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After watching the fireworks, we all headed back home to the living room to watch old family videos on VHS tapes. Anna served the rest of the cookies—the ones Buddy and Cookie hadn’t gotten to—as well as more of the festive s’mores. From the corner of my eye, I could see Uncle Jacob discreetly reach forthreecookies all at once.
Most of the tapes had been from when I was a child. Anna was also in some of them and we both had to endure a bit of ribbing from our parents as they laughed at our childish antics before. One of the tapes had been from Grandpa Frederick’s birthday and I stole a glance at Grandma Margaret, who was seated on the armchair.
She was smiling softly, her eyes never leaving the screen as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“We will meet soon, Freddy,” I heard her murmur so softly. “We will meet soon.”
I could feel the tears stinging my eyes, too. My grandparents shared the kind of love most people could only aspire to and it was clear that Grandma really missed Grandpa Frederick.
Grandma turned towards us all with a soft smile. “It’s really nice that we all came together today. It feels so lovely being part of such a great family!”
“Aw! We love you, too, Mom!” Dad grinned, hurrying over to kiss Grandma’s cheek before he sat down beside Mom again and kissed her, too.
They both acted affectionately, as if it was the first moment they had fallen in love, even after all these years.
Everyone in my family has found the love of their lives, I thought happily, but also with a wistful, little sting in my heart as my thoughts wandered to Oliver ...
Years of marriage and happiness,I thought to myself.Could it be that Oliver and I are destined for such a fate as well?
They played another tape—this time it was of me and Anna playing in the rain in our swimsuits and flipflops. We dashed into the yard, shrieking and laughing, stomping on mud puddles, when six-year-old me slipped and fell face-first into a huge puddle. The camera zoomed in to my muddied face and I hid my face behind a pillow as the rest of the family roared in laughter.
“You were so cute back then!” Anna chuckled, shaking her head.
“What about now?” I shot back with a good-natured grin.
“Shh!” Mom told us. “Keep your voices down, girls. Grandma is already asleep.”
Anna and I turned towards each other with guilty smiles. True enough, it appeared that Grandma Margaret had dozed off in the comfortable armchair with a deep blue shawl over her lap. Her chin was on her chest and there was a trace of a smile on her face.
I frowned at the scene before me and crouched near her.
“Grandma,” I whispered. “Grandma, would you like to transfer to the bedroom?”
I tried to gently shake her arm to wake her up but she didn’t respond at all. That was when I noticed that her chest wasn’t moving anymore.
“Grandma, do you hear me?” I said with a loud voice and all family members looked at me. I reached for her wrist in the way Oliver had once taught me to.
I couldn’t feel a pulse.
* * *
What should have been a happy family gathering ended on a sad note when Grandma Margaret passed away quietly while we were watching happy videos, reminiscing about the past, and laughing at our previous foibles.
That day…she had been saying goodbye and we never really caught on until it was too late and she was already gone.
Gone with Grandpa Frederick, soaring into heaven, free from all the aches and pains of this world, I thought with a sad smile.Bursting into the sky like dazzling fireworks, she finally reunited with the love of her life.
The next day, I was sitting in the same armchair Grandma occupied in my parents’ living room, holding the precious memory of her close to my heart as I stared out into the distance. Buddy was lying at my feet with his head between his paws as he looked up sadly at me.
“I miss her, too, Bud,” I said softly, choking back the tears. “But Grandma is happy now and we should be happy for her, too.”
It sounded like I was trying to convince myself but I was—I truly was happy that Grandma finally met Grandpa Frederick again.
It was just that I still missed her so much, even after knowing that she had gone peacefully.
Dad came into the living room and squeezed my shoulder. “Are you alright?” he asked me softly.
I nodded and wiped the tears from my cheeks.
