My Dad, My Grandpa? by Mia Lowry

I know I was not the only one privy to this type of questioning, but you must remember that being the youngest of all of my siblings I probably got it the most. My dad was almost 50 years older than I was, well, actually, he was 48 years older than me.

So, whenever he would pick me up from grade school, Jr. High and High School he would often be referred to by my friends who did not know him as my grandfather. For example, at my High School graduation I heard the following:

"Oh, how sweet your grandpa came to your graduation."

"My grandpa? Who are you talking about?" I asked.

"The man you were talking to in the parking lot."

"Oh, you mean my Dad," I said.

"No, I am pretty sure he was your grandpa."

"No, it was my dad."

"You're grandpa."

"Dad."

"I am sure he was your grandpa."

I described his appearance and clothing to them to make sure they were talking about my dad and sure enough they were. I explained to them how my grandpas were dead and my dad was almost 50 years older than me. Of course, they would be embarrassed.

I can still remember my friend asking me when she saw a picture of my dad before my wedding if he would be able to walk down the aisle. I knew she was thinking he looked feeble, but I never saw him that way or maybe I was just use to it. Some of my other friends were offended by her question, but I was not. I guess you can say I was use to people thinking of my dad as old; so, it was not that big a deal. I thought it was kind of funny, but maybe I am warped.

I can recall a moment when I realized the age difference of my parents. Mom and Dad were 17 years apart and Dad proposed to her when she was just a 16-year-old girl. Grandma Maria asked him to wait until after her 17th birthday to have the wedding. So, when I realized this I told Dad if he had finished high school as a senior he could have went to the maternity ward and picked out his future bride/wife. He was not too happy about my saying this about them. In fact, I got an earful from him regarding my comment. Mom told me I should not have said it to him. I was just in high school myself and did not understand what the big deal was about saying something if it was true.