Bananas.
Vegetables.
Store-brand coffee.
Normal groceries.
She noticed us.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Sophie said,
“Hi, Grandma.”
Mom smiled awkwardly.
“Hello, sweetheart.”
Her eyes shifted toward my cart.
Sandwich supplies.
Yogurt.
Fruit.
Several school snacks.
Mom noticed the crackers.
Ironically, Sophie actually liked crackers.
Mom looked away.
We kept shopping.
Two months passed.
Then three.
Daniel and I stopped discussing Mom’s complaints because they gradually became less dramatic.
By the fourth month, something unexpected happened.
Mom called me.
Not angry.
Not crying.
Just quiet.
“I’ve been looking at condos,” she said.
I leaned back in my office chair.
“Okay.”
“There’s one in Westerville. Two bedrooms. Smaller kitchen. Community garden.”
“Sounds nice.”
“The monthly costs would be much lower.”
“They would.”
Another pause.
Then she said,
“I suppose this house is too large.”
I did not celebrate.
I did not say I told you so.
I simply asked whether she wanted me to tour the condo with her.
She said yes.
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