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April 19, 2007
"I sit in the kitchen and catch up."
My grandmother and Aunt are waiting in the kitchen when I walk in the house. After greetings all around I look in on my grandfather but he is asleep in his chair in the den.
He looks frailer and weaker than last year when I saw him and despite having been released from the hospital all I can think is that it's a matter of time before he goes back. He wakes up briefly and we chat for a few minutes before he wraps himself up in television and falls asleep again.
Over the course of the next few days my grandmother gave me some photos that I asked for. In theory I'm scanning them and will return them but I think she knows that by giving them to me they're safe for both the short and long term. Among the photos is this gem of the family from the 50's:
Ok. Introductions are in order. These are my mom's parents that raised me. That's my aunt to the left and my mom to the right. My best guess is the picture is from around 1955 or 1956. My grandmother's arm around my mother's waist is a bit ironic considering the conflicts to come.
In case you're wondering those swinging glasses of my grandmother's are in the drawer in her nightstand. When she's given me grief in the past for some slight transgression I've threatened to put those on her before the viewing at her funeral which has gotten a laugh.
We sit and chat for the next two hours in the kitchen. My grandmother makes numerous attempts to foist cookies down me and I manage to resist. My aunt bugs out to her room when my great aunt Bobo comes over for her nightly tea. (More on this later.) Using this as a cue I decide to head to the hotel for the night. Goodbyes and hugs and a few minutes later I am working my way down 13th street.
Posted by Jim at April 19, 2007 12:08 AM