Emily was sure that her grandmother’s final gifts to the family would be anything but ordinary . . .
BY PATSY COLLINS
I wonder what we’ll get,” Chloe said. The five cousins waited to be shown into the office of the lady who was once Granny’s neighbour, now the executor of her will. At Granny’s request, they were assembling on what would have been her ninty-sixth birthday to receive her last gift to each of them.
It didn’t matter to Emily.
Nothing Granny could have left her would in any way compensate for the loss of the woman who’d loved her so much, and been loved just as much in return.
Emily wasn’t an only child like her cousins Jack and Chloe. She wasn’t the eldest child in her family – that was her sister Megan. Nor was she the youngest of them all. Her brother Thomas had that privilege.
Among her family or at school Emily had never been the tallest or shortest, cleverest, fastest or slowest.
Emily didn’t stand out for any reason. She was ordinary to everyone but Granny. Her grandmother had made her feel special. Not more special than her siblings and cousins, but as though she were truly valued as a unique individual.
“Granny always gave us nice presents,” Megan said.
Yes, she had. That was because she loved them, because she knew them so well, and put a great deal of thought into giving them something they really wanted. Even when it had been cash or a voucher, that was for a good reason, not simply to make things easier for Granny.
“It’s not going to be a lot, so don’t get your hopes up,” Thomas said.
“The house has already been signed over to our parents and she didn’t have much else.”
She had love, Emily wanted to say, and she gave it all to us. The thought gave her comfort, like one of Granny’s cuddles.
“Whatever it is, I bet we all get the same.” This was Megan’s opinion. “Granny was always fair.”
Yes, Granny had been fair, but that didn’t mean giving them all the same. If any of them fell, Granny cleaned their grazes and applied ointment. They all got cuddles and kisses. Some also got a lollipop, while others were gently told off for being reckless.
“That’s true,” Thomas said. “Our Christmas and birthday presents were all worth the same amount.”
Why could none of them see that Granny gave them so much more than could be bought with money?
It wasn’t that the others hadn’t loved Granny. Their
