My Grandfathers Chest

1
My Grandfathers Chest

• By Mr. Lewis

2
My Grandfathers Chest
I never knew Grandfather very well. He lived
in Kentucky on an old farm, and I live in
California, in a track house. Come to think
of it I was separated from Grandfather, not
only by distance, but by daily life tasks as
well A normal day for me, as a kid in
Bakersfield, California, was going to school,
playing with my friends, watching TV, and then
going to bed. My dad told me that Grandfathers
regular day consisted of getting up before sun
rise, milking cows, fishing in Catfish Pond,
tilling the soil, reading the Bible, and then
going to bed soon after sunset. I always thought
that I had nothing in common with him, but later
in life, I learned different.
3
In the summer of 1967, my family and I
took at trip to Kentucky to visit
Grandfather. My grandmother, Elsie, had
died that year, so he was living alone. The only
company he had and still cherished was his old
hound dog, Hank. The trip to Grandfathers house
was long, but it was filled with hours of
countless stories from dad. Most of his
recollections were about how Grandfather used to
take him fishing in Catfish Pond and how my dad
would sit for hours with Grandfather and never
say a word. They just sat on the dock, wiggling
their lines once in a while, waiting of a nibble
or jerk. Another account was about how
Grandfather would squirt milk on my dad, right
from a cows utter. The trip was long, but it
went by fast. Grandfathers stories filled my
mind. I dont recall thinking about nothing else.
4
We arrived at Grandfathers farm late in the
evening. I remember getting out of our 1967
Chevy Impala and seeing lightning bugs dart
through his rows of corn. I can still see the
brightening and fading of their phosphorescent
tails as they lightened a path way through the
field. My dad pointed out that when he was a boy
- my age, he used to catch the fire flies in a
jar, seal the opening, and place the container on
his night stand, just before going to bed. I
thought that was the neatest thing in the world.
I too wanted to experience his childhood. Dad
said, Grandfather showed me how to sneak up on
the bugs. Maybe, hell show you too tomorrow.
I could hardly wait.
5
When we got to Grandfathers doorstep, we
could hear whistling and chuckling inside.
Mom knocked on the old screen door. The
ruckus stopped, and I could hear Grandfathers
steps as he came closer to us. He asked,
Donald, is that you? My dad said, Yes, and
Marge and Ernie are with me. I did not realize
that our arrival was a complete surprise to
Grandfather, but it was. When Grandfather peered
through the screen, I could see a smile form on
his tired, weathered face. He quickly opened the
door and embraced us in a group hug.
Grandfather, mom and dad shed tears of joy. I
was in a daze and simply happy that I could
finally meet the man that my dad worshiped
Grandfather. My tears were still yet to come.
6
Grandfather looked just as my dad told me.
He was tall and husky, and he had white hair.
His hands were calloused from years of farm
labor, yet they were gentle to the touch.
Grandfather raised six boys and two girls,
basically by himself. Grandmother cared for the
children while he worked the land, but he did all
the chores around the farm. In the 1800s,
Grandfathers dad, my great grandfather, received
40 acres of land through a land grant. The land
was used mostly for raising corn, but other crops
reached harvest on it as well. My dad too helped
on the farm, but it was Grandfather who did the
extreme work, and it showed. Grandfather looked
directly at me and said, So you are Ernie, my
grandson whom Ive heard so much about. I am
proud to meet you. I said, Yes, that is my
name, and Ive heard a great deal about you from
dad.
7
Grandfather asked if we had heard him whistling
and laughing when we came to the door. My dad
said, Yes, we did. I asked, Is there
something wrong. No, Grandfather said. You
guys just caught me in a good mood, explained
Grandfather, Hank and I found comfort in a quick
game of fetch. He always comes running back when
I whistle. This time, he made me laugh because
instead of coming back to me with the stick that
I threw, he came back to me with one of my shoes
in his mouth. Grandfather invited us in the
house and insisted that we stay forever, of
course that was not possible, but we kindly
accepted his offer to enter. On the fire mantle
were many photos of my dad, his brother, and
sisters. One of the photos had a picture of dad
with his mom at a New Jersey beach. It was dated
1946.
8
Grandmother was truly a lovely women. She was
small in frame, but both my dad and Grandfather
exclaimed that she carried a big punch when it
came to keeping kids in line. At that time, I
saw Grandfather and my dad sink into a
depression. Dad told Grandfather that he felt
guilty because he had not kept in touch with
Grandfather and Grandmother throughout the years.
Grandfather said that he understood. He also
told my dad that he had something under the bed
that he needed to see. It was something that he
had been saving for years memories, sort of
say. Grandfather took us to the living room
where he brought my mom and dad coffee to drink.
He served me hot chocolate. Man, it was good.
We sipped our treats and talked of days gone by.
Most of them occurred before me, but I listened
anyway.
9
After sharing stories, Grandfather took my dad
and me upstairs to his bedroom. He asked us to
give him a hand because what he had to show us
weighed a great deal. All of us bent down,
looked under Grandfathers bed, saw three
handles, and pulled. Out came a chest, a long
