I know this is gonna sound super dumb, like, it’s not even a thing but I’m just… it’s bothering me. So my grandma, right? She’s super old, like almost 80, and she has this bridge club she goes to every single Wednesday. It’s like her whole social life, she always talks about Mrs. Henderson and how Mr. Peterson cheats at cards, it’s honestly kinda cute. And I usually go over after school sometimes if my mom’s working late because it’s closer than waiting for the bus and grandma always has snacks, even if it’s like, weird crackers. So yesterday was Wednesday and I was gonna go over and chill, maybe play some Mario Kart on her ancient Wii, whatever. But when I called her, she sounded super weird. Like, not sad, but kinda… hushed? Like she was trying to hide something. She said she wasn’t going to bridge, which is HUGE. I literally asked her like five times, "Are you sick? Did someone cancel? Did Mrs. Henderson say something mean again?" And she just kept saying, "No, honey, I just don’t feel like it today." Which is a total lie, because she ALWAYS feels like it. She lives for that bridge club, it’s like her big weekly outing besides grocery shopping. And I was like, okay, whatever, maybe she just needs a day off. But then I went over later anyway cause my mom was like, "Go check on her, she sounded off." And when I got there, she was just sitting in her armchair, totally normal, watching some old movie. But then I noticed it. She had this… new line. Like, a wrinkle, right? But it was kinda deep, right by her eye, and I guess it must’ve just popped up or something because I’ve never seen her so… self-conscious. She kept touching her face, like really subtly, and then she’d drop her hand real fast if she thought I was looking. And I asked her again, "Grandma, why didn’t you go to bridge?" And she just mumbled, "My skin, it’s… getting old." And she said it like it was this HUGE secret, like I was gonna judge her for it. And I felt so bad, because I totally get it, but also… it’s her face. She’s like, ancient. It’s supposed to have wrinkles. But she looked so ashamed, like she thought her friends would see it and… I don’t know, pity her? Or think she was suddenly falling apart? It’s not like they’re all twenty-year-olds, they’re all in their late seventies, early eighties. They all have wrinkles. But she was so convinced this ONE new wrinkle would make them look at her differently. Like she was losing her… youth, I guess? Even though she hasn't been youthful in like, fifty years. It’s just so weird, the things that can make someone feel so embarrassed. I tried to tell her it’s fine, nobody cares, but she just kinda waved her hand and changed the subject. And I know she’s probably not going to bridge next week either. It’s just… really sad.