Pipeno Launch Contest

Sometimes we cannot even explain why some experiences of our life so strongly stuck in our memory, though, they are not important, and why we tend to forget some urgent things, like some physics formulas on exam. Bad and good moments are interconnect one with another and this link collects our life puzzle into solid picture. The piece of memory I’m about to tell you now is one of the moments, which made all my life and formed my character as it is.

It was my 7th birthday summer, which is why I was enjoying staying out with friends all day long, walking and playing like every normal child. This day I stayed longer than usual, so as soon as I came back home, my mother gave me a good “lesson” of a good behavior and asked to check up on my grandfather, who was very sick passed weak, in a very quiet and careful manner. I walked down the hall that led to my grandfather bedroom, massaging the placed that my mom specifically “learned” to behave good. As I reached the door, a strong smell of medicine and illness immediately entered my mouth, nose and lungs. It seemed that I even ate couple of these pills with rather bitter taste.

Therefore I didn’t want to disturb “papi” – it was my grandfather’s nickname within our small yet close family, I had to move very quiet, actually on my tip toes, which is rather tiring for someone who was known as the most awkward and loud family member, actually every time, when my mother used to ask me to do something quite, all the neighbors as far as couple houses around our cottage heard how quite I was. The matter of fact I was known as Ms “Aw-Aw-Aw”, because it was what everyone heard when I was trying to do anything.

The first thing I saw when I entered was big wooden table standing right in front of the window. It was covered with dingy tableware, that used to be red, but time and my grandmother’s washing machine had no mercy to it. Although, it was already dark, curtains were not closed, more over, the window was also opened filling all the room with chirping of grasshoppers and piping of frogs, I can still vividly remember this sound, this peaceful symphony accompanied most of my summers spent in the cottage house. Small stars were illuminating deep blue sky vying with each other. Light summer wind was playing in tops of trees, so that quite murmur of the leaves greeted.

Suddenly, I heard someone’s breath; it was hardly noticeable behind this evening melody of life. It was my grandfather; he was peacefully sleeping in his bed, slightly covered with heavy blanket. I came closer in order to fix the blanket, as it was almost falling on the floor. As soon as I made my first step towards grandfather’s bed, a floorboard screeched. I stopped, waiting for something to happen, but grandfather continued sleeping, so I prolonged my way. As I reached my aim, took the blanket and covered my grandfather with this heavy hooked green woolen coverlid with yellow smiling faces all over it. While doing this I touched his hand by accident, it was very cold, as if he was exposed to air in the winter frost, although air in the room was not that cold. My eyes glanced his face, it was overwhelmed with sweet state of happiness, and light smile was illuminating his old, but so beautiful and familiar face.

At this moment I remembered how it was funny to play around with him in our garden, run, scream and make faces. He was always the one to give me candies behind my mom’s back, he was the best. Now I understand that watching him sick I should have thought about something more serious than sweets and games, like how supporting, optimistic and kind he always was, but at this certain age nothing else seemed more important.

I kissed his withered hand and turned to the door, when a big bawl full of cherries carefully placed on the table by my mom caught my naughty eye. How could I miss it before? Most probably huge medicine bag was closing it. The desire to eat all of them was much stronger than my will. From this moment I did not care about my grandfather’s peaceful sleep, my steps were very heavy and fast. As soon as I dived with both hands inside the bawl; a dramatic and extremely loud sound fulfilled the bedroom. I froze in a ridiculous pose and shouted my eyes so strong, I wanted to disappeared for the reason that all this sound came from…… me‼! Eventually the entire bawl fell on the floor and there was no way “papi” will remain sleeping. I kept still till I finally heard my grandfather’s voice, saying: “I thought that Ms Aw took a vocation for today, for the reason that I’m sick, however, seemingly a bowl of fresh cherries was much more important than my headache. Anyway, didn’t your mother tell you that it is bad to eat something that does not belong to you?"- he looked very angry and I’ve already imagined my mom, giving a professional pedagogic spank to my poor bottom, when “papi” busted with a strong peals of laughter….

Life is all about moments, and this moment will always stay in my heart as one of the precious memories connected with my grandfather’s life. 3 years back he passed away, but I still remember a bitrery sweet taste of these cherries that we ate together laughing.