"Akilah, it's time for me to show you how to make the Dewdrop And Wildflower perfume. I am beginning to feel my years, and I wish to pass this family secret to you." said the elderly woman, as she sat in front of her camel hair tent.
"Grandmother, I watched many times. Your way is long and complicated, but I am confident that I remember how to do it. Perhaps you should show Aisha instead?" said the girl with the gleaming black hair, as she glanced momentarily towards the group of girls strolling by.
Amal pretended not to notice her granddaughter's eagerness to join the other girls, but it cut deeply nonetheless. "Aisha isn't my granddaughter. I want this secret for you only, and one day you can pass it on to your own granddaughter." Amal said sharply.
"Yes, of course. Thank you, Grandmother." Akilah said meekly, forcing a smile onto her face.
Amal turned away, and brushed a single tear off of her cheek before the girl could notice.
One week later:
"And now it's finished. Smell, Akilah." smiled Amal, as she waved the little brown bottle under the girl's nose, causing her to involuntarily sigh with satisfaction.
"It's lovely, Grandmother!" exclaimed Akilah. "It really does smell far better than anything else in the world." she admitted to herself.
"Now it's your turn." said Amal, gesturing towards the tent.
Akilah's face fell. "Oh no. I wasn't paying enough attention, I'm sure I missed a couple of steps. Oh well, I know most of it, and can guess the rest." she thought.
"What's wrong?" asked Amal, confused.
"Nothing, I'm just nervous. I don't want to disappoint you." Akilah said truthfully.
"Nonsense, girl! I couldn't be prouder of you." Amal replied, pretending to be gruff.
That made Akilah smile as she ducked into the traditional tent, to begin her work.
Another week later:
"Something is different, Grandmother." said Akilah, as she held the little brown bottle under her nose, frowning.
"Let me see." said Amal, taking the bottle. She sniffed it twice, and frowned. "You forgot the ginger and cinnamon."
"Oh! May I please try again?" asked Akilah
"Not yet. First you will watch me make it again." Amal said patiently.
Akilah nodded, eyes lowered. "This time I will pay attention. Now I know that this is much harder than I thought. I will get it right the next time!" she vowed to herself silently.
After another week:
"Are you ready, Akilah? If you have any questions, ask. I am still here to help you if you need me." Amal said, sitting in the shade of her tent.
"I will ask, if I'm not sure." promised the girl, who had changed much in a few short weeks.
Eight days later:
"It's ready!" exclaimed Akilah, both excited and nervous. Seconds later, she came out of the tent holding a small brown bottle. As she handed the bottle to Amal, her hand trembled.
"It's perfect!" declared Amal, beaming. Her deeply etched face came alive with joy, lit by the last rays of the setting sun.
"Wonderful! Oh, thank you Grandmother!" shouted Akilah, as she hugged Amal.
"Hello! What a beautiful evening." greeted a girl. Several more of a similar age waved and nodded to the elderly woman and her granddaughter
Akilah gave her friends a quick wave, then turned back to Amal. She smiled, and took a whiff of the perfume that she had worked so hard to learn how to make.
"Hello Aisha! It's nice to see you again. Farah, I hope your father is feeling better?" Akilah greeted, without ever looking away from Amal, as she helped her gather up her robes, and prepare to retire for the night.
"Yes, he's much better, thank you." said one of the girls.
"We just came by to see if you wanted to go with us to the river tomorrow." said another.
"Oh, thank you so much for thinking of me. But I won't have time tomorrow. I'm going to be helping Grandmother to bake her special bread." Akilah replied, as she helped Amal to her feet.
"Alright, maybe next time." replied the youngest of the group sadly.
Amal turned quickly, to hide the tears of joy which were streaming down her face.
Describe what you see:
I see an elderly woman, with a desert in the background. She looks determined, and perhaps unhappy.
Describe what you feel:
I feel like she has had a very hard life. She might be very old, but she is still strong.
I think most grandmothers want a granddaughter like Akilah. At first, I feared she may prefer her friends' company to learning her family's heritage. She made a good choice! Beautifully written. !CTP !PIZZA 🙂
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Such a nice story. I really thought Akila will neglect her grandma for her friends. Glad it turns out to be the opposite and both felt happy.
Upon reading this, I missed my two grandma.
They must have been very special ♥️ I hope you had loads of time with them :)
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The girl changed indeed and is eager to learn her grandmother's (secret) recipes before it's too late.
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Yes, it was wise of her to choose her grandmother 🙌
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