Laura hovered at the door staring at her grandfather anxiously, she squeezed the cellphone in her hand and counted to three before venturing into the his office. The curtains were opened as usual and sunlight flooded the entire place. The sliding glass door was also opened, and she heard birds chirping about happily outside.
Oh, well, better to get it over with, she thought to herself, smiling brightly as she approached her Papa.
“Hi Papa, you look great today” she said, kissing him loudly on his cheeks.
“If it isn't my favorite granddaughter” he said delightedly.
“Umm, I'm your only granddaughter and grandchild so…” she replied shrugging while her Papa laughed.
Ray Myers was a widower, a retired renowned musician, a two-year recluse and Laura Myers grandfather. He and his late wife Mona had raised their granddaughter after the tragic passing of their only son and his wife, when Laura was barely two years old. They had become her parents and grandparents, and she called them Mama and Papa.
“So Papa, Dino called again, and he wants to know when he'll be able to meet you” Laura said, raising a hand to stop her Papa who had tried to interrupt her at the mention of Dino's name “And I think you should”.
“No” her grandfather replied.
“But Papa…” Laura said.
“Laura, I'm not interested in meeting the famous handsome heartbreaking Dino or anyone else and that's final! You've asked countless times darling” he replied.
She looked at him sadly, then decided to let the matter rest for now. Laura walked back to her room and called Dino to give him the bad news yet again. She was grateful the call went to voicemail.
“Hi Dino, it's Laura Myers. Sorry, but my grandfather hasn't changed his mind on meeting you or doing a music collaboration with you. I hope you understand, and please try to respect his wish. Should he change his mind in the future, I'll personally let you know. Umm, bye”.
Laura sat on her bed, feeling sad for her grandfather. Ray and Mona Myers were soul singers who had met during an audition. They had both been talented and the record label decided to sign the duo as lead singers, and they became inseparable until the illness that took Mona away.
Their love had been one of a kind and since Mona's death, Ray had disappeared from the spotlight and the world, refusing to even do the media rounds for the last album that'd been released after her death. He spent his days reading, reminiscing and going over old photo albums. And Laura had taken an extended leave from her acting job to be with him.
When she emerged from her room, she found him sitting in the living room, poring over old photos, his eyes shining with unshed tears.
“Aww, come here” Laura said, enveloping him in a tight hug and blinking back her tears.
Laura picked up one of the photos, it was of Mona singing into the microphone while her grandfather was with his guitar gazing at her with love and adoration. They both looked young and vibrant, and her grandfather's haircut made her laugh as usual.
“Ahh, the good old days. I see my haircut still cracks you up as usual, I'll inform you that the ladies loved it back then” Ray replied chuckling.
“Let's talk about Mama, I think it'll make us both feel better” Laura said.
“She was the prettiest girl I ever laid eyes on. Feisty, bold and her voice was angelic. You're just like her, you know, expect you can't sing to save your life” Ray said, winking at Laura who rolled her eyes at him.
“I have a very wonderful voice, papa. My bathroom walls can testify to that fact” Laura replied.
“This is a picture of us in Paris” Ray said, pointing out a picture to her, “You've never seen this one” he said as Laura laughed at the image.
It was a picture of her grandparents and her late father. They looked happy, and her father was a little boy blushing as his parents kissed above his head. It was sad that her Dad didn't get to enjoy his life to the fullest.
“In this one, we performed for a president at a private dinner with his secret lady lover,” Ray said, showing her another picture.
“Ohh, which of the presidents?” Laura asked excitedly, itching for a bit of gossip.
“Ha! As if I'll tell you. Just know that It was a lovely night, and I think your father was conceived that night. After the performance of course.” Ray replied, winking at her.
“Serves me right for being nosy. Too much information Grandpa” Laura scolded.
They spent the rest of the afternoon talking and laughing over the album. Laura was mortified but secretly thrilled to learn that her grandparents got up to all sorts of pranks when they were young, including breaking into a theater after closing hours to act out a scene in Shakespeare's ‘As you like it’.
The days flew by quickly and Laura and her grandfather spent the time watching old videos, talking, going on long walks and resting. Laura was getting calls from her agent, but she couldn't bear to leave Ray all alone in his self-imposed isolation.
“Laura, honey, I think it's time you went back to work. The movie world doesn't wait, and I don't like you turning down jobs” Ray said to Laura one morning at breakfast.
Laura stared at him defiantly and told him she wouldn't leave except he agreed to come with her or get a live-in housekeeper.
“It’s a good thing my grandfather is filthy rich too. So if I stop getting jobs you’ll take good care of me” she added, jokingly.
“Well…what if I decide to see Dino and my other friends who have been calling to see me?” Ray asked.
Laura looked up from her plate, eyeing him suspiciously.
“Is this a ploy to get me out of here?” she whispered.
“Don't be silly young lady, your career is important to me. You haven't worked on a movie for over a year now, and I know how passionate you are about what you do” Ray replied, laughing.
She jumped up and screamed for joy. Her grandfather was finally getting back to his old self. She ran to her room to grab her phone, then rushed back to the breakfast room. Laura hastily began making calls while her grandfather watched her in amusement.
“Does this mean you'll finally do a song with Dino?” she asked, breathless from all the excitement during the phone calls.
“Easy tiger, one step at a time, but I've listened to some of his songs and Dino is pretty good” Ray replied.
“You sneaky old man” Laura said, chasing him around to give him a hug, and knowing deep down in her heart that Mona would be happy wherever she was.
