As a
baby, my parents tell me I used to speak to walls and
doorknobs and car doors. When I was old enough to really speak, they
would ask
me who I was talking to... most often it was someone I called "Lady".
To this day, we don't know who Lady is was, my parents didn't think
enough of
it to question me further (for a description) and I don't remember
enough about
it at this point. Such experiences, didn't stop once I was out of
diapers
though. When I was 8 years old, my Grandmother had passed away after a
long
battle with breast cancer that had moved into her lungs. I had refused
to believe
she was dying, determined that at 8 years old I could come up with a
cure for
cancer -or that God would perform a miracle and she'd be healthy and
live for
many more years. She died January 8th at 6:06pm... 6 minutes after I
decided to
leave the hospital with my cousin for the night. I knew the moment she
died,
because I felt her spirit in the car with me for a moment. The months
afterwards were very difficult. I accepted the fact she had died, or
rather, I
thought I had. Both my Grandpa and I would tell each other about how
we've been
seeing her, or feeling her presence. Sept. 25th that year, was my
Grandpa's
65th birthday... and my parents told me to call him, since for a change
he
wasn't
at our house (he spent from Thursday afternoon until Tuesday morning
most weeks
at our place after my Grandma died)...and he was probably lonely. I
picked up
the phone and it rang twice. My Grandmother answered the phone. We
spoke for
about 30 minutes. I don't remember the specifics of the conversation...
there was
a bit of "Wow, Grandma... it's been a long time since I've seen you!"
and "I know sweetie”. However the majority of the phone call was about
my
Grandpa. She told me that he was really having a tough time, and that
since she
couldn't help him out of it... that she wanted me to be there for him.
She had
me promise that I would be his best friend now that she couldn't be
there. I
agreed and we started speaking about school.
At that point my parents told me to speak to my Grandpa, they thought I
was
speaking to my Uncle... so I told my Grandma "Mom says I need to speak
to
Grandpa now... I love you" and my Grandma said she loved me and that
she'd
put Grandpa on. At that point I heard the phone ring another two
times... and
then my Grandpa picked up the phone. Things went about circle at the
end of
August of this year when my Grandfather passed away from kidney cancer
that
moved everywhere else. He died in the same room my Grandmother passed
away in
almost 13 years earlier. At the funeral I told my Grandmother it's her
turn to
take care of him again, since I no longer can. I miss them both very
much, but
I will always treasure that phone call. Even though I still have issues
dealing
with death because I forgot she had died after speaking to her on the
phone.