《Is It My Time Yet?》


 Goodbye

    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t leave me!¡± cried Ruby Chen with tears running down her chubby cheeks. ¡°Who will take me to the park now? Who will bake me egg tarts on the weekends?¡±


    ¡°Ruby, sweetie, Grandma is going to a happy place. She won¡¯t be in anymore pain¡± said Elizabeth Chen, her mother.


    ¡°Where is everyone?¡± shouted Timothy Chen with frustration. ¡°They were suppose to be here an hour ago¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. As long as I am not alone when I go, I am already satisfied¡± Grandma Chen said while trying to wipe the tears from Ruby¡¯s cheeks. She will miss her and her crazy little antics. Ruby is such an energetic child and it hurts that Grandma won¡¯t be able to see her grow up.


    ¡°Ruby, grandma will be leaving soon. I won¡¯t be able to be there for your eighth birthday in a couple of weeks, but I gave your mom your present. I hope you will like it. When you miss me, take out the present and talk to it like how you would with me. I¡¯ll be there listening.¡±


    ¡°Do you promise grandma?¡± She asked sniffling.


    ¡°I promise. Have I ever broken a promise to you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Many times. There was that time you promised that make me a strawberry shortcake and you ended up making me a chocolate cake. There was the other time that you promised to take me to the zoo, but we ended up at the movies¡­.and there was that time¡­.and the other time¡­.¡± she said while counting her fingers.


    ¡°Haha. Those are different. This is grandma¡¯s last promise to you. I have never broken a serious promise. Now have I?¡± Grandma Chen said with a soft smile.


    ¡°Okay. Pinky promise?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Grandma reached out shakily with her hand


    ¡°Sweetie, move a bit close to grandma.¡± said Elizabeth


    ¡°Sorry, grandma. I forgot¡± said Ruby


    ¡° It¡¯s okay. Grandma is no longer as mobile as she used to be¡± she said while shaking her pinky finger with Ruby''s.


    ¡°Where is the doctor?¡± Grandma asked Timothy. ¡°It should be about time¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s outside. Do you not want to wait a bit longer for Kevin and Lisa? Last time we heard from them, they were about to land in the airport?¡± asked TimothyStolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡° It¡¯s not good to keep the doctor waiting. He¡¯s a busy person with many patients¡±


    ¡°I asked him. He said he can wait for another thirty minutes. I think we should wait. Do you remember how upset they were when they couldn¡¯t see dad when he passed away?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But no one saw him when he passed away.¡± she replied with bitterness.


    ¡°Mom, you know it was not your fault¡± said Timothy


    ¡°I know, but I should have known ever since Alex died in that car accident, your dad was not the same. Which parent would be okay with seeing their child die before them?¡± she said


    ¡°The doctor said it was old age¡±


    ¡°It was heart ache¡± she replied stubbornly. ¡°I know him better than anyone. Better than any doctor¡±


    The door burst open and everyone crawled inside.


    ¡°Mom! We are sorry for being late. There was an accident on the freeway.¡± said Lisa while taking off her jacket wet with snow.


    The tiny hospital room was filled with people. Grandma looked around and tried to memorize their faces. There was Timothy who looked just like his dad with his wife and child. There was Lisa who was always too talkative yapping away about the accident on the freeway while taking the coats off her children. Her husband was trying to talk to TImothy and get a sense of the situation here. Out of all of Grandma''s children, Lisa gave her the most grandchildren, a total of four and a fifth was on the way. Next to them, was Kevin, her youngest. He got married a couple years ago and his beautiful wife was next to him. They are also expecting a child in a couple of months. It would be a healthy grandson. Out of all of them, Kevin gave her the most worries over the years. He was a carefree spirit and passionate about his art, but art does not pay the bills. She watched as he struggle for many years during his twenties, but he, with his pride, never accepted any of the family''s help. Luckily, he met Veronica during one of his low points and she stabilized him. It also help that not only was she realistic, but came from a wealthy family. Now, his art is selling like crazy and they do charity work in their free time.


    Each of Grandma''s children were successful in their own way. They were healthy and living a good life. There was nothing more, she as a parent, could ask for.


    ¡°Doctor, I am ready¡± she said cutting through the chatter in the room.


    The doctor who had came in with the rest of the crowd and waiting silently near the door nodded his head.


    ¡°All the paperwork are done. I just need you to sign on the bottom of this paper and that will be it.¡± He said handing over a pen.


    She signed the paper that he was holding in his hand.


