The IT Trader

When I was just a kid back in the seventies, I always loved when the family would take a trip to go visit my grandparents. They were about a six hour ride away from us, so whenever we did go, we always stayed over one or two nights. It was only my mom, dad, my sister and myself back then. Although the food and attention we received from our grandparents was great, one of the things I remembered and loved the most was being able to sleep in the bunk beds that they had waiting for us in one of the spare bedrooms.

Both me and my sister loved those beds, taking turns sleeping on top each time we visited. Weeks before we were scheduled to go, we always knew who was going to be sleeping where, and who’s turn it was last time. We just couldn’t wait. One of my favorite things was climbing that ladder up and down to the top bed. We would also take all the blankets in the room and make a fort out of the bottom bunk.

I remember finding the bunk beds unusual because they seemed so sturdy and heavy to me, and they were painted white. I had never seen them painted white before, which is why I remember this so vividly.

As we got older, my sister became more interested in teenage stuff, and didn’t go with us as often anymore. I really missed being together and playing on the beds. It just wasn’t the same there with just me and my parents. I would still build the fort when she wasn’t there, but I would quickly get bored and find something else to do.

Relaxing one night in my college twin bunk bed, I got a call that my grandfather had died. This news caught me by surprised and shocked and saddened me at the same time. I already miss all the time we spent together.