Dinners together
Are always full of bubbling laughter.
Pete feeds us
Corny jokes on the cob
Flavored with a buttery Southern accent
And a quick, salty laugh.
Stories about the dogs
Are as common for dinner
As corn bread and peppers.
He silently offers his closed fist.
I look at it, confused.
Is my grandpa asking for a fist bump?
But his hand is closed
Around a roll of coins
He is “covertly” giving me.
I wrap my hand around his,
And he slips the roll into my palm
As my dad rolls his eyes.
We re-tell the story
About the day I foolishly tried
To use a rotary phone.
He bursts into laughter
At the part of the story where I put my fingers in the holes
He bursts into laughter

I laugh
Smiling widely
Not caring about the corn stuck in my teeth.