Nan

It was Christmas Eve and as always, my entire family had gathered to
stay at my parent's house for the Christmas holiday.
On the journey down, I had been thinking about the task set by the ABC
site to grab your granny and ask her to recall some of the many stories
they have told you over the years. My gran, Nan as I have always called
her, would always tell us about her life growing up in the East End of
London. Every year as children we would sit around the fire and listen
in awe to the stories of how hard life was for her. How hard it was for
her bringing up four children alone. How she had lost her husband by a
stray crane hook knocking him off a container ship while unloading at
the docks. How we have it so easy now, the lovely presents we get,
never in her day. How she once had taken one of my mothers toy dolls
the week before Christmas and painted it black, wrapped it up and gave
it to my mother as a brand new toy. How when she was a child she would
get fruit wrapped up as a special present for Christmas, the most
treasured present being a Bible! I guess times were hard. I was sure I
could get a story or two form Nan.
It had been a while since I had visited and Nan was now well into her
nineties and a little hard of hearing. I decided to wait until the
children had gone to bed so that I could sit down quietly in front of
the fire as we did when we were children and ask her about the old
days.
Sitting on the floor looking up at my Nan in her chair, I asked if she
could tell me a story. She started,&;#8230;&;#8230;.." Once upon
a time there was a young girl called
Goldielocks&;#8230;&;#8230;&;#8230;&;#8230;.". My stomach
turned and I tried hard to hold back the tear in my eye. I sat there
and listened to the whole story from beginning to end as any child
would, right the way through to, "&;#8230;..and they lived happily
ever after&;#8230;" I picked myself up, kissed her on the forehead,
thanked her and went to bed.
Waking up the next morning I wasn't expecting many presents, just the
usual socks T-shirts and boxers. I definitely wasn't expecting a
colouring in book from Nan. However, on reflection she has given me the
greatest present ever.

For Charlotte