GRANDPA

As I entered the room, I saw a familiar figure. He was an old, bespectacled man who wore thick-lensed glasses, dressed in a t-shirt and a wrinkled, vintage jeans. Grandpa was so engrossed in reading newspapers that he didn't notice that I was standing behind him.

"Grandpa, good afternoon, I'm back from school." I greeted him politely. However, Grandpa didn't seem to hear me.

Grandpa was an octogenarian. With regards to his age, Grandpa has a little hard of hearing but he still refuses to wear a hearing-aid, as he complained that it was too expensive. Also, he was almost bald, leaving behind specks of gray hair.

"Grandpa!" I shouted, hoping he could hear me.

He looked up at me, and smiled. His wide mouth revealed two rows of pearly white teeth without a single artificial one. His face was creased with wrinkles, and his evenly-set eyes were almost covered by two pieces of drooping eyelids. Connecting to his huge, blunt nose was two thick, pursed lips.

One day, I was complaining about going to school and how much I wish that I do not have to attend school to Grandpa, hoping that he could understand how I felt. Instead, Grandpa reprimanded me and told me that if he ever had a chance to attend school once, he would cherish it as if it was a precious jewel that everyone wants to snatch it away from his hands.

"When you have a chance to study, appreciate it. During my time, my family was so poor that we could not afford the school fees. Thus, when you are able to attend school, do not complain, but be grateful for that and what you have. Education is very important to a person, for it will determine your path." He answered, while staring vacantly into distance, as though reminiscing his childhood times.

When Grandpa was a child at ten, he was working from morning till night. He have had to earn money to support his family as he was the only man in his household. When he was fourteen years old, his family migrated to China to set up a business.

Business was good and the burden on him got lesser. Thus, Grandpa decided to register for an education in China.

However, war in China started, pandemonium broke out and Grandpa's chance was destroyed. Even until today, the pain of losing it was like a needle in his heart, unable to forget even as time passes, constantly stabbing his heart.