    She looked around the room one more time and smiled bitterly. How glorious and satisfying it was to be able to see and say goodbye to your loved ones one last time. These were their children and this was their family, but he chose to die alone. She sighed, this was the past and she will see him soon. She will be able to scold him as long as she want in a bit. She will be able to hear his voice and hold his hand. She will be able to let go of her bitterness as long as she sees him. They will be able to continue their life right from where they left off. She laughed and smiled at her children and grandchildren who started crying. They were leaning on each other and crying into their loved ones¡¯ shoulders. They were going to be fine after she leave. They had each other.


    ¡°Goodbye¡± she said and nodded at the doctor. He walked over and turned off all the machines.


    She cried out loud. Tears were welling up and leaking over. There was so much pain. Breathing became harder. She closed my eyes and everything became black.

 Awakening

    There was a flash of white and a pounding dizziness that resulted in her crying out loud in pain.


    "Miss! Miss! Are you alright?" cried a young, shrill voice


    "Ugh. What are you doing Doctor? You said it would be a quick death!" cried Grandma Chen "Is this what you called a fucking quick death?"


    "Miss....what are you talking about? The doctors said you were going to be fine. You just escaped death. Stop bringing it up or else you''ll bring bad luck" said the voice by the side of her head in a worried tone


    Grandma opened her eyes. They slowly widened in shocked. She hardly recognized or could make sense of the room she was in.


    It was pink everywhere, from the paint color to the blankets on top of her to the trash can conveniently placed next to her bed. It looked like Barbie barfed pink all over the room.


    Grandma looked at the girl standing next to her bed. She looked around 18 years old with a small heart shaped face, blue eyes, and blond hair. Her hourglass figure was accentuated by the French maid outfit she had on, but instead of it being black and white, it was pink and white.


    She can feel her eyes twitching. She was a grown adult well past her prime. Why was she placed in a room for a child. Who was this girl next to her? Why did she look so upset? Looking down at her hands that were on top of the blankets, Grandma Chen couldn''t help but notice that this wasn''t her body. Her skin had never looked this pale or youthful since she was in her twenties. Her eyes twitched again when she saw the fluorescent pink nail polish on her nails.


    She lifted her hands, wanting to push away the blankets to see the rest of her body, but struggled with that simple act. Her body felt heavy and didn''t want to listen to her. Why do I feel so tired? Looking at the skin on my hand, it looked like as if her body reverted back to the days of her youth. Did the doctors lied to me? Instead of letting me die, they used my body for experiments? Did they succeed and time rewinded for me? The thoughts of Grandma Chen''s went in circles, thinking of different possibilities for what she was seeing. Maybe, the doctors transported my consciousness into another body like those sci-fi tv shows Timonthy used to watch. Or maybe I transmigrated into another world and into the body of some sad misfortunate girl who was died a wrongful death. Another world would make this atrocious room more understandable. Or maybe, just maybe, my past life was just a dream, and when I died, I woke up to my real life. Maybe, everything was a dream and I am an entity hopping from one dream to the next. Maybe, death was the end of one life and the beginning of the next. Maybe, I reincarnated. Maybe, I am currently in heaven.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Grandma sighed. She was getting old. Her mind kept hopping from one thought to the next. She needed to get realistic and figure out what the heck was going on before letting her brain wander. With great trouble, she pinched one of her hand until she started to bleed. I am not in a dream that I can wake up from, she confirmed in her brain. This was real or as real as it could be. Maybe I should slap myself a couple of times just to be sure? she thought.


    "Miss! What are you doing to yourself?" cried the girl in the maid costume. "If you are upset, don''t take it out on your body! Don''t you know how precious your body is?"


    "Hey, what is your name? And what am I doing here?" Grandma asked.


    "Miss, you don''t remember anything?" she cried out again. Looking at her miss lying down on the bed who had a confused look on her face, she started talking again. "Miss, my name is Annabelle. I am your personal maid and had been with you since we were both babies. Your name is Chrysanthemum Wu, the young miss of the Wu family."


    "First off, why was I named Chrysanthemum?" asked Grandma Chen, she couldn''t help but think of her own name, Marigold Chen or Mary for short. When she was young, she hated her crazy hippie mom for naming her Marigold. Who named their child that in the twenty-first century and because of it, she got made fun of at school. Now, she was named Chrysanthemum, which was better, but she never liked unique names. She loved common and popular names like Jennifer, Emily, Anna. Even Rose would be okay with her.


