Baked with love

The little town of Springdale overlooked untained snow clad mountains of Terrenny. Old fashioned box buildings with brick walls along the bustling streets and road side vendors with their multicolored carts flocking a large open central market and cobble stone sidewalks  gave it an ante- diluvian appearance. But today the streets were almost empty. Horrifying sounds of ambulances raising through the empty streets with trembling tense air. An unknown deadly disease taking over the world had not spared these streets either. Eric Rollins, a proud owner of the best cake shop near the central market had to shut down his business just  like everyone else and now his wife Maarya was one of the first victims of the disease. Their daughters Talia and Tia were in the hospital getting tested for the same disease. Eric and their eldest son Tony had tested negative earlier that day and were home with Maarya’s mother Bettella. Grandma Bettella was in her 90 s and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She stayed in a nursing home not far away but Eric got her home after the pandemic started . He knew how much Maarya would want her mother beside her during such difficult times. The girls came home later that day as they tested negative but Maarya was not getting any better. It was difficult to know how she was doing as no one was allowed inside the hospital with her. They saw her on video call maybe once a day but she could hardly speak without getting breathless. No one clearly understood the disease and there was no cure yet. Days became weeks but things were getting worse with growing financial crisis and the disease  spreading like wild fire. Few days later, the family was relieved to see Maarya smile for the first time in many days. Some combination medicines they tried was finally helping her. She was able to speak to her family even with occasional breathing difficulty.

“When will you be home mom.. we miss you..” the kids couldn’t hold back their tears.

“The nurses said I might be able to go home after two negative tests. Don’t worry.” Maarya was optimistic as always.

“Look mom grandma Bettella is here” Tony said as he sat near his grandmother trying to get her to look at the screen.

Maarya’s eyes filled with tear  “ Mom.. I miss you so much ...” her voice was shivering “you know yesterday I couldn’t stop thinking of the chocolate chip cookie you used to make for us every Christmas.. I don’t know why but I miss that so much..”

Grandma Bettella stared at the screen . It was difficult for her to understand everything going on. After the call with their mother, the kids decided to make Grandma Bettella’s chocolate chip cookies for their mom. It would be a perfect welcome home gift for their mother. Next day, the girls unsuccessfully tried to get their grandma recollect the recipe. Eric remembered the boxes from grandma Bettella’s old home stored in the attic. So Tony and Talia were in the dusty attic for hours together ,searching for the recipe. Tia in the meantime called all her aunts to check if they knew the recipe. All of them gave her a different recipe and she noted it all down. Tony and Talia found a neatly organized set of recipe cards but they were so old that it was difficult to make out what was written. However they did find something scribbled on one of the cards that could be read as cookie. The girls spent the entire evening trying to remember the every flavor of their grandma’s Christmas cookies. Early next day Talia stood in their spotless old fashioned kitchen with her hair neatly wrapped in to a bun and white apron tied around her waist. Tia and Tony sat next the round wooden kitchen table with all the recipes they collected. Quiet air filled with delicious aroma of cookies as the day progressed. By evening Eric sat in front a large pile of cookies trying to figure out which one was closer to Grandma Bettella’s cookies. He clearly remembered the delicious rich flavor even though he had eaten them years ago. The cookies had all turned it well but none of them were even close to Grandma’s cookies. The kids looked disheartened but they were not ready to give up. Next day, the family was thrilled as Maarya tested negative for the first time. If she tests negative again, Maarya could come home the next day. 

The kids ,now desperate to get the cookie recipe went to Grandma Bettella again..

“Grandma.. please try to remember the chocolate chip cookie recipe

Mom will be home tomorrow. It would mean so much to her if we bake them for her as a welcome home gift. Please help us.”

But Grandma Bettella sat on her chair staring blankly at the empty walls..

Tia brought an old framed photograph of their mom with her parents and all her sisters . She sat down near her grandmother’s lap.

“Look Grandma.. this is you and this is mom... this was taken on a Christmas Eve. You used to bake cookies every year for Christmas.. Remember?”

She looked down at the frame running her wrinkled shivering fingers over it. 

She kept looking at the picture and the kids eagerly awaited..

“Where is my little Maarya?” Grandma Bettella looked confused as she held the frame tightly.

“She is in the hospital. She was not keeping well. But she is getting better and she will come home tomorrow.”

Tia held her grandmother’s hand and asked again.. “remember how mom said she missed your cookies the other day?”

But Grandma Bettella didn’t seem to hear anymore.

Even though the kids were sad about the cookie, they went to bed praying that their mother returned home soon.

The next day morning everyone woke up to the blooming aroma of freshly baked cookies. The family rushed to the kitchen and were amazed to see Grandma Bettella with a tray full of cookies. She had not eaten alone in years forget baking but here she was smiling at the kids as if nothing had changed.

The kids hugged their grandmother.. “you baked mom’s favorite cookies??”

“Well my baby girl wanted some so I just made a few.” She said still smiling.

After all these years, the cookies were as delicious as they used to be. Even though it was not clear if she recognized her grandchildren as they gobbled the cookies, she was still a loving mother. After all there is nothing deep and endless like mother’s love.