Case Reopened

A Dress For A Party (Part 1)

Finally! We get to see some grandmother and granddaughter bonding!

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The ping of a new message interrupted the song Sophia listened to. She continued with her task, leaving the message for the time being. When her current song finished, it felt like a comfortable break in her progress and she set down the mini screwdriver she held. Before the next song could start, she paused it and read the message.

Mother: Your grandmother is here. Come down when you want.

All thought of finishing the computer vanished. Sophia hurriedly stored away her tools and tidied up the remaining parts, leaving her desk pleasantly neat with everything on it perfectly angled with right corners aligned.

Before Sophia even saw her grandmother, she felt a smile appear. She loved Abuela. But at times Abuela hugged Sophia when she didn't feel she needed or wanted a hug. Abuela loved Sophia, but sometimes that love felt overwhelming in the ways she showed it.

But not Grandmother, not her father's mother. Grandmother was poise, self-contained affection, and elegance. Everything about her Grandmother made Sophia feel comfortable with herself.

When Sophia entered the living, Grandmother rose and opened her arms. It was a gesture that made Sophia feel seen and understood. The choice to accept the hug was up to Sophia, there was no pressure to display affection but affection was offered.

Without having to think about it, Sophia rushed to her Grandmother and hugged her. The feel of her arms felt different than her mother's. Grandmother hugged with tender love. She smelled subtly of sweet French perfume and her clothes always felt soft.

"How is my beautiful granddaughter?" Grandmother asked.

"Happy to see you," Sophia said.

Another contrast to Abuela was that Grandmother lived out of the city and visited but not with the equal frequency as Abuela who appeared almost daily. It meant Grandmother's visits were an unexpected treat.

"Yvette has given me permission to be the one to take you shopping," Grandmother said. "I am told you need a dress for one of your relation's Quinceanera. Would you let me be the one to take you shopping?"

"I would enjoy that. Am I dressed appropriately?"

Sophia took a step back to let her grandmother appraise her attire. It was Saturday which meant comfortable clothes, a pair of wide-legged, soft slacks, and an expensive, cotton shirt tucked into them.

"You look wonderful," Grandmother said. "It is getting chilly, I would suggest a jacket."

Sophia retreated to the entryway and opened the coat closet. Since her grandmother, who was always precise with her words, had said chilly and not cold, Sophia chose a light jacket. As she emerged from the closet, her grandmother and parents waited for her.

"Will we be walking?" Sophia asked.

"A bit. Pick a comfortable pair of shoes."

Sophia chose one of her most broken-in pair of loafers. Since she'd worn them for nine hours straight once, she judged them to be the best. The added factor of being easily removed and put back on fit with the task of the day.

"Are you ready?" Grandmother asked.

"Yes."

Grandmother held out her hand and Sophia happily took it. Her grandmother's hands were soft and delicate. Like an artist's hand in Sophia's mind. Why she had this connection in her mind, she couldn't pinpoint but it was there all the same.