Grandma's Visits

This occurred back in 1975 when I was married to Bill, my first husband. The marriage stunk, and that was probably the reason all this happened.

We had just moved into a nice 3-story apartment complex on Euclid Avenue in Euclid, Ohio. It was a spacious, and beautiful 1-bedroom apartment. It contained a huge living room which led outside to a lovely balcony. Off of the living room was a dining room with a large folding-door closet, and opposite the closet was the entrance to the kitchen which was considered practical sized for an apartment. We had a very big bedroom containing a large walk-in closet. Adjacent to the bedroom was the bathroom. We resided on the 2nd floor.

In order to enter the apartment, we had an outside metal door that was painted white. To get in one had to enter from an outside stairway downstairs and walk up to the next level. That metal door made a very distinct noise when open/closed. I'm mentioning 'that' door for a reason that will become clear.

I must explain that Bill had a great deal of trouble holding a job. He had a condition called laziness. If something involved actual 'work' he couldn't do it for more than a week, or two. If it wasn't for 'me' working, we never would've gotten that nice apartment.

It was on my day off. I worked at a hospital as a nurse aide, and we got days off in the middle of the week if we had to work weekends. Bill was at work, and I chose to go back to bed for a few more Z's. I was laying prone (on my stomach) when I heard the outside door into the living room open, and close. Like I said you couldn't miss the sound of that door. I called out to Bill thinking that he's lost another job again, and was coming home to give me the song, and dance as to 'why' he lost it. I heard no reply. I called out again. Again, no reply. I thought I was just hearing things and tried to resume going back to sleep.

Suddenly I 'did' hear a voice calling 'me'. A very familiar voice. It was my grandma who had passed on about 4 years earlier. She said very clearly in her German accent " Linda. Get up. It's after 9:00. Is getting late. Get up Honey.". I freaked, and just continued to lay there not moving a muscle. I rationalized with myself that I was just more tired than usual and my mind was playing tricks on me. I continued to lay in bed when her voice resounded from the doorway of our bedroom. What? I told myself. Still, I didn't budge.

All of a sudden, her voice sounded right next to the bed, and the bed began to visibly shake. I did a 5-foot leap out of the bed. I stood near the closet just staring at the bed which was now unmoving. I thought I was going bonkers. I calmed down and decided to crawl back in bed. However, the moment I pulled the covers up the bed shook much more violently. Yikes! Again, I did an athletic leap out of bed, and I am not an athlete. I was visibly rattled until I quieted myself and began to 'really' think about what just happened. I came to realize that my grandma dearly loved me and would never intentionally try to frighten me. She was letting me know she was checking on me. I felt much better. I did not feel in any way threatened by grandma.

I told Bill about it that evening. He laughed at me and called me wacky. I didn't appreciate that.

My sister Arlene, and her friend came to visit. I mentioned it to her. Her face went pale. She told me that grandma was coming to her a week before she came to me. Bill's jaw dropped. He knew 2 people in different places, and time periods did not share the same hallucination. He shut up after that one.

Years later we were living in his foster-mom's house. She had passed on and the estate was going through probate. Her cousin asked us to stay in the house until everything was resolved with the relatives. We put our double-bed in the living room since it was the warmest room, and this was during the Winter.

I had a day off, and Bill wasn't working at all. Not unusual for him. We were in bed when I heard the outside alcove door open, and close. I heard footsteps coming to the main door that led into the dining room with the living room adjacent to it. Aha! I heard grandma's voice calling " Linda, get up. It's getting late honey!". I laid still knowing what was coming. She got closer and repeated herself. I didn't budge. The bed began shaking very hard. I casually got up and stood off to the front watching Bill bolt upright with a perplexed look on his face. "What the 'bleep' is going on?" he blurted out. I told him it was grandma shaking the bed, and he'd best get up. He said I was wacky and laid back down. By then the bed was almost bouncing off the floor. He shot-put from the bed. Ha! I didn't know he had it in him. He was trembling just staring at the shaking bed. I told him " That's my wacky imagination doing that, eh? ". He was dumbfounded. He 'finally' believed me. I was never so happy that grandma came by to put 'him' in his place.

Once I divorced Bill, and married John the visits stopped. I believe that grandma knew I was having a very troublesome, and unhappy marriage. She was looking in on me and letting me know that 'she' still cared about me. My late 2nd husband still looks in on me, also. I believe our loved ones never quit loving, worrying, or caring about those they left behind. They let us know from time to time, and that's a nice feeling.