Aging of a Memory by Elijah Johnson-Breimeier

Driving up my grandparent’s driveway to their cottage in the woods. Seeing the Elijah tree, a blue spruce evergreen planted the same year I was born. Checking to see if it or I was taller. Then looking up to the door and seeing my grandparents, together, standing on the deck and waving. I go up the stairs, hug them and patiently wait while they exclaim how much taller I was the year before. When my parents came up the stairs and started their hellos I stepped inside and smiled at my home away from home. “Take your shoes off Elijah” … “yeeeeees grandmaaa” Shoes always came off so you wouldn’t get the carpet dirty. I look at all the sights as I take my shoes off, checking if anything was at all different from last year. Nothing was. Same old homey cottage, jeopardy playing on the tube and the smell of fresh bread wafting through the house. I jumped from rug to rug all across the house waiting for the old people to come inside. Finally they did and I raced to the cookie jar always full of chocolate chip cookies, barely standing still and too short to see if there were actually cookies in the jar. My dad came over and grabbed one for me and three or four for himself. I had to eat my cookie in the kitchen so I didn’t get crumbs and chocolate everywhere. Just as I finished up my grandpa called me over to his comfy chair. I weaved my way through the dining room and all the extra chairs. Around the sofa covered with a sheet so I wouldn’t get the sofa covers dirty.  I walked up to my grandpa and he picked me up and set me down on his lap. Then out of nowhere produced 3 cookies. He gave them to me with a quick smile and a mischievous look in his eyes.

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Driving up the drive way of my grandparent’s cottage, noticing the Elijah tree and I to be the same height. Then looking and seeing my grandma standing outside, waving, while my grandpa sits in his chair being too old to move around a great deal. I got out of the car and walked along the shadow patched drive way. Carrying my duffle bag, I look up towards the canopy of maple and pine trees watching the noon sun light drifting lazily through the leaves. Surrounded by the woods I felt I was in a bubble of calm cut off from the world, a world only twenty feet away. A world so quiet waves could be heard lapping up against the beach from over a hundred feet away. I walked up the stairs looking to my grandma with a smile and a hello. I was greeted with a large smile and happy eyes. Setting my bag down I hugged my grandma and noticed I was a half foot or so taller. Not waiting for my parents I went inside, took my shoes off, set my bag down, and walked through the open area to the cookie jar. After I grabbed a couple cookies I stepped around the table and sat down on the couch. I looked around and saw that while everything was smaller it was exactly the same as it always had been. I reached for the foot stool and grabbed the newspaper, hoping to do the crossword puzzle. My grandparents had already finished it like usual. So I stretched back and looked over to my grandpa sitting in his chair. Not surprised at all that he was there with a blanket over his legs and a book in his hands. I was going to say hello but I noticed that he was asleep, head against the back of the chair, still somehow managing to hold onto his book. I smirked and kept quiet, waiting for him to wake and notice that I was sitting barely three feet away from him. As the door opened again he gave a little jolt and satisfied sigh. When he looked up he was smiling with a warm, loving look in his eyes. He glanced over at me and asked me and said “oh why hello there young man”. I asked him how his book was. He responded, knowing that he had been asleep and not actually reading, with, “Oh it’s a rather intense read, thoroughly enjoyable.”

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Driving up the drive way of my grandparent’s cottage and noticed the blue spruce, full of life, was finally a good deal taller than me. Up on the deck no one stood. When the car stopped I climbed out and took in the quiet. I took in the peace, the red sky and its sun setting over Lake Michigan, and the slight wind rustling leaves along the driveway. I left my bags in the car and started walking, sticking my hands in my pockets. I looked to my left and saw a local red fox stalking through the woods. We stopped and regarded each other. Clearly not bothered by my presence she continued on. As did I, to the steps up to the front door. As I walked up the stairs I noticed there were cobwebs under the roof and deck. There were weeds in the garden boxes and no fresh flowers. The steps were worn away and the door handle was polished brightly by recent increase in usage the past week. I opened the squeaky screen door and pushed the solid wooden door open. I took my shoes off and for the first time in my life saw that the shoe area was completely full. My parents, my brother and his girlfriend, my sister and her boyfriend, my aunt and uncle, and two cousins were all there. When I stood up I looked around and saw the rather small dining room and living room full of people. They all stood up and one by one hugs were exchanged. My grandma’s hug was tighter, longer. After that I skipped the cookies but still looked around making sure everything was the same. Everything was. Basically. I stepped over all the legs and around my dad chilling on the floor, and sat down on the couch between by brother and sister. We sat in a comfortable silence. I looked at my grandpa’s chair knowing what I would see but still in shock at what I saw. An empty chair. I thought then; summers here will never be the same. Eventually my sister whispered well “this is awkward” we all laughed and conversation resumed. While I talked to my aunt I had a warm memory, an image of my grandpa sitting in his chair, silent but smiling quietly as he watched and listened to his family enjoying life. Happiness spread through me caused by the little fox, the blue spruce, the loving environment of my family, and the knowledge that there would always be life in death and happiness in sorrow.