chest covered in leather. My eyes gazed upon its
beauty. I had never seen a chest so detailed in
my life. Grandfather said that he has many years
of memories locked in the box. My dad asked,
Memories, which ones? Grandfather softly said,
Memories of you, memories of your mother,
memories of your sisters, memories, of your
brothers I have memories of our
family. Grandfather reached into his pocket and
slowly pulled out a key. With the grace of an
ice skater, he opened a big brass lock, took it
off the latch, and laid it on the bedspread.
10
My dad and I watched Grandfather lift the lid and
lean it on the wall. He then asked us to call my
mom in the room because he had something to
say. My mom was in the kitchen cleaning the
coffee and hot chocolate mugs. She heard dad
call her and said, I am on my way. Within a
minute, she was sitting with us, waiting for
Grandfathers words. Grandfather took a lock of
hair from the chest. He held it in his hands,
looked at my dad, and said, This hair came from
your mother. I cut it off her head the day she
died. It is the only worldly part of her I have
left. As he held the lock, he told us stories
about when he first met Grandmother. He told us
about their first date, their first kiss and how
it confirmed his love for her, their first born
dads oldest sister, Kate who died from Scarlet
Fever when she was ten and their last kiss that
has not left his lips since Grandmothers death.
11
He slowly returned the lock back to its resting
place in the chest. Then, he grabbed an old
compass and told us a story about how the compass
helped him return to his troop in Germany during
WW I. Grandfather was an artillery man during
the war. Apparently, he go lost when the Germans
blew up his camp. He was temporarily blinded
from the impact, but he knew that his troops new
camp was due south of the old camp, so he reached
in his night sack and pulled out a compass, the
one that he was showing us. He said, Knowing
how to read a compass has saved my life more than
once. He looked at me and asked me to open my
hand. Ever so gingerly, he place the compass in
my hand and said, Ernie, I want you to have this
compass. There should be no reason now to get
lost. Always think of my near fatal day in
Germany when you see it. May this memory live
with you forever. I was floored. Better yet, I
was breathless. I thanked Grandfather and placed
the direction finder in my coat pocket. I said,
Grandfather, what else do you have to share?
What other memories do you have?
12
Grandfather looked at me and said, I have
plenty. My dad asked, Do you still have my
first basemans glove? Grandfather said, Yes.
He reached inside the chest to produce it.
Grandfather said that he kept it because it
reminded him of my dads efforts to win the
Little League Championship of 1956. Dad hit a
home run the final game with bases loaded.
Grandfather will never forget that. My dad, mom,
and I stayed for hours in Grandfathers room
reminiscing, telling jokes, sharing events, and
the like. I thought we would never stop, but
Grandfather became very tired. He said that it
was best if we all got some rest. He had many
more stories to share with us in the morning. I,
for one, could not wait to hear them. Dad and
Mom took me to a spare room with a Murphy bed hid
in the wall. They told me brush my teeth, and
they both kissed me goodnight. I was in heaven.
I feel asleep fast once I hit the sack.
13
Morning came fast, Dad, Mom and Grandfather were
already up by the time I got out of bed. The
smell of coffee and bacon filled the air. It was
wonderful. When I got to the table, I saw a box
sitting by the chair that I sat on the night
before. Grandfather said, Good morning my dear
grandson. I have a surprise for you. Yes, it is
in the box. My eyes were open as wide as
quarters. Mom and Dad smiled and gave me the
okay to open it. I picked up the box and
opened it up slowly. Inside were photos of my
grandmother, my dads baseball mitt,
Grandfathers watch and war medals, buttons from
Grandfathers military outfit, and a 100.00
sliver certificate. The items came from his
memory chest. I was so excited about my gifts
that all I could exclaim was, Thank you!
Grandfather said that he wanted me to have his
prize possessions. He told me to always keep
them close to my heart because they would help me
remember our visit. I felt ten feet tall.
14
We stayed with Grandfather for two full days.
Our time was priceless. To be honest, those days
were the best two days of my young life. On the
way home, my dad and mom praised me for acting so
grown up around Grandfather. I told them that I
was not acting. I told them that I truly
appreciated the fact that I finally met the man
who had so much influence on Dad. I looked up to
my dad because he was honest, hard working,
truthful, respectful, and loving. Grandfather
was all that too. I recall holding the box in my
arms all the way home, not to loose sight of
it. Later in life, after my son turned 10, I
gave the box and its belonging to him. I made
sure that Dad and Mom was with me when I did.
And, as with Grandfather, we talked and shared
stories of long ago. It was on that day that I
noticed the similarities that I shared with
Grandfather and Dad, and after we were finished
bonding, I looked in my sons eyes to see that he
too shared those precious traits of Grandfather,
Dad, and me.
15
Grandfather died in 1970, but the memories that I
took back with me to Bakersfield, California,
have never left me. When I feel alone or lost, I
reach in my pocket and pull out the compass that
he gave me. Somehow, it always points me in the
right direction.