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one

 "The Viking" -Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards

"God, these idiots!"

     Anna smiled at the sound of her grandmother who was in the living room, partaking in a daily ritual of hers, yelling at the news. The old woman sat in her designated spot on the aged recliner, whereas Anna was a few feet away in the kitchen. Crafting sandwiches for the both of them for lunch that summer afternoon along with stirring her grandmother's favorite punch.

     "Which idiots are we yellin' at today, Nana?"

     Walking into the living room with the sandwiches, Anna placed her grandmother's lunch on the fold-out table that lived at the dying recliner's side. Covered in scratch paper with random phone numbers and aged receipts, Anna's gran didn't waste any time devouring her crisply cut sandwich. The old woman's dark eyes not once left the screen.

     "Thank you, honey. And no one of importance, only the pendejos that run our government," Anna chuckled, shaking her head as she walked away to grab their drinks, her grandmother's red-dyed punch and a stronger-tasting dark soda for Anna.

     Taking a sip of her dark drink, she felt the whiskey-making chills run down her spine as her gran changed the channel. One of old westerns, gun-slinging cowboys, and fighting Indians.

     They ate their lunch in silence until they both finished, Anna cleaned up their plates before finishing off her drink. The dark liquor mixed with the soda instantly took effect, making her feel warm inside and slightly giggly. Anna missed the disappointing side glance from her grandmother who hated her drinking.

     While in the kitchen, Anna made herself another drink, pulling out the bottle of whiskey she hid in the cabinet she knew her grandmother never went into. Once her drink was haphazardly made, she walked back into the living room. Her grandmother laughing loudly at something one of the actors did was heard, instantly making a small smile lazily emerge on Anna's face.

     "Have you heard from your friend, Mindy?"

     The smile on her face widened some, "You mean, Midge?" Her grandmother nodded dreamily, "Last I heard she was in London."

     The old woman sighed, "I remember London. I had a wonderful time there."

      Anna said nothing.

     She hated it when her gran talked about how much she missed doing the things she used to love doing. Making Anna feel guilty and jealous all at the same time. The old woman had a life before her husband got sick, both would travel the world several times a year. 

     Anna started college when the old man began to lose his memory, so she volunteered to move in and help. The mental toll it put on Anna hurt her worse than expected, her grades started to suffer, and her grandfather died.

     That's when the drinking started.

     "Anna...You know I love having you home. But, I think it's high time you move on."

     Anna blinked at the abrupt statement and looked over at her grandmother, finding her already staring over at her, "What do you mean 'move on'?"

     "I want you to go after that job."

     Anna shook her head, instantly looking anywhere else but at the old woman, "No, who will be here to hang out with you?"

     "I have Aunt Peggy for that."

     The statement made her roll her eyes. Anna knew her Aunt Peggy barely came over anymore. She was just as old as her grandmother, "How did you find out about the job?"