When I was 7 years old, while my parents were at work, I spent each day of the summer with my Grandfather. And many days of that summer, he and I went to McDonald’s or Hardee’s so he could get coffee and I could get a kid’s meal. Inevitably, I would be excited, because what 7 year old doesn’t want a Happy Meal?
But once we were there, eventually things would take a turn for me. I would get so bored. After I ate that hamburger and fries, and probably got a toy, well beyond the time of excitement, my Papaw would still be drinking coffee. He was such a slow coffee drinker.
The cute thing about this — well, cute to me now, torturous when I was 7 — is that he was pretty playful about telling me he was “almost done.” That man was almost never almost done. I’d ask, “Can we go?” and he’d say, “I’m almost done. I have just a little bit more,” and the cup was 3/4 full.
If you’re a GenXer or Elder Millennial, you might remember that when we were little and at McDonald’s, you could turn in the seats and allllmost go a full circle. I’d turn that chair to the right 180 — snap — and turn that chair to the left 180 — snap — back and forth, making a toy of my seat, while this man sipped a cup of Joe, and a glacier may as well have moved outside. Of course, all these years later, I treasure the memory of my boring summer meals with Papaw.
One of my favorite aspects about my life is that I have a lot of families around the country that I like to visit. They each make up a big chosen family for me, and each of their houses feels like a home away from home.
A few years ago, one of the people said to me, “Don’t you drink like 5 cups of coffee a day?” I love the Keurig maker in their house and that glorious San Antonio brand of coffee they have. I realized this questioner was serious. “No, definitely no more than two,” I said.
Then it dawned on me that the confusion lies in how many times a day I warm up my coffee in the microwave. Oh my gosh, I am Papaw, I thought. I, too, drink it slowly. This person thought I was drinking forever, five cups a day. The glaciers are also moving through Texas.
Then last week, in a different location, I heard a little voice say, “Will you play with me?” and unthinkingly, I said, “Well, first, I want to finish my coffee. I’m almost done.” (Except I actually was almost done). And once more, I was Papaw’s double.
Life has an interesting way of making a throughline.
— Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 