Just as Joanna was wondering if she should just allow Susan to take the kids with her, the old woman's voice turned unusually serious. "Joanna, I know you still hold resentment towards the family. I know you hate my son, and you hate me too. I understand that we were horrible towards you, but Grandpa Timothy has always treated you with nothing but sincerity, hasn't he? He always treated you like you were his own granddaughter, right?"
"I will always remember the kindness he showed me," Joanna admitted.
"So please, can you go along with it just this once? For his sake? We just want him to be happy."
Joanna remained silent.
Seeing that the woman wasn't giving in, Susan sighed. "You might not know this, but the old man's health is deteriorating rapidly. The doctor said he wasn't even sure if he'd make it through winter this year."
