I'm Missing Her Badly

"Hmmm! Hmmmm! " Grandpa cleared his throat before speaking. " John Mark, don't fool around! I tell you, if you want to have a girlfriend, make sure she is for keepsake. Otherwise, don't be messing around! We don't have to warn you!" Grandpa's usual commanding voice roared like a commander.

"Grandpa, Grammie, you don't have to warn me. It's true I have a girlfriend but she is studying far away." I said trying to catch any reaction from them.

"Studying far away? How far away?" Grandpa roared again.

"How about the one your brother saw at the bar in L Road?" Grandma added.

"Grandpa, Grammie, take it easy. Im not fooling around. The same girl from L Road went to continue her studies back in the province. There's nothing to worry about you favorite grandson fooling around", I said grinning at these two household authorities.

"Then why did we not see her? Do you have a plan of hiding her from us?" Grandma came again.

"Nahh.. Nahhh! Grammie, What's that tone?" I started to laugh seeing her eagerness about the topic.

"What? You want to fool around that's why you want to hide her?" She was kind of guessing.

"Grammie, I would have loved to bring her here and eloped with her before releasing her to go back to school but..." I paused looking at both of their faces.

"But what?" Grandma smiled as if eager to hear my narration

"But before I had the chance, she has already left the bar for school. In fact, she didn't tell me she was just doing a summer job there." I said lowering my gaze to my food.

"Mark, don't you ever joke about eloping !" Grandpa warned again while his hands were busy with food.

"How old is she? Is she pretty? Is she smart?" Grandmas questions were like M16 rifle.

"Grammie, do you really want to see her?" I asked teasing her with a sly smile then hurried to finish my food. They were almost done as they had started ahead. After dinner, I hepled Grandma with the dishes then hurried to my room to get something from my wallet.

.....

Grandpa, Grammie, here she is! What do you think?" Lighly scratching my head like a little boy.

"Oh my dearest, how long shall we wait to see our great great grandchildren!" Grandma brushed my girlfriend's picture with her shaking fingers. I joined them in the sofa with Grandpa after dinner.

"She sure is a beauty and brain! You should take care of her" Was my Grandpa's remark after removing his eyeglasses which he just put on to take a good look at the picture.

"How old?" My Grandma asked again.

"She's just 18 and in her third year college. She'll be finished after two years." I said

"That's quite a long wait! Why doesn't she enroll here in the city?" Grandpa intervened.

"Apparently, the school there is a government funded school so there's no much tuition fees. But she is very good, Grandpa. Her friend told me she is among the top students in the school despite her being a working student" I narrated.

Grandpa was nodding like he was pondering the words I just said. Grandpa is not a petty man. As a retired Major General, he takes life's challenges as spices of life. He doesn't condone our petty emotions or requests. He is tough but fair. That's maybe why he didn't even question the investigation of my father's demise. He had full trust in the police investigation system. Although, truth be told, he also has his personal investigation team. Whenever the police report doesn't jive with the report of his personal team, he would raise a suspicious statement regarding the police results.

"Is her parents still alive? What's her name by the way?" Grandpa lifted his face after sipping his tea which the house keeper just served.

"Her surname is Law, but she haven't mentioned about her parents existence. I'm supposing they are still alive Grandpa." I said.

Grandpa squinted his eyes before putting on his eyeglasses. "Law is such a big and wide clan in the northern province. Actually, we have one Law here around the neighborhood if you didn't know. I dont know if they are related to each other as there can be many similar family names." Grandpa's long years of existence is unquestionable.

"According to my knowledge, Law in the North own a wide pasture land and have vast farms too. That was way back about three to four decades ago when I was assigned to urban north. But apparently, some family members squandered their share of land and fought with other siblings for the remaining land. I just wonder what family of Law your girlfriend came from. Hope she's not from the greedy ones!" Grandpa chuckled.

I was surprised at Grandpa's revelation. I remember my girl saying her father used to be a cowboy and still keeping his horse now. Could it be that she is one of the Laws my Grandpa is talking about? Could she be a haciendera?

"Her name is Fem Law, she said she is the 7th of 13 siblings, the fourth one being adopted. She said her father used to be a cowboy and still riding his horse sometimes." I said.

"Ha! Then you must have found a gem my dear John! Having a genes of a cowboy combined with a military blood, what could possibly come out!" My Grandpa laughter hollered in the living room. I was feeling proud seeing him go ecstatic.

"Grandpa, it's been four months since I saw her. I sent letters through her friend but I haven't received her reply yet. I just had this picture together with her first and only letter. What could have happened to her?" I knew I was like a child by now in front of these two oldies.

"You miss her I know. But dont act petty. What's the use of being an intelligence agent?" I was surprised Grandpa entertained my sentiment. "North is just about 50 kilometers away, just three hours drive. Can you not find time to check her over there?" Grandpa was hinting.

"Yeah, I miss her badly," I shook my head and stared at my girl's picture in my hands.