(THE STORY – PART 2)
PAMPAKES AND TEDDY BEARS
“Grandpa’s on his way”
said Dad,
“We’re gonna have pancakes for breakfast and after that we’re gonna open presents!”
A few minutes later, Grandpa Bob walked in
with arms full of wrapped boxes.
He always smelled of
cigarettes,
coffee,
Old Spice cologne
and peppermints.
He dropped the gifts on the sofa,
scooped me up in his arms
and covered every inch of my bare skin
with sand-papery-stiff-whisker-stubbled kisses.
“Tootie,”
he said,
“I brought you a special present today.
Wanna open it now?”
“Ohhhhh nooooooo, we can’t.”
I replied
while shaking my head
with grave seriousness.
“We’re having pampakes for breakfast.”
Grandpa broke into loud reverberatingly-deep laughter
jostled me in his arms
and sing-songed
“We’re gonna have us some pampakes for breakfest,
Oh, yes we are. Aren’t we?”
until we reached the breakfast table.
Grandpa repeated this story a gazillion times to me
and to whomever would listen,
throughout the rest of his life.
It was wonderful to me
that I had influenced one of his happy memories.
From that day forward,
especially at breakfast time,
he referred to pancakes
as “Pampakes”
and . . . so did I.
And so do I still.
My gift from Grandpa Bob was a large, creamy-brown teddy bear. I named him Cubby Bear. I related to Cubby and purposely breathed my spirit into him so that he would have a soul. He became my constant companion for the next 8 years, a symbol of my connection to my Grandpa, a symbol of my unwavering love for the Animal Spirits and a comfort to me through much physical sickness and emotional angst.
When Cubby
was called to the ‘Nother Places,’
I grieved the loss of him.
True to form,
I am still grieving.
Five things that are consistantly/habitually and physically present in my daily life are:
1) Coffee
2) Cigarettes
3) Scents/Aroma Therapies and Perfumes (Especially bay rum and mint)
4) Peppermint Gum in my purse
5) The love of all things relating to the Animal Spirits
Grandpa Bob lives on through me in our shared memory.
~G
Aire On G 