Granddad

Lizzy had cooked a superb meal as usual. She enjoyed cooking, even
if that meant spending a lot of time in the kitchen while her family
was discussing the problem at hand. Maybe that was the reason why she
liked it.

After dinner they sat smoking and drinking port, waiting for a
solution to present itself. "We cannot take Granddad," Lizzy's mother
said for the umpteenth time. "I don't think anyone should 'take'
Granddad," Lizzy said, also not for the first time that evening. "He
wouldn't appreciate someone fussing over him. Believe me, I have lived
with him, he can be very headstrong and he is set in his ways. I think
he would be much happier in an apartment of his own, maybe in a
retirement home."

"I'll take him," Marianne, Lizzy's sister, suddenly said. "It makes me
sick to see how you all want to get rid of him. I'll look after him."
"You have neither the space nor the time to 'take' him," Lizzy pointed
out. "You work full time, and you have a one-bedroom apartment. How are
you going to look after him?"

"If he pays me some housekeeping I can rent a bigger apartment,"
Marianne said and Lizzy suddenly understood where her sister was coming
from. "And he is not helpless, he can be alone during the day. He just
needs someone to do his washing and cooking for him, he doesn't need 24
hour nursing. I can do that."

"You hardly know him," Lizzy started, but Marianne interrupted her.
"So this is my chance to get to know him," she said. "All those in
favour?" Everyone except Lizzy raised their hands. Lizzy sighed. "Maybe
we should ask Granddad's opinion as well," she said, but the decision
had been made. Glad that none of them got burdened with Granddad, the
rest of the family was quick to make their exit before Marianne could
change her mind.

"Lizzy will tell Granddad what we have decided," her mother said. "Why
me?" Lizzy protested. "It wasn't my decision!" Her mother smiled
sweetly at her. "You know how difficult he can be," she whispered,
anxious that Marianne wouldn't hear. "You always got on well with him,
you can convince him that this is best for him." She hesitated for a
moment. "You're his favorite, anyway," she added. She kissed Lizzy
good-bye and was gone before Lizzy could say another word.

Lizzy was furious. It was typical for her family to leave her to tidy
up the mess. She could barely stop herself from slamming the door.
Marianne smiled at her apologetically. "You know what she's like," she
said, referring to their mother. Lizzy sighed and nodded. Yes, she only
knew too well. Her mother had always been manipulative and trying to
control the family. When she had made a 'family' decision, there was no
point arguing.

* * * * *

Two months later Granddad arrived. Marianne and Lizzy had been running
around frantically trying to arrange everything for his arrival. The
most time consuming task had been trying to find a new apartment which
had two large bedrooms and a lounge large enough so that it could be
shared by both Marianne and Granddad. Eventually they had found
something suitable and Marianne had been very excited at the prospect
of living in a large apartment. She decorated it lovingly and made it
their home.

Granddad looked around. "Don't like this modern furniture," he said
brusquely. "I brought my good oak table which will go in the sitting
room, and my armchair. Those things," he waved indifferently at the
furniture Marianne had chosen, "will have to go."

Marianne swallowed hard. She tried to control her anger. "I only
bought those last week, Granddad," she said. He gave her a stern look
and she almost flinched. "Then I trust you can take them back!" he
said. "You did keep the receipts?" Marianne nodded. Granddad turned to
Lizzy. "Your husband will come and take them back to the shops in the
morning," he decreed. Lizzy nodded. "Yes, Granddad, James will take
them back at the weekend."

Granddad hesitated for a moment, then he walked over to Lizzy and
hugged her. "I suppose the weekend will be early enough," he said and
smiled at her. "Good to see you again, girl." Lizzy anxiously looked at
Marianne, who pretended she hadn't noticed. Later, Lizzy found her
sitting on her bed, exhausted from moving Granddad's furniture and
belongings and close to tears because of his apparent rejection. Lizzy
put her arm around her.

"It will be all right," she reassured her without really believing it
herself. "You'll take some time getting used to each other and then
you'll be just fine."

Over the next few weeks Lizzy's telephone hardly stopped ringing.
First it was Marianne. "Granddad refuses to give me housekeeping
money," she complained. "He wants to see everything I've bought, and
then he tells me I could have got it cheaper elsewhere and refuses to
pay for it! " Lizzy listened patiently and promised to speak to
Granddad. Five minutes later the telephone rang again. It was
Granddad.

"You should have seen what she bought!" he burst out. "And then she
had the cheek to ask me to pay for it! She is so wasteful with my
money, but I told her straight, if she doesn't take advantage of the
offers I pick out of the papers for her then she won't see a penny from
me. I had to scrimp and save all my life, I'm not about to blow my hard
earned money now!"

"Marianne hasn't got time to go to different supermarkets to get all
the offers, Granddad," Lizzy said. "She works all day, she can't run
all over town to get the shopping at night." Granddad thought about it
for a moment. "I'm not going to pay for her soaps and stuff," he said
eventually. Lizzy sighed. A few minutes later Marianne rang again to
thank her.

Another time it was Granddad first. "She keeps turning her music up so
loud in the evenings, I cannot hear the television," he complained.
"I've asked her lots of times to turn it down, but she won't even speak
to me." Lizzy put the receiver down and stayed by the phone. Two
minutes later it rang again. "He has his television on so loud in the
evenings I can't hear myself think," Marianne said. "I have to turn my
music up really loud to hear it at all." Lizzy bought them a set of
headphones each. The next time the telephone rang it was their neighbor
who thanked her profusely for her intervention.

Granddad's oak table was the next problem. Marianne disliked it, and
Lizzy wasn't sure whether it was because Granddad had insisted of
replacing her brand new modern dining table with it or because it
wobbled so much that drinks got spilled. Granddad on the other hand
took great pride in his oak table and it was unclear whether this was
because he genuinely liked it, or just because he knew that Marianne
detested it. Lizzy, every inch the diplomat, asked Marianne to invite
herself and an old friend of Granddad's to their place for afternoon
tea, which they took at the oak table.

"This is a beautiful table," Granddad's friend said. Marianne's heart
sank. Granddad beamed with pride. "It's just a shame &;#8230; oh,
never mind. It's still a beautiful table," the friend said. "Go on,"
Granddad said, slightly worried. "What's the matter, is anything
wrong?" "Well," his friend said, "It's a shame that you are actually
using it. You see," she wobbled the table and spilled some tea into a
saucer in the process, "it is rather old and delicate. It pains me to
see that such a beautiful table could get broken, when it would look so
nice, say, in that corner over there, maybe with a vase or a plant on
it. But just listen to silly me, you know best of course, after all
this is your home!"

The next day Marianne phoned Lizzy. She was in tears. "Sorry the plan
didn't work," Lizzy said. "What do you mean, it didn't work?" Marianne
sobbed. "Granddad has just ordered a brand new table to replace his. He
said he wanted to place his table in the corner and not use it anymore.
He even asked me to buy some flowers that can sit on the table."

Lizzy sighed. A few minutes later Granddad was on the telephone. "I
had this marvellous idea&;#8230;" he said.

* * * * *

Needless to say that in the end, both Marianne and Granddad decided
that they were not really suited to share an apartment. Granddad moved
into an apartment in a retirement home after only a year at Marianne's.
By that time Marianne was close to a nervous breakdown. Lizzy refrained
from saying "I told you so."