Reverse Psychology
Tucked away in the corner of the room, closest to the bathroom, sits an older man. His round glasses slide down his nose, but he doesn’t bother fixing them as he flips through the pages of The Tribune. Once in awhile, he exchanges a few words with the other regulars. A chuckle echoes throughout the bar as he cracks a joke. He smiles up at the bartender and without a word of direction; she fills up his glass with his usual--vodka on the rocks. Clear venom splashes over the ice cubes and slowly slides down the side of the cloudy glass. I watch intently as my grandpa lifts his scabbed bar elbows and reach for his full drink. The dim light of P’s and Q’s bar cast a grey shadow on his red face, but his smile shines through.
I slide into the familiar bar stool beside my grandpa and wait patiently for him to realize that his granddaughter is sitting next to him. My grandpa is far from senile, maybe a little near sighted, far sighted, and buzzed, but not senile. Seconds pass by and I wonder how he came to this point-- sitting at a bar, alone, unaware his granddaughter is next to him. It is difficult to imagine that this is the same man who is a college graduate, Eastern Airline Pilot, restaurant owner, businessman, stockholder, husband, father, brother, and grandpa. Somewhere in between drinks, his life fell apart.
What I really cannot understand is that he seems content. He sipped his drink and reads his paper in complete tranquility. My grandpa argues against change by saying, “Don’t confuse me with the facts. My mind is made up.” As philosophical as that sounds, I find nothing but flaws in that statement. Everyday I aim to better myself and open my mind to new experiences. If you’re not growing, you’re stuck in place, and I intend to keep moving. As driven as my grandpa was in his younger years, he gave up halfway through, but I intend to finish strong. His influence on me is reverse psychology at its finest. Amidst my thoughts, The Tribune lowers, uncovering my grandpa’s glassy eyes. It’s a shame that will never change.
Tucked away in the corner of the room, closest to the bathroom, sits an older man. His round glasses slide down his nose, but he doesn’t bother fixing them as he flips through the pages of The Tribune. Once in awhile, he exchanges a few words with the other regulars. A chuckle echoes throughout the bar as he cracks a joke. He smiles up at the bartender and without a word of direction; she fills up his glass with his usual--vodka on the rocks. Clear venom splashes over the ice cubes and slowly slides down the side of the cloudy glass. I watch intently as my grandpa lifts his scabbed bar elbows and reach for his full drink. The dim light of P’s and Q’s bar cast a grey shadow on his red face, but his smile shines through.
I slide into the familiar bar stool beside my grandpa and wait patiently for him to realize that his granddaughter is sitting next to him. My grandpa is far from senile, maybe a little near sighted, far sighted, and buzzed, but not senile. Seconds pass by and I wonder how he came to this point-- sitting at a bar, alone, unaware his granddaughter is next to him. It is difficult to imagine that this is the same man who is a college graduate, Eastern Airline Pilot, restaurant owner, businessman, stockholder, husband, father, brother, and grandpa. Somewhere in between drinks, his life fell apart.
What I really cannot understand is that he seems content. He sipped his drink and reads his paper in complete tranquility. My grandpa argues against change by saying, “Don’t confuse me with the facts. My mind is made up.” As philosophical as that sounds, I find nothing but flaws in that statement. Everyday I aim to better myself and open my mind to new experiences. If you’re not growing, you’re stuck in place, and I intend to keep moving. As driven as my grandpa was in his younger years, he gave up halfway through, but I intend to finish strong. His influence on me is reverse psychology at its finest. Amidst my thoughts, The Tribune lowers, uncovering my grandpa’s glassy eyes. It’s a shame that will never change.
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