~Joanna
I rushed toward him, throwing my arms around his neck as though no time had passed since I was a little girl. His familiar scent, a mix of cedarwood and mint, enveloped me, pulling me back to the safety of childhood. Grandpa Benedict grinned, his warm laughter bubbling up as he instinctively tried to lift me off the ground—just like he used to. But to my amusement, his efforts were met with resistance.
"Grandpa!" I laughed, patting his back playfully as he grunted in mock exertion. "You can’t lift me anymore! I’m not a baby!"
He stepped back, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. "You’re right," he said, feigning an exaggerated gasp. "My dear Joanna, what have you been eating? You must weigh at least a thousand kilograms!"
We both burst into laughter, the kind that erupts fr
