I've Been There Before

My name is Leona.

The name was given by my grandpa. My grandpa, based on my experience as a child, was not a good man.

Take my name as an example. His name sounds nice, but he gave me such a strange name.

Every time I protested to my grandpa, he always said that if my dad had been a girl, the name wouldn’t have fallen on me.

He was the one who gave me such a strange name, but he blamed my dad for not being a girl.

Ah, speaking of which, I forgot to introduce my grandparents.

My grandpa, Caden.

I heard he was very attractive when he was young.

My grandma, Grace.

I sometimes wonder why these two people, who didn’t seem to match at all, were together.

My grandparents were divorced before my dad was born.

After the divorce, neither of them married again.

They should have gone on their separate ways, but my grandpa was shameless and always bothered my grandma.

Ever since I remembered it, my grandpa had been pleasing my grandma all the time.

Grandpa Humbert said my grandpa never lowered his head to anyone. He was so tough that everyone was afraid of him.

But I don’t think Grandpa Humbert was telling the truth.

If my grandpa was so tough, then why was he as obedient as our golden retriever every time grandma stared at him?

Besides, have you ever seen a tough man with perfect culinary skills comparable to a five-star chef?

Ever since I was young, my grandpa’s cooking was the best in the family, even better than the chefs we hired.

Grandpa would wake up early in the morning to walk the dog. When he came back, he always had a pile of food ingredients in his hand.

When grandma woke up, grandpa had been busy in the kitchen all morning. A warm meal was ready on the dining table. It might not be very sumptuous, but quite warm.

Grandma never cooked. Her only housework was watering the flowers in the garden. Grandpa said it’s good for grandma to be like that.

I asked grandpa in secret, “You get up early every day to cook three meals a day, and you have to go to work. Even the employees have weekends and vacations. Aren’t you tired without a single day off?”

Grandpa looked at grandma who was eating the afternoon tea he made for her in the garden. He smiled like a fool and said.

“I’m happy with everything I do as long as your grandma likes it. I’m willing to pamper her. It’s best to pamper her so much that she despises other men. That way, your grandma won’t have time to think of leaving me for the rest of her life.”

There were other details apart from that.

All I know is that grandpa pampered grandma like crazy.

I always considered grandma pretentious. She wouldn’t remarry my good grandpa. I told it to grandpa, and he, who had never been angry at me, gave me a hard slap on the butt. Grandpa said, “Little rascal, if you consider your grandma like that again, I’ll beat you dead.

grandma is the

to be good to your grandma

good to me. But if you dare not be good to

was aggrieved at that time. I was taking up the

about the past

one night, I was hungry and got out of bed to look for food. When I passed by my grandparents’ room, the door was not closed

held grandma’s feet and placed them on his

ran into my parents’ room and asked, “Is grandpa

your grandma’s feet. Your grandma is not in good health and her hands and feet are always cold. Your

“Why?”

grandpa will punish you by making

you know

sad story. Leona, go to sleep. Your mother and I have a business to

remarry. My childhood memories were full of the daily life of my grandpa and grandma who were not husband

was a quiet person, but every time she said something, the people in the family didn’t dare to

grandpa was always defending grandma. This was known to everyone in

never felt much about time, and when I did, it was

grandma passed away when I was eight years

As usual, grandma sat under the big tree in the garden and ate the afternoon tea grandpa made for her.

would cover grandma with a blanket and wait until it was time

was never

the rocking chair swinging in the wind of a green

didn’t have any sudden illness. She left this world

She left grandpa.

for a long time, sobbing and weeping. I’ll never forget grandpa’s

away but didn’t step into the garden. At that time, I

giving

not grand, but all

the funeral

grandpa’s health began

find out the cause, but his

dad said grandpa was sick

sick in

dare

after grandma’s death, grandpa would hold grandma’s picture and look at it carefully as if

to grandma’s picture as if he was

came, and

my hands and said,

“Like what?”

“Like your grandma.”

fourteen, and I understood more. I heard more

the story of my grandparents, I was angry that grandpa didn’t tell the good from the bad. He was too self-righteous and hurt grandma before he knew

I were her, I would never see my grandpa again,

and

grandma for her lack of

my grandma gave way to their

grandpa learned to cherish it and didn’t waste

way grandpa pampered grandma was like his

story of my grandparents, I was silent. I no longer blamed grandpa for not seeing through