The Ice Cream Girl
佚名 / Anonymous
Eleanor didn’t know what was wrong with Grandma. She was always forgetting things， like where she put the sugar， when to pay her bills， and what time to be ready to be picked up for grocery shopping.
“What’s wrong with Grandma？” Eleanor asked. “She used to be such a neat lady. Now she looks sad and lost and doesn’t remember things.”
“Grandma’s just getting old，” Mother said. “She needs a lot of love right now， dear.”
“What’s it like to get old？” Eleanor asked. “Does everybody forget things？ Will I？” “Not everyone forgets things when they get old， Eleanor. We think Grandma may have Alzheimer’s disease， and that makes her forget more. We may have to put her in a nursing home to get the proper care she needs.”
“Oh， Mom！ That’s terrible！ She’ll miss her own little house so much， won’t she？”
“Maybe， but there isn’t much else we can do. She’ll get good care there and make some new friends.”
Eleanor looked sorrowful. She didn’t like the idea at all.
“Can we go and see her often？” she asked. “I’ll miss talking to Grandma， even if she does forget things.”
“We can go on weekends，” Mother answered. “We can take her a present.” “Like ice cream？ Grandma loves strawberry ice cream！” Eleanor smiled.
“Strawberry ice cream it is！” Mother said.
The first time they visited Grandma in the nursing home， Eleanor wanted to cry.
“Mom， almost all of the people are in wheelchairs，” she said.
“They have to be. Otherwise they’d fall，” Mother explained. “Now when you see Grandma， smile and tell her how nice she looks.”
Grandma sat all by herself in a comer of the room they called the sun parlor. She sat looking out at the trees.
Eleanor hugged Grandma. “Look，” she said， “we brought you a present—your favorite， strawberry ice cream！”