Grandma Violet

From: Michelle L Ota (HawnHappyMeal@aol.com)
Story type: Angel
Location: Oahu, Hawaii
Source: Form Submission

As a child, I sometimes lived with my paternal grandmother. She always wore a certain perfume, though I never knew the name of it. It smelled like violets, I assume, as my grandmother's name was Violet. She always made wheat toast, orange juice and sliced up a banana to put in my Life cereal for breakfast. I loved her so much, as she was always spoiling me. I can only remember one time when she'd punished me, it was for breaking one of her favorite lamps.

Anyway, to get to my story. When I was 6 or 7, I moved away and hardly saw her. When I was 13, I was told that she'd developed Alzheimer's Disease. I only saw her maybe once or twice after learning this. The last time being when I was 19. I'd been visiting my uncle in West Virginia. Him, his wife and myself went to see her in the nursing home she was in. I didn't even recognize her, she'd changed so much. She used to have short hair, that she put up in curlers everynight, when I was young. Now her hair was long. I watched her pushing a wheelchair up and down the corridor, occasionally into a room. I'd bought a stuffed easter bunny for her. I tried to give it to her, but she just went about pushing the wheelchair around. The only time she paused to acknowledge me, was when my uncle's wife asked her "Vi, do you remember Shelly?". For a split-second, she stared at me with recognition. Then it was gone. I asked to leave at that point, with tears welling up in my eyes.

We left then, I remember looking back, for one last glance, only to see her still pushing the wheelchair down the hallway. I never told her that I was pregnant, at the time. In September, I gave birth to a healthy baby girl. A month after, my husband was transferred to a base in Hawaii. Soon, after settling into post-housing, I started feeling my grandma's presence around me and smelling her perfume. This happened especially on nights when I was home alone.

One time, I went upstairs to check on the baby and I saw a strange glow coming from where she was sleeping. I did't feel afraid, instead I was comforted. At the same time, I smelled wheat toast-I could almost taste it, as well!! I realized that it was grandma violet coming to visit her grandaughter. I never told my husband of this incident, he was the type to ridicule one who believed in such childish things.

In June 2000, I had seperated from my husband. I lived off-post and the baby was with him for the weekend, as I was having a small party for a friend of mine. Throughout the night, all went as planned. Until about 11pm, three of the friends were still at my place, talking with me about local Hawaiian ghost stories. Suddenly, the only male in the group, jumped up out of the chair he'd been sitting in. He said that he was sitting there listening to the conversation, when he smelt a faint scent of perfume, then felt someone touch his shoulder. I then had to explain to everyone about my grandmother's visits with me. And they were all like "Cool!". Amazing how quick everyone left within five minutes of hearing what I had to say.

Another time, another friend (who was also at the party I'd mentioned above), was having some problems with her mom. She asked if she could stay the night at my place, and I said "Yah, come on in." My husband was out of town with the baby, so we stayed up most of the night telling life stories and ghost stories, while making ice cream sundaes. It was about 3am, I'd fallen asleep on the chair and she'd fallen asleep on the couch, when I was awoken by her frantically shaking me. Her eyes were as big as saucers, her face was as pale as a white sheet (hard to imagine as she was Samoan/Hawaiian mix) and she was shaking like a leaf. I grumbled "What's the matter with you?" as I woke and she could barely speak, she was THAT scared. I had to laugh, and she slapped my arm telling me that it wasn't funny. She told me that she woke up to use the bathroom and when she came back out, she smelt perfume. It was then she noticed an old lady standing where my toaster is placed, on the countertop, and she was slicing a banana. The lady looked up at her and smiled, which freaked my friend out, completely. Somehow, she made it past this "creepy" lady and was able to wake me up.

I knew immediately who it was, yet I was in the mood to play mischief. I went and retrieved one of my grandmother's photos in my photo album and then I asked her if that was who my friend had seen. My friend's face turned white again, and I told her that she'd seen my Grandma Violet, on one of her many visits to me. I explained how my grandmother checks in on me and my daughter from time to time. My friend stayed up the rest of the night watching TV and left to go back home at the crack of dawn. She never stayed a night at my place, again.

I have had many more visitations from my Grandma Violet, too many to tell this time. But, just one thing I'd like to share with you all before I conclude my own tale, Grandma Violet does visit me. The things I've just told you are 100% true, and I am not on drugs nor am I an alcoholic. The only thing that still gets me, to this day, is the fact that my grandma is still very much alive in West Virginia. Spooky *chicken skin*