Recliner Reminiscences

41. Playing with Grandchildren - The Generation Bridge - Part 1
Oct 9, 2024
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Here are a few more memories of my first grandson. He had just turned seven when we traveled to the USA, and by then, he had become quite mischievous. This was the time when he fairly and squarely beat my wife and me in brain games like Connect 4, Blokus, and the like. Believe me, we played seriously, genuinely wanting to win, but we just couldn’t.
He had two other favorite pastimes. One was hide and seek, a game he had loved since he was nearly two. In the house where my son was staying, there were so many hiding places that I could never find him. For me, it was fun, not frustrating—after all, it made him happy. There were a couple of hiding spots that only he and my wife knew about, and they never revealed them to me.
The other game was also hiding, but of a different kind. He knew about my visual impairment and was often very helpful in guiding me around. Even at that young age, he was thoughtful. But he took great delight in hiding my reading glasses. The first couple of times, I was fooled into thinking I had misplaced them. Then I realized that this little fellow had a hand in it. This happened almost daily. During car rides, he would take my glasses from my shirt pocket and hide them somewhere in the car. Only after begging would he return them. Under the impression that he was being very stealthy, my family members would tell me that his whole body would be shaking—not with fear, but with excitement at the prospect of taking my glasses without my noticing. All of us play-acted along.
Once, we were visiting a large store, and I opted to wait in a restaurant just near the entrance. As I sat, dreamily contemplating something, I suddenly heard a voice, “Sir, what would you like to have?” Turning, I saw it was my grandson, up to his mischief again. I replied, “Bring me a hot cup of coffee.” And he cheekily responded, “We don’t serve people who have big paunches!” Laughter erupted all around.
Over the years, he has achieved many accomplishments. He’s great at sports, has a creative mind, excellent presence of mind, is academically brilliant, and, above all, is soft-natured.
As I write this, he has graduated from university—a big boy now.
To be continued... 42A. Playing with Grandchildren - Part 2A.