Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Two: The Grandchildren
Grace was ten years old when she announced that she wanted to be an astronaut.
Lina was in the garden, planting flowers. Grace sat on the bench, a book about space in her hands.
"I'm going to walk on the moon," Grace said.
Lina looked at her granddaughter. "Like Neil Armstrong?"
Grace nodded. "Like Neil Armstrong. But I'll be the first woman to walk on Mars."
Lina smiled. "That's a big dream."
Grace looked at her. "You had big dreams too."
Lina thought about that. "I did. And some of them came true."
Grace closed her book. "Tell me about them."
Lina sat beside her granddaughter and told her about the coma, the trial, the years of rebuilding. She told her about the family she had built from the ashes of the one she had lost.
Grace listened with wide eyes.
"You're brave," Grace said.
Lina shook her head. "I'm just a person who survived."
Grace hugged her. "You're more than that. You're my grandma."
Lina held her granddaughter.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too, Grandma."
---
Stella was seven years old when she announced that she wanted to be a scientist.
She was sitting at the kitchen table, a notebook in front of her, a pencil in her hand. She was drawing diagrams of the solar system.
"Uncle Leo is going to teach me," she said.
Lina looked at her granddaughter. "He's going to love that."
Stella nodded. "He already does. He gave me this notebook."
Lina sat beside her. "What are you going to discover?"
Stella thought about the question. "I'm going to discover a new planet. And I'm going to name it after Grandma."
Lina's eyes filled with tears. "After me?"
Stella nodded. "After you. Because you're the center of our family."
Lina pulled her granddaughter into her arms.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too, Grandma."
---
Clara was four years old when she announced that she wanted to be a dancer.
She was twirling around the living room, her arms outstretched, her laughter filling the air.
"Look, Grandma!" she shouted. "I'm a ballerina!"
Lina clapped. "You're beautiful, sweetheart!"
Clara twirled faster. "I'm going to dance on a stage. In a big theater. With lights and music and everything."
Lina smiled. "I can't wait to see you."
Clara stopped twirling and ran to Lina. She climbed into her lap and hugged her.
"I love you, Grandma," she said.
Lina held her granddaughter.
"I love you too, sweetheart. More than anything."
---
The cousins were best friends.
They played together. They laughed together. They argued about whose turn it was to choose the game.
Lina watched them and felt her heart swell.
They were the future. They were the reason she kept going. They were the hope.
---
One afternoon, the cousins sat in the garden with Lina.
The sun was warm. The flowers were blooming. The birds were singing.
"Tell us about when you were a little girl," Grace said.
Lina thought about the question. She thought about her childhood, her mother, her father. She thought about the secrets and the lies and the betrayals.
"It wasn't always easy," she said. "But I had people who loved me."
Stella leaned into her. "Like us?"
Lina put her arm around her granddaughter. "Like you."
Clara climbed into her lap. "We love you, Grandma."
Lina held her grandchildren.
"I love you too," she said. "More than words can say."
---
That night, Lina sat on the couch with Ethan.
The penthouse was quiet. The twins were grown. The grandchildren were asleep.
"How do you feel?" Ethan asked.
"Full," Lina said. "Not from the food. From... everything. From watching them grow. From seeing them shine."
Ethan put his arm around her. "They get it from you."
"Get what?"
"The shining. The confidence. The ability to dream big dreams."
Lina leaned into him. "They get it from you too."
"Maybe. Or maybe they get it from themselves. Maybe they're just who they're supposed to be."
Lina thought about that.
She thought about Grace, the astronaut. Stella, the scientist. Clara, the dancer. All of them perfect, just as they were.
"I can't wait to see who they become," Lina said.
Ethan kissed her forehead.
"Neither can I," he said.
---
End of Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Two