GRAND Magazine - February 2009 - (Page 46)

grand finale Charmed living For my Grandmother “Never kill a moth,” my Nonie always said. “It just might be Papa paying a visit.” Always spoken in Italian, my cousin would translate while Nonie cupped the winged thing in her palms as if in prayer, then gently released it outside. Moths topped her list of charms— which included crystals on strings, the numbers 7 and 19, a room in the old apartment my cousin and I were afraid to enter and garlic. Even my mother bowed to garlic. Now, I like a bit of flavor in my spaghetti sauce and usually rub a clove in my hands before shaping the meatballs, but my kids never suffered the odor or indignity of a garlic necklace while they slept. We had modern methods to ward off evil spirits— like climbing in bed with Mom. So, here I am, years later. It’s 3 a.m. and a noise wakes me. Lying as still as the summer air outside the window, my eyes and ears adjust to the deepness of dark. Something is in the kitchen. I am alone and the dog is old. These are the times it’s probably a good thing 46 GRAND FEBRUARY 2009 I do not own a gun, but a bow and arrow would be nice or the antique sword I used to keep by the side of the bed back in my single days. There it is again. I rise, tank-topped and barefoot, slide down the hallway wall—weaponless. And over the kitchen sink full of dishes from dinner is my grandmother, fluttering noisily beneath the glare of a naked bulb. I hear her say, in Italian, of course, “It is bad luck to leave dirty dishes in the sink for morning. Each day, we start clean. Each day, we begin again.” Gently I cup her in my hands, pray a quick “I miss you” and let her out the back door. —Elizabeth Thomas

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - February 2009

GRAND Magazine - February 2009
GRAND View
Contents
GRAND Central
On the Cover: Susan L. Taylor, One in a Million
Get a Job!
The Healthy Crib
Movin’ to the G’Kids
Closing In
10 Disney Secrets
Ask GRAND
Just the Family We Are
Grand Prix: 0-3
Left Behind
Cycle Safe
Resources
GRAND Finale

GRAND Magazine - February 2009

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