A Pinch Of Crazy

Chapter 4

Copyright © 2012 Casey Lee

A   P I N C H    O F    C R A Z Y

CHAPTER 4 | 1 CLOSE CALL

I didn't know exactly what to expect when my Grandmother hoisted herself into the passenger seat. I thought of instigating small talk as I started up the car, but honestly, if she was going to yell it me, I wanted to put it off for as long as possible.

My grandma kept her face blank, and no matter how many times I attempted to examine it for any emotions, her face remained expressionless.

It was kind of annoying to tell the truth. I mean, I was usually pretty good at reading people, being a loner and whatever, but the one time I actually need to know what someone's thinking, those skills go flying out the door.

I sighed loudly. Sometimes life just totally sucks.

I hummed softly with the radio, and then stopped in horror when I realized that it was a country song. Thanks to Turner, my musical preferences were being totally tainted. Next thing I knew, I would be speaking with a southern accent and wearing cowboy boots and jean jackets.

Quickly, I switched the station to protect my mind from further corruption. The channel changed to something jazzy, with a smooth saxophone playing in the background, and a voice that sounded like it had gone through one too many packs of cigarettes cooed about how her baby left her.

I wrinkled my nose and adjusted the station again before coming across some good old rap music. I felt like I should recognize this song but once the rapper started singing about strippers, I quickly changed the station with a guilty side-glance to my grandmother.

Still her face remained impassive, so I continued to flick through radio channels.

Justin Bieber? Nope.

Frank Sinatra? Nope.

Bach? Definitely not.

Aerosmith? Were they even still alive?

Jennifer Lopez? No thanks.

Keith Urban? God, I knew their names now too. My taste in music was officially ruined.

Finally I settled on a Phantom of the Opera sounding song by Train. I had heard it before, and thought it would be a fairly safe choice.

Figures though, that just as I settle on a station we pull into the parking lot of my Grandma's complex.

I groaned and turned off the engine, before helping my Grandma out the door and escorting her inside. She waved to the lady at the front desk, and I shot the all too cheery receptionist a triumphant smile.

Take that you self centered, vain, haughty, abnormally cheery, difficult... I started in my mind before my Grandma interrupted my thoughts.

"Spencer?" She asked, pursing her lips as I snapped to attention.

"Mm?" Was my all too intelligent response

"I'm proud of you, you know. You really showed that bitch how it's done tonight." She said simply before stepping into the elevator that had arrived, and leaving me with my mouth hanging open.

My mind was in disarray as it processed what my Grandmother had just said. There were two totally unbelievable parts of that last sentence.

1.     That she had said she was proud of me. She didn't say she was proud of me when I got in A in French (a close to impossible achievement for me), or when I passed my First Aid training class (not a very impressive accomplishment, I had no idea what the Heimlich even was, I was just copying off of the person next to me).