My Blood

When my first Grandchild was born I loved him from word go.I arranged my work schedule so that I could keep him when his mother returned to work.I would arrive about a quarter to eight to his gummy welcoming grin.Our days were filled with so much fun.I would put a little striped fedora on his sweet little noggin announcing the need for proper motering headgear.He never attempted to remove it.Jumping in the air I would spin into my best crouching tiger pose declaring with all seriousness", Hah!,my tiger beat your snake as I chopped chopped my way towards him to lightly Chuck him under the chin. His convulsive laughter payment in full. It was a mutual love . Once when he was about two he had spent the night.I was on the day shift by then and was getting him fed and to preschool and myself to work by seven.As he sat in his old wooden high chair with the big blue bunny decopodged on it shoveling in scrambled eggs my husband his arch rival walked by sans shirt.Narrowing his eyes and in a tone that clearly said,what does she see in him,uttered "Huh!what a gut!.I lost it.My husband not believing what this little fella had so completely expressed ask what he had said.My reply?"You heard him.He didn't stutter and from this vantage point your ears don't appear to be flapping".I ask my grandson when he was about three why he didn't like my husband and he said it was because he was ,and I quote him,jealous jealous."Oh honey", I said realizing he had inherited this accursed gene from me,nothing good comes from that.Another time at the end of a weekend visit he started asking how much time he still had to visit about noon on Sunday. Later as he lay between my husband and myself he was crying saying he didn't want to go home the next day.I was trying to be consoling when old arch rival said thinking this would go on all night,Mason,I know you miss old granny but trust me you'll be back before I know it.At this Unwarranted provocation little man bolted upright turned in A.R.'s direction.He then pointed a little crooked index finger right in his face and said this. "You don't know what it means to miss old granny ,but you will one day mister." I am telling you this kid always has and always will be a gift to me. Later when his little brother came along I would get them both at least one midweek day and every other weekend.I was newly married and it was probably unfair to my husband but I was drunk, just absolutely drunk on their love.