A'isha's Grandma

By Barb [A'isha is the baby girl we've been caring for over the past three months, since she was 3 days old. She came to us through the crisis pregnancy program of Evangel Hospital.] She came alone this time, minus the entourage of family members that accompanied her on her first Sunday afternoon visit six weeks ago. This was A'isha's grandmother's second visit in nine weeks. I'm told that she is going to be the one to raise A'isha, but no one knows when. Six months? More? She is matronly but looked lovely in her pale green embroidered lace, her head completely covered with a filmy shawl to match. She had called me on her cell phone when she pulled up at our gate, so that I could restrain our dog while she unloaded three bulging, black bags of fresh produce and presented them to me, apologizing that she couldn't find bananas for sale on a Sunday. Her offering also included 5,500 naira ($37) to cover the cost of powdered formula for A'isha. I brought the grandmother a glass of cool sekanjabin (a minty Persian drink) and we settled down to examine Baby A'isha, weigh her by picking her up, and remark at how well she was growing. Within fifteen minutes, the visit was over--grandmother had climbed back into her car and was gone.