More Than Just A Piece of Candy “That man just waved! He waved at ME!” Grandma Frantz yelled from her bedroom. The routine was the same every time Rick Wong mowed the lawn. As long as he was in her field of vision, he knew that Grandma was watching him, waiting for a wave. The purr of the motor would grow gradually louder until Rick would suddenly cut the power, hop off the mower, and jump into her world by coming right up on the deck to knock on her sliding door. Grandma would give Rick an endearing smile and he would hand her a baggy with seven pieces of candy clearly visible. Why the odd number? He wanted her to have something to share with each member of our family. Never staying long, he would soon exit, tossing a treat to the dog. Over the years Grandma Frantz spent many hours admiring Rick as he carefully tended our yard. She told me, “You don’t see many young men work that hard anymore these days.” I guess she was unaware the he was over sixty because he seemed energetic. We, too, were equally oblivious that he wasn’t as healthy as he appeared. So, we are still adjusting to the fact that Rick has passed away from liver cancer. Sometimes life is stranger than fiction, isn’t it? No one can accurately predict who will live or die. As Grandma nears 100, she has lost many special people along the way, including Rick, her favorite mower man. Because of Alzheimer’s, her memories of him have faded, but our family still remembers his thoughtfulness. A wave, a smile, and a piece of candy may seem like small things, but they are not.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 14:26:31 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015