Chloe awoke to the sound of birds singings and children laughing. She heard
the familiar screech of a swing chain, badly needing to be oiled. The smell
of roses, carnations and tulips filtered through the air. "Brady has been
busy" she commented, thinking that he'd done all this for her. But when she
opened her eyes, she was not in the hospital, wearing a plain gown. She
wore jeans and a cotton baby T-shirt, that cropped off at the waist. Her
hair fell in waves of little ringlets down her back.
She walked through a door and before her was the most beautiful garden she'd ever seen. Children were running and playing, flowers were in bloom and the roses sent their aroma in the air. The grass was green and the flowers bright "Did I die?" she asked not really feeling sad about it. "No, dear you aren't dead" a white haired woman grinned at her, "you called me, and here I am."
Chloe looked at her for a moment, she looked familiar, but she couldn't place her. Her thoughts ran together and she tried hard to think, when all of a sudden, she remembered "Grandma Marian" she grinned "but you're dea.." Chloe ran off "how can I be talking to you?"
Grandma Marian was her foster mother's, mother. She loved Chloe with all her heart, and never failed to let her know. When she died after Chloe's 5th birthday party, she thought she'd never be able to go on. "This is what heaven is like," her grandma assured her, "but you only go to heaven when its your time, and it isn't your time yet" the older woman patter her cheeks. "Chloe, darling, I'm so sorry your parents weren't better with you, but they loved you. You must move on from that time."
Chloe lowered her eyes, "I try grandma," she spoke softly "but I always wonder why they didn't love me enough." Marian smiled a knowing smile, "I often wondered if you felt that way. Remember at your party?" Chloe did remember her 5th birthday party, as if playing on a stage, there appeared 5 year old Chloe and her beloved grandmother.
"Grandma" the five year old child with dark pigtails in a pink romper asked quietly "why don't my mommy and daddy love me, like you love me?" Marian soothed her hair, "my I looked good then, huh?" she quipped. Chloe chuckled as the scene continued to play. "my beautiful Chloe" the younger Marian spoke softly "your parents are good people and they do love you, but sometimes they aren't so good at showing it." The five year old "harrumped" and crossed her arms, but Marian unwound them "now listen here young lady" she scolded "sometimes we just have to pay attention to the signs. You see that big house, and that nice room and those beautiful clothes?" Chloe nodded and Marian continued "They wouldn't get those if they didn't love you." Chloe absorbed that piece of information "But they never say it" she began to tear "I just want to hear them say it."
The image of the past faded leaving the two of them alone again "did you ever get over that moment?" her grandmother ask. Chloe shook her head "not entirely, sometimes I still feel it today." Marian grabbed her granddaughter's hands "I wanted so bad to help you past that." She smiled gently "but alas God decided he needed me up here."
Chloe nodded "I remember, and I missed you." Marian embraced Chloe in a hug "you were never alone, I kept close watch over you."
The clouds swept away and the image of Chloe laying in a hospital bed cleared "What happened here?" Marian asked. "I was fighting with my boyfriend and fell down the stairs" Chloe explained. "So, what is he doing there know, I didn't think Nancy would let him near you" Marian asked. "That's not him, he's just a…hey! How do you know about Nancy?" Chloe glanced at here warily.
"Calm down, Chloe" she chuckled "I was there when you went to Salem with her. I wanted so bad to help you, but you needed to find a way to adjust all by yourself." Chloe rolled her eyes "got any advice?" she quipped "because she is about to drive me crazy." Marian chuckled "I remember those days with my own mother, give her a break Chloe, she only wants what is best for you." Chloe scoffed "how can she know what is best for me, I've only known her a little over a year."
"And she's only been a mother for that long" Marian reminded her, "She inherited a moody, cranky teenager who'd been shuffled in and out of the foster system most of her life. Raising a teenager is rough already without adding to the stress." Chloe thought for a moment "I guess I could be a little nicer" she agreed. "that's my girl" her grandma chuckled "now what I want to know is who is the hotty down there?"
