Childhood Memories

Grandmother, she is always present. I remember her sitting by the window in the afternoons, in the room that leads to the bathroom. A nice light falls in the room, she sits in solitude. With her colors and her brush she paints her city from a window in that room. From that window I can see the backyard, or at least part of it, I can see the short road up to where the fruit trees grow plump and sweet. On the far right side of the yard is where my grandmother raised pigs. She would feed them a thick cereal made out of yellow corn flour, they grew very big. At certain seasons my grandmother's backyard became a most delicious place to be, filled with fruit trees; Pe de Jabuticaba, Pe de Goiaba, Arvore de Abacate, Abacaxi, Uvas, Pe de Limao, Cana, Amora, Fruta do Conde, enfim, my grandmother planted everything. I remember she would wake up early, make coffe and start to take care of her daily bussiness. She would wash the linens and sheets outside in the tank, the water was very cold, it came from a big cemented block up high in the yard. As far as I can remember, I grew up watching my grandmother plant seeds and I watched her gather from those seeds. Her cooking was my favorite, her food had the flavors of the earth. My grandmother loved to wacth tv, after dinner she would sit with her needles and yarn and while watching the soap operas which by the way are excelent, she would create beautifull kneatted blanckets. I remember she one day told me that my hair was pretty the way it was, a short afro. She never wore pants, always with a dark colored knee high skirt and a dark color top, preferably with some sort of collar. I never understood why, but I never asked either. When I left my country to come to the United States I left my grandmother. Time passed, she grew older. I visited my grandmother before she died and yes she was very old and very weak, and how I wish I could turn back time. I would sit with her by that window and ask her all the things I never did. I remember my grandmother and I know she remembers me.