“Well, good morning, Kurt! Did you sleep well?” asked his grandmother. Her name was Irene. A pink robe covered most of her pink nightgown, her ankles just showing above white slippers. Her white hair was already up in a bun behind her head. Kurt wondered whether she slept with it that way. Even at 90, she had the most beautiful vibrant blue eyes – eyes that seemed to laugh whenever he would look at them. Kurt would never forget those eyes. And the other thing he could remember about her was that she was always busy. As she turned from the kitchen counter, he could see that she was slicing up fresh pineapple for his breakfast. He sort of kicked himself that he had not been able to get up earlier and serve them instead of the other way around.

“I slept great, grandma. Thank you for making a place for me last night.”

“Here, have a seat,” said his grandpa as he pulled out a chair from one end of the kitchen table. “You can sit across from me. I have to save the chair next to me for my girlfriend, you know.” Kurt could see his grandpa wink at him from behind his thick glasses. Kurt’s grandpa, Mel, had worked his entire career at the local bank. Getting his start in the midst of the depression, he eventually became president and stayed in that position for many years before retiring when he was well into his 70s.

His grandmother came over and placed a bowl of fruit at each setting of the table as well as orange juice and toast. “We have some cereal, too, if you’d like some.”

“No, this is just fine. Actually, I feel bad because I’d hoped to get up early enough to fix breakfast for you.”

“Why on earth would you do that?” Irene asked. “You’re our guest.”

“How’s that girlfriend of yours?” asked Mel. “I always forget her name.”

“Susan’s just fine, grandpa. She’s very busy with her real estate business.”

“We hope to meet her someday, Kurt. Perhaps at a wedding?” His grandpa winked at him again, causing Kurt to shift his weight a bit. “Your mom tells us that Susan has a great personality. That is a real plus in real estate.”

“Yes, I am sure you’d like her. Everyone always likes her.”

“So, what have you been up to with your time?” Irene asked.

Fortunately, Kurt had just started to eat his toast, giving him a couple of seconds to swallow and figure out how to answer that question. “Oh, this and that,” he replied. Hardly a good answer, he thought to himself. Kurt had had a series of short-lived jobs in the IT industry since graduating from college. He often felt like he’d let his family down, like everyone was expecting so much of him but yet things just hadn’t worked out. In fact, the question of just how much had he let others down worried him a lot.

“Well, that’s hardly a clear answer,” she said. “You’re still working with computers?”

“Yes, I am.”

“You’re a real bright one, Kurt. You always were. Even when you were little, you always had a quick answer and usually a joke to share.” Mel could tell that Kurt was a little uneasy talking about his work so he tried to soften things a bit. Maybe they could talk more seriously later on.

Kurt’s grandparents went on to talk some about their plans for the day. A short shopping trip. Work in the yard. Bring in the patio furniture. They still lived in the only house that Kurt had ever known them to live in. It was an older house. Nothing fancy but well cared for. They had kept it up over the years. Kurt had been in some “grandparent” houses that hadn’t changed much since 1950 but Irene and Mel’s house was well appointed and updated.

Kurt offered to help them with their work around the house. Mel in particular seemed grateful for the help. In nearly sixty years of owning that house, it had always been pretty much just Irene and him who got things ready for what could be rough winters in Michigan. Even when the girls had still been at home, they’d never asked for their help. It would be good to have some help this year.

chapter 2 yet to come...