Her phone rang, interrupting her triumphal musings. With that one sound, the fleeting bravery that had taken root withered and died. At least it wasn’t Stina’s name on the screen.
“Hey, Grammy,” Ella said.
Grandma Larsen’s voice chimed through, elderly and chipper. “How’s my favorite granddaughter?”
Ella smiled. The sound of her voice was enough to nudge Ella from the morning’s melancholy. There was always something good to be found. “You say that to whichever granddaughter you’re talking to. What’s up?”
“I wanted to talk about Christmas morning. Why don’t you stay the night at my place tomorrow? Several of your cousins will be here as well. It’ll be a great chance for you girls to catch up with one another.”
Ella wasn’t sure whether she should be flattered that Grammy remembered the fallout between her and her family, or hurt at the assumption that it was still the case. Flattered. Definitely. How awesome of Grammy to think of her again this year.
She had an idea which cousins Grammy was referring to. As children, Ella and Adelie had been the best of friends, chatting it up at family gatherings in Grandma’s backyard while her uncle grilled hamburgers and Grandpa Larsen made homemade ice cream with fresh strawberries from his garden. They’d connected over books, over boys, over board games and jump rope.
And then they’d grown up and grown apart. Happens to the best of us, Ella mused. She would actually love an afternoon with Adelie, to hear how her life was going. She’d always been so shy, so reserved. Though Adelie hadn’t ever really dated anyone, Ella always hoped she’d find a good guy, someone who would support her, help her step out of her comfort zone just a little bit. Last she’d heard, Adelie was going to nursing school, which was completely amazing.
Her heart sank as the fleeting dream she’d just savored made way for reality. There would be no seeing of cousins. No participating in festivities. Only buckets and brooms.
“That would be great, Grammy, but I might already have plans.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, there’s this dance I want to go to tomorrow. It’s supposed to be amazing. Formal dress and everything. I’d like to take a shot at making my own gown.”
“Sounds fabulous,” Grammy said. “Need any help? I was quite the seamstress in my day.”
Ella knew that well enough. “No, thanks. I’m going to get the pattern all finalized this afternoon. I hope.”
“That’s Christmas Eve then? What about Christmas morning.”
Ella winced. She supposed it had to come out sometime. “Stina scheduled me to work.”
“What?”
“It’s okay, really. I’ll get holiday pay. I’ll—”
“Don’t put your bright-side spin on this, Ella girl,” Grandma interrupted. “That woman takes advantage of you because of it.”
Ella didn’t know what to say. Her mouth gaped open.
Grammy went on. “You need to find a new job. You need to get out from under that woman’s thumb. You—”
“It’s not that easy,” Ella argued. “You should have heard her when she thought I told her I wasn’t going.”
“Ella.” Grammy spoke her name like an exasperated exhale. She was right, but Ella couldn’t just walk away.
“You have a point though,” Ella hurried on, plastering on a smile to keep the tears from stinging her eyes. “Maybe if I wasn’t so busy scrubbing up after everyone else I’d have time to clean my own place.” She added her most sparkling laugh, hoping Grandma would accept the lighthearted direction she was trying to take the conversation.
Grammy muttered under her breath. “Making you work on Christmas. What is that woman thinking? It’s bad enough she’s uninvited you from your own family home.”
“It’ll be okay, Grandma,” Ella said. “I’m going to a ball.”
A pause. Ella suspected her grandmother’s blood was at boiling point.
“It’s your choice, Ella. But you don’t owe that woman anything. You can find another job where they’ll gobble up that perky attitude of yours, where they’ll actually appreciate all your hard work. Just think about it, okay? All it takes is a text. Send that woman a message. Tell her you deserve to celebrate Christmas just like everyone else, and you’ll be spending it with me.”
Ella swiped at her eyes. “I’ll think about it.”
Grandma sighed. “Make that dress of yours. Go to the ball, and then start living your life for you instead of for Stina Malus. Just make sure you tell Stina first.”
Her lower lip trembled. She forced away the tightness in her throat. How did her grandma always manage to say exactly what she needed to hear and exactly what she didn’t want to hear all at once?
“Thanks, Grammy. I’ll keep you posted.”
Ella ended the call and thought of all the times she’d tried standing up to Stina. All the times she dreamed of telling her how she really felt. She’d like nothing more than a civil conversation over a job shift, the way she might have with any other employer. But nothing about Stina was civil.
If only her mom was still here. She’d never have been in this mess.
But her mom wasn’t here.
Start living your life for you instead of for Stina Malus. Ella didn’t live for Stina. It was more like self-preservation, to do what Stina demanded in order to keep the status quo. But while she tried to look at the bright side of things, silver linings were few and far between these days.
Suddenly, Ella knew why her grandma’s words struck her so deeply. They were what her mother would have said if she were here.
Stina didn’t care about her. But Ella knew, somewhere, wherever she was, her mother did. She got the sense that Mom was cheering her on, encouraging her in words similar to what Grandma Larsen had used.
Warmth drizzled through her entire body. Fueled by Grammy’s words, it paired with determination. Ella set her mind to it.