    "It was your mother, the late Mrs. Rebecca Wu, who named you and you dad respected her decision."


    "You''ve been with me since we were babies so you should know me better than myself."


    "Yes"


    "Why is this room pink?"


    "It''s your favorite color"


    "I dislike it immensely. Can we get rid of everything?"


    "Yes"


    "Thank goodness"


    "..."


    "What happened to me? How did I ended up this way?"


    "You fell down the stairs and hit your head"


    "..."

 Chrysanthemum

    ¡°So, Annabelle. I¡¯m more than a bit lost. Where are we? What year is this?¡± asked Grandma Chen.


    ¡°Miss---¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me miss. I don¡¯t like the way it sound¡± interjected Grandma Chen while thinking angrily to herself,  Especially since I am older than you by a great deal of years. Kids nowadays don¡¯t have any manners. You¡¯re lucky I am not asking you to call me Grandma.


    ¡°Um..I¡¯ve always called you miss. What should I call you now¡±


    ¡°My name is Chrysanthemum right? With a name like that, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a nickname my friends and family members like to call me. Just call me that¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Your father forbid anyone from calling you anything than Chrysanthemum¡±


    ¡°Why would he do that?¡±


    ¡°Because that was the name given to you¡±


    ¡°Tell me in all honesty, Annabelle, do I have any friends?¡±


    ¡°No, miss¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the fucking reason why¡± exclaimed Grandma Chen ¡°Who would want to be friends with a kid named Chrysanthemum!¡±


    ¡°Miss, your father forbid cursing in this household¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best, but cursing is something I can¡¯t control. Anyways, don¡¯t call me miss, please call me Chris. That will be my new nickname¡±


    ¡°If the master hears that, he will get mad¡­.¡±


    ¡°Let him get mad. I would like to see him argue with me over MY name¡± said Grandma Chen ¡°In addition, why don¡¯t I see him here? Shouldn¡¯t he be here worried and pacing in front of my bed? Is he one of those typical rich fathers you see on television that use money as replacement for love and presence in the child¡¯s life? Is he always busy with work so I grew up with nannies and maids in place of family?¡±


    Annabelle stared wide-eyed at the person lying in bed, that was supposed to be her miss. What was going on? The doctor said her miss might have amnesia when she wake up due to the nature of her injury, and she thought understood what amnesia was, but this person who looked like her miss felt very foreign. It was like she was another person. Everything was different from the way she wrinkled her brows to the way she moved her hands to gesture to the way she spoke. Especially the way she spoke! After this, she need to call and talk to the doctor, because she didn¡¯t know amnesia could change a person like this. She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about this situation. On one hand, her old miss was gone, but on the other hand, her new miss finally developed a brain! She loved her old miss, but to say it nicely, she was a ditz. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Miss¡­¡±


    ¡°Chris¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t possibly call you that. It¡¯s a male name¡±


    ¡°I insist¡±


    ¡°...¡± Annabelle stared at her miss stubbornly


    ¡°...¡± Grandma Chen stared back


    ¡°Master is rarely at home. He works very hard in order to provide you and the younger miss with the lifestyle you have¡±


    ¡°So in translation, I was right and he is a workaholic father. And what younger sister?¡±


    ¡°The young miss is turning eight this year. Her name is Chamomile Wu and she is your adopted sister. Her family and yours were very close. Your father and her father were childhood friends, but four years ago, her parents died in a plane crash. Your father was her godfather and the will made him her guardian. He saw that the two of you were really close so he decided to adopt her into the family.¡±


    After a long moment of silence, Grandma Chen finally spoke up ¡°Is there a laptop, tablet, or phone, I can use to look up information?¡±


    Annabelle walked over to her pink desk, and brought out one of each of the items she asked for. Unsurprisingly, each of the items were protected in a pink case.


    ¡°The password for all of them is 1,2,3,4¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unsafe, you know¡± said Grandma Chen while thinking, Ha! Screw everyone who thinks old people aren¡¯t technology savvy.


