Before she passed away in July of 2013 at the age of 66, my Gramma Gucci was placed in the nursing home where I was a kitchen volunteer. My mother thought it would be a good idea to place her there so that I could keep her company.

All Puerto Rican grandmas that I know use their lipstick as blush. Picture a woman 4 feet 11 inches tall with dark hair dyed blonde and cherry red cheeks. That’s Gramma Gucci. We called her Gramma Guccci because she always had a Gucci bag and a Gucci belt – she loved that brand.
Thursday nights were Bingo nights and Gramma Gucci was always the ball reader. Every time she would take out a ball, she would drop it on purpose so that one of the guys would pick it up for her.

Friday nights I’d take her out to dinner to a place called Mitsuey. She always ordered steak with fried shrimp and white rice. I would get the same thing weekly – spicy tuna sushi roll. We always sat at the same table towards the back, very secluded and that offered us the opportunity to talk easier, since it was quieter and Gramma did not hear well. She enjoyed flirting with the restaurant’s owner which became part of our routine. It would upset her if he was not there or busy with other patrons!

We would swim in the nursing home’s pool on Saturdays and although the pool was not deep, Gramma was not a good swimmer so attention to her had to be paid!

Sundays my parents would visit and take her out to Ruby Tuesdays. Routine was important to Gramma and changes in routine would often confuse her more.

The nursing home was good for Gramma but my memories of it were not as fond. It was difficult to see Gramma changing and how others treated her, yelling when she did something wrong or if they thought she did something wrong.

Since Grandma died I have tried to be kinder to others, more understanding of their situations. I hope to see Gramma reborn in a better life where she can live the life she wanted but was not able to do.