By Joe Rector
Once upon a time, a little boy was born into two families as their first grandchild. Of course, those grandparents doted on the little boy and showered him with enough love and gifts until he needed nothing. His wise parents lived in a different city and made sure that visits were limited so that they had time to become a family and develop a life for themselves.
When he became a toddler, each set of grandparents was allowed to spend time with him. That meant he traveled to their homes for a week or two. One set of grandparents took the boy on adventures to places that he might not otherwise see. The grandmother of the other couple still worked, so a trip to their house meant the boy and the old man would spend time in the woods playing dinosaurs or travel to close-by museums and putt-putt courses.
It was on a visit to that second set of grandparents that a tragedy nearly occurred. After a morning filled with outdoor play and animated cartoon watching, the boy announced he was hungry. Granddad hopped up and fixed the little guy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The boy gobbled it down as if he’d never had that kind of sandwich before.
Not long after lunch, the little boy’s face flushed, and he broke out in a rash. Only then did the grandfather remember that his dear, only grandchild, had a nut allergy. The man called his wife, and she directed him to race to the emergency room. There, the staff gave him medication to counteract the peanut butter in his system.
The staff at the ER looked at this panicked man as if he were some kind of monster. They probably wondered if he had enough intelligence to be in charge of a child. The grandmother arrived soon, and she asked him what he was thinking when he fed the boy peanut butter. “You know he’s allergic to nuts!” The shaken man could only bow his head, admit he wasn’t thinking, and express his apologies.
The worst part for the man was calling his daughter to tell her what had happened. He dreaded the call because he didn’t want her to panic. Even more so, he was afraid that this would be the last time the boy was ever left for a week with him and his wife. He made the call, assured his daughter that the boy was okay, and apologized. She assured him it was okay, but she also said she and her husband would travel immediately to check things out. The boy went home with them the following day. The grandfather never forgot the dumb mistake he’d made.
The boy survived; in fact, he thrived. His parents even allowed him to spend more time in the summers with the grandparents. Before leaving him, they said Have fun and then turned to the granddad and reminded him, “NO NUTS!”
That boy arrived at U.T.K. a couple of weeks ago. He’s a freshman with a brilliant mind who wants to work with sports teams and their statistics. His grandfather told him he reminded him of a character in the movie “Moneyball.” Hopefully, some coach or sports operations head will give him the chance to chart such things.
The boy lives on campus and shares a room with three other students. Life on campus can grow boring and weary, so the new Vol called his granddad and asked if he’d take his grandson to run a few errands and then hang out at the man’s house. Of course, the answer was “yes,” and the rest of the day was one of the best the grandad had had in a long time. After running errands, the boy took a long nap, wrestled with his computer and apps, and ate supper. As twilight fell, the younger male put on a swimsuit he’d packed, and slipped into the pool for a while. The grandparents sat with him and listened to his music and his take on what each artist’s talents were. An easy-going conversation between two different generations took place.
Eventually, the grandad told the boy the time had come to take him to his dorm. The ride back there was just as pleasant. Each learned more about the other, and more visits are more than likely in the days to come.
Yes, I’m the old man who nearly killed my grandson Madden. His presence is a wonderful gift to Amy and me. We treasure each moment with our grandson and welcome him any time he wants to visit. It’s nice to have a young person around after all these years.
