A couple hours into my school day, my mom would tell me to go to Grandma’s house around 10-12 noon to give her food and do favors for her. I would give her tater tots, prunes, or egg rolls to eat, refill her four glass drinking mugs near her chair with water and give her Ensure to drink. Sometimes, Grandma asked me to put some Miralax powder in her water, (only yesterday I searched up what Miralax does). She had me refill up her water filter. And sometimes I help her find stuff she needs. Sometimes I help my mom get my Grandma to the bathroom and back, which requires great carefulness and patience. Just about every week, I took her trash to the curb and back for her.
My grandma gifted me a lot of expensive toys like Playmobil Roman soldiers and Lego Star Wars Sets for my birthday and Christmas. If she missed my birthday while I was in the Philippines, she would give me money when I came back.
After my morning visits with Grandma, she would get me talking about what was happening in our house recently, and how Cookie is doing. She would always dismiss me by doing “mano po” (a way of respecting elders in the Philippines by pulling her hand to my forehead) followed by her kissing my hand. Every time, the last words I heard while going out the door were, “Bye smartiepants! I love you!” And I would respond back by saying “I love you too, Grandma! “.
