Real estate

One day last week, when my cell phone rang, I answered to hear Will say, "I need to talk to Granddadddy."

It reminded me of the days when we had land lines, when we'd answer the one phone in the house and wait to see "who it was for."  I wished I could say, "Just a minute.  I'll get him.  He's right here."

I felt like crying, and saying, "I need to talk to him, too!"

Will wanted to ask him some real estate questions, an investment interest they share.  Will buys rent houses; my daddy bought land.  I said I wished I could channel Granddaddy's advice, but I don't know anything about real estate.

Will also wondered what Granddaddy would think about this election. He's worried about our future, like almost everyone we know is.  He wonders what kind of world his kids will grow up in.  When we get scared, we want someone older and wiser to tell us something, anything, to reassure us.

Most of all, I think he just wanted to hear Granddaddy's voice, and he knew he'd tell him, "You're on the right track, Buddy.  I'm proud of you."

That's what grandsons want to hear, even when they are nearly 38 years old, even when they're captains in the fire department, even when they're fathers very much like their grandfathers were.