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We connected through playing Poker and made our own games to play. But a smell always lled up the room that became all to familiar...it always had a smoke trail with it to.

Every story, every life lesson learned has to start from somewhere...this is where mine started here, in my grandparents basement room. is room was lled with my grgrandfather’s medals, letters, coins, and little nick nacks he kept over the years.I spent a lot of my days down there, sitting at the table with my grandfather. We stayed ddown there and played good ‘ol games of poker. We played so much that I started to get better, or luckier than him, or a bit of both.

is room here

But he had been smoking since his time in the Marine corp. and the Korean War. e smoking caught up to him and gave him the worst thing to think of. He was diagnosed with diagnosed with Lung cancer and had to go get surgery for it. I understood the gravity of the situation and I couldn’t imagine losing him after having him aaround for so long. It truly dealt a lot of emotion in my family when the time was for the surgery.

My grandfather was a heavy smoker, about a pack to two packs a day. I never thought anything of it, I was young and enjoyed the smell, much like the smell of gasoline. It reminded me of the fun and games I played with him.

He was put in for surgery to have part of his lungs removed, once those doors it was all about waiting. Minutes turned to hours and hours seemed like days. It was agonizing to just sit there and wait. Waiting gives you the time to think about and remember the great memories, the times you had with that person. I was truly distraught in my thoughts. I didn’t want to lose my grandfather, it left my heavy heart sinking down and leaving me choked up. I just sat there, speechless and waiting, family was around me and we were all at the same point. But time kept on ticking...and ticking. I doon ticking...and ticking. I don’t know how long the surgery was gonna be but I kept in mind the good luck I left for him before surgery.

My grandfather, one thing he loved more than playing poker was dogs. I left him a stuffed dog that I won from the county fair that year. I put good luck into it and handed it to him before he went behind the doors. His dog, named Jennifer, passed away befopassed away before I really remembered her, probably before I was born. He never had another dog after her. Another time was when the movie, Marley and Me, came to theaters.

He did end up having the coffee and we all left, giving him a tough time for leaving. Back at the hospital, the doors open and there was the surgeon, telling us it was a success and he will be ne. e and he will be ne. e heavy heart and choked up feelings went away. We all walked out of the hospital a few days later, including my grandfather. But in the end it left me with a life lesson. at elesson. at everyone an anyone should cherish the one’s they love before they are gone.

Marley and Me, if none of you readers have seen it, is about a growing family with their dog, Marley. Marley was a very misbehaving dog and the family goes through tough times, the toughest at the times, the toughest at the end. My grandfather knew that the part was coming up, so he left to go get “coffee”. He couldn’t be there to watch the end, which left most of the ccrowd choked up.

I walk down those stairs into the basement to grab drinks when we visit and see the room and peer into it every-time. It still carries that scent of cigarettes and makes me remember the good times but also the bad times. I love my grandparents and never want to see them ethem ever leave this world but I know they will someday. So whenever we do visit, I take care of anything that they need done, whether mowing the lawn or help set for lunch, anything...

But now I face the same situation, my grandmother is now having problems and there is nothing to do but wait...