“Aajee”
By : Brandan Ramnandan
“Aajee”, Although I never knew it was spelled this way, is a word that will forever have so much meaning to me. I remember when I was younger and my parents first introduced our grandparents as “Aajee” & “Aajah”. “Aajee ” represents “Grandma” in guyanese (On the fathers side). In my heart though, it’s much more than just Grandma, she’s the woman who taught me and my brothers so much, and raised my father to be who he is today. Growing up, I would always say Aajah to my grandpa but I would always say Grandma to my grandmother, i’m not exactly sure why but that’s the way I did things.
After losing my grandmother last year, the word Aajee means more to me than ever before. She was ill with Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s, now everytime I hear someone say Aajee, usually it’s my little cousins, it almost tears me up because I automatically think of all the memories with her, especially my last, she held onto my finger and wouldn’t let go, I know she was going through the worst of pain inside and I’m glad she’s in a better place now but the memories I shared with you my Aajee I would never forget, thank you for being the best grandma you could’ve been, and thank you for showing us how truly strong you are with all you put up. I’ll never forget when we first found out she was getting sick and I called and she just kept repeating my name over and over, you can hear the pain in her voice as she was struggling to speak. Aajee I love you forever, and everything I do, one of my biggest reasons for doing them will be to make you proud.
Excellent…This is amazing so far!