Grandma's House - 25 Years Later

On Fathers Day at 11:00 AM, Sharon and I walked down to the corner of Gower and Rosewood to visit my Grandparents' old house.  This is the same home where my Mom and her brothers were raised, from sometime in the '20s until it was sold in the late 80's.

Probably my earliest memory is from this house: my Grandmother giving me a soapy bath in the kitchen sink (my siblings have similar memories.) We visited this house many times even before we moved up the street when I was almost 6.  This was the house for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, countless birthday parties, weddings, lunches, visits, and just plain hanging out any time we felt like it. Mom and Dad also made great use of Grandma & Pa for date nights or weekends, and would come retrieve us kids sleeping soundly in front of a roaring fireplace.

So, it was with a bit of trepidation that I prepared myself to see what was left of the old house, two owners and 25+ years later.

Foolishly, I had coffee but otherwise didn't eat breakfast or have any water or juice.  The temperature was already past 70.  So when we walked in and began taking in all the rooms, I got overwhelmed rather quickly. I told them I was doing two things simultaneously: admiring their home, but also feeling myself back in the spaces I knew so well and remembering how it was.

Moving into the backyard, which was pretty much unrecognizable (as was the kitchen), I suddenly had a full blown anxiety attack, and not just my usual, heart-pounding kind; I literally couldn't talk, couldn't breathe, couldn't think! All my anecdotes withered away into nothingness. I guess I hid my panic fairly well, because Sharon said she only realized in retrospect that I was acting weird.

Anyway, going upstairs helped a little, but any time I tried to speak, the panic feeling came back twice as strong. If I'd asked for a water, that would've helped tremendously; but all I could think was: THIS IS OVERWHELMING.

Lynda and Bob were very nice and accommodating, but I'm so pissed that I lost the ability to converse.

However, I finally got to show Sharon Grandma's house, and see again it for myself. And hopefully I haven't worn out the DiMuro welcome for good!