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"The Summer", by Allie H.
Copyright © 2001, Age 13
Summer in Wisconsin is the greatest time of the year. You can smell the cow manure in the air as you walk toward the house. The green mat resting upon the porch always makes me feel at home. The forest green door slowly opens and I can see their white hair in the glass at the top of the second door. The second door opens and my grandparents smile. The wrinkles next to their eyes become defined as this large smile spreads across their face with joy. They welcome my father and I in with open arms.
We step inside the air conditioned palace. It gives me chills down my spine. I can hear the old grandfather clock ticking and tocking. I walk down their pink carpet next to the fireplace and sit in an old, wooden rocking chair. I try to rock to the beat of the grandfather clock. I must move quickly. My step-grandmother asks me if I want cookies and I smile and point out that they are her famous "I bought them at the store but lets just say they are homemade" cookies from the IRA, down the street. My grandfather is talking to my father about the Green Bay Packers. Grammies comes back into the room with a tray full of colorful (mostly pink and Fourth of July) cookies. She smiles and says,"They are from the Qwik Stop this time." I laugh as she moves her pink Lazy Boy chair, quietly puts a pillow behind her, and cautiously sits down.
As their conversation develops I become restless and try to entertain myself with the Fourth of July Cookies. I count how many stars they put on the flag in the center of the cookie, ten times less than there are numer of stars on the real flag. I try to pay attention to the adult conversation, but all I hear is Grammies talking about how her cousin died in World War II and she thinks she will die soon and lastly what color the lining of her coffin should be. I roll my eyes out of boredom and slowly fall asleep.
After what seems like a few hours I wake up to the ticking of the grandfather clock and my grandpa doing an Elvis impression. He taked me down to the cellar with my father. He stops in front of a shelf full of bottles. He shows me his bottle collection, which he is extremely proud of. He smiles with satisfaction as he states how much it is worth. I giggle a little as we go back up the stairs.
The sun is setting and I see the paperbpy running his route about a day late. It is time to leave. I quickly walk to the car because I am very restless. My father follows me and we hug and kiss my grandparents goodbye. After standing outside the car for a little while, feeling the cool breeze, the door is unlocked. I get into the car. We begin to through Mineral Point. The town is only 2,000 people. It is so innocent. As we pass the water tower, I look down the street and see where my grandfather used to work as mayor. I think about his life, how long it has been and how much he has been through.
I look up st my dad as the car passes the A&W. He turns and look at me and he says, "I never knoew my mother very well. When I least expected it, she died, out of nowhere. I am really afraid I am going to lose my father too. He has been there for me through thick and thin, and I can't afford to not have someone there for me." We pass the IRA in our rented Dodge Caravan. I stare back at him and reply, "I guess you should always get to know your reliatives before they pass on, but you always have to be expecting that."
Since that summer in Wisconsin (the land of diary, manure, cheese and of course the famous cow pies), I have always tried to take advantage of the time I have with people instead of rolling my eyes. I realized how important family is and how you have to get to know them before it is too late. My grandfather on my mother's side is dying and I never knew ihm as well as I had hoped. I never have had the oppurtunity yo ask him about his life or his experiences in World War II or his childhood. I hope that I am able to see him again before he passes on because I only have a few memories of him.
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