The grandfather i never had.

The first time i saw him sitting quietly in the day room, i was drawn to him. He had a head full of gray hair and was dressed sharply from head to toe. Though his clothes were old and worn, they told the story of a distinguished gentleman. I imagined what he was like as a young man, he must have been very dapper indeed.

He was very proper when he spoke, words articulated in clipped tones with the old southern accent. I enjoyed listening to him speak. He reminded me of a school teacher. I never asked him what he had done for a living although he did tell me about his days in Vietnam when he was a young man. A very young 18 year old man. He told me stories of how they would sneak out of base and go drinking. I was transported into a different time and place, back to the porch of my grandparents house, listening to my granddaddy tell me stories about his youth. He reminded me of the grandfather i never had.

I looked at him and wondered how he ended up in this place. He seemed fine to me. Everything was in place, nothing out of the ordinary.

Then i heard the giggles. His cute, childish giggles. He was so tickled by something. Share the joke, grandfather. What's so funny?

Nothing. Nothing was obviously funny to me, but somewhere in the recess of his mind was the greatest joke ever told. Sadly, only he could hear it and he didn't possess the ability to share it. Although, he couldn't stop telling me how funny it was.

I looked at him, so prim and proper; southern gentleman from head to toe and i finally understood why he ended up here.

Still, if i had a grandfather, i would want him to be just like HIM, the grandfather i never had.


This post was inspired by my favorite patient at the psychiatric hospital. When u work graveyard shift at a psych hospital, u dare not fall asleep lest you be slapped awake by a patient (or fired! There are cameras everywhere). So what do u do to stay awake when the green tea you swear by has failed to do its job? You write!