Postcards From The World

While the sun washed over the grass of my grandmother’s front garden, I sunk into the familiarity of one of her armchairs. Life, as I knew it, had changed. My beloved grandmother, my nanny, a stand-in parent in the absence of my father, had cancer. It was terminal, and could never be cured.

As she watched Getaway on television, she remarked to me that she’d never left Australia and that now she never would. I swallowed the sadness that came with knowing that chapters of her life were to be left unwritten.

At work, feeling helpless, I wiped tables and took orders and thought. HARD! The Saturday afternoon lunch rush was not enough to lull me from my thoughts. Wracked with grief, I pondered the power of Facebook and the collective strength of human empathy. I raced from the end of my shift to ask strangers on the internet for help.

“My Nanny Del has cancer. It’s terminal and she will never see the world. Please send her postcards so she can see the world from her armchair. I can offer nothing but gratitude.”

I resolved not to breathe a word of this; should nothing come, I couldn’t bear to carry her disappointment along with my own. Should something wander into our humble little letterbox, I would consider it a blessing and embrace it like I embraced her little, shrinking frame.

Days turned to weeks and Nanny’s health worsened rapidly in the early months of 2018. Life took me through my full-time study, babysitting and waiting tables, along with the responsibility of caring for a grandparent who was too sick to care for herself. As I helped Nanny in the early hours of those mornings, she would chat to me, sometimes joys, other times, sorrows. Whatever she shared became precious.

One afternoon, finally, a postcard from the United State arrived in our letterbox.

In the months that followed, her living room became a departure hall and our flights departed daily.

It was Saturday. When Adam was wide awake, the house was quiet, so he knew his parents were still sleeping. They always slept late on the weekend. He could hear his father snoring (打鼾). Even the cat was still asleep on the rocking chair by the fireplace with its tail curled over the nose.

His mother had promised that they would go on a picnic in the park that day. He had been looking forward to it for a long time. He liked the peanut butter and banana sandwiches she made. They would play catch and maybe fly a kite if the wind was moderato. Adam thought maybe he should wake his parents up then.

However, it still looked dark outside. Usually, at that time, the sun was shining through the windows. Maybe it was cloudy. Adam thought. He got out of his bed and went to his parents’ room. He climbed onto their bed and got in the middle between them. His father turned over. His mother opened one eye and saw Adam there.

“Hello!” said Adam, cheerfully. “It’s time to get up and go to the park!” His mother yawned and rubbed her eyes. “Hi,” she whispered. “What time is it?” “I don’t know,” replied Adam. “Oh, Adam,” said his mother, looking at the time on her phone.

“It’s too early. Let’s go back to sleep.” She closed her eyes again. “But it’s morning. And you promised a picnic today!” “Ugh,” said his mother. “I guess you aren’t going back to bed. Okay, give me a few minutes.”

His mother went to the glass door leading to the backyard. She looked out of it. The leaves on the trees were blowing, and the glass was covered with tiny, clear drops of water. She said to her son, “Adam, it’s raining, so we can’t go on a picnic today.”

This was not the news Adam wanted to hear. He sat down on the floor and held his chin in his hands. He wondered what his father would do when he got up.

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Several minutes later, Adam’s father got up.

Finally, they came back, wet but happy.

I grew up in a big city. But as a child,I often spent my summer holidays in the countryside of Mississippi where my grandparents lived. And I can still clearly remember one of my great summer experiences there.

During the summer when I was five years old, my parents decided to pay a visit to my grandparents. So I would spend my holiday in my grandparents house again, and I was glad about it. On a cool Saturday morning, my parents and I set out. About one hour later, we left the big city crowded with buildings. people and noises and entered a world with farmlands. Seated in my dad's car, with fresh wind blowing across my face, I was happy and excited the whole way.

After a long time of driving, we finally arrived at the area where my grandparents’ house was. Their house lied in a quiet village. The scenery (风景) alongside the road was really great. When my father pulled up in front of my grandparents’ house, I rushed into their room to see them. After a warm conversation, I left and walked outside into the backyard of their house to enjoy myself.Oh!There was an orchard (果园).

I was drawn by a group of chicks there. They were walking around and chirping(哪唧地叫),happily searching for food on the ground. They were so lovely and lively. Suddenly, the thought of catching one and keeping it as a pet came to me. Wondering whether my grandparents would allow it, I entered the living room to ask them. “You can own one as long as you're able to catch it. But there's a big chance that you won't make it. If you need any help, tell us," said my grandpa with a big smile.“Trust me, Grandpa. I don't think it'll be difficult to catch one,” I replied in a confident voice. “Don't get any chick injured. Remember it,” my mother said.

Then I returned to the orchard happily, setting out for my project.