texaswildfire

My grandpa West is awesome.
The meaning of the word, of course.
He is where I get my writing 'talents' from, according to my dad.
Marc and Seth had been talking about him forever.
So, it seems only natural that we'd go visit him and my grandmother.

My grandmother is quiet traditional in her manner.
She cooks, cleans, does errands and manages to get it all done before noon.
All she wears are dresses that belonged to her mother.
They are pretty and make her look young despite her long white hair.

Knowing I will get to see them later has made me happy.
More so because I know I can sleep on the way there.
Really sleep.
I won't have to worry about Seth drawing on my face.
Or Jonah flicking things into my mouth.

I get up at 7:00 to do my make-up.
My grandmother complains if I don't have at least mascara on.
She complains about a lot of things when it comes to me.
I wear pants too much.
I am too skinny.
I don't know how to take care of myself the right way.

Grandpa lets it all go.
He says more women should be like me.
Do what they want, not what's expected.
Live their lives to the fullest without any regrets.
He likes my mom for the same reason.


That's why I wear jeans.
And a t-shirt.
And lots of cute bracelets.
Grandpa will like them. Grandmother will hate them.
It's a win-win situation.

"I put some money and one of my credit cards in your wallet in case you need them," my mother tells me when I come down stairs with my backpack. "Do you know if Marc will stop for breakfast? You two need to eat before you leave."

"He's probably eaten already and thank you," I tell her.

"Then you should have something. I know there isn't much time until he plans to leave but it's better than eating candy the entire trip," she muses while trying to find something, anything suitable for a quick breakfast.

"Mama, will be fine. Breakfast or no breakfast. I am sure that we will stop for gas and lunch," I remind her. "Don't worry about anything. I have my cellphone, fully charged, medicine for everything I can imagine, extra clothes in case I need them and, thanks to you and dad, even more money."

She smiles and pats my head encouragingly.
I know that she's happy that I am so organized.
Marc is rubbing off on me.
In more ways than one.

She says she loves me before I go outside to meet Marc.
He's tossing his own backpack into the trunk of his car.
Jeans. Olive t-shirt. Perfect hair.
He has only one bracelet on. A brown leather one that ties around his left wrist.
He takes my backpack, tosses it in with his own and shuts the trunk.

We get into the car.
He backs out and we're on our way.
But I get annoyed quick.
He's chosen to bring only his classical C.D.'s.
The violins are good for romance.
They are not, however, good for long car trips.

He's not a stupid boy.
He knows, immediately, that this isn't my cup of tea, so to speak.

"I completely understand that you aren't liking this so far but, I swear to you, by the time we get to your grandparents house, you will like it as much as I do," he says, reaching over to pat my leg. "But, just in case, if you brought some C.D.'s of your own, we can switch to them when I stop for gas."

"It's fine," I lie. "It's just not what I'm used to."

"You didn't bring your C.D.'s, did you," he asks, gently poking my leg.

"No," I shake my head. "I didn't. Okay. We should move on to another subject. What made you want to go visit Seth and my grandparents all of a sudden? I mean, you didn't even mention it to me at all yesterday, or the day before that."

"I didn't plan on going to visit them. Seth called and made it seem like the perfect time of the year to go visit," he says. "Your grandmother is in Vegas with her bridge club and Thursday night, there is going to be some kind of award's ceremony for your grandfather's last published piece. It promises to be amazing!"

Award's ceremony?
Grandpa likes his throphies so I know he won't pass that up for the world.
Seth won't pass up free food.
And, Marc, this will be something he can use as a learning expierence.

Meanwhile, I will get to lounge around and be a princess for two days.
And that is exactly what happens when we arrive.
Grandpa makes a big deal about how pretty I am.
Then he makes a big deal about how talented Marc is.

He shows me to the room I always stay in and I fall in love.
Again.
It's so pretty!
Blue walls with white trim, a huge comfortable bed and giant window with a terrace.
Seth and Jonah always got the downstairs rooms.
They're small and drab and cowboy themed.

"Well, my little princess, you make yourself comfortable," my grandpa tells me when he drops my backpack on the bed. "Seth and your boyfriend are going to get the dinner I ordered because, you know, I am a horrible cook."

What?
Did Seth tell him about me and Marc?
Or did he figure it out himself?
Or was he just being sarcastic?

"How did you know he was my boyfriend," I ask him quick, forgetting all he just said about the dinner I am dying for.

"Seth told your grandmother and I about it when we asked him to catch us up on things," my grandpa says. "Don't worry about anything. I'm a cool grandpa. Just not cool enough to let the two of you stay in the same room. He's staying downstairs in the room next to Seth's."

"Are you sure it's okay? I know how much grandma always tells me that I shouldn't get involved with anyone until I am done with school and..."

"She's not here," grandpa reminds me with a smile and a pat on my shoulder. "So, while we're waiting for them to get back, unpack your stuff and get comfortable! You get to choose the Pay Per View movie tonight."

He bounces out of the room.
He is probably going to check if there is any ice-cream in the freezer.
I drop everything out onto the bed and put it away in the dressers.
Then, I join my grandpa downstairs.
He's exactly where I hoped to find him; putting out ice-cream pints to thaw.

"Seth said you liked the Karamel Sutra," he laughs. "Such a play on words, don't ya think? He got Chunky Monkey. Jeez, kiddo, the things come up with these days. So, you gonna tell me how you met your booooyfrrrieeennd?"

I hate that he stretches out the word but I laugh anyway.

"He's been Seth's friend forever, though I'm not sure why. They are as different as night and day," I tell him, taking a seat at the table. "It's only recently that we have started to hang out together. We get along really well, and, I have had a crush on him for a very long time."

"Finally got the courage to talk to him," grandpa asks, sitting next to me.

"Not exactly," I say. "He came after me one night after Seth and Jonah totally humiliated me to make sure that I was alright."

"Oh, a gentleman," my grandpa half teases. "I am just happy that you found someone that is both smart and caring. You deserve someone like that. Every girl does. Now, my dear, go find a movie on for us all. With your grandmother gone, there is no need for us to all sit around this huge table. The couch and recliners are just as capable as these chairs are of supporting us and plates."

He winks and nudges me.
My grandpa is too cool. Too nice. Too cheeky.
Seth and Marc come back as I turn the T.V. on.
I find a movie on.
"Shutter".
Yeah, a horror movie is awesome to watch while you're eating.

I get comfortable on the couch so I can accept the plate my grandpa brings for me.
Seth sits next to me in the recliner.
Marc sits on the couch with me.
Grandpa takes the other, newer recliner.

And, we sit there staring at the T.V. and eating more than we should.
It's such fun that, after the one movie is over, we rent another.
Grandpa says you can't eat ice-cream without watching a movie.
We all tend to agree.

No one really moves until after midnight.
Grandpa goes to bed.
Seth and Marc go pass out in their rooms.
I, on the other hand, go wash our dishes.
I hate them being left in the sink.

Summer is awesome.
It couldn't get much better than this.
Could it?

Why, yes, it could.
My grandpa's bedroom is upstairs and at the back of the house.
It'll be easy to sneak into Marc's bedroom.

I head upstairs.
Change into some pajamas and open the bedroom door.
My grandpa is coming down the hallway.
For no reason at all.
No.
He might be cool but he's smart.
Bed checks.

So, I shut the door and get into bed.
I can't sleep.
My stomach is too full.
But, after a while, I settle down enough to fall asleep.
Out of boredom.