A moment later, there was a brilliant flash of light from the mirror. And then they were standing in the attic, right in front of us, clutching each other from the dizzying trip through the portal.
Grandmother stepped forward in front of me and gave them each a glass of bubbling liquid. “Drink this,” she said. “It will end the lightheadedness and speed your recovery from the transition.”
They drank their tonics, then they rushed over to me. I was instantly wrapped in a group hug and surrounded by the ecstatic, laughing voices of my family.
Grandmother did an admirable job corralling us and getting us down the stairs and into the guest room. There was an abundance of chatter and energy. Then she respectfully left us to our reunion.
After a burst of excitement, the energy level in the room settled down to a vibrating hum. Luna and I were sitting cross-legged on the king-size bed. Nana and Gran had pulled up chairs beside us.
“I can’t believe you’re here! I’ve been wishing and dreaming of this moment since I arrived.”
“How are you doing? Really?” Luna asked.
“Very well. This place feels like a part of me that’s been missing. It’s hard to explain. I’m so happy here.”
Nana stood up and walked over to me. She gave me a hug and a kiss on the head. “That’s all we ever want for you,” she said.
I looked at Granana and she was nodding her head. “That’s right, sweetie. Your happiness makes us happy.”
They’d told me that all my life. Today I suddenly and totally understood what they were saying. Those weren’t empty words. They were feelings deep in their hearts. My happiness mattered to them. It filled me with a sense of peace. If I stayed here, they would be okay with it.
Luna sighed a deep breath. “You know I want you happy, too. I just wish you could find your happiness where we could be together. I’ve missed you, friend.”
“Me too.”
There was a moment of quiet, then Luna wisely changed the subject. “Where’s Sassy? Can we see her?”
“Oh! She’s in my room. I’d like you to see that, too. And the gardens, you must see the gardens! But are you guys tired? Do you want a nap first?”
“Pshaw!” said Gran. “We can sleep when we get home! Lead the way, Hayden. We want to see everything.”
Since we had less than a day together, I had asked Latifa if I could hold off telling them about my psychic communication with her. If I explained everything, I was afraid the day would disappear into a wild ride of disbelief and awe. She had reluctantly agreed, provided I told them her name was now Latifa.
We spent an hour in my room while they exclaimed over the beauty of the décor and the setting. Then the cats came out of the alcove and everyone oohed and aahed over the three felines. Afterwards, we strolled through all the gardens, sat by the koi pond, and talked and talked and talked. I filled them in on the Caldwell family, and who was who, and shared a few stories of my time here. It was wonderful.
I walked them to their room, where everyone was going to rest, change, and freshen up for the family dinner. Gran also wanted to put her feet up for a bit, and although I knew she wouldn’t let on, I understood that a nap would give her an energy boost to get her through the rest of the day. I knew what would happen. She’d say, “I’m just going to put my head back and close my eyes for a bit.” Then she’d snore for an hour and wake up energized.
I knocked on the guest room door and Luna flung it open and grabbed me in another big hug. She said she was getting her fill since it needed to last for a while. Neither of us addressed the fact that we had no idea how long that while would be.
“Wait until you see your gran. She’s all dressed up for the family dinner.”
“Oh, no,” I said. “Did she pull out clothes from the back of her closet?”
Gran had a section in the very back of her closet with all the party clothes from her entire adult life. She said she wore them so infrequently that they were ‘just like brand new’ and it was a waste to spend money on anything else. The problem being they were massively out of date and often sparkly.
I looked up to see her coming out of the bathroom all done up for the dinner. She was a sight. She had selected one of her favorite party outfits in honor of the special occasion. A Madonna-style get-up from the 1980s. She said that since she was in her eighties, it was the perfect choice. (Typical Gran-style reasoning.) Her tiny, not-quite-five-foot frame was nearly smothered in tulle, lace, necklaces, and bracelets. She was even wearing elbow-length, white, lace fingerless gloves. She had an enormous bow in her hair. On her feet were sparkly white sneakers. She explained that since the dinner was outside, they were sensible.
“Granana, you look very festive,” I said, and gave her yet another hug. She beamed with delight.
Nana, Luna, and I all paled in comparison, but I thought we all looked beautiful.
We walked downstairs slowly while everyone enjoyed the beauty of the home. I was eager to see how the yard would be set up for this event. I wasn’t disappointed.
The first thing I saw was a huge banner: Welcome Granana, Nana, and Luna. It was strung between two trees festooned with balloons, and it had to be thirty feet across.
