She’s 78, Wears Cardigans, and Loves Sudoku… So Why Did My Grandmother Sneak Out at Midnight in a Red Dress? (3 of 4)

“Was everything… okay?”

“Perfectly.” She smiled faintly. “How’s your tea?”

That was it.

No explanation. No details.

But it didn’t stop there.

Over the next week, it happened three more times. Always late. Always the red dress. Sometimes a silk scarf. One night, perfume so rich and smoky it lingered in the hallway until morning.

And each time, I saw her return with a different expression—soft, almost dreamy, like she’d just remembered something beautiful from long ago.

On her final night before I left, I couldn’t take it anymore.

I followed her.

From a safe distance, I watched her stroll down the street, heels tapping like clock hands. She turned the corner by the old post office, walked into a building I’d never noticed—a converted boathouse now lit in warm, golden glow.

I crept closer.