“Hi Gran.”
Brandt plops down beside me and takes my hand. He offers me a sunny, encouraging smile.
“It’s been awhile. I’ve been deployed. I kinda got blowed up, Gran. I’m sorry. I’ve been recuperating, getting strong again, so I could come see you.”
Already the tears threaten to spill, and I just fucking got here.
All my life, I looked up to her and my grandfather like they were invincible. I guess all children think their parents are invincible. Immortal. It’s something we take for granted. But not me. I knew that wasn’t the case because my own parents failed me. My Gran was the strongest woman I knew. I only ever wanted to make her proud of me, like I was of her.
But my granddad, he was larger than life. A decorated war hero and the world’s best replacement dad, now buried at Arlington. I dreamed of someday following in his footsteps. I pushed myself harder than necessary, took risks I shouldn’t have, just to try to be the man he was, to accomplish a tenth of what he had. He died when I was young from a heart attack, leaving me and my Gran on our own. So even though I looked up to him like he was a god, I had twenty-two extra years with my Gran. She was my whole world.
Until Brandt came along.
“Gran, you remember Brandt, my best bud.”
Of course she did. He visited her many times with me in the years after basic training.
Brandt nods, like she can see him. “Hi, Ma’am, good to see you again. We miss you.”
Swallowing back a fresh wave of tears, I clear my throat and continue. “Gran, Brandt isn’t just my best friend anymore. He’s the man I love with all my heart.”
The End
