but i re-vamped the name a little bit. because
peter august just flows better. sounds so trendy-like. would you agree?
so, anyway. this peter guy. here’s the gig:
i have about fifteen relatives. we do many things together.
and we had lunch not so long ago. it was very unplanned.
i surprised my parents from new york city. and then we surprised the fifteen relatives.
and it was the best time all of us have spent together in awhile. i don’t know. its weird.
when all the cousins were little – family time was easy.
just put us in the back room with a movie or hey dude or the torkelsons
and we had the best time. but as we’ve become older. everyone has
completely different interests. and emotions and insecurities stem from differences.
and being with each other – sometimes – feels like a checklist.
but that day at the surprise lunch, it was fresh. i don’t know. we have this story
that’s been told in our family for years. about how my grandfather’s swedish grandfather came to america. all the kids and grandkids thought it was this extreme romance. where grandfather to the 4th generation was in charge of the boat from sweden that docked in savannah.
and Peter Ausust (grandfather to the 4th’s son) spent his time docked in savannah
with a girl he met. and then the boat had to leave. and grandfather4 said,
okay. petey. time to go to home. give her a kiss and wave.
(i like to think his nickname was petey.)
but peter august said, h-no. dad. i’m staying.
and Gpa4 said, funny. get on the boat. your mother will cry.
so peter august boarded the ship. went back to sweden.
and missed savannah girl every day.
and then the boat came back to america.
and peter and savannah girl missed and loved each other so much.
and peter thought about staying behind. so Gpa4 said,
don’t even think about it. petey, you’re boarding the ship.
so peter august boarded the ship, again.
but this time, when the boat sailed back. he jumped ship.
swam to shore. waved goodbye to Gpa4. and said,
sorry dad. i love her. give mom a kiss and a wave for me.
—
and this is the storyline we have believed our entire lives. we wrote essays about it in middle school. it was the most romantic story we’d ever been told. teachers thought it was sweet. it was A+ material. with the whole jumping overboard into the sea and all.
and that day, we brought it up and said, oh peter. we love peter.
and grandma said, why. what’s so great about peter.
and so we told her why we liked peter.
and she said, that’s not true.
and we turned to grandpa.
and he had no crazy clue where we heard this version of the story. he said,
peter august was just a curious little rebel. he ran away the first time. his dad found him, put him back on the swedish bound boat. they came back. and he ran away again.
just because. no special love or sweet indian princess.
(cousin emily’s version involved an indian princess).
just pure rebel.
and after the second runaway, peter’s dad said,
fine, son. stay. whatever.
and so peter did. and then he had his son, named carl. and then peter died.
no jumping ship into salt water without a life jacket. all for love.
none of it. nada. boo hoo blah blah. the end.
—
and everyone was in shock. it broke down our entire fairytale belief.
and everyone then laughed. they laughed so well, their eyes teared.
and it was so freeing. because i wasn’t the only one who believed this fairytale.
and because it was affirming to know that the disney fairytale doesn’t exist.
its work. everything takes work. even the comings and growings of family chemistry.
ah, family. my fifteen relatives. i would check that twice on my checklist, anyday.
[...] warned him. that if this was just another family-history-story like peter august, i was going to move to [...]