It made me happy to see her smile; her true happiness would show to all of those that she got along with, for those who she disliked she made it known. She was my grandmother (Harryette Thompson) known for her stylish heels and classy suits. I would love to go to church when I was little to sit next to my grandma and get that candy that she always carried in her purse. Even though she was viewed as that mean woman by some, she was an angel to me and the rest of the family.
I remember sitting at her house off of Erdman Avenue with my brother (Kelvin Jr.) and my two cousins (Tey and Audrea) playing a game she created for us. The game was called “The Magic Ball”; we would all sit in a circle of course with my grandma starting with the ball. The game had the same concept as hot potato, with a catchy song to go along with it (the words were the magic ball goes around and round, into your hands and into mine, before it stops spells o-u-t and out spells out you see.), once the song ended the last person with the ball would be out, and whoever lasted the longest would win. It was great to be able to see my grandmother laugh that hard and smile so both of her crater-like dimples were visible from a mile away. Everyone who she came in contact with will never forget that smile and natural glow that took over her whole body.
I remember sitting in my dad’s old jeep wrangler with the top off so we could feel the nice breeze and enjoy the fresh brisk air, waiting with him and my brother for my grandma to get out of the hair salon every Friday, when she would get back in the car her strawberry scented hair spray spread throughout the area. That smell is a smell I will not forget, when I think of her I remember that scent and her soft, delicate skin that had those defined dimples and fine wrinkles that didn’t make her look old, they only made her look wiser. The way she smiled let off a radiance of light throughout the room that made everyone who came in contact with it want to also smile.
