[ WP ] A child that never knew their grandparents has just learned what grandparents are , and thinks that they sound wonderful . The child sneaks out to go to the nearby old folks home to choose their very own grandparents .

It was a cold and windy day at Sunnyside Estate. Laura pulled her blue parka closer, and put her chin to her chest in order to brace against the wind. Had the day been clearer, she would have stuck out against the hillside leading up to the main building of the retirement home, and anyone driving up the winding road would have spotted her within seconds. But today the clouds cast a gloomy glow over the entire neighborhood, and nobody was taking the day to visit their relatives at the home. 
 
 As she worked her way up the hill, Laura practiced what she would say when she found the right couple. 
 
 *Hello. My name is Laura Hollingsworth. I would like to ask you to be my grandparents, please. * 
 
 She thought the *please* added a more refined, official sound to her proposal. And she wanted to get past all of the official things so that she and her new grandparents could do fun things together. 
 
 The kids in her class would mention their grandparents every so often. *My grandmother and I went to the zoo. My grandfather taught me how to plant tomatoes. * She had always thought that they were adding an extra word in front of mother or father, to make it sound more fancy. So she started calling her own mother and father *grandmother* and *grandfather* sometimes. She didn ’ t know there was any difference until using that name in front of her mother. 
 
 “ What did you just call me? ” her mother asked, half amused, half concerned, completely confused. 
 
 “ Grand Mother? ” Laura replied, for the first time getting the sense that she might have said something wrong. 
 
 “ Sweetie, I ’ m not your grandmother. ” Her mother knelt down in front of her. “ You know that, right? ” 
 
 “ But you ’ re my mother, ” Laura said slowly. “ And if you ’ re really good at that, then aren ’ t you a grand mother? ” 
 
 Her mom laughed. “ I can see the confusion. But that ’ s not what the word means. ” 
 
 Laura frowned. “ Then what? ” 
 
 Her mother cleared her throat. Then she explained, slowly and carefully, about how parents also have parents. Everyone has a mother and a father, and that included her as well. 
 
 “ Well where are they? ” Laura asked, starting to get excited. 
 
 Laura ’ s mother looked down, avoiding Laura ’ s smile. “ I don ’ t have them any more. ” 
 
 “ Why? ” 
 
 “ Let ’ s talk about this another day. ” Laura ’ s mother stood up. “ Okay, sweetie? ” 
 
 She smiled at Laura, but there were sad crinkles around her mouth and eyes. Laura went to bed that night thinking about how sad she would be if she didn ’ t have her mom any more. She didn ’ t her mom to be sad about that. Maybe she could find new parents for her mom. And if her mom liked them, then she could finally have grandparents! 
 
 In the morning, she woke up with a plan. 
 
 Laura reached the top of the hill and stopped for a second, trying to catch her breath. She looked up, her cheeks getting goose bumps as the wind managed to brush by and fill the hood of her parka. To the left, there was a wall of windows, and the front entrance just around the corner. To the right, more windows, with a grey door at the end. 
 
 *A secret entrance. * 
 
 Laura walked over to the door and tried the handle. It turned easily, and she opened the door and went inside. 
 
 The noise of the wind disappeared as the door shut behind her. Laura unzipped her parka and tied it around her waist, so that she wouldn ’ t lose it before she headed back home. 
 
 She was in a small hallway. To her right, cement stairs led up to the next floor. A red door stood before her, a large white number one painted on it. She tried the handle on that door too, and went right inside. 
 
 The floor was green tile, the walls a color that might have once been white. Fluorescent lights hung from the ceiling, and the entire place smelled like a mixture of spearmint, orchids, and pee. But Laura didn ’ t notice any of those things. Sitting a few feet away, white hair like a crown of clouds around her temple, was a little old lady. 
 
 She had a bright pink shirt and floral pants. Her hands were clasped together on her lap, and on each gnarled finger was a nail painted deep red. The silver necklace she wore seemed too clunky and heavy for her small frame, as if it threatened to pull her off balance at any moment. 
 
 Laura thought she was the most beautiful thing she ’ d ever seen. 
 
