A Lady Called Mrs. Graham
by Richard L. Provencher I like to visit my neighbor. She lives in our apartment building. Upstairs. The third floor is hard to climb sometimes. But I dont mind. My name is Benjamin. Im six. Mrs. Graham is nice. She walks all bent over. Dad says its because Mrs. Graham is old. But I say its because she points a lot. I bend over too when I point at birds in my back yard. Mom-Dad. Two more. What kind? they ask. I know they want to learn. Now mom, you have to remember. Chickadees, I say. Right, she answers. Im smart too. Mrs. Graham says so. She likes it when I take her for a walk. She walks slowly. And we talk. She says Im a good boy. And good boys deserve a treat, she says. Peanut butter cookies are my favorite. Yummy, I say. Today we talk even more than yesterday. She gets like that sometimes. Talk-Talk-Talk. When I was a young girl All her stories begin the same. But when I listen her eyes light up. They are like fireflies at night. I know. My parents took me to the cottage last summer. Mrs. Graham wants me to listen to her. Polite boys dont look away, she says. So I listen. And I look at her. My first son looked like you, she says. You also have dark hair and bushy eyebrows. And long legs, just like my Kevin. I like to hear her talking about her son. Where does he live? I ask. He went far away, she answers. And I can see a tear. So I dont ask any more questions. Time to walk some more, I say. Yes, and talk-talk-talk too, she answers. I listen, about her house in the country. Packs of fireflies came at night, and the stars were always bright, she says. Oh, the times my husband and I canoed on the river. She looks at me. And smiles. We had cows to chase. Then we played on grass, greener than crayons. She finally took a breath. I have a whole stack of crayolas, I say. Ssshh, she whispers in my ear. I had so many birthday blessings, she says. Now I want to thank you, she said. It was time for me to go. Supper was waiting. Mom too. And dad must be home from work. Mrs. Graham gave me a huge goodbye smile. She also gave me a bag of grapes. * * * Richard & Esther Provencher Richard enjoys writing poems; many of which have been published in Print and Online. He and his wife, Esther are also co-authors of stories and a print novel. They are "born again" Christians and very busy in their church, Abundant Life Victory International, in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |
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