I got an incredible gift tonight. Something I'm going to treasure. It's a simple gift, but it means a lot to me. They're nothing fancy but they're priceless to me. They are a pair of my grandpa's cuff links.

Dallas Hines was a great man from what I can remember. He was my Mom's dad and even so was very close to my Dad as well. (Whom he affectionately called 'meathead') He died from a heart attack when I was 6 so my memory is a bit fuzzy. I have a few distinct memories of him though - the first is sitting in his living room watching an episode of Star Trek, which is probably the reason I still enjoy the show today. Another is riding with him to the hospital to have my ankle x-rayed after I jumped off the merry-go-round at school. Of these 27+ year old memories my favorite is this: Riding with him in his brown ford pickup while going to the store to pick something up.

Grandpa dipped Skoal. Wintergreen Skoal. I love wintergreen and have since I was a kid. So on this day grandpa left me in the pickup with a bright shiny can of skoal sitting there while he ran into the hardware store. I, being 4 or 5 at the time, decided I was going to try that Skoal. It smelled so good when I opened the can - I can still remember it today. I remember getting a small pinch - the same way I'd watched Grandpa do it - and placed it into my mouth.

The immediate burning that immediately erupted on my lips and tongue when it touched them was excruciating. I remember spitting it out immediately and it splattering on the dash of the truck. I scraped as much of it off of my tongue as I could... At that point I noticed the black flecks peppering the dash of the truck.

Uh-oh.

So I wiped as much of it off as I could - if I recall correctly the floor of the truck was black rubber and surely he wouldn't notice... Did I mention I was 4 or 5? Ever seen a 4 or 5 year old clean a mess hastily? I don't remember how clean I got the dash but I do remember this: Grandpa never said a word and I still have zero desire to dip Skoal.
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A few years ago I began a semi-permanent remodeling job in the basement of the house I own. Grandpa built this house for my grandmother and his family. While I was tearing down sheet rock I found a bunch of pay stubs, a speeding ticket (35 in a 25mph school zone), a receipt for 4 tires and various other stuff. My favorite find was a collection of Skoal cans in the bathroom wall. They still smelled of Wintergreen and brought back a faint memory of burning pain when I pulled them out. Apparently Grandpa hadn't quite quit when he told Grandma he had...
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So fast forward to tonight. I'm wearing a new shirt that has french cuffs - the kind that require the use of cuff links. I'd borrowed a pair from some friends when Mom mentioned that she had a pair of Grandpa's and asked if I'd like them. I put them into my shirt and almost felt as close to him as I did the day he didn't say a thing about the explosive remains of my brief Skoal experiment.

Grandpa, I know you're watching over us and I'm looking forward to the day when we can hang out again. I hope I'm making you proud. I love you and I miss you.

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When I get there don't let me try skoal again - no matter how great it smells.



MHJ