grandfamily
a family in which one or more children live with and are raised by their grandparent or grandparents: Grandfamilies exist because of absent parents, and the circumstances behind that can vary greatly from one case to the next.
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Three people sat around a small dinner table, eating the small meal set out on it. They were silent, for the most part. Two were elderly, the third was a child. A young boy who glanced at two plates. Two plates that had gone unused for as long as he could remember. That was not a very long time, even if it felt like it was. He set down his fork and looked at the elders.
“Grandma, Grandpa? Where are my mom and dad?” The boy asked.
The old couple stopped eating and looked at each other. It was a question they had been expecting for some time. It was also a question that they did not want to answer. At least, not yet. The answer was complicated. Too complicated for a child. But they had to say something.
“That’s not an easy thing to say.” Grandpa said. “We don’t know exactly where they are, you see.”
“That’s right.” Grandma said. “You parents are…they’re explorers. They’re out there, seeing and discovering things that nobody else has ever seen before.”
“Really? But at school, Mrs. Lairn said that we’ve already explored everywhere we can go.”
“Oh no.” Grandma said. “That’s not true at all. There’s always more places to explore, even right here on Earth.”
“That’s right. Like, did you know we know more about other planets than we do about the ocean?” Grandpa stated.
The boy’s eyes widened at that thought. “So Mom and Dad are exploring the oceans?”
“Maybe.” The old man said. “They’re certainly in a place where they can’t reach us though. But wherever they are, I’m sure they’re thinking of you and waiting for the day they can come back.”
The young boy thought about his grandparent’s words for a moment. “But they’ll come back one day, right?”
“Of course they will!” Grandpa exclaimed. “When they left, they told us two things. To look after you, and that they’d be back as soon as they could. And those two always kept their word.”
Grandma nodded her head. The child looked from one to the other and nodded.
“Okay. I’m gonna go now. I’m gonna try and find where they are. If they’re in the ocean, I bet someone’s seen their submarine when it comes up.”
The child slid out of his seat and headed for his room. His grandparents sighed in relief. It was not accurate, but it would keep the lad busy for many years.
“That won’t hold up forever.” Grandpa said in a quiet voice.
“I know, I know. But it’s better he believes that. For now, at least.”
“Maybe if he asks some other time, we can imply they’re on another planet or something. It’s closer to the truth.”
“You know he’s going to find out eventually. Maybe we should just rip the band aid off and tell him.”
Grandpa looked at his wife and sighed. “Tell him? Really? What do you think that’ll do to him? At least this way he can tell other kids what his parents do, even if it isn’t true.”
“I suppose so.” Grandma said with a sigh. “But still, we do need to tell him eventually.”
“I know. And we will. But not until he’s ready to hear it.” The old man leaned back in his chair, gazing up at the ceiling. “But it’s not going to be easy, no matter how old he is. Having to hear that your parents were called to another universe won’t be easy to hear for anyone.”
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I hope everyone had a lovely holiday over the weekend. And that the upcoming New Year's is just as excellent.
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