I love my grandma. In one conversation we talked about how she stuffed her bra during her wedding in 1951, universal heath care and why don't us poor people demand it, the power of writing the human story, how she believes in me going to NY with or without my boyfriend, and how she once saw the Virgin Mary in a bathtub.
I made it point to everyone that today was a grandma day. I only have 3.5 days back in town and I didn't give a fuck what people thought: Friday was for grandma and no one else.
I got to the house when my mom was getting ready to leave for the wedding rehearsal and she quickly gave me a bunch of presents I didn't need and drilled me in why I was moving out of my boyfriend's house which I had to spin into a good thing. Perhaps it's telling that throughout the night when she'd call she'd ask me if I like the gifts and if I could use them when I didn't give them a second glance. Give me an hour talking to my grandma than all the gifts in the world. But I'll talk about my mom in a different entry.
And so my g-ma and I talked--her in her favorite chair with the tape on the side to fix the cat scratches, and me on that old embroidered couch half sunken-in. She talked about her bra stuffing and economy and we got into a discussion about my future plans in publishing and how I eventually need to move to New York or Boston to pursue a career there.
She's 100% behind me moving to New York and had one question: "When?". I told her I prefer to move to places in the summer months and if it wasn't this summer than next summer and when I feel fully ready. She asked me if my boyfriend would follow me. I told her that I honestly didn't know. She said to go anyway and that I needed to do what I needed to do and if it came down to it, he needs to do what he needs to do in San Diego if he won't follow.
We moved to the kitchen where I had brought her some fresh baked onion-herb bread from my favorite Danville bakery. As she heated some things up we talked some more about careers. Grandma: "What does [my boyfriend] do? Me: "You know medical marijuana? Grandma: "Yes." Me: "He's in the industry." Grandma: "Good. He's helping people. If they're sick, great. If they just want it to get high, let them." Me: [surprised] "I'm glad to hear you say that."
We ate a typical-mixed-menu-grandma dinner of 1 teriyaki chicken strip per person, potpie served like mashed potatoes, some white rice, a ham-filled crossiant per person, and a chocolate chip muffin. We talked about Obama and how much my grandmother hated George W. Bush. We talked again about hope.
Grandma: "You are an inspiring person to me." Me: "No, you are the best person in my life. Honestly. You give me hope and inspire me to pursue my dreams, and there just aren't a lot of people telling people my age to do that right now."
My aunt came over for a few mintues to feed the cats and bitch about the ridiculousness of the wedding tomorrow when they've already been married for 5 years. She was going to the bridal shower, which was only further pissing my aunt off since the girl hasn't been a bachelorette in half a decade so isn't it inappropiate to expect a gift?
I stayed behind with grandma and joked that we'd have our own wild and crazy night. I painted her nails then painted mine as we talked about Half Moon Bay and all the trips she and my grandpa took there throughout 7 decades. She was married to my grandpa for 55 years and had been with him for 60. He was her first kiss and only love. She talked about Regis Philbin and how they used to watch him together, and how she wants to write to him about me to help me get a job in New York.
I ended the night by telling her about running into the ocean at 3am in a little black with my boyfriend and some friends and how absolutely beautiful the ocean was that night. She smiled big and said she could picture it. She's planning a trip to the beach next Spring with my mom. Before I left somehow we got into a small debate on why my grandma doesn't like Adele. Something about the melodies and how my grandma prefers the blues and swing.
And so I left her with her nails all shiny, that wry smile, her crooked back, and told her I'd see her tomorrow.
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