 Laura walked over to the woman and stood in front of her. The woman had her eyes closed, like she was sleeping, but after a moment she opened them and looked at Laura. 
 
 “ Yes? ” she asked. Her eyes were warm and brown, but piercing nonetheless. 
 
 Laura forgot everything she had practiced saying, except for, “ Hello. My name is Laura Hollingsworth. ” 
 
 The woman smiled. “ Hello Laura Hollingsworth. My name is Patricia Hannon. ” 
 
 There was silence for a moment. Patricia looked at Laura expectantly. 
 
 “ I like your shirt, ” Laura blurted out. “ That ’ s my favorite color. ” 
 
 Patricia looked down at her shirt, like she needed a reminder as to what she had put on that morning. “ Oh, yes. It ’ s so lively, don ’ t you think? ” 
 
 “ Where are you from? ” Laura asked. 
 
 “ Well, I was born in Georgia, ” Patricia replied. “ But Samuel and I moved to this town about forty years ago. We ’ ve been here ever since. ” 
 
 Laura ’ s heart began to race. Maybe she could actually find a pair! “ Is Samuel your husband? ” 
 
 Patricia nodded. “ We were married for fifty-two years before he passed. ” 
 
 Laura ’ s heart sank. “ Oh. I ’ m sorry. ” 
 
 “ What are you sorry for? ” Patricia smiled. “ We had a good life together. Three children, five grandchildren. I could not have asked for better. ” 
 
 “ Are you a – grandmother? ” Laura could barely get the word out. 
 
 Patricia nodded again. “ Five beautiful little ones. I think the youngest two are about your age. How old are you, honey? ” 
 
 “ Seven, ” Laura replied automatically. “ How old are you? ” 
 
 Patricia laughed. “ Didn ’ t your mother ever tell you to never ask a lady her age? ” Her eyes twinkled, but Laura blushed with embarrassment anyway. 
 
 “ I ’ m sorry, ” she apologized again. 
 
 Patricia waved a hand, as if to shoo the apology away. “ Now Miss Laura, I ’ m wondering if there ’ s anything I can help you with? Usually visitors come in through the front entrance. ” 
 
 Laura sighed. If Patricia was already someone else ’ s grandmother, then she could be honest about what she was looking for. “ I ’ m trying to find my grandparents. ” 
 
 “ Is that so? Well what are their names? ” 
 
 “ That ’ s the thing, ” Laura said. “ I don ’ t know. I don ’ t have grandparents. ” 
 
 Patricia raised her eyebrows. “ If you don ’ t have grandparents, then how can you find them? ” 
 
 “ My mother doesn ’ t have parents, ” Laura explained. “ Which means I don ’ t have grandparents. So I was hoping to find some. ” 
 
 Patricia smiled at Laura. The same sad crinkles she had seen on her mother ’ s face appeared on Patricia ’ s, this time a little deeper and more defined. “ That ’ s a very sweet idea, dear. But I think your mother probably doesn ’ t want new parents. ” 
 
 “ You don ’ t know her, ” Laura said, sounding more annoyed than she felt. 
 
 “ You ’ re right, ” Patricia allowed. “ I don ’ t. But how would you feel if someone tried to find you a new mother? ” 
 
 “ I still have mine. ” 
 
 “ But if you didn ’ t? ” 
 
 Laura thought about it. “ I guess I wouldn ’ t like it, ” she admitted. “ I ’ d miss her a lot, but I don ’ t think someone else could replace her. ” She paused, then looked down at her toes. “ I still want a grandmother, ” she mumbled. “ It ’ s not fair. ” 
 
 “ Life isn ’ t fair, ” Patricia said. “ But it ’ s still filled with a lot of beauty. ” 
 
 They looked at each other for a moment. Laura threw her arms around Patricia ’ s small frame. Patricia let out a laugh of surprise, then returned the embrace. 
 
 Laura pulled away. “ Will you be here if I come back this time next week? ” 
 
 “ I think I ’ ll be here for a while longer, ” Patricia replied, her eyes twinkling again. “ Are you going to come back to look for your grandparents again? ” 
 
 “ No. ” Laura grinned. “ But maybe I can find some more friends next time. ” 

