Granny's Diary

Unfair Part 16

Patsy arrived home one afternoon, sobbing, her eyes red, indicating that she cried for most of the day. I made her sit down next to me on the sofa, rubbing her back.  After about fifteen minutes she sobbed: "It's so unfair, I was totally enjoying the lesson.  It was about the caterpillar living on young leaves and then spinning itself into a pupa, just to emerge after a while by eating through the pupa, in a beautiful butterfly.  

 I think I looked outside to see if I could see a butterfly and Miss Parson, my favorite teacher got very angry at me.  She said that if I'm not interested in what she was saying I better go and stand in the corner for the rest of the day.  I couldn't believe it, I had to stand there for the rest of the afternoon, that is so unfair."

"My poor girl, that must have been so hard on you, did you tell her that you were sorry?"

"No, Grandma, I couldn't get a word in, she was so cross with me, and I didn't think I did anything wrong," she said.

"I've got an idea, here is a pencil and a piece of paper, can you draw the caterpillar on the leaf and then the pupa and the butterfly, on a flower and then laying the eggs?"

"Yes, I can do that," she said excitedly. For the next half, an hour Patsy sat there drawing in painstaking detail the whole cycle. When she finished I urged her to write underneath it: "I'm sorry, Miss Parson I enjoyed your lesson so much I just wanted to look if I might see a butterfly."

"Sometimes it's better to say you are sorry, even if you think you did nothing wrong, give this tomorrow to your teacher and I would like to hear her comment."

The next day she came home with a big smile: "Grandma, you won't believe it, she said she was sorry too, she did not realize that that could be the reason for me looking out of the window, thank you, Grandma," she said as she hugged me.

I went straight to Patsy's room when I arrived home. She was just staring in front of her, sitting on her bed in her pajamas. "Hi Patsy, what's the matter?" I asked.

"I heard nothing from George for the last forty-eight hours, I'm just so worried. I know he was busy with exams, but he finished it two days ago, that's so unlike him. He normally let me know what he's up to."

"Maybe he was celebrating with his friends before he leaves for the holidays," I tried to comfort her.

That seems to upset her even more. "That would be unfair, me worrying and him celebrating. No, I can't believe that it can't be true."

"Maybe there is a good explanation, you just need to be patient."

"I can't, it's really getting to me that he is not answering his phone."

The next moment the doorbell rang, "I'll get it," I said as I skipped out of the room.

"Patsy!" I yelled when I opened the door. In front of me stood a very tired George.

"George!" She yelled and rushed into his arms. I left them alone, I was sure that they had a lot to share at that moment.