    ¡°Well, to be honest, Miss, you weren¡¯t that great at remembering things. If we changed it to a harder code, you tend to get locked out¡±


    Grandma Chen thought to herself while looking at all the pink items currently in her hand. She¡¯s not one to judge based on superficiality, but she can¡¯t help but to ask ¡°While you are being honest, tell me, was I...dumb?¡±


    ¡°No. no. no¡± said Annabelle shaking her head quickly ¡°You weren¡¯t dumb, miss. Just a bit scatterbrained. A bit of a ditz. You had a heart of gold. A kind and innocent personality. You wouldn¡¯t hurt an ant. Sure, some people made fun of your grades at school and saying mean spirited things, but some people excelled at academics while others do not. You may not have passed algebra, but you can list all the Blondies in your collection according to the year they came out.¡±


    ¡°Blondies?¡± asked Grandma Chen


    Annabelle walked over to a closet that was on the left wall and opened it up to reveal a large glass shelving unit filled from top to bottom with Barbies of all different ethnicities and body types dressed for various seasons, occupations, and events. They were lined up perfectly in their individual cubicle and still in their packaging. Grandma Chen had never seen anything like this and never wanted to again.

 Dilemma

    ¡°Can you sell them and donate the money to charity?¡± asked Grandma Chen


    ¡°Are you sure? They are your prized possessions¡± asked Annabelle with a worried look ¡°Last time one of the maids was cleaning up, she knocked over one of your dolls breaking it. You were so upset that you wouldn¡¯t eat or come out of your room for a week. Should we keep the dolls and wait until your memories come back before we do anything else?¡±


    Grandma Chen looked around the room and even though every part of her wanted to say ¡®Burn it down. Demolish everything¡¯, the nicer part of her heart urge her to say, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave this room for you to decide. In the meanwhile, I cannot sleep or stay here for another second. Is there another room I can use.¡±


    Half an hour later and with the help of several strong maids, they lifted Grandma Chen onto a stretcher and moved her to the guest room. ¡®They must be trained nurses¡¯ thought Grandma because she didn¡¯t feel any pain while they were moving her. It was so smooth and stable that she could have fallen asleep on the way. They tucked her into the new bed and made sure everything she needed was within reach before leaving her alone.


    Grandma felt a lot better in the new room. The design was better than the old room, but not that much. Instead of everything pink, it was everything purple, but since purple was her favorite color, Grandma was loving the new room. After a quick nap, Grandma woke up feeling refreshed and ready to figure out the mess that was her life. For the next couple of hours, she was trying to familiarize herself with the current situation.


    The date and year was the same as when she passed away. It was March of 2020, but the world she was in was not the same world she came from. It was an alternate universe. Everything of great importance from the politics of the world to modern technology to even popular tourist attractions were the same. The differences between her world and the current world came in small and quirky details. If she took her phone and turn it over, instead of an apple, it was a banana. She had a banana brand phone. Say that three times and maybe all your wishes will come true. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Knowing that this was not an unfamiliar world was of great relief for Grandma Chen. She still wasn¡¯t sure about why she was here, but knowing that she was no longer lost in this world meant she could survive and take care of herself no matter what happens next. She can¡¯t help but be relieve that she wasn¡¯t thrown into one of those crazy plotlines she read about in the past. No martial art world. No crazy man eating wild animals. No feudal political plots. Sure, she was the type of rich and spoiled princess she used to hate, but at least rich brats were something she was used to seeing.


    The body she was occupying, Chrysanthemum Wu, was the daughter and the heir to her father, Richard Wu¡¯s multi-billion real estate business. With locations in most major cities such as New York, London, Paris, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, his business and investment will continue to grow even if he decided to retire and do nothing for the rest of his life.


    While was Grandma reading about his business online, she muttered to herself, ¡°Tsk, what kind of father is this. Buried in his work and obsessed with making money when money is the last thing he need right now.¡±


    She sighed to herself, ¡°This poor girl. She had such a lonely life. No parents in her life. No friends.¡±


    After a moment of contemplation, ¡°But, what am I supposed to do here? I can¡¯t continue living as her. She¡¯s 18 this year while I was going to turn 95.¡±


    ¡°Why does that matter?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever seen an old lady living life as and pretending to be a young kid?¡±


    ¡°Age is just a number, right?¡±


    ¡°No, its fucking not! Who even invented that shitty saying?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Mary, Mary, what are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°Should I try ending my life again?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t end her life either. That¡¯s call being selfish. How can you end her life because you are tired of living?¡±


    ¡°What should I do, then?¡±


    ¡°How the fuck should I know? I¡¯m you¡±


    Grandma sighed again. And again. And again.


    First thing first, she thought. What should my name be?


    No way in hell would I allow people to call me Chrysanthemum. Chris? Annabelle was right. It was a bit too masculine for this ladylike image I am trying to portray. Hmm, that¡¯s right. I need to be a lady now. A true lady should have a proper name.

 Doctor

    Chapter 5:


    Sam? No, that sounds like what I would name my grandson.


