One Last Favour For Gran

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Copyright (c) 2019 Sophie Jones.

Mum had rung from the railway station. She was just getting into a taxi and would be home in about twenty minutes. We did a quick tidy up. Dad had asked how Gran was. Not good, on her last legs she told him. Maybe a day or so, before, you know, the end. We would need to drive down tomorrow to say good-bye.
When she got home she told us in more detail how Gran was. “She’s troubled about something, if we can help her with that. She will pass away peacefully, I think.”
Dad told her she should have just rung, she didn’t need to come all the way home. He would have bought us down tomorrow. Mum sighed and said she had come home as she had a big favour to ask of me.
“Michael, lets you and me go upstairs and have a little chat.” She turned to Dad and William my older brother, telling them they were not to come upstairs till we came down.
“Come on son, let’s go and start dinner. I bet mum’s staving. Be about an hour, that alright, love?”
Mum nodded and turned to me and smiled warmly giving me a little hug around the shoulder. “Come on, let’s go and have that chat.”

I was surprised when Mum open the door into Alison’s room. No one had gone in there since a hit and run driver had killed her and her friend Jilly on their way to college nearly a year ago.
She saw me pause. “It’s ok, it’s alright.”
I closed the door and went and sat beside her on the bed, avoiding Alison’s nighty that was up by her pillow. I thought no one had been in here, but there was no dust on the bedside cabinet, or the shelves that I could see. Mum must still come in when I’m at school to dust and polished. Losing Alison had been hard on all of us. Mum took my hand in hers. I could feel her hand trembling slightly.
“Michael, this is very, very big favour I’m asking of you. And if you don’t feel you can do it. Well, that’s alright. Ok.”
I nodded. “Ok, Mum.”
Then she was silent, and we sat there for a while.
“The thing is, Michael. Grans dementia has got a lot worse and that affects her memory and…” Mum stopped for a moment. “You know she loves all three of you dearly, don’t you. You all mean the world to her. But the thing is, she thinks your sister Alison is still alive and that she has been in a terrible accident. And she keeps calling out to her, that she is coming to see her and look after her, and keeps attempting to get out of her hospital bed. So they have had to secure her to the bed to stop her falling out and hurting herself. Which makes the pain she is feeling all the more worse.”
Mum stared around the room again, she seemed lost in thought for a while as she looked at Alison’s nighty. Then she squeezed my hand and looked at me.
“You know your Dad and me have noticed how this last year you have looked more and more like you sister. You could be twins looking at you now.” She brushed some of my hair that had fallen over my eyes with her hand as I looked down. I was two years younger than Alison. She had been seventeen last year. she would have been eighteen next month. I was now sixteen. She sighed and brushed my hair again affectionately.
“You know you and Alison take after me, William takes after your dad in looks.”
She looked down at our hands and squeezed my hand again. It felt comforting as we sat here surrounded by memories of my sister.
“The thing is, what I think would put your Grans mind at rest and let her pass away peacefully, would be to see Alison. To let her see that she is alright, so that she could stop worrying. You see that’s the really, really big favour I have to ask you. Because you look so like her now, would you let me dress you as Alison. So Gran could see her one more time and know she is alright. I think that is all she is holding on for.To know Alison is safe, and once she sees her, as much as I don’t want to lose her. I think she will slip away peacefully and go to that place we all go to in the end and see Grandad and Alison again before we do.”
We sat in silence. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want Gran to suffer. “ Dad and Will, will laugh at me.” I said in the end. “No, they won’t.” Mum said softly. “I will tell them why you are doing it. Because I asked you to do it for Gran. To stop her suffering.”
“Okay.” I said quietly. Mum hugged me and held me, and I knew she was quietly crying.

I was nervous when Mum had me strip down and put on a pair of Alison’s bra and panties. Stuffing the bra up with scrunched up tights. And was embarrassed when mum noticed my legs were hairless. I’m just not a hairy person. I’m not on my arms and chest either, and I’ve put on a bit of boy boob since Alison died. Comfort eating they call it.
I think Mum has picked out her favourite dress of Alison’s. it was cream with big red poppies on it. She had to put the nude tights on me to start with, letting me pull them up after they were up too my knees. I stood looking down at my feet looking strange in the thin nylon. “My toes look naked like that. I’ve only ever seen you and Alison with painted toenails.” And sort of grinned. I don’t know why I even said it.
“Hmmm.” Mum looked at them, sort of studied them. “You know you’re right. Ali wouldn’t have been seen dead with naked toes,” she laughed. So I had to take the tights off and after mum had perused Alison’s collection of bottles, she choose a creamy pale pink one. Very sixties, she says. Alison had been into the sixties look. After my toes and fingernails were coated and dried. Mum sat down beside me.
“One more thing to do. Alison was blonde, and you are a kind of mousey brown. I have some dye in my bathroom that will wash out after a couple of times, will you trust me to do that.” I nodded.

