I was not my grandmother D’s favorite grandchild. How did I know this? She told me. I also had the satisfaction of knowing I was not her least favorite grandchild. That was Melissa…grandma just didn’t like her. By today’s standards this is horrifying …we would never bruise a child’s ego by telling them where they stood in the “like” lineup of grandchildren.

I loved to visit my grandmother though it was difficult. I would ride the Greyhound bus (queasy all the way… I was prone to motion sickness) from Saginaw to Flint. I walked from the bus station to my grandmother’s upstairs apartment on Mary Street. She would make me fried potatoes and iced tea and we would sleep together in her big feather bed after she told me stories.

My other grandmother,Grandma P, was not a favorite until I was older. She was brusque and said exactly what she thought I was hurt by her honesty..she thought my dad should get a job and take care of his family instead of sending us to her house. Makes sense to me now, especially since three extra people in a cramped apartment is beyond the call of duty. Even though I agreed with the basic truth of her statement I didn’t like anyone saying anything negative about my dad.

Grandma P loved Gene Autry she had a crush on him her entire life. At the age of ninety she felt that it was time for her to meet her idol in person. She asked me to fly with her to Gene Autry’s Palm Springs Hotel so that she would have an opportunity to meet with him in person. I tried to explain to her that just because Gene Autry had a hotel he would not necessarily be there for meeting with his fans. She seemed to understand but was undeterred.

We spent three days at the hotel and she explained to all of the waitresses and other hotel staff that her mission was to meet Mr. Autry. They would smile and say, “Well, sometimes he does stop by.” I would roll my eyes, sure that they were humoring her. Our breakfast on Sunday morning was the beginning of our last day there. One of our waitresses stopped by and whispered in Grandma’s ear, “you may get your chance to meet Mr. Autry today, his wife is sitting at a table with Donald O’Conner. As Grandma was thanking her I saw Gene Autry striding through the restaurant wearing a white hat and cowboy boots. I pointed him out to my grandmother and said , “there he is grandma..do you still want to meet him?” She said, “I’ve got too!” and pushing her walker firmly ahead of her stood directly in front of Gene Autry and stated, ” I’ve traveled two thousand miles to see you!”

The picture I took of them together was placed on the front page of the Piggott, Arkansas, newspaper. My grandmother was thrilled and was already planning her next adventure. I mentioned to her that perhaps at ninety two she should maybe be thinking of going somewhere a bit closer than Hawaii..her answer to me, “Gloria, I can die anywhere!”