Page 30 of Grounded
“Am I doing all right?” she called.
Beulah, transfixed by the image of her daughter, couldn’t answer.
Jo Anne stood, dropping the trowel, and walked to her. “Grandma, are you all right?”
“Jo Anne … Jo Anne,” Beulah repeated.
“No, Grandma, it’s me, Annie … your granddaughter. Come sit here next to the smokehouse,” Annie said, leading Beulah by the arm. “I think the sun might be too hot.” Beulah followed and then sat hard on the stack of concrete blocks next to the smokehouse wall.
“I’ll get you something to drink,” Annie said, leaving her to puzzle out what had happened.
For a moment, Jo Anne was there. Beulah saw her plain as she saw the brown dirt in the garden. But Jo Anne was gone, having died at nearly the age Annie was right now. But she saw her, Beulah knew it.
“Here, drink this.” Annie handed her a cold glass of sweet tea. “You look like you saw a ghost!”
“My knee’s bothering me. Must be the pain,” Beulah said.
“How long have you had pain in your knee?”
Beulah heard Annie, but the effort to respond was too much. “We’re finished anyway,” Annie said. “Rest here for a minute and then I’ll help you back to the house.”
Finished.Finished gardening today or forever?
The vividness of the vision faded, although the impression embedded itself in something tender deep within her.
After a few minutes of rest, she stood to go in the house. When she did, a searing pain ripped through her knee, and the smell of earth came full in her nostrils.
Chapter Thirteen
Annie’s emergency training as a flight attendant took over when her grandmother fell. She was by her side in an instant, relieved to see she was conscious and able to answer Annie’s questions.
“My knee,” her grandmother said, but Annie wanted to be sure it wasn’t something more serious.
Worried it was sunstroke, or something worse, Annie said, “I’m calling an ambulance.”
“Absolutely not!” Beulah called before Annie made it two steps away from her. “I’ll not have sirens wailing up my driveway, scaring all the neighbors. It’s my knee. Call Evelyn and see if Jake can come and help me get to the house.”
Within minutes, the Wilders arrived. Evelyn held the door while Jake and Annie carried Beulah to the living room couch.
Jake positioned her across the faded polyester couch, and Evelyn threw a hand-knitted afghan of orange, green and gold yarn over her legs.
“I’ll put away the garden equipment,” Jake said.
“Thank you,” Beulah replied.
“It’s time for that medicine, Beulah,” said Evelyn, and there was no question in her voice.
“It’s in the cupboard next to the phone,” Beulah said.
“What medicine?” Annie asked as she tucked the blanket around her grandmother’s legs.
“Pain pills.”
Evelyn brought the pill bottle back with a glass of water, and Beulah took it.
“What’s wrong with your knee?” Annie asked.
Beulah looked up at Evelyn and Annie saw silent information pass between them.
