By David Tierney<\/p>\n
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Gran pushed dad down the stairs again. It was late at night. Dad had been going to the bathroom and she had thought him a burglar. A grown man sneaking around in pitch darkness; what else was she supposed to think? It was obviously the burglar\u2019s fault when dad ended up in hospital and gran would boast of her bravery. Ever since she walloped him with the frying pan we knew we\u2019d have to put her in a home soon. Dementia may have been consuming her mind but she was deceptively strong for a small old lady.<\/p>\n
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Sometimes she would realise what she had done and would just laugh. It was good to hear her laugh, it meant she was remembering. Our favourite loved one was still here with us. My little brother Tim had this same realisation and, in an effort to make gran happy, kept trying to push Dad down the stairs. He succeeded three times and she laughed on every occasion.<\/p>\n
Months passed by rather quickly after that. Gran was sent to the home, but she didn\u2019t spend long. While a nurse was pushing her trolley a wheel accidentally crushed Dad\u2019s foot and he hopped away in pain only to fall down the nearby staircase. Apparently, the subsequent laughter had induced a stroke and that was that. At the funeral Tim just kept holding on to my trouser legs and looked confused. It hadn\u2019t hit him yet. Gran was cremated and we kept the urn on the mantelpiece. Unfortunately, Tim was a good climber and I caught him one day trying to sneak something big into his room. It was grandmother\u2019s urn and Tim\u2019s tiny arms were hugging it close to his chest. Tears were streaming in those giant eyes and his knuckles were white as his fingers clasped the artistic floral designs of the silver container. He finally understood.<\/p>\n
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\u201cTimmy,\u201d my voice was soft \u201cput that down.\u201d<\/p>\n
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He didn\u2019t want to let go; neither did I. It was sad to think she was gone. We wanted desperately for her to be here with us. The loneliness ached. Eventually Tim complied and put the ashes down. That\u2019s when Dad came out to see what the fuss was about. As he did so his foot landed on the urn and\u2026 he fell down the stairs. We both smiled as laughter filled the air.<\/p>\n