Pen-Elayne on the Web

Travels with Grandma

She's not my actual grandmother - both Nanny (Dad's mother) and Baba (Mom's mother) have long since passed on - but she wants me to call her Grandma and I'm very happy to do so. She's my boss' mother-in-law, and being with her is a delight. She's from the old country and the old school, very much like my Dad, so she'll say something and I'll get this eerie yet oddly comforting déjà vu feeling. Today she picked me up at 11:30 and drove me up through Larchmont (ostensibly to show me where to do some banking for the family in a couple weeks when she's elsewhere) to Mamaroneck where my boss lives, right on the water, in a drop-dead gorgeous mansion. It was the first time I'd ever been to his home, and I felt like I was in one of those A&E shows about mansions where every room the camera takes you through is more impressive than the last.

Grandma and their live-in helper made me a ham sammich while Saddam was on the kitchen TV in the background (we both agreed he cleans up nice), and I ate at the kitchen table sorting through my boss' mail to take back anything work-related and gazing out on the backyard with their pool overlooking a cove and omigod it was all just too fancy for words. Then we drove back with Grandma saying "Do you want we can stop and go shopping there?" every few blocks or so as she pointed out supermarkets and strip malls, and me guiltily responding, "uh, I really should get back to work" even though it's starting to dawn on me that this is part of my work now. This is the "fun part" I was hoping for ever since I realized I was not only a secretary but an unpaid personal assistant.

We did a little fruit-and-veg shopping a few blocks away from the office before she drove me back, and she wouldn't let me pay for anything, and all in all it was 2 hours spent on a lovely drive on a pretty day instead of sitting in an office and you should see the giant red onions! I mean, you really should. Did I mention they're giant?

I've felt rather adrift this last week or so, even with having a car, because I really don't know the area well, and the trip up and down Boston Post Road helped fill in some more blanks and increase my comfort level a lot; there's a big difference between having to keep your eyes on the road as the driver and being able to look about as the passenger! I even found a convenient dry-cleaner in a strip mall near the office, so that's tomorrow's lunchtime trip. Plus, I like being around people who've lived full lives and accumulated experience and wisdom at which I can only begin to guess. I've always believed in the idea of honoring elders, and as I'm certainly not getting any younger that idea achieves more prominence all the time. I just found out that my father-in-law reads my blog every day, and between that bit of news and this day's sojourn I'm a very happy camper indeed. This morning's bus discomfort doesn't even bother me any more (besides, I get to take Metro-North into The City after work so I'm anticipating a smoother ride then!).