Bubble Bath

That evening, I was not motivated at all. Katie sat on the couch, working on homework, while I flapped around the living room, not quite sure what to do with myself. I was craving chocolate. I had to have chocolate! Finally, for the sake of my own survival, I pulled out of my cupboard some oatmeal, oil, sugar, cocoa, and peanut butter. Combining my ingredients in a pot, I attempted to make a form of chocolate no-bake cookies.

The cookies turned out quite delicious, even though there were some random hard chunks. At least, they were yummy chunks--like toffee. I ate about five cookies. Katie only ate two. There was one left. Neither one of us could tackle it.

Sitting on the couch, in a cookie coma, groaning and holding my stomach, I turned to Katie and said, "I'm going to take a bath. Maybe if I get clean and relaxed, I'll be able to accomplish something." With that, I heaved myself off the couch and toward the bathroom. I stripped down and took all the bobby pins out of my hair. Before I filled the tub, I wanted to brush my teeth, but my toothbrush was in my room. Wrapping my towel around me, I tiptoed to my room.

Suddenly my phone started ringing in the front room. Still in just my towel, I ran in and picked it up off the couch.

"Jess! What are you doing?! Where are your clothes?" Katie sat there, appalled at my nakedness.

"My phone! It's Loren!" I screamed. Katie screamed. "What do I do? This is really awkward! Oh well, he'll never know." I screamed again and took a deep breath, "Hello?"

Katie giggled, and I walked back into my room

"Hi, Jessie. How was your day?" Loren's voice asked through the phone.

"Oh, it's been an alright day. How was yours?" I tucked my towel around me a little tighter.

"I had a good day. Hey, I'm up on campus right now, are you available?"

"Uh... I can be."

"Want to go for a walk?"

Panicking, I ran my fingers through my messy hair-do and glanced at my clothes, in a pile, on the floor by my feet. "Sure. Uh, yeah... I'd like that."

"Great! I'll be there in like twenty seconds!"

My eyes popped out of my face, and I almost lost my towel. "Oh, okay. See ya..." I hung up the phone and ran out to the front room. "Katie!!! He's coming over right now! He'll be here any second! And I'm naked! What do I do?! Aaaah!"

Katie laughed uncontrollably as I banged around in my towel, phone in hand, screaming desperately.

"Jessie, just go get dressed right now!" Katie stood up and pushed me toward my room. I threw on a shirt and pair of jeans. When I walked out, Katie said, "Jess! What happened to the skirt you were wearing before?"

"I don't have time to put my tights back on! This'll be fine." I told her.

"No. You have to wear the skirt." She threw the skirt and tights in my face and shut me in the bathroom. I lost the jeans and wrestled on the tights, screaming and grunting as I struggled.

I stood in front of the mirror, trying to fix my mess of hair, zipped up my skirt, and took a deep, calming breath. Then I walked out, and there stood Loren, smiling. I blushed and held my jeans behind my back. "Hi..."

Later that night, after I returned from my walk with Loren, I attempted once more the bath I wanted so badly. I asked Katie if she wanted to take a bath with me, "We'll just get in our swim suits, and I have some bubble bath; it'll be so funny!"

"No, Jess... I have to do my math." She secretly really wanted to.

"C'mon, Katie! Pleeeeease!!!"

She rolled her eyes and set her math book down, "Fine! Okay..."

I laughed, "Yes! You can wear my pink swim suit."

We donned our bathing attire and began filling the tub, adding a generous amount of bubble bath. Sitting cross-legged, we fit perfectly, the two of us, in the tub. I shampooed my hair and styled it into a lathery mohawk. Katie squealed with laughter and clapped her hands. Next, I used shampoo to shoot her hair out sideways. We splashed and giggled and took turns scrubbing each other's scalps.

Laura, my roommate, walked in, "What is going on?!" She bent over, laughing. "What in the world... you two are hilarious." She stood there and laughed as Katie and I rubbed bubbles all over our bodies. Then my other roommate, Annalynne, came in with her camera and took pictures of the two crazy cousins in the tub.

I turned to Katie, pouring water on her head with my hands, smiled and said, "Cousins who bathe together..."

"...Stay together!" Katie and I shouted in unison.

It Is Something Else--Growing Old

Courtney and I helped Grandma chop vegetables for the stir-fry. Katie slept. When she finally woke up, we told her that she had to do all the dishes now, because she didn't help with the meal preparation. Grandma told me to cut the onions a certain way, because "That's the way the Asians do it." She cooked the chicken first, then the vegetables. I sat on the low counter by the stove and watched, but had to move when the oil in the pan started spitting on me.

Once the stir-fry, rice, chow-mein noodles, and an array of condiments sat on the table, we all sat up, anxious to eat.

