MY PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER

SHE WAS THE ANTHISIS OF MY OTHER GRANDMOTHER...SHE WAS FIESTY,SHORT, AND ALWAYS REMINDING WHEN THE OCCASSION AROSE THAT,"I'M NO ROCKING CHAIR GRANDMOTHER". SHE HAD A CUTE FIGURE AND BOTH GRANDMOTHERS WORE LONG DRESSES, WITH THOSE BLACK TIE UPS WITH BLOCKS SERVING AS HEELS. I USUALLY PLANNED MY VISITS WITH LILLIAN ON FRIDAYS. WHY? BECAUSE SHE WOULD FRY FISH, DIPPED IN CORN MEAL, WHICH I ENJOYED ITS CRUNCHINESS AND TASTE WHILE SITTING IN THE KITCHEN WITH THE FRUIT PATTERNED OIL CLOTH COVERING THE TABLE, WHERE I COULD LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AND SEE THE ROOF OF THE APARTMENT BUILDING WHERE MY PARENTS BROTHER AND I LIVED RIGHT NEXT DOOR.

I LIKED THE SIZZLE OF FRYING FISH, AND ENJOYED WATCHING MY GRANDMOTHER SO CONCENTRATED ON HER TASK AT HAND, PREPARING THE EVENING MEAL AS STEAM RISED FROM UNDERNEATH THE LID COVERING THE LARGE FRYING PAN. THERE WAS NO IDLE CHATTER, NO, "SO HOW WAS SCHOOL TODAY?", OR, "WHAT DID YOU LEARN TODAY IN SCHOOL?"

NO, BOTH SIDES OF THE FAMILY WERE A SERIOUS BUNCH BECAUSE INSTINCTIVELY WE KNEW THAT THERE WERE GOING TO BE ROUGH TIMES AHEAD, EVEN THOUGH WE WERE FORTUNATE TO BE LIVING IN AMERICA, IN YONKERS, NEW YORK, KNOWN FOR ITS HILLS, WHICH MADE STRONG LEGS AND HEALTHY HEARTS.

MY GRANDFATHER WAS A PULLMAN PORTER TRAVELING LONG DISTANCES, UP TO CANADA, AND HE HAD TREATED ME TO A FABULOUS TRIP WHERE I HAD A TRAIN CAR COMPLETELY TO MYSELF; ITS RHYTHEM WAS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FROM THE TRAIN RIDE TO OSSINING. IT WAS A FARM THAT WE HAD VISITED DURING THE TRIP TO CANADA, AND I REMEMBER THE TALL GRASS, TALLER THAN ME, SWAYING WITH THE BREEZE.

THIS TRAIN SEEMED AS THOUGH IT HAD BEEN SHOT OUT OF A CANNON TRAVELING AT A SPEED THAT CAUSED MY BODY TO HAVE TO TRY AND CATCH UP TO MY BRAIN AND AT NIGHT ON THIS TRIP, I DIDN'T HAVE TO ROCK, BECAUSE THE TRAIN DID IT FOR ME, NOT FROM SIDE TO SIDE, BUT IN A STRAIGHT LINE THAT ZOOMED, SEEMINGLY CRYING OUT, "FULL SPEED AHEAD!".

(C)COPYRIGHTED BY GWEN MITCHELL, AKA GWENDOLYN ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017 AT 4:45PM, AT THE WEST HOLLYWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90069, USA.