My roommate's grandmother, pictured to the left, is an unreal woman and I've only met her twice. The first time was when my boyfriend, Stephen, and I drove her 2 hours from her daughter's home in Pennsylvania, to her home in New Jersey and it was instantly love. She told us all about growing up in Germany and becoming a nanny and moving to the US and meeting the love of her life. I'm the kind of person who LOVES when old people tell me stories and she loved that I loved them. Elderly people deserve more respect (except the racist ones). After all, they know more than us. When we dropped her off at her house, she showed us all the pictures hanging on her walls of her and her husband who passed away ten years ago. Ever since then, she has been open about wanting to die because with out him, what's the point? (fucking AW.) I should also mention that this woman smokes like a chimney, but with so much grace and elegance. I love watching her smoke, its what I imagine an 80 year old Marilyn Monroe would do.
The second and last time I saw her was this past weekend. She is dying of a brain tumor and was given the "three weeks to a few months" speech by the doctors. Before moving in with her daughter, she wanted to spend a final few days at her own home and have her friends and family come to say goodbye. Stephen and I drove up to see her and spent a few hours at her house where we saw friends and family come in and out, saying good bye and crying. Everything that was coming out of this woman's mouth was the most epic thing I've ever heard. I guess it had to be, right? It's her last words to those people. She ended up being the one to comfort all of us because she knew she was going to be at peace and all everyone else could think about was never seeing her again.
The time came to say goodbye and head back to the city and although I don't even know what this woman's first name is, I love her. Stephen goes to hug her, she pulls him in close and whispers something profound in his ear and tells him she loves him. He cries. I get scared.
I go to hug her, and she pulls me in close and says, "You're very lucky because you will live your life in love like I did. Always be in love and always be happy. I love you. (She pauses, and looks me in the eye). I've met you before, right?"
Fucking amazing.
Love this. Love.
thanks for sharing this.