Father Winter: Forgive me. Maybe this will make up for it.
I open the gift even though nothing will make up for Father Winter being hot for my mom. It’s a yoga mat. I’m into fitness, so I appreciate the gift. I thank Father Winter and go to check out my other presents.
There’s one in particular that catches my attention. The wrapping is identical to Father Winter’s, but this one says, “From CC.”
The gift is from my father. I shake it, then reluctantly open it. It’s a coffee pot, which I can only assume is supposed to be for me to take to college.
My father has sent me gifts every birthday and holiday, which I don’t get. If he doesn’t want to be in my life, why does he do this? It’s confusing, and it pisses me off.
I put the gift away, not seeing the point in keeping it. Maybe I can regift it. I turn to Pop-pop to ask him what he received from Father Winter, but the words are not even out of my mouth before the unthinkable happens. Pop-pop’s baby sister, Sophia, collapses to the ground.
It takes everyone a moment, but the room becomes completely silent as soon as we all realize what has happened. Pop-pop stares with complete disbelief. I run upstairs to go and get ma.
Pop-pop’s sobs begin and fill the room. His grief touches us all – even those who didn’t know Aunt Sophia. I find a few tears escaping as well.
Death arrives just as ma descends the stairs. The party guests begin to shuffle out the door, including Uncle Merit – who ends up following Veronica.
Ma hurries over and comforts her father. This is the 2nd time in my life that I’ve witnessed the death of a family member. The first time was my Gran, and I was with Pop-pop in Sulani when it happened. I remember the heavy grief that descended upon me then. It seemed to last forever and was hard to shake. So I busy myself with cleaning up to try and avoid feeling that now.
Pop-pop takes his sister’s urn and retreats to his place. Ma joins me in the cleanup efforts. I’m sure that, like me, she’s trying her best to occupy her mind.
The worst part of growing old is saying goodbye to loved ones. So far in his life, Quincy has buried his parents, friends, wife, brother-in-law, and now he has to bury his younger sister. He has no idea how he has found the strength to go on after enduring so much grief. He undresses and climbs into bed, but he knows from experience that sleep won’t come for a long time.
I didn’t know my Great Aunt Sophia. I’m having a tough time recalling if I even met her before – maybe at Gran’s funeral. But I still feel like crap, and it all happened on my birthday. So now I’ll be forced to remember this day every time I blow out a candle. It is a shitty way to begin young adulthood.
(Generation 3 Chapter Summaries)
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