Another Day

The end of year holidays were just around the corner and Jewel was expected to host the family Christmas dinner. She knew it had to be her turn now; her brother Mathew, his wife Carrie and their kids, were responsible for dinner the previous year. She had an idea of the food she wanted to cook, and she scribbled a note, so she would remember to buy the necessary ingredients when she next did her shopping.

She also planned to switch up the decorations for her white Christmas tree once again; she'd seen a mix of blue, silver and pink baubles hanging on a tree in one of the local department stores and thought that the combination was rather striking.

Jewel was in her mid-twenties, around 5ft 4 and in sort of decent shape, although secretly she didn't like how her stomach, or the tops of her legs looked. She had started going grey recently and decided not to use a colored rinse. Her natural hair was pretty light to begin with, so the change was subtle.

When you met Jewel for the first time, you might think she was shy and withdrawn, the most unlikely person to speak up and command attention. However, once you got curious enough to delve a little deeper, you would soon find a young woman, who considered things from all angles before taking action. She always told you the truth no matter what. She was fiercely loyal and chose the ones she loved with care. Should you ever be foolish enough to hurt somebody she held close to her, you would definitely hear about it.

At this point in her life, romantic involvements were low on her list of priorities. In high school, she went out with her best friend Daniel for almost two years. They broke up before graduation and things became a bit awkward for a while, since both of them usually hung around with the same people; neither was sure if they still had feelings for each other or not.

Then when he least expected it, Daniel fell head over heels in love with someone else and their friendship was rekindled. Far from being heartbroken, Jewel genuinely approved of Taylor when they were introduced; the girls ended up getting along just fine. In fact, when the relationship got really serious, she was the one Daniel asked for help, when it came to choosing an engagement ring. Of course, Taylor said yes.

***********

On a mostly cloudy Monday morning, Jewel was up early. The first thing she did was make herself a strong cappuccino. Then she fired up the desktop computer to check her emails. Familiar shuffling feet wandered into the kitchen. "Good morning, Grandma. Sleep well?" The elderly lady smiled at her granddaughter. "Much better than the previous night." "Your pills are on the counter." "Thanks love."

For the past several months, Jewel had taken over the responsibility of caring for Grandma Chantelle Fraser. She'd suffered a terrible stroke and full-time help was a must. Her husband Kevin had been dead ten years this summer; cancer. She limped every now and then. Sometimes her speech was slurred. But the doctor was happy with her recovery progress and hoped that it wouldn't happen again for a good long while.

Chantelle said no to having a stranger in her home to look after her, so Jewel stepped up. She quit her job as an administrator at a company called West Helm Security and completed the required steps to be a professional carer. The arrangement seemed to be working. Although her grandmother often needed constant vigilance from her, Chantelle occasionally had days where she could do things on her own.

It gave Jewel a bit of time to herself. She was looking at online courses to develop her love of photography into something special. She was eager to learn all she could and get better results with her camera. Some of her photo prints had been entered into a competition.

The prize was money and a showing at the Silver Ridge Gallery, where she may potentially sell a few pieces to those who were interested. Her main focus was scenery, especially sunsets. It truly was amazing to witness just how many colors were on display in the fading light of the sky.

Chantelle sat in her favorite chair, with the remote within arm's reach. Jewel clicked close on the Internet browser and joined her in the lounge room. "Fancy a cup of tea?" "That would be nice." "Will you eat breakfast this morning?" "I could manage a piece of toast with some jam." "Would you prefer raspberry or blackberry?" "Raspberry please." "Okay I'm on it."

Her grandmother was scrolling through some recorded programs, knowing full well that Tv in general didn't offer much of anything that she would want to see, particularly during the day. Then again, nighttime wasn't much better. Good thing her granddaughter brought two bookshelves full of DVDs when she moved in.

"I'm seriously thinking of lodging a complaint to whoever runs these TV stations." Jewel laughed. "Maybe you should." The two of them agreed to finish off a documentary series, then figure out which movies they might have a look at later in the evening.

Chantelle usually went for a nap after lunch. However, on this day, she felt she was strong enough to leave the house and walk for a couple of blocks. "Are you sure?" "Of course. Don't forget to bring your camera, I know how much you love your pictures." Jewel helped her to tie her shoelaces. She picked up her cane from the front hallway. "Let's go!"

They stopped for a breather at Hawkins Park. Chantelle took in the view around her, smiling again as Jewel snapped random photos. She really was a lovely girl, so mindful of others' needs. It sometimes made Chantelle feel kind of guilty, that she had given up so much; the chance to meet new people, a higher paying job, a place of her own. But Jewel never complained.

Ah well, she thought, my granddaughter is young, there are plenty of years left for her to live. "Wow, hey grandma, look at that!" The golden red darkening behind the yellowish white of the sun, was a beautiful sight to behold. She could see why it was one of Jewel's favorite things to shoot. "Another one to add to your vast collection." "Yep."

***********

It was Christmas Eve. With a little assistance from Chantelle, Jewel prepared a chicken and roast potatoes. She would do the corn, peas and gravy last, before serving. Dessert was the traditional Christmas pudding, and a choice of covering it in either evaporated milk or custard. She also baked a batch of fruit mince pies from scratch, just like her grandmother taught her.

The family began to arrive after the sun went down and dinner was almost ready. The children were allowed to open one present before eating and leave the rest for tomorrow. Jewel got a very enthusiastic hug from her teenage niece. "Thank you! It's just what I wanted." The pretty gold star necklace was something that had caught Kirsty's eye a few months ago.

Her twin brothers thanked Jewel in unison, as was their way. "This is really cool auntie!" Jeff and Sam convinced their parents to let them play with their Lego sets; at least it would keep them occupied. Her other niece Sandra was only two, but her eyes lit up with joy as she saw her new unicorn plushie. No one was surprised, when she refused to let the toy free from her tiny hands for the rest of the night.

Jewel checked the meat again; it was properly cooked. Then she took the tray out of the oven to rest for fifteen minutes. Mathew and Carrie came into the kitchen to help bring some of the dishes to the table. There was more than enough food to feed an army and it would all be demolished soon enough. Grandpa Lionel did the honors of cutting up generous slices of the large chicken. He stood tall and proud, holding up a glass of red wine when he was through. "Merry Christmas! Now dig in everybody, the food is not going to eat itself."

THE END