A True Lady

My 98 year old grandma died yesterday afternoon. She was a real lady.

I remember when I was little, I used to watch in awe as she'd fasten a pin to her jacket, that matched the rhinestone earrings clipped to her ears. She had a heart shaped diamond necklace that Grandpa gave to her that I rarely saw her without. Grandpa would always warm or cool the car for her depending on the weather. This was what ladies did and this is what they got in return. My little kid self thought that was amazing.

She lived in a little house within walking distance to a zoo and a candy store. When she and Grandpa moved, they choose a condo with an indoor pool, an elevator (!!!), and a giant park across the street that had a lake you could walk around. I couldn't believe the luck of having a grandma that would choose to hang in such neighborhoods. I always won, hands down in the "my grandma is cooler than yours" competition. I usually saved the indoor pool for my last play.

She taught me that you had to wash dishes in really hot water because of Batterria. I wasn't quite sure what Batteria were, but I knew they must be really bad for grandma to risk the perils of hot water. I was about 5, I imagine. She wore long, rubber gloves when she washed dishes that she later cut into rubber bands when they were worn out. I thought she looked really elegant in those long rubber gloves. They came in great colors and I couldn't wait to get my own pair. I still think of her every time I wash dishes. I shared this with a class I taught about food safety and my students all laughed when I told them about how Grandma said the bacteria was gone when your Playtex Living gloves squeaked on the glasses.

She played with me. Got right down on the floor and would play board games and card games and games with dice and little men. She had a magic closet where she kept her games and I couldn't wait to slide it open. The best part about this? I think she actually had fun doing it.

She bought me candy that my mom always said no to. She always had lemon drops and would take me to Bridgeman's for hamburgers and ice cream. I loved that she ordered from the kid's menu too. She had a friend in an Iron Lung who I thought was part robot and she used to take me to visit her. She never got tired of holding my hand as I balanced on the curb when we went for walks. She had a cookie jar shaped like an orange that was always full. Her kitchen was like something out of the Jetson's with sliding drawers and spaceship oven doors. She collected bells and had one of those little birds that dipped into water over and over and over again.

When I was in college, grandma used to pick me up in her car and drive me, while peering through the spokes of the steering wheel to a little Italian restaurant. I'm sure from behind, it appeared that no one was driving that little brown car! I had my first Chicken Marsala with her. It was kind of like having a surrogate mom when I was away from home.

Grandma's smile could light up a room. Her last smiles to me will always be treasured along with the private moments we had before she died. She always made me feel loved and truly listened to with interest and concern. There could be no greater gift than that.

I can't wait to see her again.