Being honest, I did not get what she meant. I often think age made grandmother lose her mind. Or, maybe, it just got eaten away after consuming ants everyday as a "vitamin C source". In fact, it was not until today, I understood my grandmother's last words.
Yesterday, in the middle of a familiar discussion, I started to rise my voice to underline I was not the responsible for the bad economic times. Loly, my wife, emphasized I could have done better to fix house's situation. Among roof leaks, grinding wood floors and a pair of inoperative toilets, house seemed like Frankenstein Castle to her. Regardless of her spiky demands, I stayed the same: bad economic days were critic to everybody in the country. It will take me some time to either get better paid or an extra job.
I give my word I tried to stay calm; to explain reasonably the whole situation to ease anguishes of all kind; to speak louder so my words were not missed. Even though I did such an extrahuman effort on this, I was beaten by Loly's elder sister, Liza. I mean, I was hit by her words in a way I felt my body left the dinner table to land far away from the fences. She bitterly uttered:
—Face it, idler, you do nothing in comparision to the cow out there!
Oh, Gosh.. I definitely saw red. If it weren't by Loly's retelling favor, I hardly could say a thing on what happened yesterday. I blinded myself to the point I began to throw silverware, dishes and swearwords as a demential creature. I even did not care of my daughter's presence. According to Loly, my little Carlie first was as white as a ghost because of my reaction and then started to cry with no control. But the situation got really dangerous when in the middle of my rage, Liza pulled out a handgun from one pocket of her horrible dress to point it at me. Loly told me later, yesterday could be our last day. She put herlself in front of her sister with open arms to dissuade her killing intentions. However, that did not work very well because Liza pulled the trigger anyway. Shot echoed amid cryings and yells.
Nobody died. The bullet only made another hole in the roof. Loly said it was our new bulldog who suddenly pushed away Liza, made her fall on the ground and fail her shot last evening. What probably would have stopped most of us at any killing try, produced on Liza, however, a sense of shame. She stood up, shook the dust from her dress and pointed at the dog.
Circumstances were certainly unbearable. Although I was not totally conscious, I bet that's how to be inside a tornado would feel like. And, I do not know if calling it Divine plan or stroke of luck, but that tornado fortunately picked up a cow and carried it to the right place. Indeed, I came to my senses again when I heard an increasingly unusual sound at my back, embellished with a sweet bell jingling:
—Mooo.. mooo..
All of us remained suprised for a few seconds looking at Clary and its out of the blue mooing. It walked slow into the house as it chewed its cud, and its sloppy figure could not seem more funny to me. Carlie, who had been crying all the time, burst out laughing when she glanced such a scene. I laughed soon after, too. We spread laughter around the place and even crazy Liza ended up dropping her handgun and giving herself to the unexpected happy episode.
***
Right now, I find myself lying on the grass surrounding house. I look at the starry night, while I pet the cow my grandmother's gifted me. I can tell this animal enjoys it because it shows a similar face to that my grandmother used to have when she was about to smile. Carlie seems she forgot yesterday event, while she toys with our savior and her new friend sat on its back.
I stand up quickly. A light-bulb moment came to me and I realize our key to get out of this bad streak is next to me: grandma's cow. Perhaps, my traditional lawyer job could not offer great solutions currently, but farming could. My mind is another flickering light this night and I run to tell my wife what will be next. I am now optimistic about a future dairy farming. Thanks a lot, grandma and Clary.