"Grandma!" Chloe looked shocked.
"What?" Marian shrugged her shoulders "I have eyes, even though I am dead, I can still look." Chloe grinned "That is Brady 'the ego that ate Salem' Black, he's a friend."
Marian nodded her head curiously "looks like more than a friend to me, he's been there since you were admitted."
"He's a really good friend" Chloe acknowledged "but that's all he wants us to be" she finished "What do you want?" her grandmother posed the question to her. "I don't know, when I am with Brady, we have fun. We sing and dance and tease. Sometimes we fight, but they don't really matter in the end. I trust him."
"So, what is the problem then?" Marian prompted. "Phillip" Chloe answered "he says he loves me and that he needs me, but we always fight and I feel like I have to be the person he likes all the time."
"This is the same boyfriend that pushed you down the stairs?" Marian's voice grew grim. Chloe nodded without saying anything. "Let your grandma give you some advice, then I have to go, I am meeting someone for Bingo. I cant tell you what guy to choose, but I can tell you what my mother told me."
"What was that?" Chloe asked
"Don't settle for the guy you can live with, choose the guy you cant live without. That's how I chose my husband" she finished her eyes glowing with love. "Chloe" she took her hands, " I want you to know that we, your parents and I always loved you, and your mother, Nancy she loves you too. Honey let the past go, learn to love and be loved and don't settle for anyone or anything. You have dreams, pursue them and then settle after you've achieved them."
Chloe's eyes glistened with tears "don't go grandma" she pleaded "Stay for just a little while, please?" Marian smiled gently "honey, you don't know how much I want that, but you need to get back to your world and your young man!" she brushed away a single tear. Besides, I feel lucky tonight, I hit the jackpot when I got to see you, now lets see if I can win a whole pot of M&M's ™ to go with it.
"Grandma," Chloe stopped her "do me a favor, please?" she asked. "Anything, darling" her eyes twinkled. "If you see an angel named Isabella Black, tell her I said she has a great son."
As Chloe sat on the bench, the image of the children, and the garden, her grandmother with them disappeared, but one thing for sure was that Chloe would never look at the game of Bingo the same again.
She walked through a door and before her was the most beautiful garden she'd ever seen. Children were running and playing, flowers were in bloom and the roses sent their aroma in the air. The grass was green and the flowers bright "Did I die?" she asked not really feeling sad about it. "No, dear you aren't dead" a white haired woman grinned at her, "you called me, and here I am."
Chloe looked at her for a moment, she looked familiar, but she couldn't place her. Her thoughts ran together and she tried hard to think, when all of a sudden, she remembered "Grandma Marian" she grinned "but you're dea.." Chloe ran off "how can I be talking to you?"
Grandma Marian was her foster mother's, mother. She loved Chloe with all her heart, and never failed to let her know. When she died after Chloe's 5th birthday party, she thought she'd never be able to go on. "This is what heaven is like," her grandma assured her, "but you only go to heaven when its your time, and it isn't your time yet" the older woman patter her cheeks. "Chloe, darling, I'm so sorry your parents weren't better with you, but they loved you. You must move on from that time."
Chloe lowered her eyes, "I try grandma," she spoke softly "but I always wonder why they didn't love me enough." Marian smiled a knowing smile, "I often wondered if you felt that way. Remember at your party?" Chloe did remember her 5th birthday party, as if playing on a stage, there appeared 5 year old Chloe and her beloved grandmother.
"Grandma" the five year old child with dark pigtails in a pink romper asked quietly "why don't my mommy and daddy love me, like you love me?" Marian soothed her hair, "my I looked good then, huh?" she quipped. Chloe chuckled as the scene continued to play. "my beautiful Chloe" the younger Marian spoke softly "your parents are good people and they do love you, but sometimes they aren't so good at showing it." The five year old "harrumped" and crossed her arms, but Marian unwound them "now listen here young lady" she scolded "sometimes we just have to pay attention to the signs. You see that big house, and that nice room and those beautiful clothes?" Chloe nodded and Marian continued "They wouldn't get those if they didn't love you." Chloe absorbed that piece of information "But they never say it" she began to tear "I just want to hear them say it."
