“My grandfather lives in a cabin not far from here.” Nancy said while she was putting on her make-up.
“Why isn’t he living with your parents?” I said as I put on my shirt.
“Well, he has always preferred to live alone every since grammy died.”
“That’s sad. Wouldn’t it be better if he lived with other people?”
She smiled fondly. “I know it sounds like he’s a lonely, miserable hermit, but he’s not. It’s just that he used to spend a lot of time with grammy in that cabin. I guess he just wants to desperately cling to his memories with her.”
“He must have really loved her then.”
Nancy walked towards me until our faces were only inches from each other. “He didn’t love her; in fact he loves her. I think one of the reasons why I’m an awful romantic is because I’ve always seen my grandparents so in love. I mean, my parents have also shown their cheesy romantic sides, but witnessing my grandparents’ love over the years just made me eternally a romantic.” She began playing with my hair, and I was just entranced by her presence: her intense gaze, the scent of her perfume, and the way her touch has always stirred feelings of addiction. She was a drug—a drug which I am addicted to and at the same time the cure to any cynical affliction.
Nancy’s eyes were suddenly filled with sadness. “She died fifteen years ago. Gramps took it hard, and for months his sadness was contagious. A year after, he was noticeably back to normal—I guess he was sort of happy since he was laughing at least, but he no longer had that sparkle in his eye.”
I hated seeing Nancy being sad, so I kissed her. She responded with equal fervor immediately, but I had to stop because we would be late in meeting her grandfather.
I smiled. “Come on, Nance. I wouldn’t want to be late in my first meeting with your grandfather.”
She quickly glanced at her watch. “But we have five minutes.” She had a puppy dog look on her face, and I had to laugh.
“My dear, we have a lot of time to make love, but for now we owe your grandfather a visit.”
She pouted playfully. “Alright, you’re right.”
“I don’t understand why you’d leave all this for the big city.” We were waiting outside the cabin, and I was mesmerized by the beautiful view of the lake in a bright, sunny day.
“It’s beautiful, I know. But I’ve always dreamed of becoming a big city gal. I’ve always had this sense of adventure, and even though this serene environment has given me freedom to spread my wings, I’ve always believed that I’m a bird that could always go farther. You see the trees beyond the lake?”
I nodded quietly.
“Well, every day when I got home from school, I’d spend at most 30 minutes just staring at the lake. During those times, I wished that I had super vision or something so that I could look beyond those trees. I’ve always wondered what was beyond them, and I promised myself that I will find out what’s beyond those trees.”
“And what did you find?” I intertwined my fingers with hers as I continued to listen intently.
“I found a big city full of hopes and dreams, and at the same time hardcore cynics who didn’t believe that dreams could become realities in the urban world. One thing I am proud of though is that I’ve proven them wrong.” And then Nancy looked at me with so much love, I could have melted into a puddle. “One of the most important things I’ve found though is a man who believed in me when I was close to giving up—who always believed that I was strong, beautiful and brave. In fact, he would put mirrors to shame because to him, I’d always look beautiful. But more than that, he has always reflected who I am—the good, the bad and the ugly. I’m really glad I fulfilled that promise.”
At the tip of my tongue, I was going to blurt out my proposal. It would have been random, unplanned and it would not meet her romantic expectations; but I knew at that moment that Nancy is the girl I am going to marry and spend the rest of my life with.
I was eager to just have her for myself for the rest of the day, but the cabin door suddenly opened. “Nancy, my dear!” I heard a gentle old man’s voice.
“Gramps!” She quickly hugged him, and from their embrace I could see how much they meant to each other.
When they finally let go of each other, she introduced us. “Gramps, meet Jared. Jared, this is my beloved gramps.”
“Hello sir.” When I shook his hand and looked into his eyes, I felt time and my heart stop. This old man looked awfully familiar, and while the realization dawned on me, I sensed that recognition also dawned on him.
Nancy suddenly laughed. “I can see the both of you give quite a handshake.”
Gramps and I let go and laughed nervously. Luckily, Nancy did not sense the awkwardness between us.
We were only a few minutes in the cabin when gramps said, “Nancy dear, would you mind baking those heavenly cupcakes of yours? I really miss them.”
She smiled indulgently. “I’d love to make them, gramps. Jared and I could grab the supplies.”
“Oh don’t worry, I just went to the grocery yesterday. The pantry’s fully stocked.”
“Alright, I’ll just start then.”
“Okay dear. Jared and I will just take a walk down the lake.”
She looked curiously between us, and then she kissed me quickly. She jokingly warned her grandfather, “Please don’t kill him, gramps. I really love him.”
“I know you do, sweetheart.” Gramps winked at her.
During the first few minutes of our walk, only the sounds of chirping and rustling leaves filled the silence between gramps and me. A part of my brain now remembers vividly that gramps is the man whom I shared a bus ride with so many years ago. I felt nervous because I found his precious necklace but I was not really able to return it to him.
“You’re the boy in the bus.”
I sighed nervously. “Yes I am.”
“And you love my granddaughter.”
“Yes I do.”
He turned to me with laughter in his eyes. “Will you always be answering me in phrases?”
“Yes” I told him barely above a whisper.
“No need to be nervous, son. I’m glad Christina’s necklace found its way home.”
I gulped. “So you’ve known?”
“Well, after I hugged Nancy, I immediately noticed a necklace hanging around her neck, and I would recognize it from anywhere.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I… I should’ve… No, it was wrong for me—“
“Stop the silly babbling, young man. I’m not a firm believer of fate, but it seems to be strange coincidence that you found the necklace, gave it to my granddaughter, and then many years later we meet again. Strange circumstances indeed.”
The universe has a sick sense of humor sometimes. “Strange indeed…”
“Now we shall get to the crux of the matter: how much do you love Nancy?”
I responded in a heartbeat. “I’m not only talking about romantic love, but I’m talking about love in all forms: platonic, romantic, lustful… it’s hard to put into words, because the only definition of love you’d understand is when you see that one special person, and then it just makes sense. It doesn’t have to make sense to anybody else because all that matters is it makes sense to you.”
Gramps’s eyes widened in surprise. “How could you remember when those were words from a stranger whom you’ve only shared a brief bus ride with?”
I laughed amicably. “From that moment, I’ve realized that you could always learn a lot from people, whether they’re close friends or strangers. I’ve accomplished a great deal at this point in my life, but the lessons you can learn from even the most mundane of experiences could make you a better person. Nancy has made me a better person, and I just plant to keep on growing with her for the rest of my life.”
