“George, the girl is going to waste away from grief here. And I can hardly breathe in this concrete box myself. You know, sometimes I still think the front door will open and our son and his wife will walk in. It’s hard enough on me, but for Tessa, it’s unbearable.”
At an urgent family meeting, they decided to move Tessa from the city apartment to their house in the country. The change of scenery, new experiences, and constant chores slowly helped Tessa heal. She puttered in the garden and cared for the farm animals, who seemed drawn to her, sensing her need for comfort. From morning till night, she found things to do, and on sunny days, her grandfather taught her to swim in the river under his watchful eye.
Tessa even began to smile again. The first time was when she was watching the clever mother cat and her kittens. Misty, the best mouser in the county, was teaching her little ones the tricks of the trade, and the nimble kittens chased each other in a flurry of playful energy.
In August, her grandmother, relieved to see her granddaughter’s spirit returning, had an idea. “George,” she said to her husband, “Tessa could get just as good an education here as in the city. We can get her records transferred to the local school. I know it’s late in the summer, but people will understand. The teachers here are old-school, but maybe that’s for the best. It might be easier for our little girl.”
With her husband’s approval, she asked Tessa, “Would you like to stay here with us, in the country?”
Instead of answering, the girl threw her arms around her grandmother and grandfather, who had come to join the tearful female half of their small but loving family. They decided to keep the city apartment, so if Tessa wanted to leave the country after high school, she would have a place of her own. As her grandmother predicted, the school was accommodating and enrolled Tessa in the local class.
A diligent and tidy girl, who had already befriended most of the local kids over the summer, she fit in easily. School wasn’t always easy, but she worked hard and never gave up.
As she grew up, Tessa’s theory that good luck was always followed by misfortune found repeated confirmation. She wanted to dismiss it as coincidence, but the pattern was undeniable: every happy event was neutralized by a setback. The thought of graduating high school should have been exciting, but it meant she would likely have to leave her grandparents, as there were few opportunities in their small town.
Rumor had it that even the school might close, as there were so few children left. The once-thriving local factory had long since shut down, and the few entrepreneurs trying to revive farming in the area couldn’t provide jobs for everyone.
With her grandparents’ blessing, Tessa moved back to the city to attend college, living in her parents’ old apartment. The day she found out she’d been accepted into her dream program, she was ecstatic and rushed to call her grandparents. They celebrated with her, of course, but Tessa, bracing for the inevitable other shoe to drop, noticed their cheerfulness seemed a bit forced. With no reason to stay in the city before classes started, she hurried back to them.
Unfortunately, her nagging sense of dread was justified. She managed to get her grandmother to open up, and the news hit her like a ton of bricks.
“Tessa, my sunshine, listen to me calmly. I’m very sick. But please, I’m begging you, don’t drop out of school.”
Her grandfather interjected, “Vera, don’t scare the girl. Your condition is treatable. No moping, you hear?”
Her grandmother tried to remain cheerful, but Tessa saw her wince in pain or abandon chores she’d just started. That day, they went out to the berry patch together. After picking barely a handful, her grandma started for the house. “Well, Tessa, they’re right when they say old age is no picnic. The sweet smell is making my head spin. I think I’ll go lie down. Don’t you worry. I’ll rest a bit and come back out when it’s cooler. Look at all these raspberries! So big and perfect. We need to make jam. It’s the best medicine. And I’ll bake some rolls to go with the foam from the top. That’ll be our supper.”
The elderly woman gently stroked her grown-up granddaughter’s hair. Tessa, fighting back tears, forced a smile. She pretended not to notice how difficult the walk back to the house was for her grandmother. She wanted nothing more than to help, to offer her arm, but she didn’t want to offend her proud relative. Tessa understood how hard it was for her grandmother to be limited by her illness.
The sun was climbing higher, its warm rays seeming to chase away all troubles. Despite her worries, Tessa’s heart filled with a sense of wonder. In that moment, she loved the whole world. Insects buzzed over the raspberry bushes, and the delicious aroma of the berries was intoxicating. She picked one for the old green enamel bowl and one for herself. The juicy raspberry melted in her mouth, a perfect moment of sweetness.
She felt a pair of eyes on her and turned around. Her grandfather was watching her, clearly just back from the river. He held an old fishing rod in one hand and a small bucket in the other. Abandoning the berries, Tessa rushed toward him for their usual hug, but he held up a hand to stop her, showing her the contents of the bucket. “Look here…”
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