GRAND GIRL

When I was seventeen I was visiting my Gran, who lived in Letterkenny, not far from our village. I had been out to the shops for milk and the newspaper and when I came home, I heard Gran’s voice and realised that she was on the telephone. This is what I heard:

‘Ach, sure it will be no trouble at all, she’s a grand girl, always happy to help and she’s on holidays from the school right now. How many days would you be needing her?

‘Sure, that’s grand, I’ll be making her tea early. Will you be able to drive her home after? You will not? Sure, don’t you be worrying yourself, for she has her bicycle. Right, bye now.’

And she hung up, just as I entered the room. ‘Who were you talking to Nanna?’

‘Ach it’s yourself. Just Bethany, you know Bethany who lives on the corner, she’s a grand girl, always very good to me. Well she needs a wee hand with the wains. She’s starting a class in the evenings, she’s becoming an entrepreneur, selling herbs in jars, you know pet, and she has to be trained to be doing this. It’s a grand opportunity.

‘That sounds like an MLM Nanna, like a pyramid scheme.’

‘Is that right, pyramids is it? Well I thought it was herbs but there you go. So pet, I said that as you’ve nothing to do, you could mind the wains, there are only three of them. Starting tonight.’

‘But Nanna, I can’t, I’m not on holidays, I’m on study leave. I have exams as soon as I’m back at college.’

‘Sure but you’re a bright girl. Your mammy said that you never needed to study. So you’ll be right now. I’ll give you your tea before you go.’

‘So it’s just for tonight yeah?’

‘Tonight aye, and each evening until Friday. That’s all.’

‘That’s all? That’s all of my holiday.’

‘That’s right, it’s a grand girl you are.’