Movie Night

Down below I do the dishes as Winona and Grandpa have their heart-to-heart. Winona had told me about how she saw Grandpa as a ‘proper’ elder but I didn’t really appreciate what that meant for her. To me it was pretty darned cool for Grandpa to be seen so highly and approached with the respect that he deserved. I, of course, was intensely curious as to what they were talking about but there wasn’t a chance in the world that I was going to eavesdrop. I figured I would, one way or another, find out sooner or later. For now it just made me feel happy to know the pair of them were bonding.

By the time Winona comes swinging around the corner into the galley I was just putting away the last of the dishes. With a odd smile she comes marching straight up to me and wraps me up in a big hug!

“Ooo!” Arms pinned to my side and lifted off of my feet I dangle.

“RRRRR!” She hugs me as hard as she can without crushing me before planting a lip smashing smacker right to the lips! “MMMM!”

“Mmmm!” Your lips smack as they part. “Woah!”

“Heh!” She sets my down and smoothes out my dress. “Sometimes I can’t help myself.”

“He he he. That’s ok-kay.”

A moment later Grandpa pokes his head through the door and says. “I’m just getting the movie set up. Come on down when you’re ready.”

“Okay G-Grandpa.” I say. “We’ll bring the snacks.”

“And the beer.” Winona adds.

“Groovy.”

He pauses, looks at me with a funny grin of his own, then disappears from sight. I look to Winona hoping she might let me in on what happened during the tobacco giving but she furtively pretends not to notice my curiosity.

Before long we are set up in the ship’s saloon all ready for our double-feature which would entail a wholesome trip back to the cinematic 80’s. The three of us settle in on the L-shaped sofa that filled the one corner of the room. I claim the corner cushion where I sit cross-legged among a nest of blankets and pillows with Winona lounging on one side of me and Grandpa kicking back on the other. On the table in front of us were bowls of chips and small tray of veggies, the later Grandpa had specifically made for me, and across from us in the opposite corner, surrounded by the usual hodge-podge of kitsch, is the television. Peeking over the top of the TV was my old stuffy Bluey. After Grandpa and I re-stuffed her and patched her up as best we could this had become her permanent home.

As we watched our shows I had the advantage of being the only one to have actually seen both of them which allowed me to shift my focus from screen to audience when I knew certain scenes were coming up. For me their reactions became as much of the entertainment as the movies themselves.

First up was Three Amigos which was an old favorite of Grandpa and I’s. It was cheesy, it was silly, and it was perfect. Boy oh boy do we get Winona laughing when the ‘My Little Buttercup’ scene comes on. The pair of us belt out the silly song that had become our own with me even doing some of Martin Short’s goofy dance moves. As it finishes I plop down beside Grandpa for a laugh and a hug.

As always the movie leaves us feeling great, this time with Winona a part of it. We finally had a Lucky to go with our Ned and Dusty. We even did the Amigo salute together. It was wonderful! The three amigos together at last! After watching the victory of the three heroes and the townsfolk over the nefarious El Guapo we take a short break to refill drinks and answer nature’s call.

Next up came the moment I’d been waiting for since I saw it just a short time ago. Eyes were already getting misty during the opening scene of The Princess Bride as the grandpa comes in to read his grandson the titular story. Collectively we are entranced by the delightful fairy tale of a film. We cheer during the fights, we root for the heroes and boo the villains, Winona quotes along with her favorite scenes, we laugh and we laugh at the antics and the wit, and when the mushy stuff happens between Westley and Buttercup Winona and I are swooning in each other’s arms. But the parts that hit the hardest were, of course, the grandpa and grandson scenes. By the final scene when the grandpa tells the boy ‘I love you’ in that special way I am a sobbing, smiling mess in Grandpa’s arms and his weathered old cheeks were wet with a few tears of his own. Winona, with her hazel eyes glimmering as well, sits back and lets us have the moment.

It was all just…perfect. The night, the evening, the day, everything.

After the movies we stay up for an hour just laughing and talking. First we discuss both the films, which we all now adored, before the conversation gradually moves on to everything, anything and nothing at all. The words were secondary to the wonderful feeling of love we all shared.

Grandpa, not being a spring chicken, is the first of us to tire. Patting my leg he says. “I’m gonna turn in now.”

“Okay, Grandpa.” I say softly, gazing into his twinkling blue eyes for a long, quiet moment. So much is said in that gaze but none of it I can describe as it was in the language of the heart. “Sleep w-well.”

“You too.” He pats my cheek then brings me in for an extra long hug and a kiss. “Good night, Buttercup.”

“Mmm.” Tonight of all nights that nickname lifted my soul.

He gets up and shuffles over to Winona who rises to get a hug of her own. In their embrace he whispers something into her ear then pulls back to look her in the eyes and give her a nod.

“Thank you.” She says back softly, smiling from ear to ear. “I will.”

With that Grandpa heads to bed leaving the rest of the night to me and Winona and true love.