All My Days

cheryl and toni with nana rose

xxx

"Simple lines and strokes, it's okay to go a little overboard here," the man's soothing voice came through the old fashioned TV.

Cheryl and Toni were sitting on the couch while Nana Rose took over the nearby armchair as they watched a Bob Ross special on TV. It was her Nana's favorite program. Cheryl had grown up watching the man paint on TV, and she's pretty sure it's where her love for art came from.

"We really don't have to watch this, I'm sure you think it's boring," Cheryl whispered to Toni quietly, unconsciously running her fingers across her girlfriend's cheek to brush some stray hair behind her ear.

"It's fine, it's actually pretty relaxing," Toni smiled over at her. She had to resist the urge to kiss her, considering her Nana was right beside them. Nana Rose knew about their relationship and seemed fine with it. But that didn't mean the girls wanted to flaunt it in front of her. Even if it was the simplest of chaste kisses.

"Oh, beautiful," Nana gushed, holding a hand over her heart as the man on the screen showed them what he had created.

Cheryl just blushed and whispered in Toni's ear again, "Nana's always been passionate about Bob Ross. I'm pretty sure she'd marry him, given the opportunity."

Toni just chuckled, still facing the TV.

"Girls, did you see how he used the swooping motion to create the blades of grass? So talented," the woman with silver hair pointed at the screen with a weak finger and a big smile.

"He's amazing," Toni nodded with a smile back at the older woman.

"You know, Cheryl and I? When she was a little girl, we used to watch Mr. Ross on Sundays after church and attempt to follow along with him while he painted. Do you remember, Cheryl, dear?"

"I do, Nana," Cheryl smiled, "Of course, when you're using markers and crayons, it doesn't turn out exactly the same, but we gave it our best."

"That's so sweet," Toni smiled warmly, looking between the two of them. She loved watching Cheryl and her Nana interact. She knew that Nana Rose wasn't all there, mentally. But she had actually been improving since Penelope had moved out. "Maybe you should start up that tradition again."

"Oh, I'd love to, but Cheryl lost interest in art quite a while ago," the old woman frowned.

Cheryl bit her lip. The last time she'd 'painted' with her Nana was when she was eight years old, right before her mother had so cruelly crushed her dream of being an artist.

"Nana, I'd love to try it again after you get home from church this Sunday," she offered, "I'll even go out and get us some paint and canvases so it will be like the real thing."

"Oh, that would be wonderful, Cheryl dear," Nana Rose gasped and held her hands over her heart. Toni couldn't help but smile at how the elderly woman's face lit up.

So it became a rekindled tradition between Cheryl and her beloved Nana Rose. Every Sunday after her nurse would pick her up to take her to church, Cheryl and Toni slept in before Toni would take off to spend time with the boys so Cheryl could have some one on one time with her nana. The redhead had explained to her grandmother why she had stopped participating in the tradition all those years ago, asking for her forgiveness. But Nana Rose understood and told Cheryl that there was no need to grovel. They all knew that Penelope was a horrid woman.

And she was just happy that they got to spend their special time together again.

xxx