A Grandpa's Love
#4 of Other Furs
A Grandpa's Love
Not sure if you can call it a blessing or a curse but either way it changed my life forever. What is it? You may ask. When I was old enough I joined the army! It started with a promise that if I joined the service then the government would pay for my college tuition. Only I never got to go to college because after I finished boot camp I was deployed to fight in a war. A war I never knew existed.
The city I live in is out in the Asian area of the planet where life is still traditional in a way. I loved the warm temperatures because I am a komodo dragon after all. I like it hot. My parents kept telling me that I needed a good education if I wanted a decent job. We did not have much money so when I heard about a scholarship program the government was offering I signed up.
The deal was I serve 1 weekend a month and if my grades were kept to Bs or above then they will pay my tuition fees. I figured I would leave the service after I graduated college but it didn't work out that way. There was a horrible hurricane a long distance away but the devastation was immense. We were called in as a relief effort to help the survivors and help rebuild the city.
The whole place had been nearly leveled flat. We set up some temporary shelters for the few survivors and a makeshift hospital for the wounded. At first we had to search the debre for any survivors that might not have been found yet. The trouble was the stench of bloated bodies that had become swollen from the water that had washed in still haunts me whenever I go to the beach.
Eventually it was decided that there were no other survivors and we began the clean up effort. I was stationed in the hospital when I first met Torri. She was a female wolf and she was married and had three pups. The storm had taken the lives of her husband and two of the pups.
I spent time looking after her and her daughter, Lenora, and the more time we spent together the more we started falling in love. This meant that we'd never be able to have children of our own because of speciation but it didn't matter. I had already accepted her daughter as my own and that seemed enough for us.
Leggo's mother married a wolf firefighter but when he was still a pup his mother died from cancer. His daddy lost the will to live and started taking stupid chances. Chances we warned him about because he was needed to raise his son.
Leggo was the only one to survive and the birthing complications was how we first discovered the cancer. When my daughter died I think we all wanted to die too. His father most of all! A couple of years later he was rescuing some cubs in a house fire and he got trapped and passed away.
We took in Leggo and raised him as best we could. He was a strong willed boy and he fought me at every turn. I knew he was really fighting himself because of the pain of losing his father. I tried being as patient as I could but the more I tried to bring him close the more he pushed away.
When Leggo had just graduated from Bearly Academy, he walked around in his cap and gown. They had returned home and Grandpa was looking for a place to put his diploma.
"This is really nice, boy," He said as he admired it again and Leggo blushed as his Grandma hugged him again.
"Thanks," Leggo replied softly.
"I think I'm gonna glue it to some wood once I measure and carve a border around it. Maybe even add some stain before I add it so you can display it with pride." Grandpa mused as Leggo stood there with his ears lowered.
"Grandpa, Grandma, I got something to say." Leggo said as he finally worked up the courage to speak. They both turned to look at him and his grandmother entered and sat on the sofa with a concerned look in her eyes.
"Go ahead boy," Grandpa encouraged.
"I've been seeing someone for about a month now and... I thought it was time to tell you about it." Leggo said as he looked at his feet.
"As I live and breathe." Grandma replied and she smiled as she put her paw across her chest.
"Seeing someone?" Grandpa said in a skeptical gruff tone. "Who is she?" he asked
"More like him! You see, one day he reached out and kissed me and I kinda liked it. We started dating but kept it a secret because we wanted to make sure it was real before we announced it to everyone."
"Oh," she said, a little bit startled, then she smiled back at Leggo. "So what's he like?"
"He's amazing and we have so much in common and I get bumps on my skin whenever he's next to me." Leggo explained as he tilted his head sideways and used his paw to rub the back of it. He saw his grandmother smiling at him but his grandfather had no reaction.
"Isn't this all a bit sudden? I mean your schoolwork should come first if you want to get a decent job. How will you live if you don't have a decent steady income?" Grandpa asked him. Leggo was starting to get annoyed as he felt the fur of his heckles sticking outward.
"He happens to be wealthy so that is not an issue!" Leggo angrily replied.
"Wealthy?! What do you think species will say? They'll say you tried to sleep your way to the top! Like you're some kinda gold digger chasing after his money." Grandpa said as he raised his voice slightly.
"Now dear," Grandma tried to say but they were ignoring her as they locked eyes.
"It's not like that!" Leggo shouted.
"Then what is it like?" Grandpa asked.
"We just want to be together." Leggo said.
"And that's fine but you got your whole life ahead of you, I mean what if this doesn't work out, then what?"
"We'll find a way!!!" Leggo shouted. He ran out and we were worried sick because he never came back. A couple of days later some movers came to collect some of Leggo's belongings. I was heartbroken that Leggo was not with them; they just had a list and the movers were polite enough so we stayed out of their way.
