Chapter 4:
Nina waited restlessly as she waited at the front door for her Mom to come and open the door.
She had expected her mother to give her a smile to acknowledge the fact that she knew Nina was excited about her Gift. Or even reprove her for being as excited as a five year old for a gift. What she had not expected was her mother to give her a long, sad look and usher her in with a loving fondness.
‘What’s up, ma? Is there something wrong with the gift?’ Knowing instinctively that it was something much more serious.
Verity sighed, ‘No sweetheart. Nothing’s wrong with it. Your Grandfather’s waiting in the living room. It’s just that I had almost begun hoping that this day would not come at all. It was inevitable, though. I knew it would come. Oh, but I do wish it need not have…’ on which enigmatic note, she took Nina’s bag from her hand, kissed her daughter on the cheek and proceeded upstairs to Nina’s room.
Nina looked after her mother in surprise. What was wrong with her? She moved towards the kitchen, took out a can of ThumsUp and opened it. She then proceeded to the Living room.
As she reached for the doorknob to open the door, she could hear the sound of two voices arguing issuing from the room. One of them certainly her Grandfather’s, but she wasn’t familiar with the other. She hesitated for a second and then opened the door. She saw her grandfather standing there in front of her, wearing a welcoming smile on his face. She looked around the room, to see who the owner of the other voice was. To her extreme surprise, her Grandfather was the only person visible to her. Her Grandfather saw the puzzled look in her eyes, and in turn looked inquiringly at her.
‘Um…nothing, I just thought that I heard you talking to someone. Were you?’ asked Nina.
Her grandfather smiled, ‘Can you see anyone around?’
‘Um…no?’
‘So who could I have been talking to?’ still smiling softly.
Nina looks around and spots the telephone kept on the table. ‘Oh,’ she said, comprehension dawning on her face, ‘ that’s Ok. I get it.’ Smiling she turned expectantly at her Grandfather. ‘So where is my gift?’
Grandfather looks at her deeply as if sizing her up, then says, ‘It’s with you.’
Nina looks her Grandfather in the eye, and he looks back at her as if willing her to understand before he has to say a single word.
Then she broke into an indignant smile, ‘I know that I am a “very precious gift” to you my dear, darling Grandpa, but I know that this is not the only gift you have in mind, because you really didn’t need my mum’s permission to tell me about this. So tell me what it is, because it must be really, really wicked to have made my sweet, darling mum look as grave as she looked now!’
‘Yes, you are right. That’s not the only thing, but it is also the same. It’s like a pun, a line with double meanings. You just need to know which angle to look at it from.’
Grandpa had never puzzled her more than he did now. What was all this two meanings stuff? Really!
‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand you Grandpa. I have the gift within myself?’
‘In a way, yes. But more than that, you are the gift.’
‘I’m sorry grandfather, I still don’t get you…’
‘You have been, for the past few days hiding a secret from your mother, haven’t you?’
The colour flew from Nina’s face. She started.
‘How…how- did you know…who told you? Beryl? Were you talking to her on phone when I entered? Did she tell you? But I swear, Grandpa. I was going to tell ma today morning. I had decided I would. I had thought that they were peppermints or something, but Beryl had more sense than me. She didn’t trust Tiffany. I was going to tell ma about it. I swear to God-’
‘I believe you. I believe you Nina, so calm down. And don’t use that phrase, please. It’s not nice to swear to God. But closer to the point we are discussing. I knew that I should have to tell you about this some day. As I had once told your mother about it. But this soon? You are but a child-’
‘I am not a child, grandpa. I’m sixteen!’
‘Yes, yes…you are not a child. You are my Granddaughter, moreover. You can stand it, I know. Then listen…’