James Vande Hey
Stories (4/0)
Grand.ma /gran(d),mä
Grand.ma /gran(d),mä Noun – informal “one’s grandmother” The first instance of the word Grandma I remember is in reference to my grandma Diane who in my memory smells like cigarette smoke, hairspray, and the earth. Many, many things remind me of my grandma Diane. The sound of pool balls clacking together, loud country music, cigarette smoke, hairspray smells, gardens, and bits of corn, swimming in cold lakes, the smell of campfires, and the taste of burnt marshmallows. I remember the way her voice sounded gravely from the cigarettes she smoked, and I remember her laughing until she coughed, I remember the way she’d take a swig of Busch Lite and let out a belch like some teenaged boy. I remember how she always made food the way my Uncle Charlie liked it, even if he wasn’t there, because he was her baby and she adored him. I remember the way she held her head up high at my grandpas funeral even though she was hurting too, and she hugged my aunts, my mom, and my uncle and comforted them before she let herself cry. I remember her smoking thick cigars, making frozen pizza, hunched over her garden, and playing fetch with her cat. I remember staying up late and talking, and waking up too early to make pancakes, I remember camping and scrubbing her hair in a bucket while she cursed that the water was too cold. I remember, it didn’t matter how late she stayed up, she always woke up to eat breakfast with us, and I remember going sledding in the snow, in our pajamas.
By James Vande Hey 2 years ago in Families
- Top Story - August 2021
On being a Trans boyTop Story - August 2021
By: James V. Age 29 Age 0: Doctors proudly proclaim to his parents that they’ve been blessed with a beautiful baby girl, Jamie Lynn, he needs to spend some time in the nicu, but he’ll be alright. They decorate in pale pink, Minnie Mouse, and buy tiny headbands and cute little dresses.
By James Vande Hey 3 years ago in Pride
Marigolds are queer
“Hey, are you okay?” as if a cloud had been lifted suddenly noise reached Jordan’s ears, light filled her vision, and suddenly the smell of roasting coffee beans flooded her nostrils. Jordan was prone to spacing out, consistently, this time she had a good reason. The girl working behind the counter that had thoroughly distracted her looked concerned.
By James Vande Hey 3 years ago in Fiction