"Shall we have family prayer?" Grandpa said, and we slid out of our chairs and onto our knees. "Grandma doesn't kneel. We kneel for her." Added Grandpa. I smiled. Grandma folded her arms and bowed her head, sitting in her chair, and we prayed.

Dinner was fabulous. Aunt Kim joined us soon after we started eating. I had two helpings, which was probably too much, but it was so good. Grandma was so excited about all the vegetables we used in the stir-fry. She told us, "Grandpa doesn't like to eat his vegetables. I make sure to feed him two servings of vegetables for every meal." Grandpa glumly speared a droopy broccoli tree and ate it obediently.

"Even breakfast?" Kim asked. We laughed at this.

"No," Grandpa answered, "She only feeds me one serving of vegetables for breakfast." He winked at Grandma, and she threw her hands up and laughed.

"This man never eats enough vegetables..." Grandma told us.

"Boy, it's sure nice to reach the age when people stop telling you what to eat..." Said Grandpa, "I hope to get there someday." He smiled, and his joke made us all clap our hands and hug our sides with laughter.

"When we go to the Senior Center for lunch, all those folks wonder why Dr. Kerr isn't eating his vegetables." Grandma informed us.

"Those aren't the people I'm referring to." Grandpa winked again.

Aunt Kim produced a bag of chewy, cherry, chocolate candy, and passed it around the table. Pretty soon our mouths were watering and chomping on delicious cherry goodness.

"Mm... Those are so morish!" Grandma exclaimed, closing her eyes.

"What's morish, Grandma?" I asked.

"It means you just gotta have more." She reached back in the bag and popped another one in her mouth, closing her eyes to enjoy the morishness.

Kim handed Katie a couple early birthday presents, while we finished our morish cherry chocolates. One present was a cute, uplifting, girl book, and the other was a stylish knit headband with a flower on the side. Grandma loved the headband, and thought it was really something. She asked Katie if she could try it on. Katie handed it over, and Grandma slipped it on, over her silver hair.

"Oh! I could wear this to church! How does it look?" She smiled and poofed her hair with her hand.

"It looks great, Grandma. Way hot!" I said, and Kim handed Grandma a small mirror. Grandma held it out and stared at her reflection. At first she laughed, then her smile softened, growing slightly melancholy. She brought a hand to her face, tracing the lines and wrinkles, fingering the gray hair.

"Try tucking your hair behind your ears." I suggested.

She tucked her hair behind her right ear, "Hearing aid..." she smiled and tucked the other side, "Oh look, another hearing aid!" We all chuckled, and Grandma set the mirror down and handed the headband back to Katie. "Let me tell ya, it is something else--growing old..." Then, with a twinkle in her eye, she added, "But it's better than the alternative. I'll take getting old over dying any day!" Grandma smiled at Grandpa, and he smiled back. We laughed and passed the bag of morish chocolates around one more time.

When Grandma Kissed Her Cat

Grandma refused to name here cat "Squirt," which was my original suggestion. She told me it was too graphic of a name for her. Graphic indeed... Only graphic after I exploited the poor thing's bowel issues to the entire world. Instead, she named the cat Mazie. Crazy Mazie!

Mazie lives outside now--her days in the bathroom are over (thank goodness). She likes to sit in the window-sill, looking in on Grandma's sink, while Grandma cooks in the kitchen or does the dishes. We can bring Mazie inside, as long as we hold her and keep her from running around. I like to sit in my favorite chair and play with Mazie the crazy cat. Rarely is she content to merely sit and enjoy a warm lap and friendly stroking hand--she always wants to play. She chases my hand around, batting at it with her paws and chewing on my fingers. When Mazie gets rough, Grandma says, "Jessie, you just gotta tell her to play nice. She does speak English, you know!"

I remember the first time she said that. After claiming the cat's brilliant linguistic capabilities, Grandma scooped Mazie up off the couch, and smacked a giant grandma-kiss right into the cat's face. Then she snuggled the kitty into her neck, smiling like a schoolgirl.

I don't know why, but it hit me so tenderly, when Grandma kissed her cat--she loves that cat. After seeing how much love Grandma felt for her cat, I can hardly comprehend the love she has for other people, and me. She must really love me.

Grandma will tell everyone that ever since the day she got married, she has been "takin' care of folks," cooking for people, and serving people in her home. This is absolutely the truth. Grandma and Grandpa both know that every weekend somebody will drop in. Whether it's a traveling or visiting family member, or just some lost soul from the freeway. Anyone who shows up at Grandma's house is welcome, and will most likely get a meal. That is my Grandma.

Grandma taught me how to really love a cat.

Grandma taught me how to really love a friend.

Grandma taught me how to really love a stranger.

I bet that Mazie likes the window-sill above the sink, because she loves Grandma, and that's where Grandma is--in the kitchen...

...takin' care of folks.