Antonio

Shifting the weight of the folded empty boxes to his left arm, David knocked for a third time.

Antonio wasn’t one to get upset, much less so at David. The two had grown rather close in the last few years, finding a certain comfort in the other after the passing of David’s grandmother. Still, the scotch tape over the doorbell and Antonio’s repeated frustration with the mailman was enough to make knocking the clear preference. 

Though he was not one to go against his grandfather’s wishes, David was certain this was a farce. A clever one, David conceded, but a farce nonetheless. Old folk tend to find unique ways of dodging the cruel realities of age. Some get so good at it they almost convince themselves that nothing has changed. For David’s grandfather, it seemed lying about the doorbell’s excessive noise was enough to keep most people from questioning his hearing. David wasn’t convinced, even if he didn’t speak of it. 

“Coming!” Antonio shouted from inside the house. 

David smiled and relaxed his shoulders, shifting the weight of the boxes back between both arms.

Although he was confident he knew the exact room from which his grandfather had shouted, David still placed his ear against the oak door. No more than an inch thick, that sliver of wood let just about every noise out. He listened closely for the footsteps, ducking below the eyehole right before his grandfather reached the door. 

“Hello?” Antonio asked gruffly, his eyes pressed to the peephole. “Who’s out there?”

David stayed silent and out of view for a moment, surprised in part at his grandfather’s coldness. Still, he found the situation far too amusing to pay much attention. Stifling a laugh, David waited for a few seconds more, popping up in front of the peephole only when he heard the door chain come loose. 

The two enjoyed playing tricks on one another for years, though David was rarely the trickster. Once, David recalled, Antonio had convinced his grandson that he could speak Italian. A young, adventurous kid, David was naturally interested in learning the language from Antonio. Good explorers certainly benefited from knowing a second language, he thought. Thus, for the better part of a summer, Antonio taught what David believed to be Italian. He was, much to David’s delight, an apparent prodigy of the language. Antonio was never one to shy away from exaggerated compliments. 

 When school came around, David enrolled in an Italian course, hoping to impress his new classmates. A truly naive boy, it took almost forty-five minutes for David to realize Antonio had been teaching him German instead. 

David was not quick to forgive his grandfather then, but he loved to tell that story now. 

When Antonio finally swung the door open, careful not to let it hit the spring stopper, he nearly gave himself a heart attack. David stood with the boxes in his arms and a smile on his face, trying his best not to laugh at his grandfather.

“Yeah, yeah, you got me.” said Antonio in between breaths, his usual smile buried beneath his wrinkled cheeks. “Come in, son, come in.”

David let his lips relax into a laugh as he stepped into the house. It wasn’t the biggest place, hardly enough room in the kitchen to fit a dining table, but David felt it had gotten smaller over the years. Though, he supposed few childhood homes tend to feel bigger. 

David’s grandmother used to tease him that one day the house would become so small that he wouldn't fit through the door anymore. She was a warm woman, he thought. Not particularly funny, but certainly warm and clever. David knew those were the qualities Antonio appreciated most in his wife. She kept him on his toes, challenged him in that unique way only spouses know how. What a woman, Antonio would often say.

His grandfather wasn’t a dried leaf either. Stubborn as a mule, Antonio could talk for hours before letting anyone get a word in. Not that many people tried. He spoke with a cadence, with a certain soothing tone, that made him someone worth listening to. Strangers, sometimes those you would not presume to be interested in casual conversation, would spend hours listening to him in the cafe. He should write, people would tell him, write so that he may preserve his stories. But Antonio never seemed keen on that idea. He liked to talk, that was all. And talk he did. David’s grandmother would have to poke him at times to remind Antonio to let another person speak. She wouldn’t recognize Antonio now. How quiet he has gotten, David thought walking through the kitchen into the living room. 

“Where do you want me to put the boxes, bubu?” he asked. 

David knew the office was next. The two had packed most of the bedrooms and the living room last weekend, deciding the kitchen and bathroom could be emptied out on the day of the move. Still, those rooms took them almost two days. But David didn’t really mind much. He liked to go through Antonio’s belongings with him. Sometimes they would come across a photo album or some old trinket, the usual family memorabilia people find in their relatives homes, and reminisce for a moment. David loved those brief intermissions, even if his grandfather urged them to continue. 

“You can leave them by the stairs over there. I got started a little earlier on the office” Antonio said, covering his mouth, “No need to bring all those boxes up.”

Oh yeah?” David said, letting the boxes down against the wall at the foot of the stairs.

“Yes, of course. You know me, I have to keep busy.”

