Grandma's jam

The story of" jilting of granny weatherall"  made me think of my grandmother and her house, my summer vacation home. My grandmother died when i was 11 years old, three years before i left India. Usually I go to her house on my summer vacations. Her house sits in the middle of different kinds of flowers and fruits trees. It was always pleasant to go to her house just because of all the lush green that surroundes her house.  I use to love to go there for two reasons. Number one reason is that she had lots of fruit trees, my favorite fruit is the small mango with dark spots on them. Those mango trees where big. Me, my cousins, and some of the friends around there use to gather stones and throw at those mangoes or wait for a good wind to blow. If it is a lucky day we are able to fill our baskets with tens of mangoes. we use to eat most of the mangoes right under the tree. And my grandmother use to make jams with the left over mangoes we brought home. I won't say she made it, she just knew the recipe. It was up to me and my cousins to make them, from peeling the mango skin to throwing away the wastes. When every ingredient was ready she use to cook it and made us watch how it is done. I always hated that one hour of tedious work, as it was robbing my precious play time with my friends. But the smell and taste of the mango jam kept me at the kitchen.I remember when my grandma use to yell out " jam is ready" all the cousins and me will run to the kitchen like dogs chasing a car. With a smiling face She gives each one of us four bread pieces and four spoons of jam. Because i used to over put the jam on the first three breads, i usually never made to the fourth bread with the jam. I remember trying to rob my cousin's spoon, and she scolding me for it. Reading this book somehow made me think of my grandma's smiling face,whenever i am not mischievous. Her death seems like a distant memory, but her smile seems to be clear as yesterday to me.  Almost forgot, And the second reason is that she use to give me money when i leave. Nostalgic times!!