I Heard You the First Time

With my first pregnancy, I was still working in our family owned hardware store where my husband's eighty-nine year old grandfather would sit behind the counter and continue the third generation personal service climate. Between customers in my third trimester, I would sit beside him while he rocked in his signature rocker. One particular day, he asked me, "how much do you weigh?" I replied in a whisper (I didn't care to broadcast it...to the browsing customers), "164 pounds." And, he said (as if he couldn't hear me), "how much?" So...thinking that he was having trouble hearing and knowing that I would have to break the silence in the store in order for him to hear, (respectfully) I decided I would drop a few pounds and speak louder, replying, "143 pounds". With a twinkle in his eye he replied, "I heard you the first time." A great memory...I sure did love him.