How to Grow Old (An Excerpt)

Distorted voices filled the plain, white hallway outside of the slightly ajar door and tingled the elderly man's hearing aide as he laid in the hospital bed he had been in for close to six weeks. Weakly, he turned his head towards the voices of a man and a woman floating in his direction.

He waited for what seemed like an eternity to see the sources of the voices, with his blue eyes wide and sparkling with joy and brimming with tears. The older gentleman knew exactly who those voices were coming from the moment that the echo touched his eardrum. However, the ninety-seven year-old man's attention was instantly grabbed by something else once he heard the voices stop outside of his door, conversing with the nurse who had come to retake his vitals. The scent of freshly-baked, home-made peach cobbler filled the man's hospital room as the voices continued on just outside of the unlatched door.

The old man, wrinkled and gray with age, gently turned his head back to face the ceiling above him as his eyes fluttered closed. A weak smile formed on his face, as he inhaled the aroma of peaches and cinnamon that surrounded him. That smell took him to another time, when life was much simpler. It reminded him of many moments throughout his long life, but one moment in particular made his heart swell with happiness.

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-Christmas Eve, 1975

"Martin! Martin!" a woman's voice repeated.

It was Christmas Eve, and the old man - who was only thirty-five at the time - was just getting done with his morning routine when his wife, Barb, shouted for him to come to the telephone. He came down and picked up the spiral-corded receiver, and was pleasantly surprised to hear his mother on the other end of the line. After speaking with her for only a few minutes, his two children came flying downstairs in their matching plaid pajamas to speak to their grandmother. Martin shook his head and giggled a bit at the excitement of his two beautiful children who were ecstatic about the holidays. Barb quietly walked into the family room behind Martin and stepped next to him, placing her arm around the back of her handsome husband's waist. The two glanced at one another, as they shared a moment of pure happiness at the amazing life that they had created together. Barb started to blush a bit and she looked away, so Martin used his index finger and thumb to gently cradle her chin and pull her face back to his. He placed his lips onto hers and they embraced for a moment.

"Ewww!" shouted the oldest child, a boy. The younger sibling, a girl, just giggled at her brother being silly.

"Oh hush that," laughed Barb. "You two, go get dressed now please. We are having guests this afternoon for a Christmas Eve dinner and you both should be on your best behavior."

"Yes ma'am," said the children in unison, as Martin followed behind his wife into their newly-remodeled kitchen. He knew that she could not wait to show everyone her new workspace, and he laughed to himself a little. Walking into the kitchen, he smelled something intriguing.

"What's that smell?" Martin asked Barb.

"You mean the cobbler?" she responded.

"Mmmm. Yes ma'am, that's what it is. Nobody in this world could ever compete," he whispered into her ear as he pulled her close to his chest.

"I know," Barb whispered back. They gazed at one another for a moment before they both started laughing so hard that they could not breathe. Their children heard the commotion and hurdled down the staircase. Upon entering the kitchen, they thought that their parents had gone mad. The boy, whose name was Joseph, and the girl, whose name was Jolene, shared a look and then joined in the ruckus. Together as a family, they giggled about this and they giggled about that. They must have laughed together for an hour straight before the timer buzzed for the peach cobbler. After pulling it out of the oven and letting it sit for a bit, Barb asked her family if they would like some of the tasty dessert while it was still warm. They did, so they all sat around their dining room table. They ate the delicious cobbler and told jokes and stories until they were lost in time and the doorbell was rung by their first dinner guest.

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Martin, who was now a brittle, aged man, still laid in his bed with that weak smile fixed on his face. The door slowly creaked open as two adults walked in together, just as the beeping heart monitor began to sound it's alarm. The woman carried a dish covered in aluminum foil. The man carried a photo of an elderly woman.

"Dad?" whispered the man, shakily. "Dad? Wake up. It's me, Joe," he continued. "Jolene is here too dad, and she brought you your favorite."

"Please wake up daddy," sobbed Jolene. "I needed to say goodbye, please."

The nurse had already ran to his aide, but it was too late. The old man was no longer on this side of existence. He went to be with his lovely Barb, whom he had missed dearly during the last ten years of his life on earth. Martin left his children peacefully, and for that they were thankful. They just wished that they had gotten there sooner, or hadn't spent so much time speaking with the nurse about his condition.

They did not know that when Martin passed away, he was with them both and his wife in that remodeled kitchen. When he passed, he was looking into the eyes of his dear wife and children with happiness and gratitude. He was not afraid to die, and he was not afraid to leave his children behind. He knew that they were outstanding people and they could weather the storm of grief. Of course, he did feel sadness knowing that his children and grandchildren would be upset, but he also knew that he would one day see them again.