Lora knocked on Grandma Rosa’s door twice, then slowly opened her door and entered the room even though she heard no response. She would have gone back to her room it this were a different circumstance since she did not get a response from her.
“Grandma Rosa.” She called looking around the big room, she isn't there, she said inwardly and went into another section of the room which her grandma used as her dressing room and found that she wasn't there either, she walked away immediately to her bathroom, and then listened at the bathroom entrance, there was no sign of her grandma, she left the room and went to the next place her knew she would be.
Grandma Rosa is seated at the dining table in the garden sipping her morning tea. “Good morning Grandma Rosa.” Lora said as she walked up to her, trying to go easy on her grandma as she knew how sensitive she was most times because of her age.
“Morning sweetie.” Grandma Rosa replied, lifting her gaze as she heard her granddaughters voice, Lora bent over and gave her a kiss on both checks, and then sat down on a chair next to her, still trying to keep her emotion under control as she would not want to be the reason for her grandma getting ill from her inquiry.
Grandma Rosa dropped her cup of tea on the table and peered at Lora closely, she knew she had cried a lot because of what happened yesterday. She can tell from the puffiness of her eyes, she had also gone over to her room later that evening to check on her and had heard her subbing, then turned back and left, deciding it wasn't a good time.
“Want something to eat? She asked her voice a little more shaky than it used to be as she wanted to start off with food for her, knowing that she had nothing to eat last night.
“No grandma.” Lora replied, looking at her intensely, wondering if she would be able to tell her something useful about her Mama, especially after seeing the way she was right now. “I came to talk to you about Mama.” She continued still peering at her grandma, she want to go straight to the mater that had brought her here, even though she wanted to go easy on her.
Grandma Rosa gazed at Lora for a while collecting her thoughts, she knew that this is a very sensitive moment for her granddaughter and she does not want to add to the sadness that is already visible on her face, besides, Lora have not eaten anything since that fight between her parents. “Why don’t you eat something first dear, you haven’t eaten since last night.” She said and called one of the house keepers to bring food for Lora.
“No Grandma Rosa, I am not hungry.” Lora said insisting on not eating anything. “I do not have an appetite and food is not what I want.
Grandma Rosa gestured to the house keeper to return the food she is carrying after Lora said that she does not have an appetite, and then turned back to face Lora.
“Look child, starving yourself or crying yourself out would not change anything, I think you should let your parents sort out their differences themselves.” Grandma Rosa said rather slowly, she is trying to be careful with her words because the look on Lora’s face shows that she is already furious, the kind she have never seen before.
“For how long Grandma?” Lora asked, still trying to be calm with her. “I am not asking them to get back together with each other, what I want is to get to know Mama, to get to spend time with my Mama, Grandma.” Lora continued, her tone filled with pain as she speak.
“Yesterday the look on Mama’s face shows that she is in some kind of pain too, what I can’t tell, is if it’s because of me or Antonio’s death, or even because of the state Marta was in.” she continued, Grandma Rosa could really feel the pain in her granddaughter’s voice.
“Her eyes, when she looked at me with those eyes, I felt like it was calling out for me Grandma Rosa, then Papa, why did papa react in that manner towards her? Why isn’t anyone telling me the real truth in all this?” Lora explained and asked Grandma Rosa, her sharp gaze on her as if she is the only one who can answer her questions.
“Why don’t you ask your parents? I think they are in a better position to tell you what you want to know.” Grandma Rosa said after a short pause unable to bear the pain she sees in Lora’s eyes.
If only she had done something to stop her parents’ divorce years ago, her granddaughter wouldn’t be going through this now, she said inwardly, pressing her lips together.
“I have talked to papa, he did not tell me anything useful but instead he said he would like me to go on a vacation outside the country, and Mama, her phone cannot be reached.” Lora said calmly, tears building in her eyes again, as she felt her heart tearing apart as she cannot seem to understand it and no one was willing to tell her the truth.
Grandma Rosa stood up from her chair as fast as she could, she could no longer stand seeing her granddaughter like this, she had bottled up her feelings before and acted tough in front of her as if she was never affected by her loneliness, but the truth is, after seeing that her son Lucio had refused to remarry she regretted the fact that she never did anything to keep her family together, maybe if she had stood by Camilla when her son Lucio was maltreating her, things might have been different now. She thought.
“You are a big girl now Lora, talk to your parents about this because I don’t have anything to tell you.” Grandma Rosa said and slowly started walking out of the garden.
Lora sat there peering down at her trembling hands, tears began to roll down to her cheeks as she was not able to control them anymore…