Chapter Four
"Now," she said, snuggling against me, her hand flat against my chess, just touching, "you tell ME a secret"
"Hmmmmmm," I said, looking up at the ceiling, "something no one else knows?"
"Of course," she said, smiling at me.
"Okay," I said, closing my eyes, knowing I was smiling as I thought back.
"After my grandfather died my grandmother and I shared a bed for three months," I said.
"Oh my," she said, "tell me."
"Well," I said, getting my thoughts together and thinking back, "it was actually my great-grandmother, my mother's grandmother. I used to spend the summers with her and when my great grandfather died I went to the funeral."
I paused, remembering, and she said, "and?"
"You know how it is at a funeral," I said, "chatting with relatives and friends you haven't seen lately. Making small talk. Reminiscing. My cousin Margie, the pretty, tall blonde who had claimed my virginity, took me aside and said, 'you need to take care of her tonight,' nodding at gramma."
"So I said something brilliant and witty like, 'take care of?'"
"She grinned then, that knowing grin that always made me feel stupid, and said, 'yes, when this is over and we've all gone, you stay here with her.'"
"And I realized what she was telling me and said, 'Margie!?'"
"And there was that grin again and she said, 'yes Davey, you stay with her and take care of her. She needs it.'"
"And then she was gone. Off, mingling. I didn't see her again for years."
"I went to gramma and said, 'about ready to relax?'"
"She looked up at me, smiled, and said, 'yes, please.'"
"Things were slowing down, we had already buried him and were at gramma's house, you know, mingling. I did the dinging-on-my-glass thing, feeling VERY adult, and said, 'Just a couple of memories before I chase you all out and let gramma relax.'"
"It felt funnier than I had expected, all of them looking at me. Many I had known since I was a boy but some were strangers. But anyway, I soldiered on."
"'Grampa had some wonderful lessons for the son of a single mom,' I said to the group. 'He taught me to drink whisky in the front seat of an old Chevy pickup,' and there was laughter and plenty of 'hear hear.' And he taught me that women are special, something I imagine he showed gramma every day,' and I looked down at her and she was smiling with tears almost gently running down her cheeks."
"'Now,' I went on, 'thank you all but now please let me clean up and let gramma rest.'"