GRANDMA

By Jasper Jezz C. Ledesma

Jasper is a very active 10-year-old boy. He always likes to play ball and street games with

his friends, ride a bicycle, and run around the house. He often screams when he gets excited with

the games. Rey, Rollen, and Jummar are his friends. They often play hide and seek inside the

house, climb the stairs and jump from one place to another. But things changed when grandma

arrived at his house.

“Jasper, grandma will stay with us from now on,” his mother, Esther, told him. Her

grandmother came from the province of Golden Davao Oriental. Because of her old age, she

stopped working as a health worker. She cannot stand up straight, have to take medicine every

day, and starts to loss her clear vision. She is as not strong as she was before. Jasper’s mother took

the responsibility to take care of her.

She walks slowly with her cane. When she saw Jasper, she smiled and said, “Jasper, I am

so happy to see you.” Jasper smiled at her. “You have grown taller compare before,” she followed

up. Jasper gave a faint smile to grandma and kiss her hands. “Grandma, what happened to you

hair?” “Ugh! This? This only happens when you grow old like me,” she replied. “Okay! I have to

go grandma.” “Where?” grandma asked. “To my friends,” Jasper replied. Jasper then walked away

and played with his friends.

The night is on its way and his grandma start cooking their food. Jasper is just sitting on

the couch while he’s watching cartoons on their television. “Jasper? Have you eaten adobo

before?” grandma asked. “Yes grandma!” he replied. “For sure you will eat a lot when taste this

food I cooked,” grandma bragging the food to Jasper with a smile of her face. “Let’s wait when

your mother is home” grandma talk while mixing the ingredients. A minute later, Jasper’s mom
came. “Okay! Esther let’s eat! We are waiting for you!” grandma asked. “Sure mom!” Esther

replied. “Call your sisters Jasper?” grandma command Jasper. Jasper climb up the stairs and call

his sister. As they were on the table, grandma asked Jasper to pray. Jasper is shocked. “Ha! Why

me?” He said with intimidation. Jasper’s mom bigger her eyes to him and Jasper have no choice.

His prayer goes like this. “Lord thank you for the yummy meals, for fruit, bread, and cheese, thank

you for the family. Lord thank you for this fine food cooked by our grandma. Please bless it to our

turn.” After the prayer, they laugh and eat happily.

Morning comes, with grandma in the house, many things would have to change. Jasper is

no longer allowed to play inside the house. He should not scream. He should avoid being loud and

noisy. He and his two younger sisters, Jan Mae and Angel, were told by their parents to be more

considerate with grandma. Jasper and his sisters start to be sulked. “I don’t understand why there

are so many restriction,” Jasper though as he sulked in a corner. “How I wish that Grandma would

go back to the province.”

The following days became irritating to Jasper. He has to do a lot of errands for her. “Jasper,

please bring Grandma a glass of water?” His mother ordered him. “Okay!” Jasper’s response with

glaring eyes. “Carlos, please go to drug store and buy Grandma her medicines,” his mother asked

again. “Fine!’ He replied. As he go to the store, he comes up with a thought, “Why this grandma

here? I can’t play enough time with my friends. I can’t scream. I can’t even talk aloud. This

Grandma is so dang irritating. Hope she would go back to the place where she stayed before.”

When he went from the store, his mother asked ordered him again and said, “Jasper please stay

beside Grandma while she’s in the garden.” “But mom?” He said angrily. “Jasper do this for your

Grandma!” said by his mother. Jasper can’t disagree with his mom. While Jasper is beside on his

Grandma, Grandma interrogate him, “Jasper would you like to listen my story in the province?”
“No! I feel asleep.” Jasper said. “You can take your sleep in your bedroom Jasper,” Grandma said.

Jasper go to his bedroom with an angry face behind.

Jasper was often asked to assist grandma while walking. She walks so slowly and Jasper

had to wait on her. He was becoming impatient with her. He got bored whenever grandma tells

stories. But his sisters love Grandma. Although she keep lines over and over again, his sisters love

to listen. But for him, it’s nonsense. He even mocked his grandma but Jan Mae and Angel is on

the side of grandma.

One afternoon, Jasper broke his right while playing with his friends. His case was so severe

that he was to rushed to the hospital. Jasper keeps crying because of pain he felt on his right leg.

His sisters, Jan Mae and Angel, are feeling awful as they saw Jasper’s right leg being deformed.

They are also crying because they think Jasper might die. The doctor came and had to put a cast

on his upper right knee down to his foot. The doctor said to grandma, “He needs to be in the

operating room for the procedures on his right leg.” The nurses bring Jasper to the operating room.

