Last week I was given an opportunity to leave my cynical attitude outside so that I could remind myself about some of the deeper things in life.
Grandma walked steadily and carefully down the long hallway to visit her friends in the rest home. Each of her steps were taken skillfully as her ninety year old hand wrapped around a cane for balance. Visually impaired, she still managed to walk right up to the vending machine. "Is there any chocolate in there?" she asked me. "Yes grandma, Hershey's." "I need to get two bars, please." She held out her shaky arm for me to rummage through the small black purse that was draped over her forearm. Once the candy bars had been purchased and they successfully fell from the machine and broke in half, we continued our long journey to the end of the hallway.
Upon arriving to our destination, strange smells filled the air. Awkward silences lingered in the atmosphere and the faint sound of televisions blurred throughout the hallway. All five foot four of me towered over grandma as I opened the door for her to walk into her Aunt Violet's room. After visiting with Aunt Violet and convincing her that the Hershey bar wasn't a comb, Grandma visited with another friend, Wanda. She broke off a piece of chocolate and placed it on Wanda's tongue. I watched as Wanda's face instantly turned from confusion to satisfaction. "I'll be back to visit soon," Grandma promised as she slowly walked out.
"I need to visit my dear friend, Enid," Grandma stated. We walked towards her friend's room. A friend I never knew well. As we scooted along, I was given the rundown on Enid. The two of them had been friends ever since grade school. Now, both ninety years old, they have many years behind them. We turned into Enid's room. A small, frail body lay in bed. Enid's mouth agape, I tried to hide my shock as it was evident that she was ready to move on. She stared blankly into the air, blinking only when her eyes began to dry. I looked at Enid's eyes and wondered what all they had seen over the past century. Wars, inventions, births, deaths, joys, sorrows. Grandma didn't hesitate as she walked directly up to Enid's little body. She tucked Enid's hair behind her ears and ran her crooked fingers down the side of her face. "Bless your heart," Grandma quietly said. She wrapped her spotted arms around the delicate lady and buried her wrinkled face into her shoulder. "Goodbye, Enid," she said matter-of-factly. I stood off to the side telling myself to think about NFL, chocolate cake or snakes; anything to help dissolve the lump in my throat. Then cautiously, as if laying down a newborn baby, Grandma released her arms from Enid and decisively walked out the door without looking back.
I followed after her and we quietly walked down the sterile hallway without saying a word. Grandma's labored breathing let me know that she needed to stop and rest. I placed my hands on her rounded shoulders to stop her. Her walking stopped and she looked up at me through watery eyes. "Grandma," I said, "I don't think you're going to see your friend again. Are you okay?" "Yes," she answered firmly, "Let's go get some ice cream."
