My grandpa was in utter shock to see me as he put his glasses on just to make sure it was actually me he was seeing through his weak and glassy eyes. He shot up from the couch and swiftly grabbed his walker. He came over to me and just giving him a hug, I felt like I had to be careful because he seemed so fragile.“Betty!” my grandpa yelled in a slightly crackled voice as he called my grandma into the room to greet me and the rest of my family. We settled down into the little old house and unpacked our bags.
After our long 900 mile drive, my grandpa wanted to take us out to Nashville so we could all unwind. My grandpa raced his walker into the bathroom so he could spruce himself up. Once he brushed a comb through his thick silvery hair, we were ready to go.“I sure do look handsome, don’t I?” my grandpa said, conceitedly. We all packed into his van, filling every seat in it and we left. After 40 minutes of being stuck in a car again, we finally arrived to Nashville.
I always love going to Nashville and so does my grandpa so we were both the most excited to be there.“What are we going to do while we are here?” I asked. My grandpa wobbled over to me and said “Whatever you want to do Banana!” My Grandpa always went with the flow of things and never really planned events out. I decided to go to a botanical garden that was inside of a mall. We walked through the aisles of vibrant flowers and my grandpas eyes were full of excitement as he admired the beauty of the nature. “So how do you like this place?” My mom asked my grandpa.
“What did you say?!” he replied.She repeated herself multiple times before he could pick up what she was saying. Once we finished walking through the maze of flowers and plants, we decided to go somewhere else while there was still sunlight.“Lets go out to lunch!” my grandpa suggested while he patted on his bulging stomach.We drove around town until we found an appealing little café. Our waiter escorted us to our table and we all sat down as we ordered our drinks.
“I will have a coffee!” my grandpa demanded. We all ordered our food and waited for the waiter to bring us back our drinks. Once the waiter came back with our drinks he handed them all to us. “I did not order a coffee?” my grandpa said with confusion in his voice. “Yes you did honey.” My grandma reminded him.
“Oh yeah, I did.” He said back to her, even though his face showed that he did not recall ordering one. An hour went by and it was time to get a check so we could leave. “I will pay for it!” my grandpa demanded. My grandpa was always known for being selfless and it made me smile to see how naturally generous he was.We all got into the car and drove all the way back to my grandparents’ house.
Once we got there we laid down on the couch and my grandpa pulled out his dusty guitar and started to play an old song he had written himself. We listened as his Sinatra like voice sang a tune and then my two uncles joined in to harmonize with him. These are the moments I enjoy the most when my whole family unites and we all can come together through music.“…If only I had wings, then I could fly…” my grandpa sang with pride. My grandpa was so inspiring to everyone that he knew.
He made an impact and changed people’s lives for the better. It was getting late and everyone was starting to yawn as my aunts, uncles, and cousins all said their goodbyes before leaving my grandparents’ house. I was so happy that my parents, brothers, and I were able to stay at my grandparents’ house because I like to be around them. “It was great to spend time with you all today.” My grandpa said, proud to have us all as his family.
Once the rest of my family left it was just my grandparents, my parents, my brothers, and I. The best way to end to a wonderful day was to hear my grandpa tell a heroic story back in the day when he was a police officer because not only was he such a great storyteller, I loved to make him feel honored for who he was.
