She’s hanging in there. She’ll never admit it, but she’s had a rough go of it these last few months. She’s starting to forget things … can’t remember things that just happened a few days ago. One day, she couldn’t remember my name. That one got to her bad. It got me, too. I felt so sorry for her, which only made her mad.”
“You think she’ll remember me?”
“Only one way to find out.” She smiled. “But I feel certain that she will remember you. I mean … you were always her favorite around here, but I was the one always doing for her. You were the one always whining.”
I raised my hand in defense and chuckled. “Hold up! I was talking to her about things, not whining. And I actually listened to her when she gave advice. That’s why she loved me,” I boasted.
“You’ve never listened to anyone, Thomas, and you know it. But she loves you. Always has and always will.”
After I took the last bite of my dumplings, I stood up and took the bowl in my hand. “I’m gonna go see her before she goes to bed.”
After putting my bowl in the sink, I started for my grandmother’s room down the hall. She’d moved in with my folks a couple of years back when her health started to decline. Even though she wasn’t as strong as she used to be, she’d never lost her spirit and fussed anytime mom tried to help her. After hearing that she’d become forgetful, I found myself a little uneasy as I tapped on her door. When I walked in, I found her sitting in her favorite recliner with her eyes glued to the television screen. I was surprised to see how frail and weak she looked. Her skin had become almost translucent, and dark veins and bruises covered her thin, frail arms. I’d seen lots of old people throughout my life, but I’d never thought of my Grandma Pip as old or elderly until that moment. It pained me to see her look so feeble and weak. When she noticed me standing in the doorway, her eyes lit up and a wide smile spread across her face. She remembered me.
“Thomas! Is that really you?” she beamed.
“Yeah, Pip. It’s me.”
“Well, it’s about damn time. I thought you’d forgotten about me. I was beginning to think the next time I saw you would be at my funeral,” she teased.
I leaned over her and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “Ah, don’t be like that. You know I could never forget about my favorite gal. Besides, you’ll probably outlive us all.”
“God, I hope not. I’m ready whenever the good Lord’s willing.”
I sat down beside her. “It’s good to see you. How are you doing?”
“From the looks of it, I’m doing better than you,” she scoffed. “What’s with the sad eyes and that hair? Looks like you haven’t been to the barber in months.”
I ran my hands through my hair, brushing the long strands from my eyes. “Just tired. I’ve been on the road for a while.”
She frowned sternly. “Don’t go trying to pull the wool over my eyes, young man. I may not be as keen as I used to be, but I always know when you got something weighing on you. And from the looks of it, you haven’t gotten a hold of it yet.”
I leaned back in my chair and spent the next half-hour telling her everything that had transpired with Cassidy—how I’d fallen head over heels for her even though I knew she was in love with someone else … and that someone else just so happened to be the president of my club. I explained my reasons for leaving and told her that I’d take the last few weeks to sort through my shit, but when I looked at her, I could see the wheels turning in the back of her mind.
She sat quietly, listening to my entire story, only nodding from time to time to let me know that she was paying close attention to everything I was saying. Once I was done, she sat there staring at me intently as she thought about everything I’d said. Finally, she eased herself forward, looking at me square in the eye, and proclaimed, “Not so sure you really loved that girl, Thomas. I mean, it’s obvious that you cared about her—probably cared a great deal for her. But loved her? No … I’m not so sure about that.”