My Moccasin Shoes

“Look at this!” I exclaimed. Pulling my hands from behind my back I revealed the shoes grandpa had made me. My friends marveled. Their eyes went wide, and their mouths agape. I smiled in admiration. This summer my brother and I stayed with our grandpa, that is when he gifted me these. After my friends were done examining the moccasins, I zipped them into my bookbag. I was sure my brother would do the same with the things grandpa taught him. Going over to grandpas was my favorite part of summer. The wild prairie sage around the reservation, the stories grandpa told me, everything was so fun. I couldn’t wait to get back home and brag about all the stuff I got to experience. When I did, I got the same questions as always, “When do we get to meet him?”, “Can we see a picture of him?”. I brushed them off most of the time. I wasn’t embarrassed by him, it's just that he wasn’t what the Indians on TV looked like. I didn’t want them to be disappointed. When grandpa showed up unannounced, I didn’t have any excuse. I was excited to see him of course! My friends were no different. Surprisingly they were just as, if not more infatuated than my brother and I by his many tales. They stared in admiration, with big eyes and focused vision. I could tell my brother was holding off from showing his friends. Day after day I brought new classmates to my grandpa. He seemed to have an endless number of stories to tell. One day when I had no one to bring over, my brother did. He brought his friends to grandpa. They were just like my classmates, big eyed and besotted. After grandpa was done with his story Mom said we should give him a break, no more visits. Grandpa looking tired went inside with Martin and they had a conversation I couldn’t hear. Grandpa and Martin had been having many of these conversations lately. I suspect it is about that ‘Medicine Bag’ dad had briefly mentioned to me. Later that day grandpa was took to the hospital. Mom had told me before him, didn't have much longer to live. I suspected this was one of his last days from what I was took. It was a hard few days I spent with him. Mom had come home with news of his passing. The days after were hard but I tried to think about the happy memories I had with grandpa. Two weeks had passed, and Martin went to the reservation for his medicine bag. I stayed home and went through the things grandpa had gifted me. I found the moccasins he gave me and put them on, thinking of the stories he would tell.