My Grandmother

My grandmother had a gold box that sat on the table next to her chair. It was a large table and on the other side of the table was my grandfather’s chair. His was more worn and sank deeper when you sat since it had held his large frame so many years. His sat empty for a few years while my grandmother still occupied her chair on her side of the table. He chair faced the TV and the only thing I clearly remember her watching was the Cowboys. The gold box that was on her side of the table within her reach held things that she needed on a regular basis, an emery board, needles for needlepoint, a tiny pair of scissors, an extra pair of reading glasses, a thimble, a twenty dollar bill, and mints. These are the things I remember being in the box. The box was the length of a legal sized envelope and a few inches high. It was lined in a dark fabric, no latch or lock. The gold was dull and I remember there being some sort of pattern on the lid.


I don’t remember her ever telling me I could not look in this box and I don’t think I ever snuck a peek when she was not in the room, but I do recall thinking that the box was private and grown up. Looking back I think it was just a simple box to control clutter and hold things she used on a regular basis. I am sure there were other random things in there that I don’t remember or never saw.