REFRESH THE SOUL
Can I Forgive Her for the Man My Grandfather Could’ve Been?
When generational scars resurface
The memory of her rambling incoherently beside the hut, reeking of alcohol and clutching a bottle of vodka, is etched in my mind. Her desperation for another drink was a grim picture of self-destruction.
She was my grandfather’s girlfriend. She stole my grandfather’s sobriety and his health along the way. She claimed his inheritance, almost pulled my family apart, and never gave me the chance to say goodbye to him when he died.
My relationship with my grandfather was cut short when I was 6 years old. He was diagnosed with cirrhosis and I watched his health deteriorate rapidly over the course of a few months.
Before he became ill, he was a cheerful man. He had a great sense of humour, was incredibly intelligent and quite a charmer. After my grandmother died, he set out to rebuild his life. He met many women along the way, but only one captured his heart. I still don’t understand what he saw in her, but she was the beginning of the end for him.
It started with a few drinks in the evening. I saw him less and less as he spent most of his time with her, drinking, laughing, and talking. But as time went on, they drank wherever they went…
