Life With No Games

Chapter 13: Grandma Comes

     "Rue, why aren't you cleaning! Grandma will be here any minute now!" I scream as I run around the house, making sure everything is perfect. It's about a week after I called her and she told me she would come today. All week I've been preparing for her arrival, but it seems like I'm rushed today to get everything perfect. Peeta comes up to me and puts his hand on my shoulder.

     "Katniss, I know it's exciting and a bit scary to have your mother visit, but I promise you she won't mind if it's a bit messy." Is that what Peeta thinks because it's not true, well I don't think so. I want to show my mother that I grew up to be a responsible grown up. I know what it sounds like, but I don't want to give off the effect that I grew up to be perfect without her, but to show her that I'm okay and that I'm not a mess because of her or something like that.

     "It's not that, I just want things to be perfect when she comes, since I haven't seen her in so long." I tell him. That's another part of it and he understands. We manage to get everything perfect before she gets there and we end up sitting for 5 minutes before the doorbells rings and when it does I panic, but I get up and open the door to see my mother standing right in front of me, our first encounter since forever.

She looks like herself except for being older, definitely and I think she looks more, I can't put my finger on it. Rested? Well except for age she looks great. I don't know what she thinks of me, but she just stares into my eyes without saying anything for a while.

     "Katniss," She finally says and we embrace. She lets go and meets Rue's eyes and then Finnick's.

     "Kids, this is your Grandmother, she lives in district 4, but she came down to see you." My mother smiles and waves awkwardly.

     "Hi, it's so great to meet you." Rue and Finnick just stare up at her, amazed. I don't think they knew that they had a grandma and if they did I think they never thought that they'd meet her.

     "Hi." Rue finally says and it's silent for a while.

    "Why don't we all go into the kitchen." Peeta says, breaking the ice. "I have some cookies in the oven that are ready." We all walk to the kitchen and my mother talks to Peeta about the bakery and district 12. My kids are still amazed by her. Right before we sit down at the kitchen table Finnick taps me on the back.

     "What is it sweetie?" I ask.

     "That's your Mommy, right?" He wonders. I nod. "She looks just like you!" Rue nods as she takes a bite of the cookie. My eyes widen. I guess you do learn new things everyday. I thought that my mother and I looked completely different, but I guess I'm wrong.

     "If you think I look like her, you should have seen my sister. She was almost identical." The moment I brought up Prim the room goes silent. She would have loved seeing my mother and me bonding, being together after 25 years and I see it in my mother's eyes. She knows that and she's thinking of Prim every second that she's in this house because it's the one that she and Prim cared for the miners before the quarter quell. Before Prim died.

She asks about district 12 and says she's glad that it's rebuilt. We enjoy the cookies and everyone seems to be having a great time. I'm really glad I ended up calling her and I know I keep saying that, but I am. Then I remember the reason I called her in the first place. For advice and she did give me great advice, but great advice I didn't follow. With everything going on I forgot to talk to Rue and I know that my mother's going to bring it up and Rue hasn't stopped loving the history, but again with everything going on I haven't noticed as much. After remembering this information I decided to drag on the conversation as long as possible. I keep asking questions until they seem dumb and I'm pretty sure everyone a bit weirded out.

What am I doing? There's no use, maybe mother forgot it, hopefully, but unlikely. I help Peeta clean up and he tells me to spend time with my mom, so now I have to and she's probably going to bring it up and I want to lie, but something in my body makes it impossible for me to lie to my parents. Rue and Finnick go upstairs after a while and Peeta leaves the room, so it's just me and my mother.

     "So, did you do it?" She asks, my fear coming to life.

     "What?" I say, knowing the truth.

     "Did you talk to Rue, about how you're feeling?"

     "No!" I say. "I forgot, I promise, but I'm also scared. You're right I can never do this and I was just trying to ignore it all week." All my thoughts and emotions come flowing out of me like a waterfall. My mother rubs her old dreary eyes and sighs.

     "I know it's hard Katniss, but you need to do it. We both know it's best if you do it. Don't end up like me."

     "But that's the thing. We did come together..." I start, but she interrupts me.

     "After 25 years. I'm old Katniss, I don't have a lot of time left. I spent 25 years of my life without you and now we only have a bit of time left. So you have to do it." At that moment I realize that it's so important to my mother because it's the only thing that she really would be able to help me with. Because I did everything by myself, she needs to do one thing for me.

     "I will, while you're here. I promise." She smiles sadly.

     "Good. You'll thank me."

     "I already am." We hug and I feel good inside. I am going to talk to Rue because it's so important to my mother.

     "Then go." She tells me.

     "What?" I ask.

     "Go tell Rue, talk to her. I know you Katniss, you're going to keep stalling. It's best if you tell her now." She crosses her arms and frowns.

     "I'm not ready, I need time to prepare." She shakes her head.

    "Now, Katniss. It's now or never." I cringe. 

     "I can't do this. I'm not a person that does things like, improvised." I rub my forehead with my hand. Mother gets mad at this remark

     "That's not true Katniss, ever since you went into the hunger games, you've been improvising. Your best things were when you improvised. Like the berries, the nightlock. Or when you gave that amazing speech in district 8 about fire and stuff. You are a person who thrives when you have to improvise."

My mother clutches her hands to her heart and the more I think about it, the more my mother is right. I remember when Haymitch went up in district 13 and talked about my best moments. Moments that I did by myself. Those were all improvised. From the moment I volunteered for Prim, my life has been improvised. Then why does this seem so hard. I don't know, but it does.

     "Okay, I'll do it." I say unwillingly. My mother smiles and waves her hands indicating that I need to go upstairs, but I don't even know why I said that. I make my way upstairs as slowly as possible and to my luck run into Peeta. I try to start a conversation, but it doesn't really work because I don't know what to say. I continue to walk slower than ever, but the hall isn't that long, so I make it to her room in no time. I stall for a while until I know my mother is going to come up the stairs and make me go in.