Precious Moment With Grandfather

PRECIOUS MOMENT WITH GRANDFATHER I had so many tender moments with my grandfather, who passed away, sixteen days after my tenth birthday. He showed in so many ways how much he loved me and cared for me in little gestures that meant so much to me. Two days ago I was talking to my eighty five year old aunt, his last surviving child and who is so dear to me. She told me that my grandparents loved and adored me so much and cared about me being their first grandchild. Ahh, it made me reminisce all those tender, sweet moments with my grandparents during my childhood; but most of all the most tender moment when I saw how my grandfather looked when I was very ill. When I was five I had a very high fever that would not come down and the doctors could not to anything. I was in bed for days, not able to get up and barely ate. I could hardly move and talk that I could only open and close my eyes and looked at everybody around me. He always stayed with me, watched me and I saw in his tender gazes the caring, the concern he had for me. He never gave up and had his friend, a faith healer or a quack doctor came to do something to save me. I would never forget, my grandfather staying with his friend, listening and doing what he asked him to do and my grandfather’s faith that he would heal me for his look of concern turned to hope that I would get well. I saw my grandfather’s smile at the corner of his mouth glancing at me while watching what his friend was doing and I also wondered at that moment why I was able to see what his friend did step by step, although I was so weak. Suddenly, I started making slow movements and looked at everybody and when I glanced at my grandfather, who was smiling while talking to his friend, I saw the joy in his face and he came beside me touching my forehead so tenderly. 6/12/21 A Tender Moment From Childhood Poetry Malabika Ray Choudhury