Changes

Grandpa Masts lived in a nice house in the middle of the village of Pocahontas. Aunt Emma had never married and still lived with them and Vernie of course was also very much a part of their household. I loved their cheerful house, everything always felt just right when we went to see them. The cookie jar was always full, and Emma busy with one of her many tasks. Vernie would be helping her or playing with her dolls and coloring books. Grandma had a room where she spent a lot of time scrap booking and writing letters and Grandpa would be rocking on his old creaky rocking chair reading a book. He would always lay his book aside when ever I came and start talking. He was always very interested in what was going on in my life and it was very easy to discuss everything with him. I didn't ever want them or their house to change.

Uncle Eli and his wife lived right across the road from Grandpa's and would be there to help with anything that they needed. So one forenoon when Eli stopped in and said that Grandpa had a stroke and was in the hospital I felt as if the whole world was crashing. Mom and Daddy dropped everything and went to the hospital to be with him leaving John and I in charge of taking care of the woodworking shop and customers.

Days blurred into each other and we were all relieved when Grandpa could come home again. He could still talk but was too weak to leave his bed so he needed a lot of care. Mom and Daddy went to see him everyday and one day when they came home they went somewhere to talk without having us children hear what they were discussing. That evening Uncle John Henry came by to talk and this time we couldn't help over hearing what they were saying.

Grandpa wanted to build a house right next to ours so that Grandma, Emma, and Vernie would be living next to their daughter/sister when he passes on. I wasn't happy to hear that Grandpa wasn't expecting to live long, and I was not ready to have them move away from their house in the village.

That evening Mom and Daddy talked to us about it and wanted to know how we feel about having Grandpa's build a house right next to ours. I wanted to say no, that I don't want them to build a house and move in right next to us but felt extremely selfish to actually put it into words.

I went to bed hoping that by some miracle Grandpa would get a lot better and they would forget about building a new house for them. I wasn't ready for more changes and wanted nothing more than have things stay the way they were.