I'm Glad You got to See Me

It was a warm summer day, and my grandpa was outside mowing the lawn. he had his button down shirt and work jeans on, and he was as happy as he could be outside.

I was inside, with a cup of cool, clear lemonade in my hand, watching for lack of anything better to do.

I turned away from the window in the cool, air-conditioned room and took a sip of my lemonade. 

it was scorching hot outside, I didn't know how he could stand it. 

Later that evening, as my mother was pulling into the driveway, my grandpa pulled me in for a sweaty hug, but I hugged him anyway. he smiles down at me, and with a voice and eyes as clear as the day itself, he said what he would always say in place of a goodbye.

"I'm glad you got to see me." he said, ad I smiled up at him, crinkling my nose.

"I am too, grandpa"

It was a week or so later he called, saying he was sick. the evening after my mother and I had left, he had collapsed on the floor of a heart attack. we had no idea, until we received the call from him. he was in the hospital, and the health problems he had been hiding from us for years were finally catching up to him. his organs were failing, but the quickest of all was his heart.

when we arrived at the hospital, he was no longer the bright, young hearted man I knew. he was frail, and his skin was grey. his eyes were no longer vibrant, instead they were dull, and dying. the light that had always been in them was burning out, and I knew it was 

I sat my his side and held his hand, crying a little bit and thinking and telling him all my favorite memories with him. he was too weak to speak, so he just listened with his eyes close, and his hand frail in mine.

Soon, however, his grip loosened slightly, and when I opened my eyes and looked at him, his eyes were bright and he was smiling. his skin had lightened and he was again the young heart I knew. he squeezed my hand once, and whispered something to me before closing his eyes and laying back with a sigh.

"Hey, I'm glad you got to see me."