    Crystal? I¡¯m not delicate enough


    Let¡¯s take a break.


    Grandma slowly lift herself up from bed and with a great deal of effort, moved her legs so they would hang off the bed.


    ¡°Now, for the hard part¡± she said to herself as she tried to stand up.


    First try. Failed. Body wouldn¡¯t move


    Second try. Failed. Body lifted up an inch.


    Third Try. Fell on her face onto the floor.


    ¡°Great, now I have to get up from the floor¡± she said to herself again.


    ¡°Miss, is everything okay? I heard a loud sound¡± asked Annabelle while knocking on the door.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. Just dropped the laptop. No need to come in. Just continue to do what I told you to do earlier¡± replied Grandma, casually lying.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost done¡± said Annabelle


    ¡°Knock again when you are¡±


    Grandma took a deep breath and held in her screams of pain as she slowly bring herself up onto her feet.


    ¡°Okay, Mary, you can do this. The more we move around and the move we get use to this body, the less it will hurt.¡±


    She slowly move one foot forward, then the other foot. Slowly, one step followed another as she clutched dearly onto the edge of the bed.


    ¡°You can do this! One step down, 20 more!¡± Grandma slowly moved from the headboard of the bed to the end. Right at this moment, she truly felt her age.


    ¡°But damn it¡± she cursed ¡° Why do I feel so old and weak in this young body? How ironic¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Once, she reached the end of the bed, she turned around and walked back. Step by step, she walked back and forth from the two ends of the bed ten times before she decided to down. Now, she no longer need to hold onto the edge, but could walk upright.


    Earlier, before Annabelle left the room, Grandma had asked her about her health.


    ¡°Why do my body feel so weak and feeble? I can barely move. I thought it was a head injury due to the fall?¡± asked Grandma while shaking her head mentally and thinking ¡®A head injury that killed the poor girl¡¯.


    ¡°Hmm¡± said Annabelle ¡°The family doctor only said to be wary of the head injury as it could lead to amnesia. There were a couple of ugly bruises on your body, but no broken bones or strained ligaments. Let me check your body again¡±


    Annabelle poked and prod several parts of Grandma¡¯s body, lifting her leg and bending it at the knee.


    ¡°Do you feel any pain?¡± she asked


    ¡°No, I feel nothing¡± Grandma replied ¡°But if I try to bend it myself¡± she demonstrated ¡°It hurts so much¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡± said Annabelle, as she continued to examine her miss¡¯s body.


    ¡°Do I injure myself often? You look quite experienced doing this¡± asked Grandma


    ¡°No. It is a bad reflection on the servants if the miss is often injured. I and I can say the same for the other servants who have been here for a long time that we are quite proud of the fact that in the 18 years you have been alive, you had a total of 5 injuries with this one being the most severe. 3 of them were paper cuts and the last one being a fever you had because you fell into the pond while chasing a butterfly¡± replied Annabelle


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also a doctor¡± continued Annabelle, disregarding the baffled expression on Grandma¡¯s face. ¡°I have the medical history of the last eighteen years of your life, with monthly full body examinations targeting key parts of the body ranging from--¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute¡± interrupted Grandma with the shock expression still on face ¡°Let me get this straight, you are a doctor?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°A doctor doctor?¡±


    ¡°Are you asking what are I specialize in?¡±


    ¡°Are you really a doctor!?¡± exclaimed Grandma


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit confused, Miss. Is this a trick question? I have my degree from NYU Medical School if you want to check and I just finished my residency¡± said Annabelle


    ¡°And you are only 18 year old¡± said Grandma looking at Annabelle with awe shining in her eyes. She felt so proud, even though she had only met Annabelle a couple of hours ago.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually 4 years older than you. My mother was your nanny growing up so that¡¯s how we grew up together.¡±


    ¡°A 21 year old doctor as a maid¡± repeated Grandma to herself. She was confused and in disbelief, but snapped out of it quickly upon realizing the situation. ¡°Annabelle, sweetie, if you want to become a doctor and pursue this path, I¡¯ll talk to the master of this household. You¡¯re such an intelligent young lady, you shouldn¡¯t waste your talent as my maid.¡±


    Annabelle looked at Grandma as she slightly narrowed her eyes and tilted her head in confusion


    ¡°Miss, what are you talking about? It¡¯s a privilege to be your maid.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°This is the bare minimum to be a part of the Wu household.¡±

