Chapter 10 - Half Breed

Crystal’s grandparents became upset, when Crystal walked in several moments later, carrying a plate of brownies, an anniversary card and a box of herbal tea. At the same time, they could not help but see the joy on their granddaughter’s face.

“Thank you,” said Crystal’s grandmother graciously, as she accepted the gifts and placed them on the dinner table.

“Crystal, tell me where you got all this!” demanded her grandfather.

“Penny and I made the brownies this afternoon,” replied Crystal, uncertain as to why her grandparents were upset. “The card and the herbal tea are from the corner store. We wanted to help you celebrate your anniversary!”

“This is not right,” said Crystal’s grandmother to her husband, later when Crystal had gone out with the twins for a bicycle ride, around the lake. “Crystal is spending too much time with Penny. She is getting too attached to her.”

She looked at the beautiful anniversary card that Penny and Crystal had both signed, wishing it had been from her own daughter.

“Crystal is our daughter’s daughter, our granddaughter, not Penny’s daughter. Crystal has to take care of me, not her. Even if Penny makes a peace offering like this, it is not right for her to take Crystal from us. We are getting too old to be left alone.”

“I agree,” Crystal’s grandfather replied angrily, as he tore up the anniversary card. “We are the ones who have been raising Crystal. She is at the age now where she should be earning money for us too, not for someone else. Penny is not going to take Crystal from us.”

Of course, that was not Penny’s intention at all. Crystal had invited Penny to adopt her, not the other way around.

Meanwhile, Penny was trying to decide whether to talk to Crystal’s grandparents about the possibility of adopting Crystal, at some time in the future.

“It is probably too soon to talk to them about the possibility of adoption. I will wait a few months before I mention anything about Crystal’s proposition to me.”

She was glad she had not said anything to them earlier, when Crystal’s grandmother showed up at the door, in her wheelchair.

“Thank you for the brownies, the beautiful card and the herbal tea,” she said graciously. “That was kind of you.” Inwardly, she was furious.

“Herbal tea?” asked Penny. “I wonder where Crystal got that?” she asked herself, but promptly dismissed the thought, as it could have come from someone else.

Marie was obviously upset, on the verge of tears and wringing her arthritic hands together. Penny could see the anger in her eyes.

“We will enjoy this, but I want to make it very clear to you that Crystal does have a mother, my daughter, who may show up and take her away, at any time!” Marie said abruptly. “She also has a father.”

“I understand,” replied Penny, as Crystal’s grandmother turned her wheelchair around and headed for the elevator, immediately. “Thank you for telling me.”

“I was never trying to replace Crystal’s mother,” she thought to herself, after Marie left. “What Crystal and I did was simply intended to be an act of kindness and love, with no ulterior motive.”

Penny was upset now too, as she had expected to receive better treatment from Crystal’s grandparents.

“Your loss,” thought Penny. “I don’t have to adopt Crystal. There are thousands of children waiting for adoption. Right now, I don’t even want to think about the possibility.”

Crystal’s grandparents kept her busy at home after that, although Crystal made a point of coming to see Penny, whenever she could break away from them.

“I barely remember my own mother and I still want you to be my adopted mother,” explained Crystal. “My grandparents are getting too old. When they die, I will be all alone.”

“We will have to settle for being friends, at least for the time being,” Penny advised Crystal, who was devastated by what had happened.

“We can only be friends?”

“It is best that way,” said Penny.

“What is a half-breed?” Crystal asked Penny, about a week later. “I need to know, because Grandma told me that the native couple taking care of me abandoned me because I am a half-breed. I do not know what that word means.”

Penny realized that the word half-breed had to do with Crystal having been born to a French mother and a native father.

“Why are you asking me this question now?” Penny wondered. She was curious as to what Crystal’s grandparents were telling her.

“My grandmother said that nobody likes half-breeds. You probably do not want to adopt a half-breed, either.”

Penny began to realize that Crystal’s own sense of self worth was at stake.

“My grandmother says I have to stay closer to home and accept more responsibility.”

“Well, you are growing up,” said Penny. “Your grandparents do need your help.”

“I don’t think that Grandma wants me to come here anymore, because I am a half-breed.”

“I don’t think they would hold that against you. Your grandparents are the ones who are raising you,” replied Penny. “You must do what they want you to do. Let’s agree together that we will always be good friends, regardless.”

Penny reached into a cabinet drawer, found a floral notepad and handed it to her. When she turned her back, Crystal pocketed her gold, ballpoint pen.

“If you are sad, write down your thoughts and feelings and I can read them later,” suggested Penny. “Then, we can talk about them.”

"Thank you. It is pretty, but I cannot take this note pad home,” said Crystal. “My grandparents will find it and throw it out, but I can write on a piece of blank paper.”

Penny immediately missed the gold pen that Crystal had taken. The pen had been a gift from other teachers in a public school, where she had been teaching. She assumed she had left somewhere and would find it eventually.

“I wonder what is really happening in Crystal’s home,” wondered Penny, after Crystal left. “I hope that they are not abusing her, because she is regarded as a half-breed in her community. They have no right to do that to any child. Maybe that is why she wanted me to adopt her.”

Soon after that, Penny became aware of the smell of scented smoke, when she entered the elevator.

“What is this, sage or cedar?”

Little did she realize that Penny’s grandparents were practicing a cleansing ritual, intended to purify their home.