I always assumed it was the rich boyfriend that had arranged everything. I always felt regret in the way I had handled the whole situation. I wanted to take it back and apologize but I had no idea how to contact him.
Years later my wife Torri passed away of natural causes and I started to feel really alone for the first time in my life. It was a loneliness that's hard to describe because it's not that there is no one else living in the house with you. It was more that a part of you suddenly feels like it's missing and there is no way to get it back.
So many thoughts went through my mind and I seemed to relieve all the time we spent together. My thoughts turned back to Leggo and how much I miss him. I wondered whatever became of him and the deer he was dating. I had no way of finding him and though I was told to try using a computer, it seemed too difficult.
Computers just seemed too much for an old species like me. They seemed geared for the younger generations and they just seemed so complicated I had no idea where to begin or how I'd ever need one. The cost is also out of my price range because I was never as wealthy as my grandson in law.
Two years later, my life was changed when a handsome young deer called me on the telephone to tell me that he and my grandson had a couple of boys. He wanted to know if I could watch them for a few days. I jumped at the chance once I learned that they were Leggo's sons.
They were both felines born with rare white fur. Lou had married Leggo and they later adopted a couple of slaves and made them into their natural born sons.
Leggo had been captured by an evil organization that was trying to assassinate his children. Lou had come up with a plan to save his husband but he needed to keep his children safe. He called me one night and asked me to watch them and I was overjoyed to do so. Especially since I hoped to see my grandson
"You drive like an old woman!" Lyon argued with Will. When they picked up the cubs Lyon had called shotgun and the whole ride to Gele's house, Lyon had been picking on Will. For the most part Will took it in stride and argued back at him as if they were playmates. Lou only vaguely listened as he focused on Leggo. He observed him hungrily like a species that was starving or one that had been lost in a desert and wanted water badly.
When they first picked up the cubs, Lyon took it upon himself to question Will. He was trying to find out if Will was the one that had sold his older brother. Will tried to convince him that although he was a tiger they were not related. Lyon didn't seem convinced so he argued with him the whole way. Lou couldn't tell if Will enjoyed it or was just trying to not let a cub outdo him.
Tyger was still sick and when Leggo held him he instantly fell asleep in his arms. Leggo was even keeping Lou away as if he felt it was his duty to protect his son. It made Lou love his husband more but he did feel left out in a way.
"My grandpa fell in love with them. I can't believe you got him to watch them." Leggo said.
"He wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. It seems like you may have been wrong about him." Lou replied.
"Well he made his feelings pretty clear when I first told him about us."
"About that, we had a long talk and some of the stuff you told me he denies." Lou replied calmly.
"Then he's lying!" Leggo snapped.
"Was he? Or did you over react as he was asking questions you were not comfortable answering.?"
"So what are you saying?" Leggo asked and Lou put his hoof on Leggo's knee and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"That he loves his grandson and his great grandsons and he wants to get to know me. He wants us in his life and although I told him you and I would discuss it, what I'm telling you is that he deserves that. We owe it to Lyon and Tyger to have someone like your grandfather in their lives. Punish me all you want but I'm not budging on this. I'm merely telling you all this so you can be a part and we can all start over.
I wish my father was alive so he could meet my sons and I'm not sure how he'd feel about them but I know he loved me, in his own way, and maybe he'd love them too. Everyday I miss my father and I'd give anything if I could spend one more day with him. Sadly that's not possible and I can only hope that if there is an afterlife then he's watching me and he's proud of the deer I've become." Lou said and he began to wipe tears from his eyes.
"He was really good with the boys and since he gave them a chance, then I can give him a chance too." Leggo said softly and Lou grabbed his hands and gave it another squeeze. He had always suspected that Leggo's grandfather hadn't said the things that Leggo told him. He did not think Leggo was a liar but sometimes he got carried away with his emotions.
My relationship with my grandson is still not 100% but we are slowly working on it. My great grandkids has been the glue holding us together. Even old wounds need time to heal so we've been working on it day by day. The good thing is that by becoming a father he has settled down a little bit so we are able to talk more peaceably. I've been trying to avoid anything that might become confrontational and just focus on telling him how much I love his sons.
Lyon has a special place in my heart because he likes some of the same things I do. I like to pretend I'm a drill gargent and he is one of my soldiers. I give him orders and he promptly carries them out.
Tyger is more reserved and he definitely takes after his father. He has what they call old wisdom when a child seems as wise as adults. I see how much he loves his brother and looks out for him.
I just glad that we are able to be a family again and that we were able to change the way things seemed to be going. I no longer feel alone anymore...