“Margaret, wait,” I called out, following her.
But when I turned the corner, she was gone. Then again, that shouldn’t surprise me since I was in a dream. Anything could happen. The next time I saw Margaret, I was going to have to tell her she was in my dream. For now, I was going to see my grandmother and play cards like we always did when I visited her. We used to play all the time with my grandfather. I was so afraid she’d be too sad to play after he died, but it was the opposite. I think it brought her comfort.
I walked down the hall toward her room and smiled when her door came into view. The doorframe was decked out in a green garland with twinkling white lights, and she had a wreath in the center of her door with sparkling red, white, and silver ornaments.
Before I could even knock, the door swung open and my grandmother was there, her eyes instantly dropping to my sweater.
She shook her head and chuckled. “You and your sister never cease to amaze me. I love your Christmas tree, Liddy Bug. I can’t wait to see what Violet did with hers.”
Liddy Bug was the nickname she and my grandfather used to call me for as long as I could remember. No one else ever called me that; I dreaded the day I would never hear it again.
I held out my arm and my grandmother linked hers with mine. In her right hand was her favorite winter-themed deck of cards; they had snowflakes on them.
“I thought you’d like the tree,” I said to her. “You’ll get to see Violet’s later when she stops by.”
My grandmother turned to her door and shut it. “Can’t wait. I thought we could go into the recreation room to play today. Is that okay?”
We usually played in her room, but I remember on this day two years ago, she wanted to be more sociable. I was excited about it, that maybe she was finally going to find a way to enjoy life again. I understood that she lost her world when my grandfather died, but he wouldn’t have wanted her to be sad all the time.
“I’m good with it if you are,” I replied. “You look good in your outfit today, Nana.”
She had her stark white hair pulled into a neat bun and was dressed in a green-and-red glittery sweater with black pants. I remembered her wearing that two years ago.
Nana looked up at me and smiled. “Thanks, Liddy Bug. Are you ready to get your butt beat? I feel like I’m going to win today.”
And she was definitely going to.
“I’m sure you will, Nana,” I told her.
We arrived at the recreation room, and it was decorated from floor to ceiling with Christmas decorations. The room was huge with over twenty round tables, a kitchen off to the side, and a games area where several people were playing various board games, checkers, and chess. There were a lot of people visiting their loved ones today.
“Open your eyes.”
Margaret’s words echoed in my mind. I looked around at all the people, but there weren’t any men around my age that could even possibly be a match for me.
My grandmother pulled on my arm, grabbing my attention. “Let’s get a table before they’re all gone.”
I knew where she would take me before she even led the way. We ended up at a table in the corner, right by the hot chocolate station. She sat down and began to shuffle the deck of cards.
“Do we want to play rummy?”
“Of course,” I answered, already knowing that was what she would choose.
Everything was playing out exactly as it did two years ago. We played rummy for about an hour, and then we switched to poker and ended up playing a few games of Go Fish.
My grandmother dealt out the cards and I made sure to keep a watchful eye out on the room. I was doing what Margaret suggested . . . keeping my eyes open. We played Go Fish for about twenty minutes, and it was my turn to deal next. As I was shuffling, I caught two figures by the doorway out of the corner of my eye. My stomach began to flutter, and I knew without a doubt that this was the moment I was supposed to watch for.
Holding my breath, I turned to look at who the people were, and my heart stopped. There was a young man around my age standing behind a wheelchair with an elderly man sitting in it. All the tables in the room were filled with other people, but two seats were available at ours. The guy was very good-looking and dressed in jeans and a thin, dark gray sweater. If I had paid attention two years ago, there’s no way I would’ve forgotten him. He had auburn-colored hair that was more of a subtle red, and a smile that could melt anyone’s heart. We locked eyes and I had no clue what came over me, but I lifted a hand in the air, waving him and the other gentleman over.
“Liddy Bug, what are you doing?” my grandmother asked, her voice a low whisper.
The guy wheeled the older man toward us, and I smiled, whispering back so only she could hear.
“I think they were looking for a place to sit, Nana. There’s nowhere else but here.”
When they arrived at the table, both men grinned at us, but the younger man spoke up. His eyes were unlike any color I’d ever seen; they were a mesmerizing smoky gray.
“Hey. I’m sorry to intrude on your card game but is there any chance my grandfather and I could join you?” he asked.
