I was blessed with the opportunity to spend some time with my grandfather last week. The relationship that we have with one another is very unique, in the sense that he seems to be one of the few members of my family who continues to love and support me unconditionally, while still being very accepting of the things that he doesn’t necessarily understand or agree with (namely my sexual orientation).
My grandfather has always played me very close and regarded me as one of his own, largely due to the fact that I didn’t have a father who was active in my life. I remember actually calling him Daddy instead of Grandaddy for a large part of my childhood. One of the reasons we’ve been so close has a lot to do with the fact that my mother was one of his few children to actually follow her dreams and ambitions AWAY from the nest and lead a successful life. Subsequently, I was also one of his few grandchildren to achieve success academically. He would always tell me as a young child that everytime he looks at me, he sees something so much greater than anything he’ll probably ever be able to experience or comprehend.
My grandfather attended Morehouse as well, and was a large determining factor in my decision to go there. I was originally planning to go to Georgetown, but decided against it b/c of the price. Then I was all set to go to FAMU on full scholarship, and actually attended orientation and pre-drill for the Marching 100, but at the last minute I backed out and chose to go to Morehouse after a late-night phone conversation with my pop-pop where he explained how much he wished I would “follow in his footsteps and attend one of the most prestigious black institutions in the world.” He has imparted some very valuable life lessons, and I can honestly say I appreciate each and every one of them. His life and experiences help bring some sense to a lot of the shit I’ve had to endure so far.
At the age of 72, he still has the heart and mind of a young buck.... even after overcoming a myriad of mild health issues, and a 50+ year smoking habit without so much of a TRACE of lung disease, my grandfather’s one and only kryptonite is WOMEN. We, as a family, still aren’t 100% positive of how many children he actually has, but we believe the number to be in the high teens (with his most recent being my 13 year old aunt). Having shared that, I’m sure you can imagine how taken aback he was to discover that his FAVORITE grandchild, one of his few MALE grandchildren, was gay. I remember his initial response being “that damn school done turned you out, I see.... kinda saw that one coming.” I never felt ostracized, but there definitely was that period of time where he pulled back. But since then, I think our relationship has grown even stronger.
Last week, the new potential (inconspicuously referred to as TexasRanger) and I travelled with my grandfather to his first colonoscopy..... what a character he was!! If anybody ever doubts where I get my wit and cynicism from, all you need to do is spend an hour in the company of my mother and grandfather. Afterwards, we enjoyed a nice dinner where he had the opportunity to give TexasRanger a hard time. TR isn’t the type to hold his tongue or tuck his tail for anyone, and my grandfather is a very matter-of-fact, no holes barred type of person..... needless to say, the day was very interesting, but all in all, they hit it off. Too bad I don’t see TR sticking around for too long.... he’s another old friend-turned-something more, and I enjoy his company, but I don’t really see it for a couple of reasons: (1) I don’t think I’m wholly ready quite just yet to pursue anything serious, and (2) he’s not really the type of guy I’d pursue something with in the first place. He’s more like a friend type + added affection, with the potential option on the table for sexual privileges in the near future. Lord knows I need it. But we’re still in the very early stages and I can already see the “WRAP IT UP” sign going HAM, which isn’t a good thing. At oils.
My grandfather has always played me very close and regarded me as one of his own, largely due to the fact that I didn’t have a father who was active in my life. I remember actually calling him Daddy instead of Grandaddy for a large part of my childhood. One of the reasons we’ve been so close has a lot to do with the fact that my mother was one of his few children to actually follow her dreams and ambitions AWAY from the nest and lead a successful life. Subsequently, I was also one of his few grandchildren to achieve success academically. He would always tell me as a young child that everytime he looks at me, he sees something so much greater than anything he’ll probably ever be able to experience or comprehend.
My grandfather attended Morehouse as well, and was a large determining factor in my decision to go there. I was originally planning to go to Georgetown, but decided against it b/c of the price. Then I was all set to go to FAMU on full scholarship, and actually attended orientation and pre-drill for the Marching 100, but at the last minute I backed out and chose to go to Morehouse after a late-night phone conversation with my pop-pop where he explained how much he wished I would “follow in his footsteps and attend one of the most prestigious black institutions in the world.” He has imparted some very valuable life lessons, and I can honestly say I appreciate each and every one of them. His life and experiences help bring some sense to a lot of the shit I’ve had to endure so far.
At the age of 72, he still has the heart and mind of a young buck.... even after overcoming a myriad of mild health issues, and a 50+ year smoking habit without so much of a TRACE of lung disease, my grandfather’s one and only kryptonite is WOMEN. We, as a family, still aren’t 100% positive of how many children he actually has, but we believe the number to be in the high teens (with his most recent being my 13 year old aunt). Having shared that, I’m sure you can imagine how taken aback he was to discover that his FAVORITE grandchild, one of his few MALE grandchildren, was gay. I remember his initial response being “that damn school done turned you out, I see.... kinda saw that one coming.” I never felt ostracized, but there definitely was that period of time where he pulled back. But since then, I think our relationship has grown even stronger.
Last week, the new potential (inconspicuously referred to as TexasRanger) and I travelled with my grandfather to his first colonoscopy..... what a character he was!! If anybody ever doubts where I get my wit and cynicism from, all you need to do is spend an hour in the company of my mother and grandfather. Afterwards, we enjoyed a nice dinner where he had the opportunity to give TexasRanger a hard time. TR isn’t the type to hold his tongue or tuck his tail for anyone, and my grandfather is a very matter-of-fact, no holes barred type of person..... needless to say, the day was very interesting, but all in all, they hit it off. Too bad I don’t see TR sticking around for too long.... he’s another old friend-turned-something more, and I enjoy his company, but I don’t really see it for a couple of reasons: (1) I don’t think I’m wholly ready quite just yet to pursue anything serious, and (2) he’s not really the type of guy I’d pursue something with in the first place. He’s more like a friend type + added affection, with the potential option on the table for sexual privileges in the near future. Lord knows I need it. But we’re still in the very early stages and I can already see the “WRAP IT UP” sign going HAM, which isn’t a good thing. At oils.
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