My mom and I drove up to the assisted living care facility and I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was. It’s a multi leveled complex with lots of flowers, space and televisions. My mom explained that my grandmother has really good benefits and since she was a depression baby she saved and saved to be able to afford a place like this. My grandfather’s assisted care facility was sort of like a hospital, it had that hospital smell. This place was bright and pretty vibrant.

We climbed the stairs to the 2nd floor where her room is. We walked in and gave Granny a kiss. She looked away from the TV and said, “Hey Pooh. How ya doin?”
“I’m doing good Granny. It’s been awhile, good to see you, how are you?”

“Oh, I’m doing as well as and old lady can. I don’t do to much these days. I try to take it easy. You out there in California?”

“Yep, San Francisco.”

“How long you in town for?”

“I’ll be here for a little bit.”

“Oh, that’s good. You got a girlfriend out there?”

“Not right now…how have you been?”

“Oh, I’m doin okay. About as good as an old lady can. I don’t do too much these days.”

Then her 88 year old boyfriend, George, and my aunt walked in. My aunt came in with a puppy in tow. George walked over to Granny and gave her a kiss and handed her an envelope.

George – “Hey Gloria, good to see you. I brought you a little something.”

She took the envelope and looked it over. It had writing on one side with a bunch of numbers on it.

Granny – “Is this that money from my room?”

She began counting it while the rest of us talked. When she was done she looked at George and said, “There’s $540 in here. The number on this envelope says $590. There’s $50 missing from here.”

George – “You probably went shopping or something.”

Granny – “I didn’t go shopping. This says $590 and there’s only $540 in here. If I was on the street this wouldn’t be hardly enough money to live.”

I looked over at my mom and she was sitting in the corner with her knees up to her chest and a glazed look in her eyes. My aunt was yelling at the dog to eat’s it’s bone over the napkin she had placed on the ground. George then took some cash out of his wallet and put it on Granny’s lap with the rest of her money. 

George – “Oh, here it is.”

Granny – “No, that’s your money. I just saw you take it out of your pocket.”

Me – “What do you need money for Granny?”

Granny – “What do you need money for?”

Me – “Well, if there’s something you need I can go get it for you.”

She looked down and started counting her money again.

Me – “Hey look Granny, I brought you this book I made in San Francisco.”

She took it in her hands and said, “Oh, you made this? This is nice Pooh…very colorful. Lot’s of characters. You took all these pictures?”

“Yeah, that’s what I do out there, take pictures and talk to people. Can you tell what some of these people are feeling?”

“Well…they look like they were ready to get their picture taken.”

“Yes, I ask them first. But can you tell what emotion they’re feeling?”

“Well it’s hard to say just by looking at them. But…this woman is smiling. She’s showing her teeth a little. This woman is smoking a cigarette.”

“Yeah, that was an intense interaction. She was a prostitute and she was working on the streets to pay off a debt.”

“Oh Lord, that sounds like a life to be pitied.”

“Yeah, I don’t know why her soul choose that path, but that’s what she’s doing right now. You believe in a soul?”

“Yeah, I think we have souls. But I don’t think you can necessarily tell about a person’s soul just by looking at them.”

“Hmm, well that’s what I’m trying to show in these pictures. Can I take your picture?”

“Mine? Oh Pooh, I don’t have my hair done or anything. I look a-mess.”

“Naw, you look great. Your hair looks nice. Would you mind taking off your glasses?”

When she took off her glasses and we made eye contact her eyes watered.

“There! I got it. You look great.”

“Haha, thank you Pooh.”

“Thank you Granny.”

Then she looked at my book again and said, “What’s this book here Pooh? Did I give you this?”