āIt was just the three of us. Ā And dad was a truck driver so he was gone most of the time. Ā It could be a lot of stress. Ā My mom was almost like a single mother. Ā On my third birthday we moved to a small house outside of Denver. Ā Next door there lived an older couple named Arlene and Bill, and they started talking to me through the fence. Ā My first memory is Arlene handing me strawberries from her garden. Ā It was a wonderful connection. Ā After a few months, I knocked on their door, sat down in their living room, and said: āWill you guys be my grandparents?ā Ā It was so silly. Ā They could have laughed it off. Ā But instead they started crying. Ā They printed out an adoption certificate and hung it on their living room wall. Ā That certificate remained until I left for college. Ā They became so important to me. Ā Their house was a refuge. Ā Bill was the kind of grandfather that always smelled like oil. Ā He taught me to drive everything. Ā He was always fixing stuff. Ā But heād stop anything to sit down with me and have a glass of tea. Ā Arlene was the type of grandmother that loved crafts, which was perfect for a kid. Ā We were always putting tiny sequins on things. Ā Both of them supported me in all my dreams. Ā Through all my phases. Ā They encouraged me to apply for college, even though I didnāt have the money to go. Ā And when I got accepted, they presented me with a fund. Ā They told me theyād been putting away money since the day I adopted them. Ā Since Iāve become an adult, Iāve learned more about my grandparents. Ā They both grew up poor. Ā Arlene struggled with alcoholism when she was young, and thatās why they never had children. Ā Their lives werenāt as perfect as they seemed through the fence. Ā My grandmother passed away in 2013. Ā It was two days before our adoption anniversary. Ā My grandfather gave her eulogy. Ā And at the end, he said: āArlene leaves behind her husband Bill. Ā And the greatest joy of her life her granddaughter Katie.āā #quarantinestories


















