Grandpa.
I told a story on my Grandma here, now here's one on Grandpa.

As mentioned, he was a respected scientist who isolated one of the first known viruses. At the time he was trying to find a cure for polio, and came within an inch of the Nobel for it. He was a rather intimidating man, standing well over six feet with a big booming voice and a commanding demeanor, and was not above using blasphemies when exasperated. Mom describes him as the original pig-headed kraut. For a fact I found him more than a little frightening at times. He grew up in the midwest and had a great love of the outdoors, and used to take my mom and uncle camping in the very mountains I grew up in. I heard more than once about how soft I was, how easy I had it compared to what real discomfort was.

They used to come visit us in the mountains of New York over Christmas. In that area of the world it's not at all uncommon for the temperature to drop below -20F. As the house is a second home and at that point had no central heating, it was generally bitterly cold in the house when we arrived and took hours to reach a temperature warm enough to remove coats.

One year it was especially frigid when we arrived. Mom and Dad immediately started the wood stoves, of course, but it was a long cold wait for the place to get up to temperature. My grandparents, being in their 70s at the time and living in Maryland, were especially feeling the chill.

It was at this time that Grandpa, the Great God Damn, the man who made people in his laboratory quake in their shoes, the veteran outdoorsman, turned to his wife and whimpered, "But why can't I be warm?"

Sorry, Grandpa. In that moment you became a mortal just like the rest of us.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Wed 8 Jun 2011, 1:09, 1 reply)

I feel for him.
Just goes to show none of us are immune to everything.
( Bats, Wed 8 Jun 2011, 9:13, closed)