Dear Grandpa,
I never knew you. You died when my dad was only a small child. And truth be told, I never really thought of you. Until now. I think about you every time I log in to check my bank account and am prompted to verify the first name of my paternal grandfather. I’m ashamed to say the first time this happened I had to think hard to remember the answer. That’s how little I thought about you. But now I am forced to reconcile with your memory every time I go to check an overdraft or transfer from savings. Over time this began to condition me to think of you in a negative light. It was Pavlovian. Every time I typed your name I would immediately be shown how poor I am. I began to resent you. What kind of name is “Espy” anyway?! But then I realized how unfair of me it is to place all of this blame on you. How could you have known how important and ingrained your name would be in my everyday banking? I called up my dad to ask about you. I knew you were a police officer in Dallas and were married once before, but that’s the extent of my paternal grandfather trivia. Though the funny thing is, my dad didn’t have much to add. After all, he was only seven when you died. Your legacy would have been completely forgotten if it weren’t for my Navy Federal Credit Union security features. So don’t worry, Grandpa, we will not forget you. Or at the very least, we will not forget your first name so long as there is online banking.
Your Granddaughter,
Katherine