now and then

Granada’s house

age 11:

You get the news that your going to granddad’s, your heart warms up and you start to remember the chocolate he puts into your pocket when he hugs you thinking you didn’t notice. He rubs his prickly facial hair on your smooth and bear skin, you then get a big whiff of the freshly made fruit pies in the kitchen. Then you turn around and Sam jumps at you dripping wet because he just came out the sea and starts licking your face and waging his tail making you even more wet but you don’t care and still hug him cos you haven’t seen him for months. You also remember riding quad bikes with your granddad on the beach feeling the worm and refreshing sea water spray onto your face it feels so good until you lick it and its so salty it make you screw you face like when you eat sour candy. Then after he says something that you was hoping he would say “Hey little man. Wanna go get some coffee” even though you don’t like coffee you love drinking with him, to be honest you love any minute you are with him cos everything you and him do is so fun and you love every minute of it. When sitting in Starbucks with him you feel the air con hit the back of your neck and instantly cool you from the 65 plus degrees weather out side, the smell of freshly crushed coffee beans enter hit your nose like a car crash.

age 16:

When your mum tells you that your going to Granddad’s everything becomes better instantly. You can’t wait to see him, you haven’t seen him in years you wonder what has changed, he told you that he grew his beard and you head is rushing with images of him trying to picture it, you giggle at your self at the thought of him with a big beard and dreading in a good way what he is going to do with if when he hugs you like he did when you was younger. You start thinking of what he is gonna put in your pocket when he hugs you because the older you’ve gotten the better things he has given you. It started with chocolate and then moved on to sweets then to money and the older you get the more money he gives you so you are just wondering how much we will give you this time. He loved to drive on the beach with you as a kid but had restriction on how far and fast you went so now that your older your mind rambles on about how fast he will let you go now and you can’t wait. You know when you get there your gonna feel sad about Sam not running in and licking your face because he died 2 years ago, but then you will remember that he had a long and great loving life and didn’t feel anything when he went. Now that you’re older and your taste buds have changed you now know that you can finally enjoy a coffee with him. Even though he doesn’t make the home made pies any more, you’re more than happy to go to the dinner in town with him to enjoy a piece of pie and a great and funny conversation with him. What ever you and your Granddad do you love him and every minute with him because you don’t know when the next you will see him.