Elsie just wants her grandson Josh to meet someone he could potentially settle down with. When a new young teacher enrolls at her kindergarten, she thinks she’s found the perfect match. But when Josh meets Allison, Elsie discovers they already share a connection.
I’m a meddling grandmother—not in a bad way. I just want my grandson Josh to move forward in life. He’s 27, and he spends most of his time working or gaming. During weekends, he stays home, working on something around the house or gaming.
“You need to get out more, Josh,” I said. “I want you to live your life to the fullest! Don’t you want to meet someone?”
“I get it, Gran,” he’d reply, pausing his game. “But I’m just not interested right now. Work is taking up all my time and energy, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”
“You’re not getting any younger,” I’d say, handing him some chips.
“It’s because you’re surrounded by kids all day, so you just want great-grandchildren,” he laughed.
Josh wasn’t wrong. I was a kindergarten teacher and loved every moment of it. But now, at 70, I wanted a quieter life of knitting and baking. I’m leaving my position at the school at the end of the year. Maybe it’s maternal instinct, but I wanted to know that Josh would be okay and not so alone.
A few months ago, we welcomed a new teacher at the kindergarten, Allison. She was a few years younger than Josh, and I loved having her around. So, naturally, I thought about setting her up with him. But I knew Josh—he would never agree to an arranged date. He probably wouldn’t even show up. The next best thing was to invite Allison over for dinner, where Josh would be forced to meet her.
“Alli,” I said to her one day at school, “would you like to come over for dinner?”
“Yes! Of course, Mrs. Barnard,” she replied. “Since moving here, I’ve really missed family dinners. This will be great.”
I arranged for Allison to come over for dinner on a Friday evening. She offered to help with the cooking or bring something.
“You can bring dessert,” I told her. “And call me Elsie.”
I adored her and thought she would complement Josh well. But nothing could have prepared me for the connection between Josh and Allison.
That evening, as I was setting the table, Josh walked in.
“What’s this about?” he asked, nodding to the table.
“We’re having a new teacher over for dinner, okay?” I said.
“Sure, do you need me to help you?” he asked.
Allison arrived, carrying a cake. She hugged me at the door and made herself at home—while Josh was still in his bedroom. Then, everything changed.
“Allison?” Josh’s voice came from the doorway, a mix of disbelief and recognition.
“Josh?” Allison answered, her eyes wide. “Mrs. Barnard, this is your grandson? Josh?”
Confusion filled the room.
“Wait, you two know each other?” I asked, my heart racing.
“Yeah, Gran,” Josh said, sitting down.
“How?” I pressed.
“Allison is my sister,” he declared, each word resonating with the weight of unspoken stories.
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