“Baby?”
“Yes, Nana?”
“Did I ever tell you about the time yo grandpa played clarinet with Glen Miller.”
“Only about a thousand times.”
“Glenn Miller said that your grandpa …”
“…blew that clarinet like nobody he’d ever heard before. One minute it’s Glenn Miller, the next Count Bassie, Louis Armstrong. Nana, are you okay?”
“What you mean am I ‘ok’? I’m fine. I’m trynna tell you somethin’ and you keep …”
“You need to eat.”
“Go in the top drawer over there and fetch me out that box of pictures.”
“Nana, you have to eat. I’ve been here two days and you haven’t eaten more than a cup of ice cream.”
“I like ice cream.”
“Can you please just eat this applesauce? Please?!”
“I’ll eat every mouthful if you go over there and get my box of pictures out that drawer.”
She goes to get the pictures for her grandmother
“Here.”
The old woman fumbled through the box of photographs and pulls out the one she’s been looking for.
“There he is!”
photo courtesy of http://waheedpix.tumblr.com/
“That’s grandpa?”
“Yeah! He was just a youngin’ here. Handsome. This couldn’ta been too much more before I met him. I sure loved him in that uniform.”
“I …”
“You look jus like ‘im. ‘Specially when he was young.”
The two stare at the photograph, lost in their own thoughts. Her grandmother begins to sing.
“ ‘Sometimes I wonder why I spend such lonely nights …
“I got the pictures. Now we eat. That was the deal.”
“ ‘The melody haunts my reverie. And I am once again with you.’ ”
“Nana.”
“Come on sing wit me Baby. I know you know the words. ‘When our love was new–”
“ ‘Each kiss an inspiration.’ ”
They both sing.
“ ‘But that was long ago, now my consolation
Is in the stardust of a song
Beside a garden wall
When stars are bright!
And you are in my arms
The nightingale tells his fairy tale
A paradise where roses bloom’ ”
Now there is only one voice.
“ ‘Though I dream in’ … come on Nana this is the best … Nana?”
Silence.
“No. No. No No No No No. No. Nana wake up please. Please wake up.”
Silence.
“Baby. Finish the song.”
“I can’t. Don’t leave me, not now, I need you.”
“I ain’t neva goin’ nowhere. I’m gone always be here. Now finish it.”
Silence.
“ ‘Though I dream in vain
in my heart it will remain
My stardust melody
The melody of love’s refrain’ “
They are together. Now one life.
Rosie.
Gorgeous 🙂
From the Rose's Mouth 