7. The cupboard of abundance

My granny had a large cupboard in a less frequented part of the house. It was made of dark and heavy wood. The doors were decorated with a lovely border.

To my six year old self, this cupboard seemed cavernous and magical in its contents. Granny kept her spare / extra groceries in this cupboard. The regular use provisions were kept in the kitchen cabinets.

The special cupboard had lots and lots of canned and dried food. There were cans of fruit, beans and condensed milk. Packets of pasta in all kinds of shapes, spirals, bows, shells and even wheels jostled each other for space. There were bags of nuts : cashews, almonds, walnuts and pistachios.

There must have been other things too as they were tidily laid out, row upon row. These are the ones that I remember. My mother used to say that Granny had enough food stockpiled for a siege.

Spending the weekend with Granny was something I always looked forward to. I am not ashamed to admit that this cupboard was part of the allure.

When I was hungry and wanted a between-meals snack, Granny would unlock the cupboard and find me something to eat. Sometimes I would get a handful of dried figs or apricots. At others, a small can of peaches or as a special treat, a small can of condensed milk.

On winter evenings, Granny and I would get bags of walnuts or almonds from the cupboard. Armed with a nutcracker each, we would shell the nuts and wolf them down as we watched TV.

When Granny passed away, her children donated all her possessions. They just kept photographs and documents for themselves.

I wish I had been old enough to make them keep that old cupboard. For me, it was the cupboard of abundance and of childhood memories.

Written for July writing prompts 2020.

July Writing Prompts

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/ice-cream-cone-melting-hot-1274894/

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