A Grandfather's bond

By Marlene Martinez

Who is someone in your life you have a strong bond with? And what is it that defines this bond?

Perhaps it brings peace, gentle touches, or meaningful hugs. 

For some people, that person is a grandparent. Maybe you're thinking about all the stories your grandpa told you about his life when he was growing up, or maybe you're left thinking what a strong man he is. 

Dayanara Villagomez, a senior at Yerba Buena High School, had a strong relationship with her grandfather. This relationship meant a lot to her because she gained a second father figure and someone she could count on when she was in need of someone to talk to. 

She always had good memories when they were together. 

One of Villagomez's favorite memories with her grandpa is 

Villagomez: “When my grandpa would make me Cacahuates Calentados ( heated peanuts) in Mexico and we would sit down and eat them together and talk about what we would do in the afternoon”.

When she was with him Dayanara would say she felt safe with him.

 Villagomez: “I felt so safe with him. He would always say to stay by his side, and when I wouldn't stay by his side, he would call me by my name.” she said, because her grandpa would take care of her in Mexico.

Another favorite memory with her grandpa is when she would go to Mexico and go to her grandma's restaurant with her and her mom to eat breakfast in the morning. This was also her favorite memory because she got to spend time with her grandpa. 

One morning, her grandpa woke her up and walked her to her grandma's restaurant She got tired of walking so she asked her grandpa to carry her, but he was too old to carry her, and Villagomez’s mom would tell her to walk but her grandpa still carried her, but he didn't want Villagomez to feel sad that he didn’t carry her.

She also loved when her grandpa would buy her chips to snack on with her brother.

When she was in the second grade, she found out her grandfather had passed away.

Villagomez: “I found out he passed. Oh god that was hard for me. I remember it like it was yesterday when he passed. My tia picked me up from school and we were in front of the library and told me that he passed and I started crying my eyes out. She took me home and as soon as I opened the door to the house I ran to my dad and started crying more. We packed clothes to go stay at my tia's house to be with family since they can't go to Mexico”.

This really hit her hard, and more whenever she goes to Mexico and the house is quiet and she knows when she goes to sleep, he is no longer there to walk her to her grandma's restaurant, and she really misses that.

These memories mean a lot to her because she will always think about how her grandpa was with her and how he taught her to be a kind person with other people and help them out.