
Strangely enough, every so often I here her, chattering away. Even in death she's irrepressable.
I miss my Granny. Grandad lives with mum and dad now. At 95 he can't care for himself. He says he wants to be with Granny again. I guess he really did love her. I know I do.