The only excitement in my life was the few times Deeana and Kristina came over because when they did, we would always end up poolside, and I would have multiple opportunities to feel their soft bodies.
However, the ABSOLUTE BEST THING I got to experience was taking a bath with Deeana. Unlike Amanda or even Kristina, Deeana seemed more free-spirited and had no problem hopping in the tub with me, which meant I got to enjoy a feast for the eyes and mess around with her on that occasion.
Not gonna lie; it was pretty awesome; unfortunately, since I was still a baby, my body didn’t have any physical reactions, nor were my hormones acting up, so everything I was experiencing was mental. Still, it was a fun experience for me.
With that said, the days came and went until the day I had been waiting for arrived. For years, even after Amanda left, my family had a specific weekly pattern; every day was similar until Sunday rolled around, as that was the day we would go visit my grandparents.
To some people, my excitement may seem unwarranted, but let me explain something important to you. Due to the age difference between Amanda and my father, my grandparents were already relatively old by the time I came around, in their 80s.
Although I spent a lot of time with my Grandfather because he lived to be 91, my Nanny had a massive stroke in 1999, not long after the divorce between Amanda and my father, so I never really got to know her.
Sure, I had heard hundreds of stories from Annie over the years, but now that I was back in time, I actually looked forward to getting to know my Nanny and wiping away all the memories of her being non-verbal and in a wheelchair.
Yet, while I was excited to get to know my grandmother, there was a larger reason I was brimming with energy while safely buckled into my car seat as my father Drove us to my Grandfather’s house.
It wasn’t that he lived on a big lake or that he had boats and jetskis; no, it was that inside my grandpa’s computer room, there was a large safe, one filled with rare coins, personal documents, and savings bonds, more importantly, multiple gold and silver bars.
Normally, you wouldn’t think that I’d be over the moon about such a thing; it was, after all, a safe with a combination dial…but there was one key thing I left out…hehe…I knew the combination.
Tucked back away from the main road was an older house built in the 1960s. With its long winding driveway and colossal satellite dish in the back, it sat on about three acres of land, and to the north and west was a massive chain of lakes.
Painted in an off-white shade, the older home had withstood multiple hurricanes and years under the HOT Florida sun. The driveway ended in an upside-down L shape, with a carport covering the front door and pushes running along the front of the house.
On the opposite side of the carport, which was protecting an expensive Cadillac convertible, was a boat ramp and multiple old yet tall willow trees, adding a nice view to the canal which wrapped around the left side of the house before opening up to the massive body of water behind the house.
This house was where my grandparents lived, and honestly, I had a lot of fond memories of the place. Since I would come here at the very minimum 58 times a year, it wasn’t too far a stretch to say I had spent thousands of hours on the lake, boating or fishing, let alone sitting in the ’Florida room’ *an add on room, mainly positioned at the back of the house and designed to let in as much sunlight and fresh air as possible. Think of it as an enclosed patio with giant windows instead of walls.*
Every Sunday and every holiday until 2005, when my Grandpa passed away, we would be at this house, and seeing it again for the first time in over 30 years brought a warm, nostalgic smile to my lips.
’This place never changes,’ I thought as we pulled up behind the brand-new Ford Bronco parked on the leftmost side of the driveway, opposite the carport.
I say that, but in 2004, a massive category five hurricane hit Florida and ended up knocking down the majority of the large willow trees, so seeing them again made me narrow my eyes for a split second before going back to taking in the view I hadn’t even realized I missed.
Reaching up, I gripped the two straps on my shoulders, which trapped me in my car seat, and waited patiently as my father brought our four-runner to a stop and got out of the car.
Soon enough, I was free of the annoying contraption and in my father’s arms as we walked across the driveway, under the carport, and into the large kitchen, which was where the door led to.
"Dad, Mom, we’re here!" My father half shouted, half spoke since both my grandparents were hard of hearing as he walked out of the kitchen, which led to a dining room, turned left, and entered the living room.
The moment we stepped into the 20x15 foot living room, my heart shook, and I felt a tickle at the back of my throat.
Sitting in the same blue recliner, I could remember was an elderly man wearing large coke-bottle glasses. Not far away, on a matching colored felt couch, was an elderly lady with snow white hair, working on a cross stitch with glasses similar to the man’s.
’Nanny and Grandpa…’ Feeling the stinging in my tear ducts, I fought the urge to cry as they both got up to greet us before smothering me with affection.
Being the 2nd boy born in the family after Riley, I was, of course, the apple of my Grandpa’s eye as my existence meant the bloodline would go on.
Moving from my father’s arms to my Granpa’s, hundreds of thoughts and questions unasked in my past lifetime surged into my head, leaving me upset that I was too young to be asking them.