Grandpa G

I used Skype tonight to call my 100.5 year old grandfather. My dad's dad. We have always had a very special bond. My grandparents lived less than a ten minute drive from me from my birth until I went away to college at 18. At any rate, he has always been so healthy and alert, but in the past few months his mind and body have started to deteriorate at an alarming rate.

We talked weekly when I was still in the U.S. The past few conversations we had before I departed for Africa, he wasn't able to recognize my voice on the phone. He'd say, "Who is this?" (he always used to say, "Well, this is Elizabeth!"). Anyway, when I called him from Africa tonight he was as with-it as can be. He said, "Elizabeth!" And he was so excited to hear from me. He knew it was me, and he knew I was still in Africa. We talked for awhile and then we both said our "goodbyes" and "I love yous" a few times.

I went back to my reading. All the sudden, about six minutes after the phone conversation had ended (or so I thought), I hear this faint "hello, hello" emanating from my phone, which was on my lap. I had forgotten to disconnect the call and so had he!  I got back on the phone, and he said, "I guess I forgot to hang up the phone in time." (He seemed embarrassed by this, having just lamented to me on the phone earlier that he was "afraid he was losing [his] mind".)  I laughed and said, "Well, I didn't hang up either, Grandpa. It is my fault!"

And he said the cutest thing... He said, "Well, I guess the reason we didn't disconnect is so we had another chance to say 'I love you' ". 

Ah, my grandpa is the best!