Willie and Nellie knew there was something wrong when Grandpa Dooley met them at the door. “Willie, Nellie, Grandma Hattie fell and sprained her ankle today.

She is resting in the living room,” said their grandpa. “Nellie asked,”Is she going to be okay?” Grandpa nodded ad led them into the living room.

There was Grandma Hattie, her foot propped up on a cushion, with her ankle wrapped. Nellie and Willie were careful not to touch her ankle when they hugged her.

Grandpa asked Willie and Nellie to sit down as he needed to talk with them about how they were going to have to be Grandma Hattie helpers until her ankle was better and she could walk on it again. Grandpa reminded them that he had to drive the school bus every morning and teach a music class in the afternoon. He would be out when they were getting ready for school, and would be out when they got home from school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Willie and Nellie looked unsure, but nodded in agreement. Willie said, “I’m supposed to got to Orrie’s for a play date tomorrow. Can I still go?” Grandpa shook his head no, and told Willie he was needed around the house. Grandpa suggested that Willie call Orrie and explain why he couldn’t come over the next day.

After Willie called Orrie, grandpa sat with him and Nellie and went over their helper chores while Grandma Hattie couldn’t walk. There were beds to be made, breakfast dishes to be done, waste paper baskets and trash to be emptied, the table set and cleared and the laundry folded and put away.  Willie’s eyes got bigger and bigger with each chore grandpa named. “Wow,” he said,” that’s a lot. What are you going to be doing grandpa?” Grandpa Dooley chuckled and said,”I will clean the house, wash your clothes, iron your clothes, cook the meals, do the grocery shopping and take care of grandma.” Willie answered,”I never realized how much grandma did around here!”

As they were talking, the doorbell rang. There stood Grandma Maureen, a dinner casserole in one hand and a list in the other. In she marched, checked out Grandma Hattie, sat down and began to read from the Grandma Hattie Helpers list.

Grandma Frances, Grandma Sue and some of the ladies from the senior group would drop off dinner meals each night. Grandma Maureen would do the ironing once a week, and look in on grandma each morning when grandpa was driving the school bus and Willie and Nellie had left for school.

Some of the “Can Do Kids, who live nearby, signed up to help Willie and Nellie with their after school chores.

When Grandma Maureen finished reading from the list, Willie burst out saying,”Yeah for the Grandma Hattie helpers!”