 Family

    Annabelle looked at Grandma Chen¡¯s confused face and continued to speak, ¡°We are in Hong Kong right now so I am the only servant from our main household with you. All the servants you see here are our Hong Kong penthouse servants. We have homes in each of the city Master conduct business in. Hong Kong being one of the more popular locations we stay at. We consider these servants here to be 3rd tier servants. When we get back to New York City, you will meet the rest of the servants from the main household. Each of them are more impressive than the last and they have to be so in order to be on the staff. My mom, you call her Aunty Rose, is the housekeeper. On top of being exceptional at her job, she can speak 15 languages and is currently trying to learn 5 more. Uncle Tim is the main butler. He is also an expert in mostly Asian martial arts such as Karate, Judo, Kenpo, Wing Chun, Taekwondo, Krav Maga, Muay Thai to name a few, but those are just hobbies in comparison to his skill with guns and military grade equipment. I have never seen him use his gun, but my mother said he becomes a whole other person when he has a gun in his hand. Then, there¡¯s the cooks, the other maids, and the other butlers in the household who all have their own talents.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Wait. Let me process this first¡± asked Grandma Chen. Oh my god, does this mean what I think it means? Just thinking about it makes her anxious and nervous to the point she started to sweat a little.


    ¡°I thought this was our permanent resident. So does this mean, that the main house is bigger and more extravagant than this?¡±


    ¡°It is to be expected¡±


    ¡°Oh my god¡± cried Grandma Chen, ¡°Does this mean there is another gigantic hideous pink room and I can¡¯t even imagine how it is possible, but that¡¯s probably even bigger and more pink than the one I was just in? And...And...I can¡¯t even say it...And with its own Blondies collection?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°Noooo! My heart cannot take this amount of shock. If I could move my body, I would have gotten up so I could fling myself across this bed in distress¡± cried Grandma Chen


    ¡°Miss, please be careful with you body. I¡¯ll call and schedule a flight for the family doctor so he can come and check up on you again. He is more experienced than me and hopefully, he can figure out what is wrong.¡±


    ¡°Okay, before you leave, can you tell me what is today¡¯s date?¡± asked Grandma Chen


    ¡°It is April 4th¡±


    ¡°Do you have a piece of paper?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±


    Grandma Chen took the paper and wrote down a recipe. ¡°Can you make this cake for me? And bring it to me when you are done?¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Are you hungry, Miss?¡±


    ¡°Something like that¡±


    Annabelle and the other servants left and closed the door behind them. Grandma Chen was not an expert in medicine, but her intuition was telling her that the doctor they were going to call over won¡¯t know what was wrong either. That was because a part of her knew that this pain was due to her transmigration into the new body. Her soul and body was not fully in sync yet and that was why pain was present. It was an indicator screaming at her to adjust and adapt. That was why, after a much needed nap,  Grandma Chen pulled herself up and started moving around despite how painful it was.


    ¡°Those lying bastards¡± muttered Grandma Chen ¡°I¡¯ve read so many transmigration novel and they never mentioned how painful it was to move into another body. For such a out of body experience, pain is to be expected, but no one said anything. Making me suffer all by myself.¡±


    WIth a little bit of wincing and a little bit more of cursing, Grandma once again, settled down into the bed with the laptop on her stomach. For the next hour, she was googling and reading feverently. What was she doing? She was looking at female names.


    While she was wobbling up and down along the bed posts, she decided to stay in the world for a bit longer. She would not be able to go in peace knowing that she had acted ungratefully. Most people would jump at and be ecstatic at this chance. To be given a second life was a miracle. This was the fucking fountain of youth people been after for millenniums. It was everything you could¡¯ve asked for, youth, beauty, and wealth. In this new life, she wouldn¡¯t have to do anything. She could live a carefree lifestyle free of any financial worries. The only issue was that Grandma Chen wasn¡¯t your typical transmigration character. She didn¡¯t have any regrets, any desire for vengeance, or any unfulfilled desire.


    She had lived a full life. It was not a perfect life, but hey, who¡¯s life ever is. It was full of love and warmth. She was born into a poor but loving family whose only wish was for her to live a better life than they did. And for the most part, she did. Her childhood was simple but sweet. Her parents worked hard so she wouldn¡¯t be different from her classmates, so she could go on the school field trips like them, be able to afford a couple new pieces of clothing each season, and get new school supplies at the start of the new school year. In her teens and twenties, she fell in with a new crowd of friends that taught her many lessons, made her who she was, and led her to the love of her life. She got married when she was thirty and for the next fifty years, they lived together happily. They had kids, watched them grow up, watched them get married, and got to see their grandkids grow up. She was devastated when her son died, but even more so when her husband passed away. She wiped her tears away and lived on because everyone had a time to leave. It wasn¡¯t her time yet. And when she was lying in the hospital bed slowly dying from cancer, she thought that now was her time.


