My grandmother was a firecracker until the day she died. Her nails were always painted fuschia, even in her seventies. And her skin, soft and thin between each wrinkle, smelled like baby lotion and Freedent Gum. She always had a wild cherry Luden’s tucked beneath a crumpled tissue in the pocket of her pastel pink sweater, which she would stuff in my hand and wink when my mom wasn’t looking. I thought I was getting a real treat.
During her last years at the upscale assisted living facility where my mom also worked, she got her kicks stealing Oreos off the dessert cart for my sister and me. She’d swipe clothes from the laundry room with names like Fanny Mae or Matilda Jean stitched into the collar for my mom. And she insisted we take at least one roll of single ply toilet paper from her shared bathroom every time we visited. My grandma was Robin Hood with a cane.
Before my mom moved her there, my grandma lived with us for a couple years. Though she spent the majority of her time watching soap operas in her blue velvet rocking chair, there were a couple of occasions when she called a cab to drive us to Big Lots for discounted Cabbage Patch Dolls and orange cream soda pop. Her ass was on fire and she couldn’t sit still even when the years wanted to catch up.
Aside from my sister and me, the only things she cared about were The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, shopping, and Elvis. Mostly Elvis and his swaying hips. In her mind, he really was a king. She knew every record, word for word, and owned every movie. I think in some ways she loved him more than my grandpa. Each year, she celebrated his birthday and mourned the anniversary of his death. She kept his obituary in her jewelry box, but part of her believed he continued to live happily on some remote island, because The National Enquirer said it was true. Some days we couldn’t convince her otherwise.
She wore lipstick and fur-lined coats to the grocery store, swore like a sailor, and told me that cookies and milk were a perfectly acceptable substitute for dinner, as long as my mom didn’t know about it.
Her duplex sat on Lagrange Street, in the heart of Toledo’s poorest neighborhood. She stayed there, in the neighborhood that she was born and raised, even when it wasn’t necessarily a safe place anymore. Shootings and stabbings happened almost every day on her block, but she’d be damned or dead before she’d let her kids sell it.
Before she lived with us, and when she was well enough to care for herself, she would have me sleep over with her. We’d listen to crime calls on her police scanner or watch wrestling together on the big faux wood television, rooting for our favorites like The Macho Man and Hulk Hogan. One time she even took me to a WWF event at the Toledo Sports Arena and I got to see Jake the Snake wrestle live. I can smell the dripping sweat and buttery popcorn after all these years, if I close my eyes.
***
I insisted on going to see my grandmother one last time after she passed away, even though my mom tried to convince me that I shouldn’t. I didn’t believe it was true: my grandma was too wild to leave me. But at seventy-six, her fire fizzled.
In the hospital, I stared at her lifeless body, cheeks sunken and thin lips gaping from her last breath. I kissed the skin on her forehead goodbye, no longer soft, but cold and hard. The last bit of air was long gone from her lungs and her fingers were rigid, but her nails were perfectly pink.
Nothing stopped her from having a good time: not her age, her kids, or even the stuffy nursing home. I knew that she had one hell of a good time while alive. And maybe, if she sweet-talked the right guy in heaven, she’d finally get to meet The King.
Love you, Grandma Pink!
Danielle Dayney 
Danielle, Hi. I just wanted to drop you a line, thanking your for this post. What a beautiful, beautiful way to remember your Grandma Pink. My Grandma was a most important woman in my life. I was there in the hospital through to her last moment and then some. Your post brought back many memories for me, wonderful ones and a little bit more painful ones. But there is beauty in the painful ones also. Now my mother is aging and ill. I will see every moment and every little aspect of her personality in a fresh, new and delightful way after reading your post today. Thank you again. This touched me deeply. Hope your holiday season is wonderful and all is well for you.
Kindly,
Aimee
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Thanks, Aimee! Same to you.
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Omg, Danielle! I could hear my own grandmother through your story. She was both very similar and very different from yours. I just love that you gave us a snapshot of the woman who helped shape you to the person you are today! Xoxo
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Aww, thanks Melony! I thought she was pretty special, so I hope there’s a little bit of her somewhere in my head 🙂
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I love how you describe your grandmother she def. sounded like a spitfire. I also love that she loved Elvis the way she did-she prob is dancing the nights away with him in heaven. Keep writing.
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Thank you!
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I love every bit of this Danielle! I feel like I know your grandma after reading it!
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Aww, thanks Nina! Glad you liked it 🙂
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Thank you for sharing these beautiful memories, a tribute to a woman who clearly impacted your life in such a positive way. God bless her soul.
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That, she did! I may be just a little tougher because of her.
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I really enjoyed your story, it totally lifted my spirit.
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Aww, so glad it did!
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Wonderful post, and a great tribute to your grandmother.
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Wow, what a firecracker! Thanks for introducing us to her so articulately 🙂
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Thanks, Hema 🙂 I hope I did her justice.
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I can’t even tell you how much I enjoyed reading that. She reminds me of my own Granny. She’s been gone almost twenty years and I still think about her every day. I miss her so very much. She chewed Freedent, too. The lining of her purse perpetually smelled like it. She always kept a wadded up–but clean–Bounty paper towel in there with her chewing gum “that won’t stick to your dental work.” I have an endless store of memories about her and I go visit them regularly–she is still my safe place. Thank you for sharing your grandmother with me.
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Your grandmother was a gem! The way you wrote about her made me want to get to know her. I’m just sorry for you and the world that she is way too busy twisting to Jail House Rock with The King. 🙂
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I’m sure she is 🙂 How have you been?! We need to have that coffee soon.
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🙂 I’ll be in touch!
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Reblogged this on Write On Through It and commented:
Touching, funny tribute to an original Grandmother by a fellow blogger. Makes me miss my sweet Granny…
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The crumpled tissue in the sweater – that detail reminded me of my own grandmother. Great job of capturing her personality.
This was a touching post and a lovely tribute. I think tightening up the story (focusing on the show, editing out the tell) plus correcting a few grammar and punctuation issues would take this to the next level.
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Would you mind pointing out some of the grammar and punctuation stuff in a private message, Cyn? I have read it so many times I can’t see anything 🙂
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No problem.
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What a wonderful tribute to your grandmother. So full of love–she definitely was an inspiration to you.
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