Then it dropped a penny for me. Wait a minute, I thought I couldn’t do without my dad at all. My business, because I can borrow his car if my car needs to go to the garage. If you encounter unexpected setbacks, he offers to bridge the gap. But especially on an emotional level: The father-daughter bond has been strong since I was born. There has been no fluctuation in 48 years. Like my mama’s baby like my brother’s, I’m so focused on my dad. The thought that he might not be around soon, which is a real thought, is already gripping my throat.
He’s more than just a father, he’s also the beloved grandpa of my teens. They will dare tell you, without bating an eyelid, that, Until now, their favorite grandfather. It was terrible to lose a grandmother, though they had been with her less, and their other grandmother had little regard for them. So the idea of Grandpa going to take a break is basically a nightmare for them.
He gives them gifts. Sometimes they are gifts he made himself, such as rings or bracelets (at the age of 70 he was still taking a goldsmithing course). When we visit him, he’s always carrying chocolates or money for “something nice” for the girls. He offers to pay for their lessons if they want to learn to play an instrument. And they don’t miss the fact that it helps me sometimes. He is an integral part of my single parent family and the only man in my daughter’s circle who showers them with compliments. And although he likes to talk about himself, because that’s what you do when you’re alone, granddaughters are at the heart of his enjoyment of life.
After some tests and questions, the geriatrician’s diagnosis arrived, which didn’t actually surprise anyone, but suddenly he made it official: Parkinson’s disease. My dad probably had that for a while.
