His home is nice; the renovations he’s done on it make it the perfect family home. A nice, open living space shared by the living room and kitchen. A nice two-car attached garage, which I can imagine comes in handy during the brutal winters here. The bones are beautiful, and so similar to the dream house he and I used to dream up. Except for in my version, the couch and love seat matched, and there were rugs to protect your feet from the chilled hardwood floors. Still, for a bachelor, he’s done pretty well for himself.
The more my thoughts wander to our past, the more I realize I need to get some space from this place today. There’s work to do, but I just don’t want to do it today; there is something else I could do. It’s a good thing my favorite old man is only a short twenty-minute drive.
I stop sulking and hiding, leave my borderline empty bedroom, and dart downstairs, snatching my purse off the counter and darting for the door, suddenly feeling excited. My grandpa is my favorite person, and I am so glad that I get to do this while I’m here.
I pull into the front of my grandpa’s house and immediately feel a weight come off my shoulders. Everyone in my life has left me at one point or another, but he chose me. He didn’t have to raise me when my mom left. But when his daughter dropped the ball, he picked it up, no questions asked. I didn’t understand what a big deal that was as a kid, but he gave up the best years of his life for me. He was financially stable and had everything going for him, and threw that under the rug to ensure I was taken care of. If I think about it too much, it brings tears to my eyes. There’s a lot of things that have gone wrong in my life, but I thank God every day that he’s my grandpa.
Hoping out of the old farm truck, I walk in, and my grandpa doesn’t even look up from the TV. “You’re here a bit early,” he says as he picks up the remote and turns the TV off.
“I didn’t tell you I was coming. How can I be early?” I respond as I make my way into the kitchen and set my purse down on the counter.
“Oh! Willow, what a good surprise.” He turns in his recliner and his smile lights up his face.
“Are you expecting somebody else? If now is not a good time, I could head out and come back later.” It’ll be a bummer. I was really looking forward to spending some time with him.
“I bet my guest will be happy to see you. Do you want me to make you a cup of tea or some coffee?” he asks, the sound of him snapping back his recliner extension carrying into the kitchen along with a groan.
Maybe I should start coming over here for walks instead of on the ranch. I want my grandpa to live a long and healthy life, and if that means coming over to help him exercise, I’m happy to do it. But that’s a battle for a different time, “A cup of coffee sounds amazing, thank you.”
“Anything for my girl. What brings you by today?” He pats me on the shoulder as he walks to the counter and grabs coffee grounds out of the cabinet.
“Can’t a girl just come visit her grandpa?” I turn in my chair to look at him.
“She can but she usually doesn’t without a reason or a phone call.” He turns enough to meet my gaze, his eyes saying it all. He knows something is bothering me.
I sigh, slouching into my chair. “I was having a bad day and you always make them better.”
“You make my days better, too, Lo. Do you want sugar and cream?” He walks to the refrigerator and pulls out his container of cream. It’s the fresh stuff, and I get a wave of excitement as he pours it into my mug.
“Yes, and don’t be shy with the sugar. Who are you expecting to come by, someone I know?” I turn on the chair, folding my arms over the back of the chair, and rest my head down on it as he finishes up with the coffee.
“Yeah, from what I remember, you guys have met a time or two.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear you have visitors and aren’t lonely.” It’s one of the hardest parts about being gone, worrying about him. There’s only so much I can do from across the country, but I make it a point to call him at least a few times a week.
He scoffs, “I’m not trying to be rude, sweetheart, but I have a feeling I have more of a social life than you do these days.”
Uncontrollable laughter peeps out of me. “You know what, old man, you’re not wrong. It’s been nice being home, though, and getting to see everybody.” It’s like being transported back in time, almost. A different lifetime.
“Don’t get so busy building that career of yours that you forget to live your life. It goes by faster than you think. It feels like just yesterday I was your age, building a family with your grandma.”
My grandma passed away before I was born, but from what I hear, she and my grandpa had one hell of a love story. When I think about it, it still gives me a little bit of hope that after all these years, she’s still on his mind. That’s the truest form of love if you ask me.
A few words of wisdom and a couple of minutes later, I have a hot cup of coffee in front of me, and life doesn’t feel so heavy anymore. I knew this was exactly what I needed. Some people go outside and touch grass. I talk to my grandpa. It's going to be so hard when I’m back in New York and won’t be able to drive over when I need him. I’m seriously debating if I even want to go back at all. It’s like now that I’m out of the bubble. I wonder if I want back in. My grandpa isn’t wrong. I’m not getting any younger, and it feels like all I’m doing is chasing my tail in a circle.
The back door to Grandpa‘s house swings open, and I spit out the sip of coffee I had in my mouth. There stands the former love of my life and half the reason for my mental torment.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I look between him and my grandpa, trying to piece together the puzzle.
Weston looks just as surprised to see me as I am to see him. “What are you doing here?”
“I asked you first, and this is my grandpa’s house. It’s normal for me to be here. It’s not normal for you to be here.”
My grandpa clears his throat, and I whip my head toward him. “Actually, sweetie, it’s normal for him to be here. He and I have been playing cards once a week for the last gosh, I don’t know, eleven or so years?”
My head rears back in shock, and if I’m being honest, a tad bit of betrayal. He knows how badly Weston broke my heart. Grandpa dried my tears, stayed up with me on the phone, and saw what a wreck I was when he left me on that porch. “What do you mean you’ve been playing cards with my ex-boyfriend for the last eleven years?”
“Oh, don’t act like I did some great big betrayal. You know I have your back through thick and thin, so maybe there are just some things you don’t know. And you know what, I love having him around; he keeps me company.”
