His Last Goodbye

A kitchen filled with love and the aroma of banana bread baking, cozy forest green & lemon walls that meet with the traditional black and white tile, a checkerboard floor which created a hop scotch imagination, that was Granma Greens Kitchen. My cousins and I played and laughter filled the room. .In the midst of that laughter we heard noise at stairs end, and a deep base voice laughing heartily as he took each step. We all became excited in anticipation of playing with Leonard Grinnage, a tall blue black man, with satin pearly white teeth, and a smile that covered his face with eyes that glittered like the stars from the heavens above. My grandmother looked on with great concern for she knew what was about to take place. She greeted our visitor who often dropped by without an invitation of course. Within moments, we sat on his lap and climbed on his back and he held us in his arms, and he laughed and laughed that deep tone laugh, oh I remember it well. Granma smiled and was happy for us, for she saw the joy in our faces, but soon she would call us one by one to wash and get ready for bed. I remember her talking quietly to our friend Leonard Grinnage and he bid her good-by, a quiet good-bye so different than before, and when I came to get my hug good night, I saw her look toward the door, with eyes sad and torn, not like the goodbyes in the past. I remember too, early the next morning, I know now it was 6: am, the telephone rang and I picked it up and the voice on the other end softly said, tell your granma very quietly, Leonard Grinnage died during the night and I placed the receiver down and walked to granma and granpa's room, my granma was looking very sad and she nodded as if she knew. As I started to give her the news her voice was loud and clear and she wailed and wailed, which pierced right through the air.I stood there not knowing what to do to help my granma through her pain, and I bowed my head in sadness and returned to my room. It was then I realized that death was a painful time and that tall and very handsome man with laughter deep within his soul. He visited us the night before to bid his last goodbye. Written by: Melvina Germain Date: Oct.18,2008