Tick, Thud, Shuffle

Tick, thud, shuffle...tick, thud, shuffle forecasted my grandfather's arrival. His cane ticking along with the percussive precision of an orchestral conductor, his footfalls following. He groaned as he sat in the recliner next to the couch where I was doing my homework.

"Hi, Grandpa. How are you doing today?"

"I could complain, but it wouldn't help. How's my favorite granddaughter?"

I laughed. "I'm your only granddaughter."

"Which makes you my favorite, Susie." He looked at my arithmetic. "Are you working hard in school, or are you hardly working?"

I beamed and said, "Always hard-working. I get straight As."

"Excellent. You try hard and you'll do well."

"Grandpa, tell me about when you were my age."

With glazed eyes staring at the ceiling, he reported, "When I was nine, I got up before the sun. I milked cows, fed lots of animals, and shoveled what came out the other end. Then, I cleaned myself up, ate breakfast and walked two miles to school in any weather. No buses. You kids have it easy these days."

"Is that why your leg is bad, Grandpa?"

"No, dear, that happened in the military. My buddy and I were on patrol when he stepped on a land mine. Those Iraqi terrorists in Desert Storm put them everywhere. I got a bum leg, but John never made it home, so once again, complaining doesn't do a lick of good. In fact, it just brings negativity where it's not needed nor wanted. Now, Susie, don't you go anywhere. I need to use the bathroom, but I'll be right back."

Tick, thud, shuffle followed him down the hallway. I finished my math and picked up the latest book I was reading for language arts. I was called, "The Secret Dragon." I was supposed to test on it by the end of the week, but I only had two chapters left. I read two pages and heard grandpa's returning tick, thud, shuffles. His smile broadened when he noticed me look up from my book.

"Good book, Susie Q?"

"Oh, yes!" I hold it up so he can see the cover. "This girl is smart, like me. She finds a dragon on the beach. It reminds me of Miami Beach. We always have such fun there."

Grandpa got that faraway look in his eyes again as he said, "My favorite book at your age was Charlotte's Web. I suppose I could relate because they were on a farm like me."

I clapped my hands together, exclaiming, "My teacher read that one last year and then we watched a cartoon. Most of my classmates liked the movie better. It was okay, but I prefer the book."

"You remember that, because if you watch a movie first, it often sours the book experience. There's something to be said for the imagination of the written word. You and I are alike that way." He patted my leg. "Next time you visit me, you take as many books as you want from my library. You keep them as long as you want and we can talk about them afterward."

I hugged my grandpa, knowing he was offering his greatest treasures.

He made good on that promise too. We had many animated conversations about the works I read in the following years.

I still remember the last time he visited my mom and I. I was a senior in high school. His tick was followed by a delayed thud and a more laborious shuffle. His mind was as sharp as ever though. We were laughing about some book we had both read when my mom said, "Enough, you two! I have to work and Susie has school in the morning."

Grandpa looked at her with a twinkle in his eye and said, "Yes, dear."

I laughed all the way to my room as I heard Grandpa chuckling over the noise of his gait on the way to the guest room.

The next morning, I heard my mother scream and went running to find her, collapsed on top of her father, sobbing uncontrollably. I had never seen a dead body before then.

Now, looking at my grandfather's library, which became mine, I wonder greatly at how so many words could entwine two souls together so deeply. I didn't realize it at the time, but my grandfather was grooming me to score the highest in my class on the Florida Bar Exam on my first try. It is because of him that I practice intellectual property law, specializing in copywrite law.

I miss the tick, thud, shuffle of grandpa's presence, but I know if we meet again, his leg will be right as rain, and he'll probably remind me of his ability to walk two miles in any weather.