Thereafter, since it was successful, Jasper have be on the hospital for a week for recovery. And

while he is staying in the hospital, his grandma never leave her. His grandma often asked what

food or fruit he would like to eat. But Jasper always responded a “no” response. A week after,

Jasper was taken back home.

Jasper had to stay home and be absent from school because of his disability. He could not

bend his knee and walk. He was confined to his bed most of the time. His mother was not always

around because she had other things to do, like going to the market, do the laundry and attend to

his younger sisters. But the disability he had and the things that Grandma did for him, never let

him realize how helpless and weak he was. His grandma always tell them stories, but still he got

bored. He still never appreciate the food cooked by grandma because what he had in his mind was

the time he can’t play enough time.

 One month after, Jasper is active again. He can go to school and play again. But the moment

Jasper is okay, his sister, Angel, got a severe illness. Jasper is clueless what to do with his sister.

He call Grandma and grandma rushly get the phone and call an ambulance. The doctor approach

the grandmother and said, “Your granddaughter has a stage 1 bone cancer and she needs an

operation as early as possible. It will cost 400,000 pesos.” Jasper heard it and start to think that

they don’t have enough money for that operation. Jasper is helpless that time because he can’t even

have one thousand pesos how much more the amount for the operation. Jasper came to his mom

and said, “Mom, will Angel be okay?” “She will Jasper,” his mom replied. “Do we have money?

Can we save Angel? What should we do?” “I don’t know Jasper. Let’s just pray that God will

provide,” his mother replied with tears. “Okay mom!” He said. Jasper went to home because he

have classes tomorrow.

Jasper go to school with a sad face because he is worrying to his sister. During class, a teacher

asks if anyone can share a story about her/his grandmother and one student raise his hand. His

story goes like this. “My grandmother’s name is Mrs. Sushila Rani. She is a very old lady. She

may be .a hundred years old or somewhere around it. She does not exactly know her age. She does

not know her date of birth. She has never celebrated her birthday.

She has silver white hair. She has lost all her teeth. Her eyesight is very weak. Even with

the spectacles on her nose, she cannot see very clearly. Sometimes, she takes a small bundle of

black woollen article for a cat and cries out to scare it away.

She always keeps mumbling something behind her lips. We guess that she is always

praying to God. She is an illiterate lady. She is a very superstitious lady. She has a firm faith in

God. She worships the idols both in the morning and in the evening.
 She is very weak, she walks with a stick. Even with the stick she can’t walk much. She

laments that she is no longer able to go to the temple. She spends much of her time in bed.

She suffers from so many ailments. Sometimes, she has cough. Sometimes, she feels a

severe pain in her legs, stomach or head. But she has a great power of tolerance. When she has any

trouble, she prays to God instead of weeping, crying and moaning. Still, rarely she has bouts of

depression when she recalls her childhood and youth. It is very surprising that even though her

memory has gone very weak, she can recall clearly certain happenings of her life. Even if she is

illiterate, she exhorts me to pay full attention to my studies. Though she loves all mankind, she

loves me in particular and hugs me off and on. I also love her dearly and try to help her in walking

and other activities. May she live for many more years” Everyone is clapping their hands except

Jasper. Jasper doubled his tears as he realized how good his grandma is.

After the class he visit Angel and tell her, “Are you okay?” “Yes! Don’t worry I’m going

to the house soon,” Angel said. “I brought you some cookies and fruit. Would you like to eat it?”

Jasper said. “Give me cookies! I will eat it.” She replied. Jasper saw his grandma sleeping in long

chair but he never disturb her. The doctor came and ask Angel to be ready for tomorrow. Jasper is

curious of what’s the meaning the doctor is talking about. Angel clarify the situation and said, “I

am going to be operated tomorrow.” Jasper was shocked and asked who paid the bill. “it’s

Grandma,” Angel response. As Grandma woke up, Jasper directly asked grandma how she did

that. Grandma said, “I have my savings and I rent my ring, watches, and other costly and important

things to me.” Jasper hugged his grandma and thank her for her love. “That’s how I love my

grandson and granddaughter,” Grandma said. After all the procedures, Angel was finally went

back home. Jasper do nothing but respect his Grandma.

 Jasper realized that it was his Grandma who stayed beside him. It was his Grandma who

helped Angel recovered from cancer, attending all her needs. Although she walks very slowly, she

could still serve him food and water. He realized that no one ever can replace tha love and sacrifice

the love of a Grandparents.

As the days passed by, Jasper began to appreciate Grandma. He began to listening to her

stories. He learned the valuable lessons as he intently listen. Those difficult days became a

profitable learning experience for him. He go the school bragging how his Grandma. His sad,

glaring, and angry face were totally change with happiness.