Remembering Grandpa

Grandma is visiting. (This is mom's side. Dad's side has remarkably short life span and they say all my genes are from him. Now you know why i don't make long term plans.) So, coming to grandma, mom-grandma relationship is really filmy and its a long story. In short, they don't like each other. Mom was the daddy's girl in her family of 5 kids. So grandpa(Appoopan, as i used to call him) was quite chummy with her and when ever mom tells her childhood days, all the happy tales feature him.

Llater when mom married and had me, Grandpa came to live with us. As it was tough on mom to go to work and to juggle me, a miniature jumbo. And till i was around 2 and half, he lived with us and then he left this world.
I have no recollections of him, though everyone starts talking about him as soon as they see me. I used to be confused why it is so. I mean yes, he was my grandpa. But he has numerous other grand kids before me. So why me?
Then one day i said a curse word related to grandparents. It was quite innocent. Everyone says those so much so that its not so curse-y anymore. Mom looked at me in shock and sadness. And reproached me beyond my comprehension. Then she told me about him.

That, since the day he saw me, i was never seen anywhere except in his arms. That he used carry me around, where ever he went. That he used to play games with me. That he used to call me baby seal, as i was always rolling around in the bed.

He was a witty old man, carefree funny and jolly type. He used to play cards well and everyone teases me how i shuffle the cards like him(i am an expert shuffler), he used to fish and was rather good at it too. These were what little people tells me. He didn't brought national changes, but he loved me.
Dad, who always criticizes everything from mom's side, only speaks fondly of him, even saying that those days living with him were some of the best in his life. They even bought a dog, chief, and i don't remember him too.

Then grandpa had to go back, and soon he fell ill. When mom went to see him, (he couldn't speak then) he gestured with his left arm to ask her where i was, as i was quite a fixture on that arm for more than two years. Days later he died and i don't remember that too.

Today while we (dad mom and me) were sitting in kitchen veranda and talking about grandma's visit, mom sadly said how happy she would have been if it was him and not grandma(yeah, that sums it up) and dad also grew sad thinking of him and again said how fond he was of me and they both thought how he would have liked my brother aQQui, who looks like him. And there i was, the cherished granddaughter, the one whom he loved more than the rest and the one who knew nothing about him.

I have never missed another person more in my life.