Being brought up since young by my grandparents, I always thought growing up in an environment like those of our grandparents were the best. They wake up and are not pressured by the hectic lifestyles of the masses that society has moulded people to become part of. I remember growing up and spending most of my days after school at my grandparents'. A usual routine of my day at my grandparents' would be a 10 to 15 minute school bus ride to the road opposite my grandparents'. Sometimes before the bus reaches, I would take a peep to see who would be there to fetch me. Sometimes, it would be Granny and other days it would be Gramps. Once in a while when I'm lucky both of them will be there, waiting for me be it rain or shine.When we reached, I would then follow the usual routine of bath-homework-television. Sometimes if time permits I would sneak in some time for napping too. Occasionally I would be brought to the playground where other kids around my age mingled and my grandparents would talk to other grandparents-alike while they keep a look out for their grandchildren. When night time came, I would await the arrival of my family for dinner before heading back home. It's life like these that I yearn for even today.A decade passed and many things have happened. The day when Gramps passed was a day that will always seem like yesterday. I can still remember the look on Granny's face and how devastated everyone was. It was my first encounter with the harsh reality of death so it impacted me a lot in some way. Everything may seem fine for a minute but before I knew it someone whom I've been brought up by has left. And trust me, it was not easy dealing with death nor the heartbreak.Granny, on the other hand, has been my closest companion since. I always told people I'm closer to my granny than to my parents, which was normal for me since most of my childhood days were encrypted mostly with memories of my days spent at my grandparents'. I love the fact that Granny has always been strong. She is not the typical maiden nor the princess. If I had to describe her she would be tough, straight-forward, crude, funny, and everything in between. Today, she's making steamboat for my whole family. My family still goes over for dinner four times a week just like how we did a decade ago. Nothing's changed, and I'm happy things stayed this way. Somehow a part of me still feels that having dinner at my granny's still makes me the kid I was a decade ago: Carefree and playful.
