Every time I cover a cut watermelon with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge to use later, I apologize to Papaw.
Papaw died while I was on my mission - he's been gone a long time. But I can't help but think of what the look would be on his face if he saw me doing it. And I shake my head and say "I'm sorry, but I'm too poor to waste half a melon!!"
When I was little we would go to the farm (where he and Mamaw lived til I was 9 or so) or the lake (where they lived the rest of their lives) to visit. Most of my memories are of summertime, though I know we went during the rest of the year too. Memorial Day and Fourth of July and Labor Day specifically I remember big family picnics and trips to the lake's swimming beach. When we left in the afternoon to swim, Papaw would always say "Now don't get wet!" Which confused us all thoroughly, which confusion made Mamaw smile and say something along the lines of "Honey, you have fun and get wet if you want to!"
We always did. And when we came back dripping wet and wrapped in over-sized towels, our little bare feet slapping the hot black driveway, we knew there would be watermelon. Because there always was. At some point while we were swimming Papaw would go out to the cooler in the garage and pull out watermelons that had gotten cold enough to make your teeth ache when you bit into a slice of them. He'd cut through the rind with a huge knife and hand slices around and we'd take them out into the yard and spit the seeds at each other. We all knew that Papaw's belly was because of a watermelon that grew there after he swallowed a seed! The table always had a collection of salt shakers on it because, as everyone knows, watermelon tastes better with salt on it.
Anything that didn't get eaten within a few hours got tossed in the compost heap. I still don't know, despite having asked all of my "grown-up" relatives, why Papaw insisted that watermelon won't keep. But he wouldn't hear of us eating it in the evening, let alone the next day!
Every time I bite into a slice of watermelon, I think of Papaw. And then by extension Mamaw. And I hear the sound of the bullfrogs' low groan floating in through the window of the room where Hannah and I would sleep when we stayed with Mamaw and Papaw for a week in the summer.
And it makes me happy.
5 comments:
This made me cry... happy tears. I miss them everyday!
What a lovely way to remember. As a side note, I have never once had watermelon with salt on it!
Hannah - I miss them too! It makes me sad when I can't take the kids to the lake to go see them.
A-L - It's a southern thing (like the fact that they're "Maw-maw and Paw-paw" instead of "Ma'a-maw and Pa'a-paw), I think. Ben hates it. But I can't hardly eat watermelon any other way!
My dad eats salt on his watermelon too! It's pretty good. I've thought of this post twice recently as I've eaten watermelon..
NOTHING beats good sweet vine-ripened melon in the summer.
Nothing. But maybe I feel that way because it reminds me of such happy things and such wonderful people.
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