Let’s Meet on a Beach in South Africa
October 11, 2024
Writer: Talya Appelbaum
Editor: Hana Pitchon
Grandma Brenda and Grandpa Natie met at seventeen while she was reading a book on a South African beach. During that first week, they strolled the beach together each day, cherishing their time before she set off to backpack through Europe. While she was away, my Grandpa promised to call at 9 PM each night, and my Grandma eagerly waited by the phone. Beyond calls, they exchanged love letters, with Grandpa gently urging her to return to Cape Town. Having spent just ten days together in person, they got engaged on New Year’s Eve - now celebrating sixty years of marriage.
Today, my grandpa grapples with memory loss due to a stroke and dementia. There are moments when he doesn’t recognize me or my siblings, mixing up our names. Yet, one thing that hasn’t changed is the way he looks at my grandma. He’ll leave half an apple for her in the fridge, put his arm around her at the park, and stare at her as they dance. They’re magnetic - you won’t see one without the other by their side.
This piece not only serves as a reminder to my Grandpa Natie of the love and warmth he’s experienced in his life, but also a reminder to all those reading that these rarities are out there and ready to be found.
While navigating university life, we often get lost in the chaos of it all. It can feel like we are constantly strained with an influx of responsibilities: new clubs, new classes, a new place to live. Day in and day out, we find ourselves reloading our emails, checking Canvas, and calling it a day.
But what I’ve learned from my grandparents’ love story is that there is so much more to discover in the world than that cyclical feeling. I’ve learned that life is not just about refreshing our screens, it’s about spontaneity and adventure. Who knows, maybe you will meet someone on the Diag tomorrow that will be in your life for the next 60 years.
We must remain unbarred to expectations, relinquishing our fixation on that perfect relationship. We can find that person to save half a piece of fruit for us, we can find someone to write love letters to.
I begin to relish in the warmth Grandpa Natie and Grandma Brenda give to the world. Instead of reloading that web page or social media app, maybe it's time to say yes to that friend and go somewhere new. As college students, we truly do have our whole lives ahead of us, and we must treat it as such. We must cater that new found sense of hope into tangible efforts to transcend our comfort zones.
What lies ahead for you may not be a romantic beach encounter, but it could be something equally meaningful. Don’t hold yourself back, instead, allow those experiences to unfold.
Grandma Brenda and Grandpa Natie are now approaching their 90s - they have had the blessing to spend such significant years together. Each time I sit with Grandpa Natie, I aim to remind him of his sunny beach days, asking him about all those times he didn’t wear sunscreen. Though he often drifts into forgetfulness, he will forever speak fondly of Brenda, whose charm and gentle heart were alluring since the day they met.
