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Friday, February 17, 2006
A Coke and a Candy Bar
I was writing another post today (which was deleted- no one really wants to hear about less-than-kind members of my extended family), and I thought about a post that I was going to write a week or so ago, but then forgot. A memory from my past that warms my heart for no apparent reason than it was just part of the way I grew up.
One set of my grandparents lived a few blocks from the house I grew up in. Needless to say, I was there a lot. In fact, it was on the way home from school, so I would stop by on my way home if I had walked or rode my bike (or drove, once I got into high school). But I have to make a confession- I didn't stop by just because my grandparents were awesome people. I had an ulterior motive.
Coke and Candy Bars.
In Grandma's fridge, the bottom shelf was always full of soda... 7-Up and Coca-Cola usually. (For a long time, she had Cokes in those cute 8 oz bottles- perfect for a kid). And, in one of the drawers of the fridge, where the veggies are supposed to live, a variety of candy bars waited for us, patiently. Hershey bars, Kit Kats, Snickers... she bought them in bulk.
My typical after-school visit went something like this. I'd walk in, say hi, grab a Coke and a Kit Kat, then sit in the front room, watching cartoons and reading "The Papers"- The National Enquirer, The Star and The Globe. (Weekly World News? Nah... those stories aren't real... ) About 30 minutes after I arrived, the phone would ring, and my mom would remind me, once again, that I need to call if I'm stopping there on the way home so she wouldn't worry. Yes, Mom. I'm sorry I forgot, Mom. Once I read through the papers, I'd get out my homework, sit on the floor by the coffee table, and do my homework. If Grandma was making chicken and dumplings or beef stew with "dumplings" (my Grandpa always called 'em "dough bait"), then I'd ask Mom if I could stay. Otherwise, I'd head home before dark (unless a parental unit was picking me up.)
I bet you're wondering why I thought about this. When I was back in Illinois recently, I stopped by to see Grandma. She lives in a different house, and she has a different fridge. But the soda and the candy bars are still there.
One set of my grandparents lived a few blocks from the house I grew up in. Needless to say, I was there a lot. In fact, it was on the way home from school, so I would stop by on my way home if I had walked or rode my bike (or drove, once I got into high school). But I have to make a confession- I didn't stop by just because my grandparents were awesome people. I had an ulterior motive.
Coke and Candy Bars.
In Grandma's fridge, the bottom shelf was always full of soda... 7-Up and Coca-Cola usually. (For a long time, she had Cokes in those cute 8 oz bottles- perfect for a kid). And, in one of the drawers of the fridge, where the veggies are supposed to live, a variety of candy bars waited for us, patiently. Hershey bars, Kit Kats, Snickers... she bought them in bulk.
My typical after-school visit went something like this. I'd walk in, say hi, grab a Coke and a Kit Kat, then sit in the front room, watching cartoons and reading "The Papers"- The National Enquirer, The Star and The Globe. (Weekly World News? Nah... those stories aren't real... ) About 30 minutes after I arrived, the phone would ring, and my mom would remind me, once again, that I need to call if I'm stopping there on the way home so she wouldn't worry. Yes, Mom. I'm sorry I forgot, Mom. Once I read through the papers, I'd get out my homework, sit on the floor by the coffee table, and do my homework. If Grandma was making chicken and dumplings or beef stew with "dumplings" (my Grandpa always called 'em "dough bait"), then I'd ask Mom if I could stay. Otherwise, I'd head home before dark (unless a parental unit was picking me up.)
I bet you're wondering why I thought about this. When I was back in Illinois recently, I stopped by to see Grandma. She lives in a different house, and she has a different fridge. But the soda and the candy bars are still there.
