Written for Sammi’s Weekend Writing
Prompt #420 using the word ‘fizzle’.
In exactly 62 words, this is my take.

Image by Me & ChatGPT
Grandma Rose never learned to speak English; a stand-offish woman, she was the last to emigrate from Sicily. She’d sit in the corner of the basement kitchen, a bottle of Brioschi in front of her, eating the popular Italian antacid one oddly-shaped piece at a time. It would fizzle in her mouth as she silently sat, dark eyes observing everything and everyone.
NAR©2025
62 Words
Nancy’s Notes: Grandma Rose was my father’s mother. I never got to know her very well; no one did. She had a giant chip on her shoulder about a lot of things and could be very nasty. My mother told me and my sister we must always show respect to Grandma Rose no matter what she did or what we heard. Well-intentioned advice, however misplaced. It didn’t take long before I was able to decide for myself. There’s no shortage of Grandma Rose stories; perhaps I’ll continue sharing them with you.
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Excellent portrayal. We truly get a sense of her. 🌹
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Excellent, Michele! Thanks for telling me; I’m very pleased to know you got the picture! ☺️
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I also had a Grandma Rose, but thank goodness mine was very sweet!❤
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I truly think most Grandmas are sweet.
Both my grandmothers were named Rose!
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A person who missed out on many joys of life
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Yes, and treated my mother terribly.
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That’s so sad. Leaving behind bad memories is the worse thing we can do.
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So true. Much time has passed and we’re still remembering her with bitterness.
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That is why I want to leave good memories behind.
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Bring on Grandma Rose! …💜
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Thanks Willow! She was such an unpleasant woman.
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She may have been but she makes good reading 💜💜
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Haha! I wonder how she’d feel about that! 😂
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From the picture, I can tell she was one of those ” don’t mess with me” gals. I had an aunt who was like that. We were instructed to never speak to her first and to keep a respectful distance from her personal space. She did have a crazy habit of eating mothballs, which I believe are poison, and she died unexpectedly from them or perhaps from a case of mean-ness, us kids never found out, but we speculated her little dog bit her and she died from an infection. I think you have many good stories about your family. Please share them with us.
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Phil, I wish I had a better relationship with my paternal grandmother. Don’t most kids? She was a bitter, vengeful woman who hated my mother. Yeah, I’ve got stories.
Your aunt sounds like an interesting gal …. a bit of a whack-a-doo but definitely interesting. The mothballs must have messed with her medulla oblongata, and the doggie bit her. Justifiable homicide, no doubt.
Thanks, Phil.
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I would love to here some more stories about Grandma Rose!
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I’ve got some doozies!
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Do tell!
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Love this. I am so looking forward to hearing more about Grandma Rose! 🌹
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So glad you enjoyed reading about Grandma Rose. She definitely was a trip!
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I remember Brioschi. Wow. You brought me back to childhood, Nancy. Thanks. 💕
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Oh, I’m so glad to know that, Grace! Thanks!
Brioschi is terrific.
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My pleasure. Absolutely 💕
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Brioschi was a staple in my grandma’s house and our own house! That stuff was amazing!
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It’s the best! We still use it; much better than Alka Seltzer or Pepto. Yuck!
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I need to find some now … Lol
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Amazon baby! They have everything!
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Excellent response to the challenge, Nancy. I have never heard of Brioschi but there are more than a few Nasty Nonne out there, eh? What is their beef?
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Some of the stories are hard to believe. People can be so petty and vengeful!
Brioschi is excellent!
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Some are awful!
Is it? Good for indigestion, etc…?
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It really is and it’s been around forever!
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I don’t doubt it!
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Your mother knew that respecting her mother-in-law was the only road to having peace in the family.
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You hit the nail on the head, Jim. She was a spiteful and nasty person and she missed out on a lot of joyful times with her family because of it.
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