“Of course.” David said with a smile Antonio didn’t seem to catch. 

“Hm?”  

“I said of course, bubu.” David said a little louder. He walked up the first few steps of the stairs before realizing Antonio wasn’t following him.

“You're not coming?” David asked his grandfather.

Antonio tilted his head down slightly, checking the time on his watch a couple times before clearing his throat.

“Say, why don’t we grab some coffee first, I’m sort of worn out from this morning.”

“Sure!” said David, walking back down the stairs. 

He recognized something in his grandfather then. Something he would not have a few years ago. Still, David was not one to push. This was Antonio’s home, and though he may see him as much more than an authority figure, Antonio was still his grandfather. 

The pair entered the empty kitchen at the same time. David knew there was no coffee left in the cupboards. In truth, there wasn’t really much in the kitchen at all. David waited for his grandfather to remember, putting his shoes on in the hallway. Antonio checked the cupboards above the sink first. Then the ones above the stove and beside the fridge. Nothing. 

“Maybe we can go to the cafe?” David suggested. 

Antonio swung his head toward him quickly, squinting his eyes inquisitorially. 

“The cafe? Did you want to go there instead?”

“Yes, yes. I think that is a good idea.” Antonio conceded. “I can’t seem to find the coffee anyhow.”

David nodded and put his hand on his grandfather’s back gently, patting him as Antonio would have. Even now, it bothered him how large his hand seemed to be against his grandfather’s back. 

“We packed it up yesterday, remember?”

“Ah, of course.” Antonio responded. “I was just seeing if we had left any behind.” 

“Sure.” 

Antonio opened the door for David, reaching for the keys in his waist. For most of his life, Antonio had carried his keys by his belt. It was an old fashioned thing, David’s grandmother would tell him, a relic of a different time. But Antonio didn’t seem to mind, he loved his belt clip. David gave him a new one a few years back, when Antonio misplaced his old one. It lasted about a month before Antonio lost track of it too. 

“Here bubu, I got it.” David said loudly, reaching down into his pants for his own keys. 

“No, no. I need to find mine”

David smiled patiently, waiting for Antonio. 

“Are they on your lanyard?” David asked after a moment, his hand pointing at Antonio’s neck.

“My what?” 

David nodded up before reaching over to his own chest and tapping on its center. “Your lanyard?” 

Antonio looked down before reaching into his shirt and pulling out the blue lanyard hanging from his neck. Though the keys had been hanging from it for some time, David knew Antonio was surprised to see them there. 

“Right! There they are.” Antonio said with a cleared throat. “Shall we?”

The two had done this walk many times before, though it had been a while since they last visited the cafe. Antonio preferred to stay in a lot more now. Felt more comfortable at home, he often reassured David. It had gotten far too expensive anyway. 

When the pair arrived, they sat in the back near the washrooms. David did not particularly care about the cafe, nor where the two sat, but he was surprised to see his grandfather sitting so far away from everybody. They ordered as they normally would have, two espressos with a glass of water, and sat quietly waiting for their coffee. 

After a moment, their order was served. Polite and well-mannered, the pair thanked the waiter and stirred their drinks in silence. Twice, David thought of asking his grandfather how he felt. If there was something on his mind. But David knew it was best to leave it alone. 

“So how are you feeling about the move, huh?” David asked instead. 

Antonio stayed silent, his eyes fixed on a young woman and her daughter across the cafe. David reached his hand over to Antonio’s arm, nearly tapping him on his wrist.

“David?” Antonio asked coldly. 

David withdrew his hand back to his lap, unsure of what to make of his grandfather’s tone. 

“Yes, bubu?”

Antonio looked at David, confirming his grandson had heard him.

“What was I before I retired?”

David waited for a moment; he knew Antonio was not finished speaking.

“I think I might have been a doctor. I remember working with patients in some sort of clinic or hospital” Antonio paused. “I found a few binders full of medical documents in the office, some textbooks too.”

“Yeah, bubu. You were a cardiologist at St. Lucius.”

Antonio smiled and looked at his untouched cup on the table.

“Right. Good.” he paused again. “That’s a good profession, I think.”

David nodded in agreement.

“What about your grandmother, what did she do?”

“She was a dentist, remember? Her practice is just down the street there, actually.” David responded, his hand pointed toward the opposite end of the cafe.

“Yes, I remember now.” Antonio lied. 

The two sipped on their coffees for a few seconds, both unsure of what to say.

“Do you have any other questions, bubu?” David asked, placing his hand on Antonio’s knee.

“No, no. That’s all, son. Thank you,” said Antonio as he reached for the wallet he had left at home.