“Oh I will, Herman,” Derrick said.
Nodding his head, Gramps said, “Awesome! I was hoping you would.” He gave Derrick a smile.
I started to get up from my seat and follow them into the living room when Gram lightly slapped my hand. “And where do you think you’re going, Patrick Allen?”
Oh boy, I’m in trouble. Turning to Gram I opened my mouth when she giggled. Picking up her plate she asked, “Why don’t you help me with the dishes?”
“Okay, Gram.” Picking up mine and Derrick’s plates, I started to walk over to the sink. Gram didn’t like dishwashers. She said they were poison. She enjoyed washing dishes the old-fashioned way, with some dish soap and hot water. She enjoyed looking out the window and getting lost in her thoughts and imagination. Gram always told the best stories. She got so into the stories telling every single detail, you felt like you were there in the moment with her.
I put the plug in the sink so the water wouldn’t run out, then turned on the water and slowly poured in some dish soap. While Gram wrapped the leftovers from breakfast, I got the rest of the dishes. I started to rinse off the dishes and got lost thinking about what Derrick said at the table. I was relieved and excited that we were on the same page.
“What are you thinking?” Gram asked.
Turning to her, I shrugged and muttered, “Nothing, really.”
“You’re lying, Pat.” Nudging me in the side, Gram said, “Come on, hon. Tell your Gram what’s on your mind.”
“I—I’m scared.”
“Of what, honeybear?” Wrapping her arms around my waist, Gram hugged me. “Patrick, what’s wrong?”
I wrapped my arm around Gram’s shoulder and kissed her on the forehead. “It’s Derrick.”
“What about him, baby?”
I shook my head and whispered, “Everything.” I paused to think about it. “I love Derrick, Gram.”
Gram ran her fingers across my face. Smiling up at me, she said, “I know, baby.” She scrunching her eyebrows together. “I still don’t see what the problem is.”
“I don’t know. It’s just I’m in love with Derrick, but what if—”
“You stop that, Patrick Allen. You stop that right now,” Gram demanded. She turned me to the direction of the living room. “You look at that boy in there, Patrick. And you look good, because that boy,” shaking her head, Gram corrected herself, “That man in there loves you.”
Wrapping my face in her hands, Gram looked up at me. “The real kind, baby. Not the kind where you love someone as a friend. The in love kind.” Gram had a few tears forming. “I truly believe people only get one great love in their life. Some people find theirs. Others are unfortunate. Some let theirs go and then regret it later, but it’s oftentimes too late. And others?” Pausing, she smiled and looked over at my gramps. “They’re lucky enough to marry that person. What you have with Derrick is that.” Turning back to me, Gram smiled. “Don’t let him go, baby.”
“What is love, Gram?” It was probably a stupid question to ask, but sometimes I don’t even think people know what that is. I knew my gram did and that’s why I asked her.
“What do you mean by that, Patrick?”
“I mean what does it truly mean to love someone? To be in love?”
“It means that you never give up on that person.” She smiled up at me. “It means that through the hardest of times you are there for that person. That you don’t give up. That’s what love is, Pat. It’s easy to love someone through the easy times. But what’s so beautiful about it is that when you go through the struggles and the lowest of lows, that person is there for you. It’s undeniably the most beautiful experience in the world.”
Turning to look over at Derrick, I smiled, because I knew that that was what I had with him. What I would experience with him. Hell, I had experienced that with him. I wrapped my arms around Gram and pulled her in to my chest. Giving a gentle squeeze, I said, “Thanks, Gram.” I kissed her on the top of her head.
“Anytime, baby,” she whispered into my chest as she patted me on my back.
As we held onto one another, I thought about how grateful I was to my grandparents. A part of me started to get sad too, because I knew that my grandparents wouldn’t be there with me forever. I whispered, “I love you so much, Gram.”
Tears started to run down my face. Reaching her hand up to my face, Gram whispered, “What’s the matter, baby?”
“I just love you so much, Gram. I’m just so grateful to you and Gramps.”
“We wouldn’t have it any other way, Pat.” Dropping her head, she said, “I wish your parents could see you. They’re probably smiling down at you from heaven. I have no doubt in my body they’re so proud of you.”
Wiping away my tears, I said, “Thanks, Gram.” I had always wondered if my parents would be proud of me. What I had done with my life so far.
Nudging my side, Gram said, “All right, let’s get these dishes done.”