I knew Jenny wouldn’t let me live it down if she wasn’t able to be at the next dinner party. I telephoned my son and ask if Jenny could spend the Friday evening with me. He said that they didn’t have plans so they would love to come for dinner… Uninviting someone is never enjoyable so I quickly suggested the whole family come Wednesday for dinner, and then I could watch Jenny for the weekend again.
I told David I had promised her a whole new Grandpa-granddaughter day. There was kind of an awkward silence. He was a little puzzled, but he just went along with it.
I’m not sure if it was flattering or not, that I am normally so crazy that he just believed me… or just figured he might as well humor his old man. I do love my David, one thing he really learned from his mom, is to pick battles. He is unmovable when he should be and easy going the rest of the time.
Wednesday came around and I had David, Marie and Jenny come early that evening to all help cook together. It was so sweet to see how we all appreciated our time together.
The mutual gratitude in the room just seemed to grow and shine. I couldn’t help a tear welling up in my eye. David noticed it and putting his hand on mine, “I’m sorry Dad, I know you miss Mom. I miss her too.”
It was such a sweet moment I didn’t know how to tell him that wasn’t exactly the reason I was crying. I mean ultimately the gratitude I was feeling was from the family Ann and I had created together, but in that moment I was mostly feeling proud of him and his family.
He was shocked to see me open up Mom’s recipes when he got here today. We didn’t ever talk about Mom much, I think we just felt like if we didn’t talk about her being gone, it was okay to feel like she would just come walking in the room sometime. I now wished we had talked more about her, but I still don’t know how we would have brought it up.
We were making a macaroni dish with cheese, and following Ann’s recipe we added chicken and green peas. Also we made treacle sponge pudding.
Jenny was the first to pick up the recipe and start reading it off which seemed entertaining to her parents.
“So have you been teaching Grandpa how to cook, or has he been teaching you?” Marie asked Jenny.
“I don’t know, we’ve just been cooking.”
“I’ve never seen you so excited to cook before.”
Without even a hitch Jenny replied, “Well I have to get excited about cooking sometime or I’ll starve in college.”
Jenny was always happy, but that was the one thing she couldn’t hide due to recent events, but she covered really well. I could tell David and Marie sensed something was up, but knowing it would be a good surprise, they were hesitant to spoil it. A good surprise it is too, and something they would never guess.
“Already planning for college?” Marie asked.
“If you fail to plan you plan to fail, like Benjamin Franklin said,” Jenny spouted not turning as she added a few shakes of salt to the macaroni.
“Wow! Look who’s suddenly a homemaker. I thought you wanting to be a historian?” Marie asked.
“And I’m going to be a doctor like Dad, and a writer like you.”
“Well you do have your mom’s beauty and I’m sure you will have her knack for writing as well,” David complemented.
Not having girls I didn’t know how important that was that David complimented her. I wondered where her confidence came from, but I think I understand a little better now. I don’t know if children come how they are, or if they learn, but either way David and Marie are great parents, whether they can take credit for how delightful Jenny is or not.
Jenny blushed at her dad’s kind words. Marie spoke, “Well there is nothing stopping you.”
“I just wish I could read faster and remember more.”
A lighthearted laughter filled the room. “Don’t we all,” Marie agreed.
“I wish I could see well enough to read or remember at all sometimes,” I joked.
“You’re not that blind yet Dad,” David minimized. “It’s probably because you hate wearing glasses.”
“Glasses are the devil.”
“If you would just wear them without taking them on and off every ten seconds maybe you’d get used to them,”
“Why don’t you like glasses grandpa?” Jenny inquired.
“They make me feel claustrophobic,” I responded.
“What’s that mean?” Jenny asked.
“It means grandpa is scared of being trapped in small places, like a closet… or behind eye glasses apparently,” David said and chuckled.
Jenny’s perplexed look only made David laugh harder, and Marie couldn’t help laughing either.
“I don’t understand it either Jenny, but with glasses I can only see what’s directly in front of me and that makes me feel anxious.”