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Wee Annie couldn’t wait for Sunday to come.
It was going to be Mother’s Day and that meant that she, her mum and
gran would not have to do any work. Mother’s Day was a day for the women
of the house to rest and enjoy being waited on hand and foot.
Annie sat outside in the
grass playing with her dog, Snowflake. Her fur was as white as fresh
fallen snow. "You know what I’m going to do on Mother’s Day?" she asked
Snowflake. Answering herself, "I’m going to stay in bed all morning and
ask Dad to bring me some toast, and a poached egg, and a big glass of
orange juice. After that I’ll have him make my bed, no wrinkles allowed,
and hang up all my clothes, and clean up all my toys." The dog looked at
her and wagged her tail. "After I get dressed I’m going to go into the
hills and pick a bunch of daisies for Mum and then ask Dad to make us
some fat, juicy sausages for lunch. Grandpa can help make some apple
dumplings for us or maybe an orange tart. I know Mum likes orange tarts.
After lunch I want to go outside and have Dad push me on the swing and
then he and Grandpa can tell me stories all afternoon. How does that
sound?" Snowflake barked two yaps. She petted her head and got up. "Only
two more days," she smiled and ran into the house.
Those two days went by
quickly. Soon it was Sunday morning. Mum, Gran, and Annie slept in.
Annie was awake, but could hear Dad and Grandpa sweeping and cleaning
the house. Her dad carried in some wood and built a big fire in the
fireplace so it would be warm when the women got up. As Annie lay in her
bed she could hear noise in the kitchen. She stretched and yawned and
sat up just as her dad brought a tray in for her. "Breakfast in bed,
Annie," he said, "just as you ordered for Mother’s Day. Since when did
you get to be my mother anyway, lassie?" he smiled, rubbing the top of
her golden-haired head.
"That’s funny, Dad. You
know us girls all get spoiled and pampered today. It’s tradition," Annie
laughed. She looked at her tray. "Where’s my orange juice?" There was
some toast and a poached egg in a little cup shaped like a chicken. It
was white with a red beak and comb.
"Be right back," he said
and soon came back with a glass of orange juice for her. "Now, if you
are finished, I have to pamper your mum and gran now."
Annie gobbled down her
breakfast, set the tray to the side and lay back down. After a while her
dad came back into the room. "Time to get up, Annie. If you want your
bed made, your clothes hung up and your toys cleaned up, then you’d
better scoot," he said.
Annie, not wanting to
miss out on having a clean room, jumped up, grabbed some clean clothes
and ran down the hall to the bathroom. Snowball was still sleeping in
front of the fire. When Annie went into the living room, she noticed how
warm it was and was happy for that. She walked past her mum’s room. She
was in bed sleeping, so was her gran. Annie went outside quietly, being
sure not to slam the door. Grandpa was out there, sweeping the back
porch. He didn’t look very happy. "Good morning, Grandpa. Happy Mother’s
Day," she said sweetly.
He scowled at her.
"What’s so happy about today? I’m stuck doing all the work!"
Annie laughed and ran
away. Just then Snowflake came running out through the doggie door. She
barked and chased her until she caught up with her. "Hi there,
Snowflake. Are you going to enjoy today too? Let’s go and chase some
butterflies," she giggled and ran into the hills.
Soon they came to a field
of daisies. They were white with small buttery yellow centers and long
olive green stems and leaves. "Aren’t they beautiful," Annie said. She
ran through them. Bees and butterflies fluttered and buzzed around her.
Snowflake chased a big black and yellow butterfly, trying to catch it,
but not succeeding.
Annie bent down and
picked a dozen daisies for her mum. She set them down in a pile and
picked a dozen more to make a chain for her head. She strung each stem
through the other until a nice chain had been made. She then slipped it
on her head. She was going to pick some for Gran, but she didn’t like
flowers that much. She picked up the pile for her mum and ran home,
Snowflake following.
Her mum was up now, so
was Gran. "Happy Mother’s Day," Annie said, handing her mum the daisies.
"Thank you, lassie," she
said to her daughter. "I like the daisy chain on your head."
Gran was sitting in a
chair knitting an Arran jumper. "Do you like my daisy chain too, Gran?"
Annie asked. "Who’s that for?" Knitting needles clanked against each
other.
Gran answered, "It’s for
your mum. Isn’t it lovely?" she said, showing Annie the sleeve that she
was working on. " I love your daisy chain. Reminds me of when I was a
wee lass. I used to do the same thing." She hugged Annie tightly.
"It’s just beautiful
jumper, Gran," Annie said, kissing her on the cheek.
When her dad had finished
cleaning her room and making Mum and Gran’s beds, he came into the
living room and saw the three girls in there. "Time for a photo," he
said. He grabbed the camera. Annie sat on the floor holding Snowflake,
adorned with her daisy crown. Mum stood behind Gran’s chair, holding her
bouquet of daisies, and Gran kept on knitting. "Say cheese," Dad said.
Annie smiled a big smile as the photo was taken. Dad noticed Grandpa
sweeping and scowling. "Time for sausages now."
Annie chimed in, "Aren’t
you forgetting something, Dad?"
He looked at her
quizzically. "What’s that, Annie?"
"Apple dumplings and
orange tarts!" she announced.
"Oh yes, I remember now.
Come on in, Grandpa. Time to make the dumplings and tart. I need your
help while I fry the sausages," Dad called.
Grandpa put the broom
down and snarled as he came into the kitchen. The three girls went and
sat in the living room, reading books, knitting and playing a board
game.
In the kitchen, however,
it was a different story. Dad had the sausages in the frying pan. They
were sizzling away, all plump in their tight skins. Grandpa was peeling
and chopping the apples into little bits. Apple skin was flying all over
the kitchen. "Go easy on those apples," Dad said. Grandpa ignored him.
"I’ll make the orange tart," he said, hoping to stop Grandpa from
scowling.
Within an hour the meal
was ready. "Come and get it," Dad shouted. The girls came to the table.
Grandpa was already sitting there. Dad served the sausages. They were
dark brown and well cooked, just like Annie liked them. She broke one up
into little bits and fed it to Snowflake, who was sitting by her legs,
waiting anxiously for a crumb to fall to the floor.
"These look so delicious,
Dad. Thank you," she said, gobbling them down.
When they’d finished
their sausages, he brought over the apple dumplings and orange tart and
put them in the middle of the big wooden table. "For you ladies," he
said. "Grandpa helped with the apple dumplings."
"Thank you, Grandpa,"
Annie said, taking a dumpling. The sweet, sticky syrup dripped all over
her plate. She scraped it off with her fingers and licked them clean. "Mmmm,
delicious." She ate the dumpling and enjoyed the little bits of apple.
"This is good, Grandpa. The apples are just the way I like them."
Grandpa took two
dumplings out of the pan and put them on his plate. When he took a bite,
he smiled. "Why, lass, you are right. These are pretty good. To think I
made them," he said.
Dad had to cover his
smile.
After that they each had
a piece of orange tart. Annie noticed that Grandpa was happier. He was
talking and laughing and wasn’t so grumpy looking. They spent the rest
of the day together, enjoying their time as a family. Grandpa pushed her
on the swing instead of Dad. He was busy cleaning up the kitchen. After
he finished, they sat in the living room. Grandpa told her stories about
when he was a little boy. Annie laughed and laughed, and so did Grandpa.
Dad told stories about Annie, when she was a little girl, and then he
told them all about the day he married Mum. Annie listened carefully and
saw her mum cry. She knew they were happy tears though. It was the best
Mother’s Day she had ever had. |
