For My Grandmother, Doris

My grandmother Doris (Dor Dor) left us ten years ago today; thirty-three years and one day after we

lost my Aunt Joyce.

It’s a bit ironic that the dates of their deaths follow so closely as of the three women in my family – my grandmother, mother and aunt – my grandmother and aunt were most alike in temperament.

Both were born under the same zodiac sign, Capricorn, only 9 days separating their birth dates. Both had the same easygoing nature and would find fun in any situation. One of the things I remember about them is the playful nicknames they created for people they knew. But they’d only use them behind the person’s back. My mom, the cautious one, would warn them that one day they’d call the person by the nickname by accident. Thankfully, it never happened.

A few weeks ago, I was swapping stories about her with a cousin. She told me of the time she was visiting and noticed a lone breadfruit on a tree in the backyard at my grandmother’s house. She remarked how lovely the breadfruit looked and my grandmother said she planned to cook it for dinner that evening. Shortly after that exchange, someone my grandmother knew passed by, noticed the breadfruit and asked my grandmother for it. My cousin was speechless when Dor Dor told him to “Take it, my boy!” That’s how she was. She’d give you the shirt off her back, if you needed it.

Dor Dor’s house was never empty. After her children moved away and began having families of their own, she welcomed grandchildren, close family members, strangers – anyone who felt they needed a bed or a place to stay. She never turned anyone away.

She rarely disciplined an errant child but when she did, it was swift. One slap and she had your attention. In her later years, when the great-grandchildren started coming, she’d keep sweets, small trinkets, and money in her pocket to press into a child’s hand whenever they visited.

Sometimes I laugh out loud when I remember how her face would crease and her eyes would twinkle when my mother caught her spicing her conversation with one or two colorful Jamaican words.

Dor Dor loved flowers and always said she’d be going to Heaven to plant roses. I smile now because I know Heaven is more beautiful because of her presence.