By Bill Lee
Someone has said that while a child only gets just one Daddy in life, he gets double that with granddaddies, one from his dad’s father and another from his mother’s father.  There is a caveat however; there has to be a grandchild for this to happen or there are no granddaddies.  But there can be an exception to this fact of life.
He is a no-nonsense type A personality whose profession places him in a position of giving orders with the unquestioned expectation they will be carried out.  He and his wife had two children but, alas, no further issue thereby no grandchildren.  His dominant personality would seemingly not make room for affection for little ones in his neighborhood yet his growl is worse than his bite as the saying goes.  While he would never be intimidated by his peers, little children can cause him to helplessly give in to their innocence and charm.
He and his wife live in a racially mixed neighborhood with several young families some with children.  He is a good neighbor, socially active and friendly.  He loves the outdoors and his interests are shared by others living nearby and in particular members of one family with a primary grade son all of whom have become good friends meaning that that they have common interests, in this case the outdoors and especially hunting and fishing.  He likes the challenge of catching/bagging prey and willing to share for consumption his catch with others. This has led to an occasional social interaction between the two families which includes a little boy who is awed by his neighbor who is a giant of a man even to his acquaintances but to this little boy, a gentle, larger than life Paul Bunyan figure. They have become mutual friends.
Children are naturally inquisitive and this little boy likes to ask questions, stranger or not.  He wonders about his friend’s family and asks if he has any grandchildren perhaps hoping that he might find a new playmate.  The negative answer is somewhat of a disappointment to him, but he has the answer of a six year old.
“I will be your grandson,” he volunteered excitedly.  “I will call you granddaddy and you can call me your grandson.”  And the deed was done, no further questions were necessary.  There was no hesitation on his part for any additional discussion.  Just like that, be gained a granddaddy and, like it or not, his friend came to be a brand new grandfather and henceforth addressed as such. So now when the child sees his adopted grandfather drive home from work, he happily runs to meet him, proudly claiming a new relative, a granddaddy chosen by him.  And it is reciprocated because his neighbor now has something that has been missing in his life: a grandchild.
Color is not a factor but affection is.
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Bill Lee, PO Box 128,
Hamer, SC 29547