    Imagine how pissed off she was when she woke up again. And how devastated she was. She never understood why people wanted to live forever. She certainly don¡¯t. 95 years of living, of struggles, of heartbreaks, of falling down and picking herself back together, of happiness, of sadness. 95 years of memories were enough for her. She wasn¡¯t sure what happened after death. Whether she simply die or if notions of heaven and hell were real or if the answer lie in reincarnation, but whatever it was, she was ready to move on.


    What she wasn¡¯t expecting was to be placed inside the body of a 18 year old girl, especially with all of her 95 years of memories still intact. So to say that she was pissed at whoever did this was an understatement.

 Staying

    Nevertheless, Grandma Chen realized that she shouldn¡¯t direct her anger at the body she was inhabiting. She had to be reasonable. She can¡¯t take her life before she repay this poor girl back for giving Grandma Chen her body. The real Chrysanthemum had to lose her life in order for Grandma Chen to come to this world. Not saying Grandma Chen was responsible for her death, but that if the stars didn¡¯t line up and Chrysanthemum didn¡¯t die, Grandma Chen wouldn¡¯t have transmigrated. Although, Grandma Chen would have preferred it to happen that way, she can¡¯t fault Chrysanthemum for dying but instead find a way to pay her back before she can die. Isn¡¯t that how it usually work in novels? The dead person had a wish that needed to be fulfilled or a regret that was tying them down to this earth and in exchange for giving control of the body to the protagonist, they get their issue resolved.


    By doing that, the body was given to the protagonist and become theirs. Once it is theirs, they can do whatever it is they want. Although the storyline didn¡¯t go like that for Grandma Chen and she had no idea what was going on, she felt the need to do something to help the dead Chrysanthemum so she can justify what she wanted to do with the body. Grandma Chen decided to stay for a year or two and during that time, she will find a way to repay Chrysanthemum back. She wanted to leave as soon as possible, but she doesn¡¯t want to make a half-hearted attempt. She will figure out the best favor she can do for Chrysanthemum and will make sure she does a darn good job at it.


    Now, she only had a rudimentary plan in mind, but will work on it as she goes step by step. As she lie in bed, she went back to the question haunting her earlier. What the fuck should I call myself? And like all decisions she makes, she does it outloud.


    ¡°Luna like the moon?¡±


    ¡°Haha, who do I think I am? Sailor Moon?¡±


    ¡°How about Angelica?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to heavens¡±


    ¡°Should I even try to make a nickname out of Chrysanthemum?¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°That ship had already sailed¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Why is it so hard thinking of a name for myself? It took me a minute to decide on for each of my kids¡±


    ¡°And mother of the year award goes to yours truly¡±


    ¡°Shut up¡±


    ¡°You shut up¡±


    ¡°I am you, stupid¡±


    ¡°I think I will just stick with Mary¡±


    ¡°Good decision. You¡¯ve been called that all your life. Why change.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why should I change.¡±


    ¡°Gary always said, Don¡¯t change yourself for anyone else¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he did. I loved him for that¡±


    A long silence cut through the chatter that was present just a few minutes ago. For the first time since she had entered into this new world, she felt lonely and sad. She looked around her room and felt that her beloved shade of purple was suffocating her.


    She looked at the tiny moon through her gigantic bedroom window and sighed.


    ¡°If only you were here. No matter where we were, as long as you were by my side, it was the best place on earth.¡±


    Grandma Chen¡¯s train of thought was interrupted by a series of knocks on the door.


    ¡°Miss, sorry for disturbing you so late, but the cake you wanted is done.¡±


    ¡°Can you bring it in her, Annabelle?¡±


    She had wanted a simple vanilla cake with buttercream frosting, but Annabelle insisted on getting the finest ingredients and getting the best pastry chef in the city to make it. Apparently, the real Chrysanthemum rarely requested anything when it came to food and ate whatever was given to her. In fact, Chrysanthemum never requested anything at all outside of her obsession with pink and Blondie dolls. So, when Grandma Chen made her request, Annabelle was surprised and extremely happy. She went out of her way to make sure it was the best cake they could get within a day.


    Annabelle walked in with the cake and placed in on the nightstand next to the bed along with a knife, fork, and a plate.


