Cubs Game with Abuelo

by Brandon West

Abuelo,
the last time we had fun
was at a Cubs game.
One of Sammy Sosa’s
last games.
He did great!
The only thing that I remembered
is that he hit a homerun into deep
right center.
When he touched home plate, he touched
his head,
his lower chest,
then right shoulder,
then left shoulder,
kissed the side of his
hand, then pointed
to me,
like I was blessed
to play baseball.
I don’t know, but maybe I am.
Cubs won, 6-5 against one of the teams to beat,
the Philadelphia Phillies.
Then the next thing I know,
Abuelo started smoking. Everything went downhill from there,
he was diagnosed
with type 4 lung
cancer, it was spreading
to his bones.
The last time I saw him was when Abuela was making
breakfast, he got up, with his neck brace and walker,
went to the kitchen,
asked Abuela for something
and left.
He left me,
and his soul left us.
I would always remember
that green-eyed,
kind-hearted person.

Brandon West is a seventh-grader at Hawthorne Scholastic Academy in Chicago.