By Kevin Nguyen
Kevin is a 7th grader, living in California. This personal narrative is about love dedicated to his grandpa.
Love. A feeling towards someone. We often refer to a family member as a loved one, but don’t truly nurture or appreciate the love until we lose it. A loved one is someone you would put your life on the line for, without hesitation. So who is this loved one? For me it’s my grandpa.
I grew up without a father and was raised by my mother’s side. I spent most of my childhood with my grandparents. I remember countless pleasant evenings when my grandparents would walk me to the market and get me sweets. We would walk on the sidewalk and for a couple blocks make a right. Once my family moved to America, I still lived with my grandparents.
He would often fry up some eggs for breakfast and eat them with bread. I would always ask for a bite and end up eating more than I asked. It was so simple, but his cooking was always a delightful surprise! I can remember one afternoon when I was hungry. My grandmother wasn’t home, and she was the one who usually cooked. He made this pasta with ketchup, and it tasted amazing! He laughed joyfully when he saw that I enjoyed it.
He would walk me and my brother to school in the early morning. We would go on weekly walks to the market, and walk home carrying bags of groceries. It was always so fun. The smack of air against your face at 6:00 PM. It was refreshing.
But soon, he moved to Chicago to take care of my newborn cousin. Every morning, he would FaceTime us and show him feeding her. It was a routine. One day, he said his hip hurt. This was where it all started. He flew back to California, and we found out he had cancer. It was devastating news to me. He was the person I grew up with, raised me, and loved me more than anything in the world. I visited him on his birthday, and he could barely talk; the look on his face was just pain. I cried a lot. The day after, news struck. He had passed away. I busted into tears. I would never think I would experience this emotion, until it happened to me.
Now, I regret not spending as much time with him. Losing him makes me value my relationships with my loved ones more than anything in the world. In my heart and mind, I know he will always be with me, and I will always love him.