"You know better but I know him ... "

Things are back to a relative normal.

Yep, he was here. There was proof of that everywhere.

But now he's gone. And so are the breadcrumbs he habitually left on the kitchen counter. The ruckus of semi-pro boxing that blared from the television at deafening decibels. The awkwardness of my laundering giant, oddly-stained tightie whiteys.

He was teary-eyed as I loaded him onto the minibus headed for JFK International. He thanked me profusely, apologizing. It was sad. I have to admit, I will miss the guy. He is, after all, family. He means well.  And there's a lot to be learned from cohabiting with anyone for any period of time. Living with him was no picnic, to be sure. But for him, living with us was no bowl of cherries, either.

Arrivederci, Nonno. Ti vogliamo bene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BgzrfUA8lo