This week Sydney our youngest spent the day with her Grandparents and some cousins for a "Grandma Day". These are great days for Syd and she loves spending time with her Grandparents and cousins. This was a special day in that she was invited to come spend the night at her cousin's home. Well my responsibility when these activities go down is to retrieve the monster. So Friday for lunch I made the trek out to Cottonwood Heights to meet my Sister-in-law and take the hand off.
All went well and we ended up back at my office for the afternoon. Syd spent the afternoon eating pretzels, drinking water from her new water bottle, watching Tinkerbell, drawing pictures, measuring things, watching Horton Hears a Who, eating more pretzels and drinking more water.
On our second trip to the water cooler we met a lady who sits just outside my office. She was using the copier and noticed the half pint walking through the office with me. You have to know I work with some great people and though kids are not common in the office they are treated like found kittens. As Syd began filling the water bottle this is the conversation that took place.
Copy Lady - "Well what do we have here?"
Martin - " Making our second trip to the water cooler"
Copy Lady (To Syd) - "Are you spending time with your grandpa today?"
I really thought she was just working and trying to get a laugh at my expense. Being very sarcastic as times, harsh in my humor and terrible at teasing. I began to smile and wanted to see how far she was going to take the gag.
Copy Lady (To Me) - "You know I really miss mine they are in Texas and California."
Dumbfounded, agast, dumbstruck those were all good descriptions of what I was feeling. I couldn't even respond, I didn't know what to say! All I could do was fumble with the top to the water bottle and tell Syd we needed to get back to her pretzels.
It really took me two hours just to get my mind around what had happened and share the story. I remember like it was yesterday when I took our oldest son to school on the first day. Now I am the grandpa of my youngest?
I have heard it say that writing the story can be cathartic, you know helps you work through the pain.
Not for me, all of a sudden I am worried about throwing a hip, or the onset of Alzheimer's.
Don't think I am taking Syd back to work again anytime soon.
-Martin
