I opened the door as quietly as I could, hoping to sneak in unnoticed.
"Rememberance Jameson!"
No such luck.
"Just what makes you think you can stay out this late? And alone! What happened to the boys? Don't they have-"
My grandmother stopped as Shooter walked in behind me. "Oh," she said, blushing slightly. "My apologies Shooter, I should've known better."
"No worries, ma'am. I'd be worried too, if I had dis kid ta look aftah." Shooter replied, nudging my leg with his toe.
I stuck my lip out in a false pout. A violent cough from my grandmother struck down my silly mood. "Are you alright Granny?" I said, worried. Crossing the room, I knelt beside her chair, Shooter right behind me.
She brought a hand to her chest and took a deep breath, "Of course I'm alright, dear. Just a little cold, that's all."
"Well here, we got this for you." I presented her with a yellow tulip, her favorite flower.
"Why, Rememberance, that's very sweet. Thank you." She leaned over slowly and kissed my forehead, "You just go on to bed now." She swallowed hard, and I stood. "Go on, go." A swat on my bottom sent me up the stairs, leaving my grandmother and Shooter alone. I could hear their hushed whispering, but no amount of straining on my part made their conversation audible.
Granny's coughing fits came more frequently over the following months, but after a while, they dwindled, and seemed to go away. I spent more and more time with the newsies. Shooter and Race became just like brothers to me, and Soldier was not only like a sister, but a role model as well. With so many good things going on, grandmother's cough all but disappeared from my mind.
"Happy birthday!"
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, making sure to blow out each of the ten candles on my raspberry birthday cake. My grandmother clapped happily, and reached her hands behind her back. She brought out a small brown package, and held it in her lap. Friends, scattered around the room, scooted in for a better view. I readily tore in to the package, tearing the paper easily to reveal a small dark blue box. "Granny…"
Gingerly, I opened the box. It held a silver locket. On the front, the locket said, 'Mem.' I gasped, "It's beautiful!"
"Turn it over, love." My grandmother coaxed.
On the back, engraved in tiny letters, was engraved, 'Always Remember.' I picked the locket up carefully, and unclasped it. Inside there were two pictures; one of my grandmother, and one of myself. "Granny it's wonderful, thank you so much!" I said, holding it to my chest.
Granny leaned over and gave me a hug. "You are so welcome, dear."
That night, after all our friends had gone, my grandmother and I sat down together. We huddled together on our velvet couch, her arm around my shoulder. She hummed softly, and I looked again at the locket I now wore around my neck. I read the inscription again, 'Always Remember.'
"Granny," I started, "This engraving, it's beautiful, but…" I squirmed a little under her arm, "remember what?"
She chuckled softly and squeezed my shoulder lightly. "Always remember me, love. And the wonderful times we've spent together."
"But Granny," I said, craning my neck to look up at her, "We'll have plenty more good times."
Her eyes shone down on me sadly and she sighed, resting her cheek on my head, "Of course we will, love. Of course we will."