Chapter 3

Grandma Helen

It has been a while since I've been to the beach. I used to go all the time with my husband Peter when we were younger. We would bring our little girl Annie and watch as she had the time of her life chasing sea crabs and building sand castles. I can still hear her sweet giggle as each new wave crashed to where she was patiently waiting for them on the shore. I stare out into the waves as I reminisce about the past. Peter and I had only been blessed with one child… and then my child left her only child to me to take care of. Both my beloved Annie and Peter are gone. It's just me and Xander, Annie’s son now. A lone tear rolls down my cheek as think about the ones I have loved and the time that has passed without them. Xander, is my blessing in all the sadness. My greatest joy. I am proud of the man he has turned into but I want more for him. I want him to feel what I had with my Peter. He has good friends, a good life, but the women he dates only seem to be interested in his looks and money. They appear smitten with him, but it is clear they don’t know what real love is and real love is what I want for my grandson.

The doctor’s words come back to me “I don’t want you to be sad Helen, there is hope. We caught the tumour early. With early chemotherapy and radiation, I am confident we can beat this".

That doctor’s visit is the reason I'm here now. I don’t doubt the doctor, I will fight this sickness but it is a wakeup call to my mortality. Life and death are unpredictable. I want my Xander to have the best of everything, that includes a wife I know will love him and that he can truly love. I don’t know why, but its sitting heavy on my heart since I heard my diagnosis.

“Stella stop!” I hear a women shout as a wet nose nudges my leg and a fluffy German shepherd type dog, sits beside me on the sand and begins licking at my tears. Oh my! What a sweet dog. I hug her tight to me as I let the tears flow.

“I'm so sorry mam, she doesn’t normally do this”, I hear a young women say a little out of breath as she runs towards us.

“It’s no problem at all dear" I say as I begin to lift my head from the animals soft coat. She must see my red face and tear stained eyes as I lift my head, because she seems to run faster towards us.

“Stella, what happened….is anyone hurt” she murmurs as she takes in our position on the ground and rushes to her dog.

“We are fine dear,  your puppy here seemed to sense I could use a hug but we are both fine.” I say to her. Stella, the dog in question runs to her owner and another dog in greeting, before returning to my side on the sand. “ What a sensitive dog you have” I say to her a I squint up to look at her while petting the dog. It's the first time I actually take in her appearance. She is beautiful with long straight black hair pulled back into a ponytail, covered by a cap to shield her hazel brown eyes from the sun. There's just something different about her. She stands out to me, I'm not sure why.

She plops down on the sand next to Stella and myself and tells the other dog, Zola is her name, to sit too. “Angel really is a very caring dog" she says “and to think she’s a rescue and didn’t have the best start in life", she adds.  “I'm Hayley", she says as she turns towards me, “ you said you needed a hug, do you want to talk about it? I know you don’t know me, but I’m here if you need to talk or if you just want to sit we can do that too, if you don’t mind our company?”, she smiles as she looks at me.

It's then I know why she stands out to me. It is because she feels like family. Like someone I have known for a long time. She sat willing to listen to an old woman’s problems when she didn’t even know me.

We sit in silence for a while, before I decide to tell her about my doctors visit. She listens in silence and lets me talk. Her presence reassuring while her two side kicks each rest their heads on our laps for petting. I tell her about my late daughter and husband, she interjects here and there to ask thoughtful questions about them or my diagnosis. The sun is beginning it’s slow descent, when we finally decide to its time to leave. As we exchange numbers and part ways, I realise this is the type of women I want for my Xander and a plan begins to form in my mind…