180DAYS

VINCENZO P.O.V.

“Yes ma, you are alright, there is no need for you to be admitted, all you need is to pick up your drugs and ensure that you check your BP every day.” I looked at the old lady’s files to check if she has any other thing she complained about.

“Doctor, are you sure my husband doesn’t need to come for a new heart transplant?” She asked. Is this woman joking, she doesn’t even know what a heart transplant is for, does she think I am playing here. People these days, would just come to me and be requesting a heart transplant. Why do people joke about everything?

" No Ma’am, your husband is fine, he doesn’t need a new heart, I would tell you if he needs one” I tried to not show my angry side.

" But Doctor, he is heartless, he would just spend a whole day drinking and smoking, cause if he has a heart he wouldn’t be drinking and smoking all day” I am getting tired of this lady’s complaint, her endless complaint would not take us anywhere.

“Ok ma, I would do something about that, I would tell a friend of mine who is a doctor, to run some tests and check what the matter is” She smiled immediately, satisfied with my choice.

She finally walks out of my office, wooow that lady is so confused. I stared at my other files before my phone rang, I wonder who will be calling me. Looked at the caller ID It is grandpa. Oh my, I haven’t talked to grandpa for months, I have missed him terribly. We would speak on the phone for hours, sharing our experiences and problems. Every day I would call Grandpa, we are so close, even before dad died, I would talk to grandpa every day, if people did not know me, they would think grandpa was my dad, I am closer to Grandpa than to dad and dad kept on complaining about it, although he loved it because it wasn’t a problem. I picked up the call immediately...

“How are you grandpa,” I said in excitement, I was smiling like a small boy who had just gotten ice cream.

“I am good young De Luca “He was sounding so happy... Grandpa has always been a happy person.

“How was your trip from New York, boy?”

“It was the best Grandpa” I kept on smiling as I spoke.

“Hope your work isn’t getting too stressful?”

“It is Grandpa, but what will I do, I got to save lives,” I said sounding so stressed.

“Why do you sound so much like someone I know? Someone that loves to save lives and sacrifice everything he has to see happy faces” We both laughed at the memory of my father.

“You sure Vince, You sound so tired, you know what? Grandpa has something that will relieve you from the stress”

“Yes Grandpa, you are right, I’m stressed but I need to get some work done”

We talked for a while before he ended the call, every time I talked to grandpa, it makes me happy and calm.

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It was another weekend again, all my weekends were alike, either I worked all day in my study or go out with my friends, but this weekend is different, I would be visiting Grandpa... I put some cheese pie and smoothie drink that I made for Grandpa in a basket. Grandpa loves healthy drinks, he never drinks wine or soda drinks except for fruit wine, no wonder he looks so young, even though he is 81 years. I sent all my cooks and maids away for a weekend break, I would cook during weekends by myself but I would pay a house cleaner to clean the mansion during the weekends. I packed two fishing hooks, a fishing net, and hunting guns into my car. I missed those days when I would fish and hunt with grandpa, ever since I became a billionaire, I get so busy doing the things I loved most.

Within an hour or two, I got to grandpa’s place.

Grandpa’s house isn’t that massive, it was just simple and beautiful...Grandpa loves to be simple and natural, he never fancied extravagant or pompous things. I climbed out of my black Rolls Royce Phantom, grandpa was sitting on a bench on his front porch. I walk straight to grandpa and hugged him.

“You have grown so tall, Vince, you are even taller and muscular than Grandpa” He laughed. Dad wasn’t lying, I workout daily, even though I am a doctor, I needed to be fit and good-looking. I smiled at his words... The De Luca’s are known for their unspeakable heights, I’m 6ft5, even as old as grandpa is, he is 6ft tall, dad was 6ft2, De Luca’s height was admired all around, it was admired by all, it was what attracted the media to us.

“Grandpa, what have you been doing? Have you been working out?“I joked, and grandpa laughed at my sarcasm. I took out the fishing hooks, hunting guns, and a basket of grandpa’s food from the car. We went inside the house while Grandpa kept on talking about the different exciting trips he had had for the past 3 months.

Grandpa excused me to have a shower, while I explored the house... I walk into a room, the room was brightly lighted up by the sun that shone from the only window in the room, there was a table that had different types and sizes of paint brushes arranged in its case. while the right side of the room were paints of different colors stacked up in a neat setting. In the middle of the room was a drawing stand with a big canvas, half painted. Grandpa was painting his wife, a beautiful piece, it was... Grandpa loved grandma, even after her death he loved her, and she died from a plague... Ever since the death of grandma, grandpa would draw her, he would say her eyes lit up the room like the stars that shine at night. Grandpa was romantic. I wish I would find someone who shares the same faith I have, just like how grandpa and grandma did. I was so buried deep into the art that I didn’t hear grandpa walk in... I came out of my daydreams when he touched my shoulder.

“She is very beautiful,” I said. He just nodded his head with a smile.

“You know son, my father once told me, love is the answer to every problem” I didn’t understand what he said I just smiled in response.

“Uhm, grandpa! which would you like to do first? Fishing or hunting?”

“Hmmm, fishing, then we would go hunting later,” Grandpa said pretending to think of something.

“Ok! I race you to the pond Pops” I laughed, running for the front door, getting to the pond, grandpa was already there panting. I was really surprised, grandpa was so fast, but how.

“I passed the backdoor” Grandpa laughed trying to catch his breath. I laughed so hard.

“But that’s not fair, you cheated grandpa, because it’s your house so you know the fastest route... I would just let this roll... 1-0” I pretend to look sad with a pout face.

We laughed and fished, talking about different random things and also what dad did when he was young that grandpa laughed about. We had caught more than 20 fish, so now we were grilling the fish for dinner. Grandpa was staring at the sky, I saw a smile that I haven’t seen since their death of grandma. He only smiled like this when he was in love.

“I see your grandma’s face, I see it in the sky so clearly.”

“the skies indeed are beautiful, just like Ginevra’s face, her eyes are like the stars that shine at night, her lips..oh my gosh it looks so soft, I just wish I could kiss them,” I said thinking about it as I look at the sky.

" So Vince, who is this Ginevra girl that has caught my grandson’s heart?” Grandpa gave me that eyebrow waggle that made me smile. I didn’t know he was listening to me talk about Ginevra.

“Uhmm, grandpa, well, she is a girl I just met,” I said blushing.

“Just a girl you just met, do you have something you still want to tell me, Vince?“He kept on giving me the eyebrow waggle

“Ok pops, she is one of my patients that was brought to the last month and I just have this feeling in me but I don’t know what the feeling is?” I kept on blushing like a teenage boy in love.

“Well young De Luca, I would say that feeling is love, it is what I felt when I met your grandma and what I still feel towards her till now.” I kept on staring at Grandpa, what if he was right, I love Ginevra? Hmm, I just wish she could wake up. I want to see those hazel eyes stare at my eyes.

“But Grandpa, she is in a coma, she hasn’t woken up and I don’t know what to do,” I said looking down at my feet. Grandpa touched my shoulder. ” Vince, everything will be alright, if you two are meant to be, then you will be together, that is faith.”

Hmmm, grandpa is right... We went hunting after the fish was grilled and stored. Grandpa killed 2 bears while I just killed one dear, it was so interesting, grandpa kept on talking about his secret motives for hunting. We laughed and shared our funny moments. Dad was asleep while I cleared up the dining table. I took a blanket from the laundry room and covered pops in it. I lay on the other couch to sleep as I think of the fun moments I had with Grandpa.