The Girl My Grandfather Never Met

Abstract

M wife was too swollen. Her pregnant belly threatened to expand into the next county, and her ankles were inflated beyond recognition. So, needless to say, when I asked if she’d like to fly across the country to visit my ailing grandfather, she respectfully declined. “Matt, darling, they’d charge me for two seats. I can see it now: ‘In the event of a water landing, please use the giant pregnant woman as a floatation device.’” Jodi said she loved me but she wasn’t going anywhere. Th e neighbors agreed to feed her and take care of her while I was gone, as if she were a pet. I was grateful that they helped out, though, because I hadn’t been thinking too clearly since I’d heard that a major heart attack had hospitalized my grandfather. Th roughout my childhood, Grandpa Chuck looked after me when things were too hectic for my parents. Typically, life was too hectic whenever my parents were home at the same time, and so I saw a lot of Grandpa Chuck. By the time I was ten, the sound of my dad grinding his teeth had become my cue to go to Grandpa Chuck’s house. Grandpa Chuck lived only a few blocks away from us, so the two of us were pretty close. Grandpa Chuck’s was a fun place, full of scary, dusty rooms to explore, and Grandpa Chuck was a fun guy, always ready to play or tell me a story. He instinctively knew when I wanted more candy, and even through college, I’d never seen his candy dish empty. On the plane, I chuckled at the image of him pulling a candy dish out from behind his heart monitor at the hospital. “Well, looky here, Matty. I bought too many caramels, and I need somebody to eat them right away. Can you help me out?” Th e thought of a heart monitor scared me. Grandpa Chuck was always a hale and hearty old man, and I didn’t know how I’d react when I saw him