She knew a man
Not just any man
A special man
Her grandfather

He was special beyond the rest
Her favorite person to see
He knew what to say
Always having that special place in her heart

The first person she ran to for hugs
Always first to play games
Or even take doughnuts on a Sunday morning

Even when he was down
He never gave up
Fighting the pain just to see his family
Even in the worst weather just to see a game

She never understood why his breathed smelled the way it did
Nor did she understand why he lied to them
He left them behind
Leaving his favorite grandchild behind

She would never come to terms with his death
Even hating him at certain times
She would never understand why he continued
She would only know that she hated the thing that took him

Only in years of learning did she understand that it wasn't all his fault
Smoking caused his death
Giving him a disease that could not be seen

She began to understand
Only to feel tears later
Hearing her grandmother tell the girls daddy that he never stopped

The little girl wept never understanding why he continued
She'll never know
All she'll ever know is the stories she was told and the one's she remembers

The little girl is now a young woman
A young woman who has learned from her grandfather even after his death
That young woman is me
That grandfather wasn't just my grandfather but my bestfriend