Not everyone has someone who loves them. Someone who cares about them, plays with them, and treats them like a princess, do you? I’m lucky enough to have someone who loves me besides my parents, my grandma Gigi. Gigi is tall, skinny, and has short white curly hair. Currently she is 89 but at the time my memoir took place she was about 84. Gigi has been side by side with my family since the beginning. Gigi spent every holiday and every birthday with us, celebrating by our sides. She even blew out the candles even if it wasn’t her birthday. She was close with my family until the day 5 years ago in December when she suffered her fist heart attack, fell and broke her hip.
Thursdays were my favorite days why? Because Gigi came over and watched me while my mother went and did errands. I would anxiously wait by the window to see her white small Toyota Camry pull into the driveway. I would run out to greet her with a great big smile. Gigi’s green eyes and bright smile would widen as I would run to give her a hug.
Candy land is a childhood bored game that all little girls love. But Candy Land is very special to me because Gigi and I played it every single time she came. Each time before we played I would sneak the lollypop princess card the one that lets you skip to the end in the deck so I would pick it. I never thought Gigi knew I was cheating but the fact that I would be so excited and happy when I won we just kept playing over and over again.
“Tricky would flip the burgers then slide them under the counter. I would add the lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, cheese, and then finally the bun, then the whopper was ready to go.”
“That’s how my first high school job at Burger King went.” My mother stated
I loved hearing the stories my grandma told me about my mom working at Burger King
“Every day when you mom came home I would make her take her clothes off right when she walked in the door because, she smelt like the fried greasy food from Burger King.” She would tell me.
Gigi and I then made up a game called Car Car. I would sit in the front seat of her car that was big and cushy. Gigi’s car always smelt like the strong perfume she wore each and every day, there was never a day when she didn’t wear it. Loose change was all over her car. It was between the seats, on the seats, in the cup holders, and or on the floor. Her car was white, but you could barley tell because it was always so dirty on the outside. My favorite part was pressing all the buttons, but best of all was beeping the horn. The horn on Gigi’s car was extra loud. It was high pitched and very funny sounding. I would sit in her car and pretend to pull up to drive through at Burger King.
“Hi, welcome to Burger King Can I have your order?” Gigi would say standing outside the window.
I would order a 6 piece chicken nugget and French fries. I would collect all the loose change floating around Gigi’s car and pay her. I would buckle up, put her sunglasses on, take the food, and beep the horn as I pretended to drive away.
Gigi and I had a close relationship until about 5 years ago when she suffered her first heart attack; she fell broke her hip and needed hip replacement. About a year later it happened again Gigi had another heart attack, she fell again and cut her face. We knew after that it was time for her to be in a nursing home, she could no longer be on her own. She then got diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Gigi can barely remember who my mom is and or what her name is. I fear of going to see my grandmother in her nursing home because she will have no recollection of me and the great times we spent together. This breaks my heart knowing she can’t remember Candy Land and playing Car-car but what matters most is that I remember them. Someone like my grandma will always have a place in my heart, because of the special times that we spent together. Think of the things you do with people and how they treat you, do you have someone who loves you?