When Annie walked into Sunny Gardens, her heart was beating fast. Today was her first day volunteering at the senior center and she didn’t know what to expect. It definitely smelled weird, like the fish sticks they’d served for lunch, but that was kind of like school. Maybe the whole experience would be like school – scary at first, but fun in the end.

The volunteer leader told Annie to introduce herself to one of the seniors. There was going to be a bingo game, and she could help them play. Annie walked up to a woman who was sitting at the bingo table. But when she said hello, the woman frowned. The day was not off to a good start.

Annie took a deep breath and tried again. This time, the woman put a hand to her ear and then smiled. “Hello!” she said. “Sorry about that. My hearing aid wasn’t working properly.”

Ah, so that explained it. Annie introduced herself to the woman, whose name was Miss Margaret. “Can I play bingo with you?” asked Annie. Miss Margaret was delighted. She pinched Annie’s cheek, which hurt a little bit. Hopefully that wouldn’t happen again.

The game went slowly. Miss Margaret had trouble hearing the numbers that were called. “B5!” Annie said loudly, trying to help.

“Well, you don’t have to yell,” said Miss Margaret.

Annie apologized and tried again. She started pointing to the numbers on the card, which seemed to work better. Soon she was pointing out numbers for all of the seniors at the table. “How lovely!” said Miss Margaret. “What a help you are.” Annie relaxed. Maybe the day would be ok after all.

The game continued slowly. No one was winning. Then, finally, A6 was called. The last number in Miss Margaret’s row. “Bingo!” said Annie and Miss Margaret together. Annie smiled and Miss Margaret pinched her cheek again. It hurt a little bit, but this time she didn’t mind.

As Miss Margaret was collecting her prize, one of her friends came over to join them. She nodded at Annie. “Is this your granddaughter?” she asked Miss Margaret.

“Heavens no,” said Miss Margaret. “She is my friend.” Annie’s heart felt warm. “Yes,” she agreed. “And she’s mine.”