MEETING GRANDMA

                        By
                 Bonnie Parham Lee
          Unpublished Copyright - 1997


    In January 1933, the train trip from Ellensburg, 
Wash. to Denver, Colorado took three days.  The 
mother and her eleven year old daughter rode coach, 
and they carried most of their food with them.  It 
became a long and tiring trip.  The mother's 
stepfather was dying, and they were on their way to 
be with Grandma.

    By the time they pulled into the Denver station 
the girl had recovered the excitement she felt when 
they got on the train in Washington.  She did not 
remember any of her relatives and especially looked 
forward to meeting her Grandmother.

    As they stepped off the train, they were 
separated by the people milling around them.  The 
girl stood aside and watched as her mother hugged 
and kissed two women and a man.  Mother called to 
the girl and she stepped forward.

    As usual, everyone exclaimed about how big she 
was for her age.  Then Grandma shook her hand, and 
asked in a soft swedish accent to please excuse her 
glove. The girl couldn't help staring.  They were 
the same height.  If she were big for her age, then 
Grandma was certainly little for hers.

    Grandma's eyes looked just like mother's, same 
expression, only bluer.  Her hair had a deep, white 
wave in front with a large, gray coil on top of her 
head.  She wore black, and the tears came readily. 
Grandpa had died the day before.  She looked small, 
helpless and fragile.  It was a good thing they were 
there for her.

    During the next four months while living with 
Grandma, the eleven year old discovered that Grandma 
may have been small, but fragile and helpless?  Not 
at all!