We were back in Alison's room when Dad called up the stairs that dinner was ready. I had just pulled up the tights and mum was putting the two and a half inch heel cream sling-backs on my feet. Which seemed way too high when I stood up, but holding Mum’s hands. She walked backwards walking me around the room holding on to me till I got my balance.
“It’s on the table, come and get it before it gets cold.” Dad called up.
Oh flip. What’s Dad going to say seeing me dressed up like this. I looked around panicking. Mum grabbed me and hugged me tight.
“Shhh, it’s alright. I’m going to go down first and explain, ok. Then I’ll call you down. Now. no tears, or you’ll ruin your make-up. Kay.”
I nodded, and she left me and went down stairs. I could hear words being spoken, but not what was being said. At least dad wasn’t shouting. Then it went quiet.
“It’s alright sweetheart. Come on down and show Dad what you are doing to help Gran.”

I held onto the banister as I went down the stairs. My toes feeling strange in the pointed toes of the shoes. At the bottom, I looked around to see where they were. I could see the dining room was empty. Mum appeared in the kitchen doorway and held out her hands to me smiling. “Come here, sweetie.”
I nervously smiled back wondering if she knew she had just called me what she always called Alison.She always called my brother and me, Will and Michael, but Alison she always called Sweetie. With a deep breath I went to her and she took my hand and I stepped into the kitchen and stood beside her with my arm around her waist. She put hers around mine holding me close.
“Bloody hell,” was all Will said. Mum and Dad would normally come down on us like a ton of bricks for saying that, but they said nothing. Instead Dad just looked at me and I thought he was going to cry.
“Sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to upset you.” I whispered.
He was over to me in two strides and I thought he was going to hit me, but instead he put his arms around me and hugged me, and quietly said ‘Thank-you.’
“What for Dad.” I whispered back.
“For letting me see my little girl, again.” And he hugged me tight.
Dinner was strange. Will asked why I was dressed up tonight and not waited till tomorrow. Mum answered that. “Alison has to get use to being Alison.” Which was a weird way of saying it. But I knew what she meant. Mum corrected me through dinner on how a girl behaved. And she had me help her serve desert, even if it was just vanilla ice cream and raspberries from the fridge. I helped do the dishes, or helped her put them in the dishwasher and tidy up. Even though she was worried about Gran, she seemed happier. And Dad had little glances at me and quietly smiled to himself. Even William kept having sly little looks at me looking puzzled. Mum decide we would spend the evening playing monopoly on the sitting room floor. The telly was staying off.

Next morning William looked at me in Alison’s nightie as we met on the way down to breakfast, but doesn’t say anything. I’m not sure what he was going to say, but he does smirk when I get half the number of pancakes I normal have. Mum just grins at me and pats her tum and bum. Once I’m showered and dressed, this time in a pale yellow summer dress. One that Gran bought for Alison, Mum says. One she will recognise. My worried is that it seems awfully short, ending half way up my thighs. I feel half naked, even with light tan tights on. This time I'm wearing 3 inch heel sandals that make my ankles feel sky high, but Mum says they will make it easier for Gran to see me from her hospital bed.

“Come on Allycat. Dad’s ready to go.”
William seems to have moved into his teasing mode, the way he use to Pee-off Alison.
“Wow, Allycat.” He says grinning as I get in the car beside him. “Painted toenails as well. You’re really getting into girlhood.”
“When did you last see your sister without nail varnish on.” Mum says irritated as she lets go of the seat belt she was just about to fasten, adding. “Here, sit in front with your father and stop being a pain.”
Dad twists his head round to smile at me. “Alright sweetheart?” He asks softly, and I say ‘Yes Daddy,’ before I even realise I’ve said it. Luckily William is still going round the car and not back in, or I would never hear the end of it.
We stop at the motorway services two hours later for a break, I meekly follow Mum into the ladies loos and que up with her for a loo to have a pee in. It is nicer in here than in the gents. When I come out. Mum’s waiting for me and has me put on more of the creamy pale pink lipstick that matches the nail varnish. When we are back on the road I whisper to her the question that has been worrying me ever since we started out this morning. Now we are only an hour away from Grans hospital. “Mum. What are Uncle Ken and Aunty Ivy going to say when they see me. And my cousins, what about them?”
She looks at me. “I phoned your Aunty Ivy last night to see how Mum, your Gran was. And I told her what you were going to do, after I asked you if you would do it to put Granny’s mind at rest. She said I was to tell you. Thank-you with all her love for doing this. She told me to tell you not to worry about Uncle Ken or the twins. She would have words with them.” I nodded, not really believing her, but fatalistic about what would happen.

