July/August 2019 21My grandfather really had been
Superman all along. He was the one
you could count on.Photo credit © Yogi PurnamaWe worked for several hours and I couldn’t wait to
be done. When I finally got home, I put the box
away somewhere and forgot all about it.
Four years later, we got the call that changed our
lives forever. It was December. The previous night I
had helped my mom decorate our Christmas Tree.
The next thing I knew, we were going back and forth
between our house and my grandparents’ house.
Everyone looked sad and stressed. My grandfather
looked calm, but his skin and eyes were yellow. I
realized for the first time that he had gotten quite
thin and frail. A few days later, we were in a hospital
waiting room. When the doctor arrived, about fif-
teen of us piled into the room. The doctor explained
that there was nothing more he could do. Tuto had
pancreatic cancer. Chemotherapy wasn’t recom-
mended because of the advanced stage and location
of his tumor. This disease would take his life soon.
The doctor recommended we make his last days as
pleasant as possible.
After this, all I ever wanted to do was be by Tu-
to’s side. I had spent a lifetime staying away from
him and wiping off his kisses. I thought it was silly
when I answered the phone and he would say it was
Superman calling. Now, I begged to stay with him
as often as I could. I became his personal assistant.
He even introduced me that way when visitors came
by. I knew which medications he needed to take and
when. I knew that the medications had to be lined
up in the proper order or he would get agitated. The
same went for his coconut water. It had to come
straight from the coconut with a straw. If someone
poured the water into a glass, it would be ruined.
I knew how he liked his eggs and how he needed to
sit for the greatest possible comfort. I spent hours
talking with him, listening to his stories and advice,
watching television together, reading to him. I sud-
denly realized how very cool he was. I also realized
that my dear grandfather had a bit of OCD, which
explained some of what I saw in myself.