My grandpa died on August 13, 1984. He was much too strong and much too young to leave us much too soon. Yet, that's the cruelty of cancer.
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Grandpa was 69.
I was 12.
After grandpa died, my grandma moved in with us for a little while. My heart hurt to watch her live her life without Grandpa by her side, so we watched our little television set instead. We watched Ryne Sandberg and Bobby Dernier and Jody Davis and Rick Sutcliffe and found excuses to smile despite the pain that was still lurking around every corner.
During those August games, Grandma would do her crossword puzzle while I would scream at the television set. Yet, by September, she knew every player's name and their batting average and where they grew up. Plus, she found a new man in her life by the name of Harry Caray.
I thought in my 12 year old mind back then that God would let the Chicago Cubs go to the World Series that year, maybe as a payback for taking my Grandpa away from Grandma and I.
But as we know, life never owes any of us anything and as we know, the Cubs would lose that World Series chance that year and every year after. Yet, the Cubs would remain the tie that bound Grandma and I for years after that. We didn't care much about if they were winning or losing or what the other teams in their division were doing. We just cared about having something to care about again.
My grandma died in 2005.
This weekend, the Cubs have a chance to go to the World Series. And before thousands of Americans jump on the bandwagon and while thousands more give us all the reasons why they will choke again, I wanted this story to remind everyone that being a Cubs fan is about so much more than averages and win/loss columns.
A mere trip to the World Series would mean that we will be here to witness a moment that a countless number of our fellow Cub fans and loved ones will not.
And maybe when you see us crying on that fateful day, you will know the real reason why.
With a win on Saturday at 8:08 p.m. ET, the Cubs could finally be on their way.
Special to FanBuzz by Tricia Despres of Rare Country
