Darling and Carlton exchanged horrified glances and then rose silently and tip-toed out of the lounge.
Grandma looked up from her search. "Oh, my, they seem to have gone."
Johnny Weaver, who had been clearing one of the nearby tables, put down a stack of dirty dishes and came over to her. "I'd like to see the pictures, Grandma."
"Oh, that's very nice of you, Johnny, but—" she said quickly.
"Really I would, Grandma. Where are they?"
"I—" She stopped and the devilment showed in her eyes. Her withered little face pursed itself into a smile. "There aren't any pictures, Johnny. I don't carry any. I know their faces all so well I don't have to. But any time I want to get rid of somebody I just offer to show them pictures of my family. You'd be surprised how effective it is."
Johnny laughed. "Why are you going to Earth, anyway, Grandma?"
The old woman sighed. "It's a long story, Johnny, but you just sit down and I'll tell it to you."
"I can't sit down in the lounge, but I'll be glad to stand up and listen."
"Then I'll make it a short story. You see, Johnny, I'm an old woman. I'll be 152 this year. And ever since Omar, my husband, died a few years ago, I've lived from pillar to post. First with one child and then with another. They've all been married for decades now of course, with children and grandchildren of their own. And I guess that I just get in their way. There just isn't much left in life for a feeble old woman like me." She sniffled a moment or two as if to cry. Johnny, remembering the heavy box in her cabin that got moved up and down without his help, suppressed a smile on the word "feeble."