    ¡°Do you want me to cut it for you, Miss?¡±


    ¡°No. I can do it myself. Can you please close the door on your way out?¡±


    Once Grandma Chen was by herself, she cut a piece of cake and place it on the plate for herself.


    ¡°Happy Birthday, Gary my love¡±

 Poem

    ¡°Miss, wake up¡± said Annabelle while shaking Grandma Chen as gently as possible. But despite how much she shook Grandma, she wouldn¡¯t wake up.


    ¡°Miss, please wake up¡± said Annabelle again after trying for a few more times. She was getting a bit nervous. She didn''t know if she should use more force, but she didn''t want to hurt her miss.


    ¡°No, please don''t leave. Stay" cried Grandma Chen in her sleep. Her hand stretched out searching for the hazy figure in her dreams.


    Annabelle held her hand and said, ¡°Miss, it¡¯s just a dream. Please wake up.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± yelled Grandma Chen before waking up abruptly. She was surprised to wake up in this room this morning. She didn¡¯t remember when she fell asleep yesterday night. It took her a couple minutes to erase the sadness on her face. His birthday always bring back unwanted memories and dreams.


    ¡°Miss, are you okay?¡± asked Annabelle carefully.


    ¡°Do you want to hear a poem?¡± asked Grandma Chen, avoiding the question.


    ¡°Uh...okay¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one of my favorite poems¡± said Grandma Chen ¡°It¡¯s a poem by Lord Byron that goes a little something like this:


    She walks in beauty, like the night


    Of cloudless climes and starry skies;


    And all that¡¯s best of dark and bright


    Meet in her aspect and her eyes;


    Thus mellowed to that tender light


    Which heaven to gaudy day denies¡±


    Grandma Chen saw the confusion and worry in Annabelle¡¯s eyes and decided to stop at the first stanza. She lift one of her hand to wipe the tears dripping down her face. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Have you ever been in love, Annabelle¡±


    ¡°No, Miss¡±


    ¡°One day you will and I will ask him to recite this poem to you, Then you will understand why this is my favorite poem. And why there are tears¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to get you a tissue?¡±


    ¡°No, I would like some time by myself this morning¡±


    ¡°Okay¡± said Annabelle before closing the door behind her. ¡®What just happened?¡¯ she thought to herself ¡®Love? When had Miss ever been in love? She had never even held hands with a guy!¡¯


    An hour later, Annabelle was standing in front of Grandma Chen¡¯s room again, but this time she was holding a tray of breakfast and had good news.


    ¡°Miss, can I come in? I have breakfast¡±


    ¡°Come in¡±


    The moment the door opened, a loud clang sounded throughout the penthouse.


    ¡°Miss! What are you doing!¡± screamed Annabelle as she disregarded the breakfast that had dropped onto the floor and ran inside the bedroom. Grandma Chen was in the middle of doing her walking exercises and decided to tell Annabelle the good news. She was right. The more she moved around, the more control she developed over the body, and the less pain she feels.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I was going to tell you that my body feel much better today. See? I can move around and walk a bit now.¡± said Grandma Chen demonstrating by flapping her arms side to side. Annabelle wasn¡¯t amused by Grandma Chen¡¯s antics and stared coldly at her until she stopped.


    ¡°Sweetie, you have perfected the cold and intimidating stare, but you need to stop that otherwise you will scare all the guys away. How will you get marry and have children then?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about guys¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. This is a progressive world. You can marry a girl and adopt children or go get a sample from the donation clinic¡±


    ¡°Miss!¡± screamed Annabelle again for the second time in the past few minutes. While blushing furiously and gritting her teeth, she said, ¡° I like guys! But I don¡¯t to think about guys and marriage now. I am too young for that!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t choose when love will come. It just comes.¡±


    Annabelle decided it was best to ignore everything her miss had said. She will pretend that conversation never existed. ¡°Miss, can you please sit down? I can¡¯t help but worry since we don¡¯t know what is going on. It is best for you to stay put until we do. I will get you some more breakfast, but I also came in wanting to tell you that the family doctor is here now. Do you want to see him before or after breakfast?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see him now. I want to finish my walking exercises. Will you let me do so if he can¡¯t find anything wrong with me?¡±


    ¡°...we¡¯ll see what he says¡±


    Annabelle went out and brought in the doctor. Upon seeing the doctor, Grandma Chen thought it was best for her to sit down. ¡®Gosh, doctors here are getting younger and younger¡¯