Painting For My Grandpa | √Wattys 2016

Painting For My Grandpa #4

"Aspen! Come play chess with your ol' Grandma!" Grandma called out from downstairs.

I sighed, dropping my sketchpad onto the bed and got up to walk downstairs.

I trotted halfway down the staircase and leaned onto the bannister, looking at Grandma and put on a smile.

"Hey Grandma what's up?"

"What's up is you. Get down from the stairs and play chess with me. Zara is on my team, Riff on yours." Grandma waved at me, urging for me to walk down the rest of the stairs.

I sighed once again and thudded down the rest of the staircase.

The chess board was on a little coffee table at the centre of the room. Zara and Grandma were sitting on the floor at the right side while Riff at the other.

I joined Riff and sat on his crossed legs.

"Get off elephant!" Riff retorted, attempting to push me off.

I smirked and crossed my arms, then placed one of my elbows on his knee.

He winced and poked his fingers on my waist. He started to tickle me, wriggling his fingers on my skin.

"Stop!" I giggled, attempting to push his hands away without lifting my elbow up.

"Not if you don't get your elbow off first."

"No!"

"Then I'll just continue to tickle you!" He proceeded to continue tickling me until I burst into fits of laughter, rolling on the floor helplessly.

"Okay! I'll stop!" I cried out, wriggling around like a worm.

"Good." Riff smirked triumphantly, lifting me up and placing me next to him, then wrapping an arm around me.

"Because we have delayed time due to you two's nonsense, we will start first!" Grandma humphed, looking down at the chess board to decide on what move to make first.

Zara smiled cheekily at us which was returned by a roll of my eyes.

And the game began.

~ωωω~

°°°

"Aspen! We need you to come out here for a few words!" Arwin called from outside my office.

I blinked rapidly.

Definitely a dream.

I got up from my deskchair and walked out of my office to the gallery area.

There Arwin and three other people were standing, chatting amongst themselves.

The three people's backs remained turned, not looking at me.

Arwin looked nervous, her bun was flopped to the side, her glasses falling to the side slightly and she was biting her nails.

"Aspen. We need to have a nice talk." One person says, back still facing towards me.

"We notice that you haven't been working at your own gallery, leaving everything to your assistant for her to complete on her own." The second continued sternly.

Arwin shook her head nervously.

"Madam, sirs, please I already said she had to leave to take care of her folks." She pleaded.

"Not another word!" The third person looked at her.

She whimpered and she was at the brink of tears.