and you've actually gone out on a formal date with
this person?" she began, her eyes small, but fixed on
me with that same intensity that stopped laughter and
wiped smiles off faces.
"Oh," I said with some relief. "Yes. He's a very
nice young man. His name's--"
"I know his name," she said quickly. "I know of
his family and what they do. I know he's been to your
home for lunch and you went to the school dance with
him last night."
My eyes widened with surprise. I smiled at
Grandma Olivia's interest in my social life. She had never asked any questions about it before or cared whether I had gone to a school dance or not. I always thought that sort of thing wasn't significant enough to
matter to her.
"I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to tell you
about him, Grandma," I told her. Finally, she and I
would have a nice grandmother-granddaughter talk, I
thought, and imagined she wanted to tell me about her
own childhood romances.
"There isn't much that goes on in this town that
I don't know and there is nothing that involves my
family and the family name that I won't eventually
find out about," she declared. "I may not discuss it
with you, but I know how well you're doing in school
and how much your teachers like you. I know how
you are a great help to your mother, and how you've
been a respectful, obedient daughter. That's why I
think it's so important we have this conversation," she
continued.
I widened my smile and nodded.
"You're much too young to get deeply involved