When we get out in the hospitals multi-story carpark. Mum walks beside me holding my hand, which is comforting. Because all I want to do is go and runaway and hide. It feels like I am on my way to having people pointing and laughing at me and there is nothing I can do about it. When the lift dings and we get out on Grans floor, Mum is still holding my hand and takes the lead. We go round corridors and corners till Mum presses the intercom to get the nurses to let us into the ward. They recognise her and after a quick word on Grans condition, let her lead us down a wide corridor with single patient rooms with chairs outside them on both sides. Uncle Ken is outside one of them with the twins and he looks up and I see him stare at me. then he waves and disappears into the room. Catherine and Colin just stare at me though. Catherine with her mouth open and Colin with eyes on me that seem to be undressing me. I wonder if he is thinking of Alison or me. Aunty Ivy comes out and rushes to us, hugging her sister. Then she turns to me, wrapping me up in a big hug. “Michelle, thank-you so much for doing this. I know it will put your Grans mind at rest. Thank-you so much, sweetie. I know this is a really big thing for you to do.” Then she lets up and gives Dad a hug, thanking him for bringing us all down. “I don’t think it will be long, now.” She tells him. She says ‘Hi’ to William, telling him how much he has grown since she last saw him.
My eyes are watching my cousins who have got up and slowly made their way to us, still staring at me.
“Alison?” says Catherine. She seems to have forgotten it is really me. “I thought… I thought…” she says looking back and forth between me and her Mum.
Aunt Ivy realises what is happening. “This is your cousin Michelle, Alison’s twin sister. Alison is not with us anymore, is she.”
“Um, no.” Says Catherine awkwardly. Holding a hand out to me. I take it and say ‘Hi’.
Colin with all the bravado a fifteen year old can muster. Thrusts his hand out and grabs mine in a firm grip and attempts to shake it off its shoulder joint until a sharp reminder from Aunty Ivy reminds him to stop.
“Sorry about that Michelle. He has discovered girls and thinks the way to every pretty girls heart is a firm shake of her hand.” Then she tells her children to stay out here and not cause any trouble. Catherine is still just staring at me.
We go in and Uncle Ken comes over greeting Mum and Dad and then he turns to me. “This is a grand thing you are doing kiddo. Takes lots of guts and courage to do this. Well done.” He shakes my hand, but gentle, like he would Mum’s. Then he has a few words with William before going out to check on the twins. I want to ask Mum why Aunty Ivy is calling me Michelle, but there doesn’t seem a moment to ask as Mum slips an arm around my shoulders and we move over to Grans bedside where she is sleeping, mumbling in her sleep, having a restless dream. “Mum.” Mum says quietly to Gran. “Mum, there’s someone here to see you. Alison’s here, Mum.”
I reach out and take Grans hand in both of mine. It seems to calm her down, her breathing eases. Her eyes slowly open.
“Alison. Is that you, sweetie.” Her voice is almost a whisper, disbelieving.
“Yes Gran. It’s me. I’m here beside you holding your hand.”
I feel a faint flexing of her fingers and tighten mine around hers. “Can you feel my hand, Gran. Can you feel me holding yours.”
There is a faint smile on her face. The tension that was their when we came in has faded away. “You were in an accident sweetheart. Are you all right.”
“Yes I’m fine. In fact I’m going to see you some more in a while with Grandad. Would you like that.”
She smiles, soft and gentle. The smile I have known all my life. “Yesss.” It’s almost a whisper, and kind of fades into one and away as her eyes close, the smile still on her face, but I feel her hand relax in mine and I know she has gone to join Grandad and my sister Alison. Tears silently roll done my face and I step back and Mum and Aunty Ivy are crying, holding each other. Then moving to kiss their mum good-bye. Then Dad is holding Mum and Uncle Ken is holding Aunty Ivy. William is just staring at Gran from the end of the bed and I move back further away, till I’m up against the wall. Tears still rolling down my face.
The sun comes out from behind some clouds filling the room with brightness with my tears blurring my vision. As I blink them away I can see Gran standing with Grandad holding her in his arms. They seem younger somehow, but then there is movement beside me and Alison is standing in front of me smiling. “Hello, sister of mine. Now you know who you really are, Michelle. That’s the name Mum and Dad were going to call you, if you had been born a girl.” She hugs me and I can feel her. Even if she does look just a little faded colour wise and a little bit transparent.
“Well, they almost got it right.” She grins at me. “Better late than never. Your boobs are already starting to grow, but you need a little revision work doing down below rather urgently or you’ll end up joining me an Gran an Gramps.” She glances back at Mum and Dad smiling, and back at me. “Tell Mum and she’ll know what to do. Take care sweetheart. I love you.”
She seemed to float back to Gran and Grandad and they all waved to me and faded as the sun went in behind a cloud. Everybody seems to be in the room now. Aunty Ivy’s twins, a doctor and nurses. I seemed out of it all, invisible and unnoticed silently crying in the corner. Then Mum and Dad are with me. Mum’s holding me, cuddling me. Telling me what a brave girl I’d been and how I had given Gran peace of mind and let her slip away with a smile on her face.

