Mom and Dad were already awake and bustling when I woke up. I lumber down the stairs to see Mom scrubbing the long-settled black goop out of an old vase, which until this morning lay undisturbed in Gran’s old room.
Dad shuttles between Gran’s room and the garage – his hands full of dusty relics and his mouth full of swear words.
Gran’s room will look lovely. Uncle Dom, Gran’s adopted son and a billionaire, will feel happy. She should’ve gone to live with him. Gran loved Mom a bit more, I guess.
The discarded piano somehow reminds me of Gran.
Written in response to the picture prompt provided by Anshu for Friay Fictioneers hosted by our lovely host Rochelle. Please add your links and read other stories here.
L.E.R.T 
A complete family drama in a 100 words! Great write.
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I must be the odd one out, I don’t really find it sad. It’s an interesting dynamic, and the billionaire son doesn’t have to be the bad guy. There is a lot of untold backstory. He could have invited her, presented her with everything new, throw away all the old and doesn’t understand why she doesn’t want to throw the old stuff away, ratehr chosing to remain ‘the old piano’. That doesn’t make him a bad person. The daughter understands, so she stays with her. Now the brother comes to visit and now they clean up–why? To impress him? To get at his money? To make him feel comfortable? Wonderful rich story telling.
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Family dynamics are always intriguing.
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A subtle tone of judgment in this piece. For all his billions, the brothe fails his family. When they need him most.
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I’d love to know more about why Gran chose mum rather than Dom. There’s a back-story there.
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Your story is nicely written. I enjoyed “his hands full of dusty relics and his mouth full of swear words” – very vivid and realistic!
The comments interested me, because I saw the story very much like MK Zebra. Gran lived with the person she loved most, and kept all her favourite things, until she died. For example, Gran had kept the vase with black goop in the bottom. Mom had had too much love and respect to insist that the dirty old vase had to go, or at least be washed out thoroughly.
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I don’t feel sad at all. Gran lived happily with her daughter. Maybe the adopted son didn’t want her to live with him. Why he should feel happy is beyond me. His being a billionaire doesn’t add anything positive to him.
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Your story leaves a sad trail of old memories. Nicely done.
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That’s so sad, but so believable.
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What a sad story. But age death are the great equalizers, so I think Mom and Dad had better pay some attention to how they treat Gran’s adopted son, as well as their own.
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Poor gran, “discarded” says it all.
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I don’t see this as a sad story. In my head, gran chose to live a much less luxurious lifestyle to be with the family she wanted to spend time with – if she wasn’t happy she would have lived with Uncle Dom?
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I feel a bit sorry for Gran, she seems to have been unloved in her final years.
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The last line says so much. Nice one Varad.
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You’ve conveyed so much in so few words. Beautifully done.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Poor Gran. The feeling of being discarded is a terrible way to end a life well lived…
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Dear Varad,
A lifetime told in 100 words. Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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