Heaven’s Gate
68 Grandpa
We launched production of What’s Wrong With This Picture? on Monday, July 26. We were shuffling staff around. Lee was out at the ranch at least a couple times a week talking to Maggie and Jess. They were taking over production and direction of XX/XY. April was moving with Hannah and Samantha to the new show. April had a few ideas of her own, but desperately wanted to work with Hannah as director again. Samantha would be the producer. Jason was moving up as director/lead camera on Chick Chat. Rose was frantically interviewing and preparing to hire a producer for that show and both a producer and director for Amber’s new show that we still didn’t have a title for. Amber offered to produce her own show as she’d been doing on the road with the comedy weekly, but this was going to be daily and we all knew how quickly she could burn out just acting in a daily show. Elaine advised her against it and Amber quickly understood.
As for Elaine, she would host three shows a week live. One show a week would be a rerun and one show a week would have a guest host. With Amber out of the picture, we were getting some interesting inquiries regarding guest hosting. Some of them were from very recognizable talents that Amber had worked with on the comedy circuit. The season was looking strong.
Of course, I would produce my own show, but, much to my surprise, Jess asked if he could direct the Saturday live broadcasts. He thought it would be fun and it didn’t take me thirty seconds to agree. I’d always worked well with Jess and was happy that he was our full-time employee.
“Hi, Mom! Are you at work? What’s up?” I said when I answered my cell phone. I’d been worried when I gave her that number that she’d be calling it all the time. She had for a while, but the novelty wore off. Still, it was unusual for her to call in the middle of the day.
“Brian, there’s no easy way to say this. Grandpa Frost passed away last night. I’d have called earlier, but things have been chaotic here and Anna and I have just been trying to support your dad,” Mom said.
“Gosh, Mom. I’m sorry. I’ll pull things together and head up there. Please tell Dad I love him and I’ll be there soon,” I said. Shit. My grandpa. He was old as hell and I didn’t get to see him often, but still, I was going to miss him.
“Well, I won’t say you have to come, but you’d be more than welcome. Especially, if you brought a grandchild or two. And their mothers,” she said.
“I’ll see what I can do. We’ll stop and pick up dinner on the way, so don’t worry about cooking tonight,” I said. “We’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you, Brian. We love you.”
“Love you, too, Mom.”
I still had my Chrysler Concorde, but Liz had complained that every time she wanted to go somewhere with another mother and children, they had to take two cars. She went out after Sharon was born and bought a new Chevy Astro eight-passenger van. The thing was like driving a bus, but it did make it possible for us to load Liz, Dani, and our three girls safely in the vehicle and go to Mishawaka for my grandpa’s funeral. We stopped for Kentucky Fried Chicken in Mishawaka with slaw, biscuits, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Some meal for a gourmet cook to bring his family.
We got there about six o’clock. Sharon was asleep, but Xan and Céleste immediately ran to their grandpa and crawled up into his lap. Céleste did the talking while Xan petted Dad’s face and bald head. Every so often, Xan would sign something to Céleste and her little sister would change topics.
“We know you are sad, Grandpa,” Céleste said. “You love your daddy like we love our papa. You can bring him to the River and we’ll all visit him every day.”
“My sweet little grandbabies,” Dad laughed. “How I love you. Thank you for inviting Grandpa to the River of Life. But you know, he was married a long time ago to my momma. She died a long, long time ago. Now Great-grandpa gets to go lie beside her again at last. He loved his great-grandchildren, but he wants to stay with Great-grandma now.”
“Can we visit them in…” Céleste puzzled over what Xan was signing for a second then continued. “…in the cemetery?”
“Yes, sweetheart. Great-grandpa is getting all dressed up tomorrow and Saturday we’ll take him to the cemetery so he can be with Great-grandma.”
Xan whispered in Dad’s ear and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled and hugged his two granddaughters tightly.
We laid Grandpa to rest on Saturday morning. There were a few of Mom and Dad’s friends there. I think Grandpa outlived all his friends. He was ninety-one. Xan, Céleste, and Sharon all took a ritual handful of dirt to toss on the coffin and say goodbye. I knelt with them beside the headstone and pointed out the names and dates. Céleste was the one who talked for all three.
“Great-grandma was lonely. I’m glad Great-grandpa went to be with her. She needed him to stay warm. They should hurry and cover Great-grandpa so he doesn’t get too cold.” Somehow, I managed to scoop all three of my daughters up in my arms to hug them. They’d been great, but it was time to get them home.
The girls were equal opportunity cuddlers and spent as much time cuddled in Mom and Anna’s laps as in Dad’s. Dani and Liz each spent time sitting on Dad’s lap in his big chair, too. I held my moms on the sofa while the girls napped in the afternoon.
“Well, on the positive side of things,” Dad said, “I think we can sell the farm and build a house in Corazón. I’ve been at this job for twenty years. I bet I can find something to work at down there.”
“That would be wonderful, Papa Hayden,” Liz said. “We couldn’t bring all the grandchildren with us who wanted to come. They all want to see you more often.”
As we drove back to Corazón on Sunday, all I could think was that one more stone was engraved with the name of someone I’d loved.
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