66 : Happy 80th!
“Ock-et! Ock-et!”
Yali’s sparkling eyes and deep dimples were a sure sign he had gotten into something he shouldn’t have. And considering that we were home on a Saturday mid-morning, I knew he wasn’t trying to discuss Rocket the horse with me. No, he had only swiped a piece of chocolate from Shakespeare snack leftovers, and wanted to make his confession. Figures one of his first words would be “chocolate”; that is completely my fault.
Florissant – Mom’s and Dad’s old stomping grounds. Uncle Mo and Aunt Petunia were hosting Grandma’s 80th birthday celebration for the afternoon, so we all eventually congregated at the old house where Mom and Uncle Mo grew up.
Before we opened gifts, Oxbear, Francis, and I took the boys to the schoolyard down the same path Mom and Uncle Mo walked together back in the 60s. Hot sun, early summer clouds sketched across the sky. It was inching towards 100 already on the year. Puck and Yali sweat a bucket apiece before we walked back through wild clover and strawberries.
Grandma was handed a pile of gifts for the occasion, including a trip to Kentucky Lake in October, lighthouses from Rose’s recent trip to Maine, and cat toys for Tootsie. The collective grandkid offering, however, came in the form of a Kindle Fire, color: magenta. Grandma’s blue eyes widened as the look on her face was all too telling.
“But I’m too stupid to use this!”
“GRANDMA!”
“Really, Grandma. It’ll be fine.”
“Trust us, Grandma.”
“Yeah, you’ll be great at it.”
Grandma looked around the room. “Then why am I breaking out in a sweat?”
“Here, look. Even Uncle Mo can use this stuff.”
At that opportune moment, Uncle Mo walked into the room with his iPad. “Here. Someone show me how to video record on this thing.”
Boxes of Pizza Hut were ordered to continue the celebration. Cold lemonade. Fortunately the pizza and lemonade that both my boys managed to turn upside-down from plates and cups landed on the back porch where they were sent to minimize almost certain damage.
As we prepared to leave a little while later, Grandma mentioned once more, “I hope I don’t disappoint you all with this thing!”
The pressure we put on our senior citizens to learn technology. But just like the castor oil they served their children back in the day, we knew this too was for their own good. Happy 80th, Grandma!