"The Keepsake"
by Antoinette Peregrino
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Any day in August in Colorado Springs, Colorado, always seemed to be scorching hot, Antoinette thought. In Colorado Springs, you had days like these or you had days where big monstrous white or gray clouds hovered in the sky that brought gusts of wind, rain, and chances of hail. She had always lived her life in Colorado. She remembered an August day long ago, it seems now, when her grandparents visited for two weeks. This August was going to be so wonderful, because her grandparents were visiting for two whole weeks. She had not seen them since last Christmas and she couldn’t wait. They would be there to celebrate her birthday. She and her mother had planned so many things to do and show them the sights. As soon as their car drove up, Antoinette burst from the door to greet them and give them hugs. She couldn’t believe how much taller she had grown compared to her grandparents. She teased her grandmother that she was taller now at a mere 5’3’’ inches. They laughed and her grandmother said “si, mi hijita,” (yes, my little girl). Antoinette always cherished these endearments. She had missed the smell of Red Door perfume and motor oil that hung in the air wherever her grandparents had been. Her grandfather still tinkered with anything from cars, tools, gardening, to repairing windows. She missed these scents that now clung to their clothes. Antoinette remembered when she was a little, she had always tried to help her Gramps with all his projects on the farm they lived on. “I miss those days,” she thought as she helped put their luggage away in her room. They would be staying there for their entire visit. The time had flown by too fast and she couldn’t believe that her grandparents would be leaving the next day. They had been all over Colorado Springs in those two short weeks. They visited the local malls, ate at Red Lobster, celebrated her birthday, and visited other family members that lived nearby. Her grandparents had said they haven’t been this busy in a long time. They had one more place left to take her grandparents to, and it was going to be one of the best ones yet. They would be going to The Garden of the Gods. As far as they knew, her grandparents have never been to this place. A landmark full of massive copper-toned rocks, with the elevation of 6,400 feet and some of the peaks standing at a magnificent 300 feet. The place was unlike any other—the view alone was majestic. These enormous sandstone boulders and strange rock formations have stood the test of time. They were created from molten lava that cooled into inland sandy beaches from the depths of the sea millions of years ago. In the park, these red huge monuments stood like sentinels of a different period of time. As they entered the recreational park, her grandparents were in awe. Everywhere you looked was unbelievable beauty. All of these geological finds built on one another, towering and blocking out the sun. As they continued to drive the trails, her grandma said, “I have always saw pictures of this place and heard about it. I have always wanted to come here. Thank you for taking me here.” She looked at her grown daughter with tear filled eyes. As they saw the cliff nicknamed the “Kissing Camels,” the grandmother turned to her granddaughter and said, “Pick me up one of the rocks, so I can have a souvenir from here.” They stopped the car and Antoinette decided to pick up two small rocks that had caught her eye. The rocks were covered in the same red dirt as the rest of the rock formations. They were rough and bumpy. She gave the rocks to her grandmother who put them inside a small white napkin that she always carried with her. “Thank you, mi hijta,” said the grandmother. The family went on the car trail twice around the Garden of the Gods before heading home. The next morning, the mother and daughter helped the grandparents pack up all the luggage in the car. “We will visit you this Thanksgiving, okay?” said the mother and daughter to the elderly couple while giving big hugs and kisses with tears in their eyes. The grandparents drove off at a slow pace honking the car as they waved goodbye. “I will never forget that day,” the girl thought to herself as she stood in her grandparents' home. This place was also her childhood home. She looked at all the pictures that lined the walls of a small bedroom that she used to think was huge as a little girl. Years had come and gone and she was older now. She was a young woman again, remembering every place in that tiny house. She had taken time off from college to be with her family. Her grandmother had passed away two days ago and she hated not hearing her voice and smelling that Red Door perfume that used to engulf the air she breathed. She could not believe that her grandmother was gone and would not be there to see her get married this August. “Antoinette, Antoinette, Cis,” her mother was calling to her, ripping her out of her thoughts. She looked up and answered, “yes mama.” “You will not believe what I had just found!” her mother exclaimed. On her grandmother's vanity, there was a small white napkin where two small red, rough, and bumpy looking rocks lay, untouched by time, as if the grandmother had been there to try and comfort them with her passing. “I cannot believe she kept these after all these years,” said the mother with tears streaming down their faces. In that moment, the young woman remembered so clearly being with her grandmother on that hot August day. |
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