"Guess this means I am officially retired," Dobie said with a sigh. It had been hard to leave the store that morning, but looking at the empty shell of a building had been difficult too. Besides, there was nothing left to do there, so Zelda had insisted they come home and Dobie was grateful not to have to stare at the empty store any longer. He sat down on the living room sofa, "What am I going to do with all this spare time?"

Zelda sat next to him, "You'll find things to do," she said. "Trust me. I haven't worked there in five years and I have plenty of things to do. Babysitting for Georgie and Chatsy, volunteering at Gracie's school, fixing things around the house. I know!" She teased, "You can learn how to use Facebook and spend your days working on a virtual farm or fighting the mafia or something." Dobie looked at her in disbelief and she laughed picking up a knitting project she had been working on and started moving the needles back and forth, "If you're really bored you can always take up some kind of hobby."

Dobie looked at her knitting needles and cringed. She had been knitting him sweaters since high school and he hated every one of them. He didn't like sweaters…never had…but Zelda insisted on making them for him. "Is that for me?" he asked with a groan. The yarn was pale yellow and he couldn't help but think he'd look like a giant baby chick in that thing. "I don't need another sweater."

Zelda laughed, "It's not a sweater." She knew Dobie hated the sweaters she made him. When they were teenagers she knitted him sweaters because she thought eventually he would grow to appreciate the love that went into them. Plus, she thought he looked really handsome in sweaters. Over the years she had continued to knit them mostly out of habit and because even though she knew he didn't like them, she held onto the hope that she'd eventually make one he would love and want to wear all the time. That had never happened. "It's a blanket," she smiled. "For Gwen's baby."

"Oh," Dobie said, slightly embarrassed. He should have known the soft yellow was meant for a baby. "That will be cute." Zelda had knitted blankets for their other grandchildren as well. Greta had a pink and white one, Gracie's was pale lavender, and little Dobie's blanket was blue and yellow. Usually she waited until the baby's gender was announced, and asked what color they wanted for the blanket, but he figured she was just eager this time. After all, Gwen's baby was an extra special surprise. "Did you ask Gwen if she wanted a yellow blanket?"

Zelda nodded, "She said she wanted a blanket like the one your mom made for her when she was a baby." Zelda looked at the beginnings of the blanket and sighed, "I'm doing my best to remember the pattern. It's been a long time."

"Gwen used to take that blanket everywhere," Dobie smiled at the memory. "My mom was really proud of that…that Gwen loved her blanket that much."

"I know," Zelda leaned her head on his shoulder. Sometimes it was hard to believe his mother had been gone for nearly thirty years. Their relationship had gotten off to a rough start, but Winifred Gillis had ended up becoming one of her best friends. Sometimes she missed her mother-in-law terribly. "Remember when Gwen tried to take that thing to kindergarten with her and her teacher wouldn't let her? I thought your mother was going to start a brawl up at the elementary school."

"Yeah, she was always pretty mild-mannered…unless someone messed with her family," Dobie laughed. "You didn't think it was funny at the time, though…remember? You were furious with her for causing trouble at the school."

"I just wanted our daughter to do well…and I was afraid if your mom made the teacher mad she'd take it out on Gwen," Zelda explained. "I overreacted."

"Well, the teacher did give in and let her take it to school as long as she left it in the coat closet," Dobie reminded her. "Of course that didn't stop all the other kids from teasing her about it. When she'd come home crying, it just broke my heart. And I know it drove you nuts that you couldn't convince her to give up that blanket…even when kids were being mean to her about it. She was such a stubborn little thing…"

"I just hated to see her hurting," Zelda added. "But she did give it up…eventually." She remembered that her mother-in-law had picked her daughter up from school that day. Gwen walked into the store and announced she wasn't taking her blanket to school anymore. Zelda had assumed the other children's teasing had finally become too much for the five year old, but later that night she noticed the blanket sitting in her in-laws' apartment. When she asked about it, Winifred explained that she had asked Gwen for the blanket. That she had told her granddaughter that she missed her when she was at school and would like the blanket to help her feel closer to her while she was gone. Gwen was eager to make her grandma happy and had given it to her. Zelda had never been more grateful to her mother-in-law. And years later, when they were preparing for Winifred's funeral, fifteen year old Gwen found the blanket in her grandmother's closet. She insisted they bury it with her so she wouldn't feel alone. Thinking about it still brought tears to Zelda's eyes.

"Are you okay?" Dobie asked, noticing the sadness in her eyes. "Are you crying?"

"I'm fine," Zelda insisted. "Just thinking about the past." She forced a smile and put down her knitting needles. "What do you say I teach you how to use Facebook?" she laughed. "You can shock Greta by sending her a friend request." They both laughed at the thought.