When April Comes

Come April, all this

will be over. Why April?

I don’t know.

Photo by Robin Lyon on Unsplash

Chapter one “Slipping”

It was a sort of slipping away I hadn’t anticipated as my grandma aged this past year and months - a long, drawn out, and surreal loss as she very clearly declined. And then, something gained I think neither of us expected. But first, some context.

On Christmas day, 2023, my sister and I arrived at our parents’ farm with our families. We were a bit late. As we made our rounds of hugs and hellos we both noticed - Grandma was not there yet. Something was wrong. She was never late. We called her house, her cell phone, her house again. Nothing. My sister and I hopped into the van while my mom called friends, neighbors, and other family members. With our brother in the driver’s seat we took off, our eyes on the roadside for the 80 miles to her house. While en route I called her and left messages on the answering machine, hoping she was still at home and could hear them.

“Hey, Grandma! You can’t skip out on Christmas! We’re coming to get ya. I hope you’re okay. Call back if you can. Otherwise, hang on - we’ll be there soon!”