When we lived in Miami, my grandparents would visit us a handful of times. They used to feed the ducks from the balcony of our apartment. They would throw bread and rice down to the floor. And my grandparents would point at the ducks and say which one was ready to eat.
When my parents and my brother and I moved back to California, we got closer to my family. I didn’t know my grandma very well. When she passed, my brother and I had Polo. We didn’t really know much about Polo either.
Polo came all the way down to Irvine with my parents to see both of my graduations. When the ceremony ended, I walked out to see my parents, my brother, and Polo. I hugged him, and his tears were running down his face. I thought, this old man with the serious face, was crying. And I started crying. It wasn’t until I moved back from College that I got to know Polo more because we lived next door to him.
I don’t speak Spanish very well, so it was hard for me to communicate with him. I think we really connected when he started speaking Quechua during breakfast on the weekends. It was amazing that he knew an ancient language. I would brag to my friends about how my grandpa was strong because he was from the mountains.
We are not perfect. It takes a lot of patience and communication to understand your parents. I admire my papi, tios y tias who took the time to understand my grandpa. Polo was from a different time. He spoke from what he knew from his life and experiences and struggles.
I believe every generation becomes better than the previous generation. By better, I mean more educated, more courageous, more resilient, and I hope more patient and understanding. Our parents and grandparents did incredible things. And so we can do incredible things. In his way, Polo care and loved all of us. Polo wanted us to all be better. And we have the choice and education to decide how we do that ourselves. This is what I learned from Polo’s presence in my life.
In my own way, I loved my grandpa. I used to hear the sound of his cane when he’s walking down the street to get his lotto ticket or when he was coming over for breakfast. My dad visited Polo everyday. If my dad wasn’t home, he was with Polo. I know my dad will miss him. I know my brother will miss him. It’s strange now to not see him everyday. He is resting in peace now.
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