Family Trip

It was the month of August in the early 80’s and we were in North Carolina. Cleveland County. My mother’s family had a long history in that county going back to the early 1700’s. But Mom was not with us, she was back home. Dad had custody of my brother and me and we were on a cross country tip. We had driven all the way to New York to visit his family and now we were headed back to Texas via North Carolina. Dad knew that us kids did not get to see Nanny very often. Nanny is what we called Mom’s mom. A true southern belle. We stuck out like a sore thumb in North Carolina. And not just because we had Texas license plates. My 6’4” father, Howard, turned heads when he walked into a place wearing his favorite cowboy boots and blue jeans only to open his mouth and sound like a Yankee. My brother Howie was tall for his age, had blond hair and was always up to something. Me? I had sandy blond hair and a nice California tan. When I opened my mouth I didn’t sound like my father, nor did I sound like a southerner. I sounded like the Californian that I was. We confused a few people just by being around. We would be accepted though, ‘cause we were going to visit family.

We stayed at Nanny’s house. My great grandfather built the house when my grandmother was a child. It was not a big house, but it had a fireplace in three rooms, an enclosed front porch and a car port. Out back, Nanny grew some vegetables and out front she had many types of flowers and a walnut tree. Inside, the house had furniture from several different generations. The curtains were of her own design and the plastered ceilings had been designed by her husband.

We spent just a couple of days with Nanny and her husband, Grandpa Bud. She’d married him after Mom had married Dad. Both were short, maybe 5’5” and 50 something years old. Grandpa Bud loved golf, I don’t remember if the men went golfing or not but they did stay together a lot. Who knew what men did when they were off on their own? Nanny spent her time with me showing off the house we were staying in, showing some family heirlooms, talking about our family history, cooking (there was a sour cream pound cake every Sunday), and impressing upon me the importance of acting lady like.

I don’t remember all that we did. I remember Nanny made me a special cake for my 8^th birthday which was earlier that month and she gave me some hideous home-made clothes which I thanked her for and then prayed I’d never have to wear in public. When it was time to leave I packed all my things, even the ones that I thought about leaving behind “accidently on purpose”. She would not have liked that, and would have been hurt if she realized that it had been on purpose.

As the bags were being packed into my father’s car, we said our farewells and thank yous. Nanny appreciated my father for including her and Bud in our trip. Dad, Howie and I thanked them for the gifts we received, a movie they took us to, and for having us. We hugged one another and then two of us started for the car. Howie was not coming. He held onto Grandpa Bud. Dad called to him, but Howie tightened his hold. He was afraid that he would never see Grandpa Bud again. Somehow Bud was able to be released from his step-grandson and Howie got into the car. He sobbed for a good part of the trip home.

When we got back to Texas, we called all the relatives to let them know that we were back safe. Everyone, in every state was fine. They were missing us kids though. Howie was happy to talk to Grandpa Bud, but he was still upset that we left him.

A few weeks later, we were back in school. My brother attended school in Texas, where he and our father lived. I attended school in California where I lived with our mother. Things were pretty mundane. I kept reliving parts of the trip. When we were in New York, I had an uncle take me canoeing and that was fun. And I met my aunt’s great big mutt of a dog, who I adored. When I wasn’t thinking about that I’d think about how Nanny was with me when I visited. “Keep your shoulders back””Don’t cross your legs like that””sit up straight”. She seemed to nitpick everything, including my weight. But when guests were around boy she was proud of me. It gave me a lot to think about. And then there was my brother. Why did he freak out like he did? It worried me. Scared me really. I tried not to dwell on it though. I bothered me to think about it.

So imagine the shock when my mother got the call from her mother. Grandpa Bud died of cancer, if I recall correctly. My poor brother, somehow he knew. He was all the way in Texas. How was he handling it? Howie told us that it was the last time we’d see him. He was right.