'Tis quite odd the things you find when you move.
Saturday morning John and I went to get my dresser from the barn and...::re-reads that and is suddenly struck with the complete back-woods-y sound of it, and laughs accordingly::...and while we were out there, John picked up an old, green coat. "Look," he said. "This was Grandpa's."
Yup. Sure enough. There was the Screaming Eagles emblem, and the stripes with a big 'T' underneath (my dad says it stands for Tech-5...::shrugs::), and....it was history. And it was weird.
Grandpa Gordon was a paratrooper during WWII. And I was holding the coat he wore during that time.
My dad says Grandpa never talked about the war. He and his war buddies would get together sometimes, but the war never came up. I guess they were too deeply effected by it. I don't know.
I wish my grandpa were still alive. I'd like to know what it was like back then. And Grandma, too. I don't even know if they knew each other while he was off fighting. I think it's the writer in me that makes me think all these things. ::laughs softly:: But maybe it's a good thing I can't ask Grandpa Gordon about it. Maybe he wouldn't like it. ...Maybe he would think I was over-analytical.
Anyway--::laughs and knows that some things can be pushed too far...but can't find it in her heart to care because it's funny::--I tried that old, dirty coat on. And that was *weird*. I was wearing Grandpa's uniform! It fit me. That was weird too. Later on my dad told me that Grandpa was only 5'8 (an inch taller than me). It surprised me because my dad and uncle John are tall--5'11 or 6'. I always pictured Grandpa as being tall, too.
"Hey, Dad...how about I store that coat in my closet? So it's not in the barn anymore...I noticed there were some holes in it."
"Sure. Sure. Go ahead."
"...Do you think that taking it to the dry-cleaners would make it fall apart?"
"I don't know. But you can ask them."
"Okay. I'll do that."
"...Tell ya what...if you get it cleaned and mended, you can have it."
Cooool.
Hey--y'all...I get my grandfather's WWII army coat.
::is in writer's heaven::
4 comments:
Did you take it home with you, Tracy? I mean, have you taken it to the dry-cleaners yet?
No. Just before we left to go to dinner on Sunday night,I was running trying to get everything I needed, and I forgot about it.
It's still hanging in my closet.
Don't let anybody hurt it.
That's really cool, Tracy.
You're right, he WOULD think that you were WAY over analyzing things. But then, who really knows? You could be right on track.
*Shelley's thinks to herself for a dramatic moment......*
But I don't think you are.
And for THAT matter, NOBODY ELSE does. In fact, you are the only person in the world who believes any of the lies you have just told! IIIII am the authority in these here parts. If there is anything you want to believe, you must first get my permission to believe. EVERYONE knows THAT!
So say I. So it is.
Hmmm...no, Mary. I don't remember that. Sorry.
But oh well. It's not like the coat is wearable. All it can do is hang there...and be a source of inspiration for stories from WWII.
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