A Special Treat
Teal must have been around three years old when Jessica came to New York with him that October. I was thrilled! It wasn’t too often that she came, but she had some seminars or something; I really cannot recall. Whatever the reason was, we were delighted to have one-on-one time with him.She came in October, around Halloween. Peter and I were so excited! I remember we went out and bought sliced bread, which we broke up into pieces and put in a paper bag so Teal could feed the birds by the lake. We then drove to the lake and walked down the incline. The day felt as if a paintbrush had swept across the sky and tinted it with a hue of gold. It shimmered and glowed in the autumn sun. The leaves ranged in color from lime green and gold to crimson, burnt sienna to deep burnished copper. It was magically glorious. Jessica accompanied us to the lake that day. Peter carried Teal upon his shoulders. Both he and Teal were enjoying the moment. Teal giggled joyously and patted Peter on his bald pate in excitement. At the edge of the lake, Peter put Teal down. He began to show him all the waterfowl: the ducks, the geese, and the regal swans. He showed him the turtles sunning themselves on the rocks before it got too cold to do so. Even the fifty-year-old carp made an appearance from the bottom of the lake, where he lived. He wanted to see this special grandson from Boulder that had come for a visit. “Handsome little boy,” he commented before he dived back to his abode at the bottom of the lake.We stood by the edge of the lake to feed the birds. There was plenty of cut-up bread for all the waterfowl and the birds that lived in the park. Teal gingerly began to throw some bread into the water. All at once, the geese pushed forward and aggressively surrounded Teal, wanting to be first. Poor boy, he got so scared that he threw his little hands up in the air and let out a panicky scream! Peter quickly scooped him up and held him tightly in his arms and walked away from the lake. He walked towards the paths and the park benches. We followed him. Holding Teal safely in his lap, he opened the bag once more. Gingerly, Teal took some bread and threw it towards the little birds. Soon he had sparrows and pigeons and all kinds of other birds eating from his hands. He got off Peter’s lap and ever so gingerly began feeding the birds. The birds were gentle and did not scare him. Soon his delighted peals of laughter echoed throughout the surroundings. Holding Teal’s hand, Peter walked around the lake. When Teal tired, Peter put him back up on his shoulders. We could hear him singing to the little boy and Teal’s joyous giggles. Jessica and I smiled as we sat on a bench enjoying the serenity of the lake.Peter had a client who directed the cast of “The Lion King.” He asked her if she could possibly get us tickets for the show. She graciously arranged for us to go see a matinee performance. She did better than obtain tickets. Tickets were hard to come by; she got premium seats. We sat three rows from the front and center, beautiful seats. Afterward, she personally led us backstage and introduced us to all the cast. Mainly, she directed her attention to Teal. He was delighted to meet Simba and all the cast in their costumes. We appreciated her kindness and generosity greatly. It was so kind of her. I hope Teal remembers that. He was so little then.One Sunday, Jessica was going out. Peter and I got to have Teal all to ourselves for a short while. Teal’s favorite pastime was to be read to. He curled up on my lap on the loveseat in the living room. He leaned his head against my chest and listened as I read to him. Outside the window, the lawn was a carpet of autumn leaves. The birds on the trees seemed to be warbling their goodbyes to the last of the warm weather. I remember the feeling of sheer bliss I experienced that day as I read to my grandson. Peter was returning some calls in his study. When he was done, he came into the room and said, “Who would like to go to Lulu’s for some hot chocolate and cake?”“Me! Me!” came the eager reply, as Teal jumped up and down in excitement. His mother was quite strict about sweets. To him, this was quite an occasion. However, since we are the grandparents and we do not see him too often, we reasoned that it was okay just that once to treat him to hot chocolate and a sweet. Down the block we walked, each of us holding one of his hands proudly, with huge grins on our faces! We crossed the main thoroughfare and entered Lulu’s. A little bell tinkled as we entered. It wasn’t too busy at that time of day. Evelyn, who had been there since the bakery opened years ago, turned around and greeted us by name. She smiled when she saw Teal. We proudly introduced him. She came around the counter and picked him up. “It’s Halloween soon, and we have made some special Halloween cupcakes. Would you like to choose one?” Teal’s eyes grew as round as saucers. There were so many to choose from! There were witch ones and jack-o’-lantern ones, there were pumpkin ones and bat ones; there were even cobweb ones and black cat on a broomstick ones! Teal was quite confused as to which one to choose, but he finally did. We sat down at a table. We ordered coffee and pastries for us and a hot chocolate for Teal. He was quiet.“What is the matter, Teal? What’s wrong, darling?” I asked.He looked at his cupcake and then looked at us. “This is so pretty. Can I please have one for Mama as well?” he asked. I answered him then as I answer him now, “What do you think?” He knew the answer.Soon they had to go back home. We had truly enjoyed the visit. Christmastime came around and they returned again. Jessica had some more meetings. This time, during the week, I took him to Manhattan. Toys R Us had just replaced FAO Schwarz, a very well-known toy store, on Fifth Avenue. On the main floor, they had erected a Ferris wheel that was two stories high. I was fascinated by it and thought it would be a great treat for him to ride on it. We stood in line for quite a while. Finally, it was our turn. As we were about to get on, he balked. “I don’t want to!” he said with a scowl on his little face.“But Teal, it’s fun,” I said gently.“I don’t want to go on it!” he repeated, with a threat of tears.I decided it was better that I did not insist. It was obvious he was wary of the ride. Instead, we wandered about the store until he stopped by an array of Legos. He immediately chose the biggest one that they had displayed. Besides it being too complicated to assemble for his age group, the price was unrealistic as well. After I explained that it was too hard to put together, he chose another. Even that was too hard for him. He was only three! At any rate, it never went back home with him. He played with it occasionally during his visits, but it was hardly used. I just gave it away recently.After the toy store, we hailed a taxi and went to the Museum of Natural History. He loved that! We wandered about as he took in all the different dinosaurs. This time it was I that was impressed, not by the dinosaurs, but by him.“Look, look, Grandma! This is an XYZ dinosaur,” he would exclaim in excitement, as I followed him around from one dinosaur to the other.I looked at him in wonder. This kid was a true expert on dinosaurs! He named each dinosaur! I checked their names on their plaques, and he was right!“Teal, how do you know that?” I asked, puzzled.“Oh Grandma, everyone knows that,” he answered nonchalantly.“Not true, your grandma doesn’t even have an inkling,” I thought to myself.Many years have passed since then. Our roles have somewhat become reversed. He is twenty years old now. He goes to Middlebury College in Vermont. His parents decided to buy him a brand new car, which he drives in for visits during breaks. They made sure he drives something safe.“Grandma Stella, you are out of barbari bread. Shall I go buy some?”“How would you like to go for dim sum?” he asks Kelly and me. “I’ll drive,” he quickly adds.“Can we go for chelo kebab today?”As we leave the house, he holds my hand, not because he needs to any longer, but to steady me as I walk. Not because I ask him to, but because he wants to make sure I won’t stumble. He is a kindhearted, caring, and intelligent person. I look at him and my heart fills with love and pride. I think to myself, “How did I ever get to be so, so lucky?”