It was awhile before we left the hospital and went back to Grans. Aunty Ivy had food there for us all. When we were leaving to go back home, she call Mum and me upstairs into Grans bedroom. She told Mum that they both knew what was in Grans will, but Gran had made a last minute change to one item. “She told me. It will make sense when the time comes. To give this to Michelle.”
Aunty Ivy took a flat battered funny shaped burgundy case from a draw and gave it to me. Mum smiled and opened the case for me. Inside was a sparkling necklace and matching bracelet. “I don’t understand.” I said, but Mum and Aunty Ivy just closed the case and put it in my handbag and hustled me down into the car.

It was dark when we arrived home, tired after another three hours in the car, as well as a stop for a meal. Mum told Dad to leave the car on the road and not park on the drive. “…You and Will go on in. Michelle and I are going shopping. I checked the cupboards last night. Were almost out of everything.”
When we were on our own heading for the supermarket, Mum said quietly. “I think you want to ask me something, don’t you.” I sat looking at my legs together in the sheer tights, and thinking how I quite liked the way they looked. Thinking how I had forgotten all about wearing girls clothes. “I… I.” I didn’t know what to say.
“Would it help if I said I saw you and Alison together in the hospital today. I’ve never talked about it with you or Will, but the female side of the family has always been a bit psychic. Seeing things. Last night, when I dressed you in Alison’s clothes. I noticed you were rather more developed in the chest area than you should be. And a few other things as well. And then at the hospital. I heard what Alison was telling you. Do you remember what she said?”
“Yes,” I said quietly, unsure what to say.
“Shall we go and see my doctor in the morning.”
I nodded my head, then remembered she could not see me in the dark and said. “Ok.”
We pulled up in the supermarket carpark, still half full even at this hour, and got out. Mum looked over to me smiling.
“I think you better continue sleeping in Alison’s room. Don’t you, Michelle.”
I smiled back and nodded. “Yes Mummy.”

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Comments

love it.

what a wonderful story.

please can you continue it as I want to know more about Michelle and her doctors appointment

The favor for Gran...

...Sophie, you seemingly, spoke to the grief of the family as well. I am glad that Michael is going by the name of Michelle. It will be very different if it is seen as Michael becoming his dead sister. Hopefully, that will be more clear if you continue the story.

I like the story and like Giddy, I'd like to see you to continue the story. It seems like Michael favoring his Mom and Allison had already been there and were the model for how carried himself and acted as Michelle.

Hugs, Jessie

Jessica E. Connors

Jessica Connors

Nicely Done

littlerocksilver's picture

Sweet. It would be interesting to learn what's been going on. By the way, turning mousey brown hair to blonde is pretty permanent. It can't be washed out.

Portia

Beautiful

Thank you, loved your characters. Wonderful, hope there is more.

Robyn Adaire

Morbidly sweet

Heck of a way to be introduced to your real self.

Commentator
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Aw

Very bittersweet.

One last favour

Ok I'm going to agree with everyone it's a lovely story and yes we need tissue alerts. It would be wonderful if you could continue this I hope you can find a hook or theme. If not it's a good ending.

Time is the longest distance to your destination.

Thank-you everyone

Thank-you everyone for the lovely comments.
Sorry, but there will be no follow up. It was story that came to me complete about 11:30pm New Years Eve just as I was getting into bed and I had to get back up and write it down straight away in case I forgot any of it. So did not get to bed in the end.

Reading it back after writing it. I think it was about restoring the equilibrium in that family. They had boys and a girl and found themselves lost after losing their daughter and kind of lopsided with just two boys in their lives. But they find they still have a daughter, so the family's equilibrium is restored by them finding themselves again with a boy and girl, mother and father family relationship.

It may have been influenced by in February, it will be two years since my mother past, who I nursed through dementia the last eight years of her life, the last four being where she declined quite badly. So that may have been in the back of my mind writing a story about a family's loss at losing someone. The necklace was about Grandmothers being all knowing and knowing her daughter had had two girls, and putting it right before she joined her husband and granddaughter before medical compilations lead them to lose Michelle as well.

Best wishes & I hope everyone has a good 2019
Sophie