Chapter 26 – Meeting grandmother’s friends

On the next day, Benjamin woke up, cleaned himself up, and went down for some breakfast. Breakfast was usually very simple in their family, some fruits, toast, milk with cereals, fruit juices, etc. Sometimes their mother would set the table, otherwise, everyone would just take whatever they wanted directly from the kitchen and eat it at their own pace. Today was such a day and Benjamin grilled a few toasts and took some fruits before settling down at the table. He greeted his family members and started eating slowly, waiting for his grandma to come down.

During dinner yesterday, he had asked everyone what their plans for the following day were and his grandmother had answered that she was going to enjoy a golf course with her friends. That piqued his interest and he told her that he was interested in joining her. He was still following his plan to spend more time with his family. She was surprised by his request but quickly accepted, happy that her grandson would have any interest in her activities.

Eventually, his grandma came down and started her breakfast. Seeing Benjamin waiting for her, she called out to him.

"Morning, kiddo. So, still motivated to join your grandma for some golfing?"

"Good morning, grandma. Of course, I am looking forward to it. I never tried it before."

She eyed him with a bit of suspicion.

"Hm, I didn't say anything yesterday but why do you want to join me suddenly? Golf is not something very exciting for a young lad like you. Do you want something from your poor old grandma? Perhaps some pocket money?"

"No, no, I just wanted to spend some time with you. In fact, not just you but everyone in the family. I realized I didn't spend enough time with you all and we had grown distant. I swear I have no other motive. Even yesterday, I played video games with Olivia for the whole evening."

She was still looking at him suspiciously at the start but it disappeared when he mentioned his time with Olivia.

"Oh, you did? That's very nice of you. That kid is a bit withdrawn, it would be good if she could open up more to people."

She continued with her breakfast and when she was done, she told him.

"Alright, let me go fetch my golfing equipment and we can go."

She went to the storage room next to the garage and came back with a golf bag filled with clubs.

"Good, let's go."

They went to the garage and got into her car, which was next to Benjamin's mother's car. They then left, his grandma driving them dynamically to their destination. After around twenty-five minutes, they reached the place, a large golf club that included practice ranges and an eighteen holes course, the one they intended to go through today. They both exited the car and headed to the club's main building. Once inside, his grandmother looked around and after finding several people seated at a table, headed towards them with Benjamin following closely. Three grey-haired-aged ladies were sitting there and they soon noticed the duo approaching them. One of them was wearing a deep frown over a haughty expression. She was wearing neat and high-quality clothes, radiating an aura of wealth. She exclaimed.

"Roselyn, you're late again! Can't you ever come on time?"

Roselyn was Benjamin's grandmother's name, a name which was rarely heard inside the house since she was always called 'grandma' by her grandchildren or 'mom' by her daughter.

"Ahahah, sorry, sorry. I actually have a good excuse today."

She placed her hands behind Benjamin's back and pushed him forward. He was now directly in front of the three ladies. It was clearly her fault if they were late because he didn't even know at what time they were supposed to meet but it seemed that she intended to use him as a shield. Before he could say anything, his grandma started the introductions.

"Friends, this is my grandson, Benjamin. He wanted to join us today so I took him with me. Benjamin, this chic and haughty one is Vera."

She then pointed to the next person, an old woman smiling gently at him, wearing comfortable sports clothes, appropriate for the occasion.

"This is Angel, a very harmless grandma."

Finally, she turned to the last one, a woman wearing a cold expression on her face and clothed mostly in dark garments.

"And this is Lauren. She doesn't open up to new people easily but I will teach you how to lead her by the nose."

The three of them were intrigued by his presence but Vera and Lauren soon wore displeased expressions, after hearing the way they were introduced, while Angel sported a wry smile. Benjamin gave his usual brilliant grin and greeted them.

"It is nice to meet you all."

However, it seemed that he had met strong opponents as his smile didn't affect them much. They answered in the same order they were introduced.

"Hm, nice to meet you too, young man."

"Nice to meet you, dear."

"Hello."

Lauren gave the briefest of greetings before turning her head away, uninterested in him anymore. As soon as the introductions were done, Vera came back to the initial topic.

"And you, Rosalyn, don't try to use your grandson as an excuse for being late. You're not fooling anyone."

"Fine, fine, it's my bad. Let's go already, we can continue to talk while walking."

Vera sighed hopelessly, easily giving up, probably due to being used to her antics. The three ladies each picked up their golf equipment before everyone left the building, heading towards the start of the golf course. Truthfully, it was Benjamin's first time meeting his grandmother's friends and he was surprised at how different their personalities were. He was wondering how such a group came to be and decided to simply ask about it.

"How did you all become friends?"