The image of the past faded leaving the two of them alone again "did you ever get over that moment?" her grandmother ask. Chloe shook her head "not entirely, sometimes I still feel it today." Marian grabbed her granddaughter's hands "I wanted so bad to help you past that." She smiled gently "but alas God decided he needed me up here."
Chloe nodded "I remember, and I missed you." Marian embraced Chloe in a hug "you were never alone, I kept close watch over you."
The clouds swept away and the image of Chloe laying in a hospital bed cleared "What happened here?" Marian asked. "I was fighting with my boyfriend and fell down the stairs" Chloe explained. "So, what is he doing there know, I didn't think Nancy would let him near you" Marian asked. "That's not him, he's just a…hey! How do you know about Nancy?" Chloe glanced at here warily.
"Calm down, Chloe" she chuckled "I was there when you went to Salem with her. I wanted so bad to help you, but you needed to find a way to adjust all by yourself." Chloe rolled her eyes "got any advice?" she quipped "because she is about to drive me crazy." Marian chuckled "I remember those days with my own mother, give her a break Chloe, she only wants what is best for you." Chloe scoffed "how can she know what is best for me, I've only known her a little over a year."
"And she's only been a mother for that long" Marian reminded her, "She inherited a moody, cranky teenager who'd been shuffled in and out of the foster system most of her life. Raising a teenager is rough already without adding to the stress." Chloe thought for a moment "I guess I could be a little nicer" she agreed. "that's my girl" her grandma chuckled "now what I want to know is who is the hotty down there?"
"Grandma!" Chloe looked shocked.
"What?" Marian shrugged her shoulders "I have eyes, even though I am dead, I can still look." Chloe grinned "That is Brady 'the ego that ate Salem' Black, he's a friend."
Marian nodded her head curiously "looks like more than a friend to me, he's been there since you were admitted."
"He's a really good friend" Chloe acknowledged "but that's all he wants us to be" she finished "What do you want?" her grandmother posed the question to her. "I don't know, when I am with Brady, we have fun. We sing and dance and tease. Sometimes we fight, but they don't really matter in the end. I trust him."
"So, what is the problem then?" Marian prompted. "Phillip" Chloe answered "he says he loves me and that he needs me, but we always fight and I feel like I have to be the person he likes all the time."
"This is the same boyfriend that pushed you down the stairs?" Marian's voice grew grim. Chloe nodded without saying anything. "Let your grandma give you some advice, then I have to go, I am meeting someone for Bingo. I cant tell you what guy to choose, but I can tell you what my mother told me."
"What was that?" Chloe asked
"Don't settle for the guy you can live with, choose the guy you cant live without. That's how I chose my husband" she finished her eyes glowing with love. "Chloe" she took her hands, " I want you to know that we, your parents and I always loved you, and your mother, Nancy she loves you too. Honey let the past go, learn to love and be loved and don't settle for anyone or anything. You have dreams, pursue them and then settle after you've achieved them."
Chloe's eyes glistened with tears "don't go grandma" she pleaded "Stay for just a little while, please?" Marian smiled gently "honey, you don't know how much I want that, but you need to get back to your world and your young man!" she brushed away a single tear. Besides, I feel lucky tonight, I hit the jackpot when I got to see you, now lets see if I can win a whole pot of M&M's ™ to go with it.
"Grandma," Chloe stopped her "do me a favor, please?" she asked. "Anything, darling" her eyes twinkled. "If you see an angel named Isabella Black, tell her I said she has a great son."
As Chloe sat on the bench, the image of the children, and the garden, her grandmother with them disappeared, but one thing for sure was that Chloe would never look at the game of Bingo the same again.