Grumpy Old Men

I received a call from Brother Belle the other day. He never calls me at work so I knew something was up. Sad news: my paternal grandmother passed away. She lived a full, long life; the passing was painless and seemingly everyone is at ease that she is now resting peacefully. I asked my bro how my father's father was doing, since he will now live alone in his house in North Carolina....just a few towns away from my maternal grandfather, who survived my grandmother last year when she passed.

Then I started thinking...what if the two grandfathers became buddies? They are both widowers in their 90s living in small towns in North Carolina, having moved down south to live a slower paced life after raising their families in large cities (Philadelphia and Brooklyn, respectively).

But these men have never met. Why? My paternal grandfather disowned Papa Belle for marrying Mama Belle because she is: 1. Not jewish and 2. Black. Emphasis on numero 2. I never met my father's parents, and the only memory I have of my father's mother was her sending my brother and I cute hand-made birthday cards up until the age of 6 when my grandfather caught her and put an end to this practice.

Now that the two men are in similar positions and locations...maybe it's time for a meet-n-greet. Or at least an Oprah special. Jake, can you make that happen? Please make some calls. At the very least, this story should be made into a CBS made for tv movie, with the men becoming fast friends and spending their remaining days cracking jokes and talking trash in a basement barber shop in Queens, NY.

-KB