Esther Berlanga

Permission to dream

She thought Ramona was a piece of work. Everything about her paternal grandmother was a mystery to her. She seemed to hold the weight of a thousand worlds on her shoulders, and was never happy. And yet, there was a certain vulnerability about her that Amelia could not deny - and made her embrace her regardless of that lady's frown. She was bold and strong, like a written word that was here to stay. And contrary to what one might assume, Ramona was also afraid of her own shadow. Superstition and old town tales had forged a spirit of fear in her, and at 78 she was a walking, talking, shaky tree whose roots were old enough to succumb to the test of time, but whose determination to survive - regardless of any weather conditions - was keeping her alive and well beyond her natural years - even though she kept waiting for the worse to happen. Quite the character.