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Around noon the next day Susan was up playing in the living room while Claudia was tidying up.

"Would you like eat something?" the old lady asked.

"Yeah! Let's have a picnic."

"A picnic? I guess we could do that. Where we go?"

"The park by the water."

"O.K. I go make us food."

"I'll help," Susan said, dropping what she was doing to run into the kitchen ahead of Claudia.

The prior night, while the furniture was being moved in, Claudia was sent to get groceries. She stocked the entire kitchen with food and bought some basic cooking utensils.

Despite a wide variety of options, Susan wanted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. After the food was set up, Claudia called a cab to drive them to the park Susan wanted to go to in the next town.

When they got into the cab and Claudia told the cab driver where to go, Susan said, "No, not that one. I want to go to the park with all the rides."

"The amusement park?" Claudia asked.

"Yes, the one by the water."

"O.K., we go to Playland Park."

Playland was actually much closer to where they lived, so much so that they could have walked. But, having already called a cab, Claudia didn't feel right sending it away.

When they got there, Claudia asked, "We go in?"

"No, I went to eat in the park over there," Susan said, pointing off to the side of Playland.

By this time Claudia realized that they were in this place for a reason, so she said, "I follow you."

Susan walked to a spot under a tree by an old stone wall that separated the park from the roadway. They sat and ate and, when they were done, Susan played with her dolls on the wall.

Shortly after she started to play the woman from the diner jogged by. Claudia, who was watching Susan, instantly recognized her as the little girl's grandmother.

As the woman passed, Susan waved and smiled. The woman stopped just past her and turned around.

"I remember you from the diner," Susan said to the lady.

Slightly out of breath, the woman said, "I remember you, too. What's your name?"

"Susan."

When the woman heard that her eyes went wide. "Is your mom here?" she asked.

"No, but my Claudia is," she answered pointing to the old lady sitting under the tree watching the conversation.

The woman waved and said, "Hello." To Susan she asked, "Is that your grandmother?"

"Kinda."

The woman chuckled, thinking that Susan was just playing and that her fantasy of finding her granddaughter alive was just that.

[Copyright Reuben Gregg Brewer, 2005. All rights reserved.]
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