One Last Encounter

Chapter 1 - Stone-Cold Harley Incident

                Grampa fell into a very deep coma. If he hadn't been riding that old Harley Davidson at the age of 74, this wouldn't've occurred! Gramps was just always performing daring, wild, and bizarre stuff. Our Chihuahua, Buster, was afraid of grampa ever since he attempted to balance buster of top of his head while walking up the stairs. It really says something about someone's level of craziness when even the dog is afraid of them!

                I remember every single detail and life-skill grampa taught me! How to ride a bike, write in cursive, play softball, not get so hurt when a boy didn't have a crush on me back, etc. He was the Aristotle of my life! I always enjoyed being in his company, too, because I was never unamused. Grampa instantly turned my frown upside down on my cloudy days... like last week, I was very embarrassed because I was sweating bullets (it was over 100 degrees F outside) and grampa said I looked like I slathered butter all over myself. He got three sticks of butter and rubbed them all over himself, so I wouldn't be the only one who looked greasy, buttery, and yucky-sweaty-gross! YUCK! I still remember the greasy mess, which was somehow hilarious at the same time! Gramps said "Now we're both a bit greasy looking, hun, so don't be embarrassed! You're not alone!" He always had a way of making others laugh and feel good about themselves!

                It was 12:00AM (midnight) and Mom's iPhone rang. "Hmmmm, maybe a drunken early-morning party animal who accidentally dialed the wrong number," she thought? It was around New Year's Eve, so that was a pretty plausible explanation. I heard Mom instantly whimper in sadness... I knew something had gone wrong. She came to my room and said "Honey, get in the car, Gramps apparently got in a motorcycle accident... He's in a deep coma...!" My first emotion was shock! Tears filled my eyes... I tried to be strong and not let them dribble out quite yet until I knew for sure that Gramps was 100% gone from the World. I wanted to see my role model one last time, dead or alive, before I let out any emotions whatsoever.

                We got into the E.R. and the doctor, a short Asian woman, said the grampa had "flipped off his cycle after losing traction by taking too sharp of a turn, and had ended up flying off the cycle, hitting his head on the corner of the stone-cold concrete curb." She suddenly was paged on the intercom, and picked up the nearest telephone. She reported back to us and said that Gramps was no longer in a coma, he was dead. I instantly screamed at the top of my lungs "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! NOOO!!" Then I screeched, "I NEVER GOT TO SAY GOODBYE!" I ran into 'ROOM 73' where gramps was staying, and grabbed his hand. I said (while sobbing) "I love you, old man!!! Thanks for the memories.... I know I'll see you again, up there, someday!!"