“Grandma, where have you been all these years? You will not leave me from now on, will you?” It was
the second time that Nancy had talked in her dream like this that week. It seemed that something abo
ut her grandmother kept haunting in her mind all the time. Actually, her grandmother had passed away
for nearly twelve years and she was not a little girl any longer.
Unlike those lucky children, Nancy did not know the name of her own parents, not to mention the pos
sibility of receiving love from her parents. She was abandoned by her parents the first day she was
born. When Nancy was very young, she was told by some villagers that she was found by her grandmothe
r under a tree by chance. As an old lady whose age was about sixty years old, her grandmother did no
t live with her son in the city. Instead, she chose to live in the small village alone and do farmwo
rk. After she found Nancy, she took the poor girl home and treated Nancy as her own child.
Time went by quickly and Nancy was four years old then. She could do many things by herself and she
was quite a well-behaved girl at that age. Everyday, she would went to field with her grandmother. W
hen there was a hot burning sun in the sky, she would take a big black shabby umbrella with her. Whe
n rainy days came, she always put on a straw rain cape which was said to be made by grandfather long
long ago. Every time when grandmother was turning over the soil, Nancy would pull the weeds from th
e land. Though she was much too young, she completely understood how arduous her grandmother was. Co
nsequently, she was always ready to try her best to help grandmother. Life might be not easy for the
m, but warm and sweet enough to bring them happiness.
That was a bright day in an early summer, on which Nancy was talking with grandmother on the way to
the field. They talked so happily that even the valley resonated with their laughter. Suddenly, gran
dmother put down the steps. She stood there for a while as if sniffing something in the air. Then sh
e traced the odour to the roadside with Nancy following behind. “Gardenia, gardenia!”,she shouted wi
th emotion. Nancy asked with a confused look, “Grandma, what kind of flower is it? Why is it so frag
rant?” With tears in her eyes, grandmother replied in a shaking voice, “It’s gardenia. It’s your gra
ndfather’s favorite flower. Do you see its colour? Totally white. Your grandfather once compared me
to the gardenia. He said that I was as pure as a gardenia.” What grandmother said had touched Nancy
deeply. She said to grandmother with a determined look, “Grandma, I will take care of you instead of
grandpa from now on. I will love the way as he does!”
From that year on, whenever the gardenia came into blossom, Nancy would pick many of them for grandm
other no matter how hard it was. For Nancy, the happiest thing in the world is nothing but to make g
randmother smile. Despite of being a little girl with a rather thin body, Nancy was far more underst
anding and strong-willed than she should be.
Nancy and her grandmother would have continued leading a happy life if that deadly rain didn’t fall.
That day seemed to be an ordinary day as usual when Nancy and her grandmother were climbing a mount
ain. However, the rain suddenly fell when they were half way up the mountain. Due to the rain, roads
became very slippery. Nancy slipped on the mud and fell shortly afterwards. Grandmother hurried to
Nancy and pulled her up. Unluckily, grandmother fell down the hill after she pulled Nancy out of the
mud. Nancy was frightened to death and she run back to the village to ask for help. Two hours later
, grandmother was carried back home by villagers. It was obvious that grandmother was badly hurt. Sh
e breathed heavily and tried hard to reach out for Nancy. Nancy held grandmother tightly and choked
with sobs. She tried really hard but she just couldn’t stop the tears from falling down. She knew th
at grandmother had much to say to her, but pitiful grandmother was not able to even make a sound.
Grandmother had gone, leaving the little girl she loved dearly alone. Several days after grandmother
’s death, Nancy was sent to live with the son of her grandmother in the city. Life in the city meant
a huge change for Nancy, but she knew clearly that her deep and strong love for grandmother would n
ever never change.
People said that those who liked gardenia must be with a beautiful heart. Grandmother made this sayi
ng convincing. For Nancy, grandmother was the eternal sunshine which never set. It was grandmother w
ho taught Nancy how to love and gave Nancy the courage to hold on. Though grandmother was in heaven,
Nancy could hear her voice and feel her touch.
Once again I heard Nancy murmuring in her dreams, “Grandma, my love for you would never wither. And
I would never leave you in such a beautiful season.”