A Dance With My Grandfather
The lights dimmed; you could hear the sighing of the guests. I came out of the darkness, with a glittering train that followed. I felt gorgeous. I looked perfect in that split moment of time.
A tall man walked out of the darkness. His suit laid perfectly against his chest. He was older, years had torn away his youth, his age was obvious, but bold.
The lights centered as I started dancing with my grandfather, our feet in cadence with the beat of the music. My train glittered as it flirted with my feet. He looked at me, oh how he looked at me.
I knew I didn't have much time.
"Grandpa, what do you think about life now?" I asked.
"Child," he responded, "The lines on my face tell the stories of my youth, the calluses on my hands tell the story of my hard work, and the aching in my bones tell me the story of time."
"Grandpa, I feel sad." I whispered.
"Child, life is much too short to be sad." he whispered back as he hugged me closer.
I could smell the scent of his home in Korea, the home where he raised four daughters and a son, the home where he fell more in love with his wife by the day. I could smell my grandmother's cooking. I could hear the clanking of dishes, water boiling, my aunts chattering. For that moment, I was there. I sat right at their table, sharing their conversations, more than enough room for my love.
That is when my grandfather looked at me, his piercing eyes digging into me. Tears started to form in my eyes.
"Grandpa, I miss you."
"Child, I have always missed you."
He wiped away a tear and put my head against his chest.
"Child, I know that life has been hard for you. I felt your pain everyday even though we were so far away. I know that your parents tore away your youth. I also watched and did nothing, but that is my pain to bear. I have missed you everyday of my life: from the moment you were born till this evening where I get to dance with my grand daughter."
"Grandpa, must you go?" I asked.
"Just dance with me."
He whisked me away to another place- a place where time had no limit, where pain was forgotten, where sins were forgiven. I could sense that the song was about to end.
"Grandpa, I wish we had more time. I wish you had watched me grow up. I wish you scolded me when I was acting spoiled and rotten. I wish you sneaked me cash to buy clothes when my parents wouldn't give me any. But do you know what I wish for the most? I wish I watched you grow old. I wish I watched you and grandma grow old together. I wish I asked more questions. I wish I tried harder. I wish I had visited more. I wish I prayed a little harder. I wish I was there through the different changes in your life. I wish I learned more from you about life, love, and loss."
"Child, do you know what I wish the most? I wish I visited you more. I wish I could have been there when you took your first solid steps on this Earth. I wish I was there when you had your first dance recital. I wish I saw you graduate high school and graduate college. I wish I was there when you fell in love for the first time and lost love for the first time. I wish I could have been there when you found your life partner and produced new life. Now, more than ever, I wish that I told you more how much I missed you, loved you, thought of you."
The lights started to dim. The outro whispered in the air while the sound of the orchestra started to diminish. My grandfather walked away back to the darkness he entered from. He didn't turn around, he didn't utter another word. I opened my hands to find my grandmother's ring in my clammy palms. When I looked back up, he wasn't there. That split moment of time was gone. Our dance had ended. So there I stood, in the middle of the dance floor, my train still glittering in the light, looking into the darkness he peacefully walked back to.
A tall man walked out of the darkness. His suit laid perfectly against his chest. He was older, years had torn away his youth, his age was obvious, but bold.
The lights centered as I started dancing with my grandfather, our feet in cadence with the beat of the music. My train glittered as it flirted with my feet. He looked at me, oh how he looked at me.
I knew I didn't have much time.
"Grandpa, what do you think about life now?" I asked.
"Child," he responded, "The lines on my face tell the stories of my youth, the calluses on my hands tell the story of my hard work, and the aching in my bones tell me the story of time."
"Grandpa, I feel sad." I whispered.
"Child, life is much too short to be sad." he whispered back as he hugged me closer.
I could smell the scent of his home in Korea, the home where he raised four daughters and a son, the home where he fell more in love with his wife by the day. I could smell my grandmother's cooking. I could hear the clanking of dishes, water boiling, my aunts chattering. For that moment, I was there. I sat right at their table, sharing their conversations, more than enough room for my love.
That is when my grandfather looked at me, his piercing eyes digging into me. Tears started to form in my eyes.
"Grandpa, I miss you."
"Child, I have always missed you."
He wiped away a tear and put my head against his chest.
"Child, I know that life has been hard for you. I felt your pain everyday even though we were so far away. I know that your parents tore away your youth. I also watched and did nothing, but that is my pain to bear. I have missed you everyday of my life: from the moment you were born till this evening where I get to dance with my grand daughter."
"Grandpa, must you go?" I asked.
"Just dance with me."
He whisked me away to another place- a place where time had no limit, where pain was forgotten, where sins were forgiven. I could sense that the song was about to end.
"Grandpa, I wish we had more time. I wish you had watched me grow up. I wish you scolded me when I was acting spoiled and rotten. I wish you sneaked me cash to buy clothes when my parents wouldn't give me any. But do you know what I wish for the most? I wish I watched you grow old. I wish I watched you and grandma grow old together. I wish I asked more questions. I wish I tried harder. I wish I had visited more. I wish I prayed a little harder. I wish I was there through the different changes in your life. I wish I learned more from you about life, love, and loss."
"Child, do you know what I wish the most? I wish I visited you more. I wish I could have been there when you took your first solid steps on this Earth. I wish I was there when you had your first dance recital. I wish I saw you graduate high school and graduate college. I wish I was there when you fell in love for the first time and lost love for the first time. I wish I could have been there when you found your life partner and produced new life. Now, more than ever, I wish that I told you more how much I missed you, loved you, thought of you."
The lights started to dim. The outro whispered in the air while the sound of the orchestra started to diminish. My grandfather walked away back to the darkness he entered from. He didn't turn around, he didn't utter another word. I opened my hands to find my grandmother's ring in my clammy palms. When I looked back up, he wasn't there. That split moment of time was gone. Our dance had ended. So there I stood, in the middle of the dance floor, my train still glittering in the light, looking into the darkness he peacefully walked back to.
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