“You’re being silly,” she’d often tell herself. “Mark’s just busy. Now that they have a baby, they’ve got a million things on their plate. He’ll pick you up another time.”
But then, a thought struck her. She could walk to his house. It would be tough, but she was up for the challenge. The bus didn’t go to his place, and she couldn’t afford a taxi, so walking was her only choice.
Amelia heaved herself up with the help of her walker, grabbed her purse and a special bag she’d prepared for the visit. She fastened them to the walker and set off. The going was slow, and even with the support of the walker, it was a real struggle.
She had to stop numerous times along the way. Before she knew it, two hours had passed, then three, then four. Finally, she reached his house, exhausted but proud of herself for making it despite her mobility issues.
She rang the doorbell and held the special bag, eager for Mark to open it right away. When he opened the door, his face dropped.
“Mom?” he said, clearly shocked. “What are you doing here?”
Amelia was puzzled by his expression. She was about to frown but was too excited to be there. “Surprise!” she said, trying to sound upbeat, despite being tired, hungry, and a bit concerned about his reaction.
Mark stepped out, shutting the door behind him and forcing Amelia to take a few steps back with her walker. “What are you doing, Mark?” she asked, now frowning.
“Mom! I told you, you’ll see the baby another time. You can’t come in right now!” he snapped, his face contorted with anger.
“I don’t get it. Why are you so mad? I just walked for almost five hours to see my grandson, Mark, and I brought—”