Zodiac

I never really got the chance to know my grandpa. He had always been very reserved, sending me checks for every birthday and never bothering to write anything nice in the card. When I asked my mom why he never came to see me, she said that he just had a lot on his plate. As I grew up, I began noticing that I never had a grandparent around. My dad’s parents were both dead by the time I was four, and my grandma on my mom’s side had died a really long time ago. All I had was Grandpa Rob, and I never really considered him my grandpa anyway. Aren’t grandparents supposed to be there for you, and be the ones who come to anything and give you money for no reason?
One day I must have told my mother this reasoning, because before I knew it, I got a letter from my grandpa. It was about a week before school let out, and I had no summer plans, as usual. My mom burst into my room and handed the letter to me.
“It’s from your grandfather! Open it!” she commanded.
I did so, and was shocked to find out the letter was actually an invitation. I was invited to stay at Grandpa Rob’s beach house in North Carolina for the summer. Why was he suddenly being so nice?
“Did you say anything to him?” I asked my mother.
“No, honey, I didn’t,” she said. “I have not spoken to my father in a few months.”
“Then why would he do something like this? It’s pretty random that he loves me and wants to be with me after he’s neglected me for sixteen years.”
“Oh, honey, I think he just wants the chance to know you better. After all, you’re becoming a young man. Maybe he wants to see you before you become a man,” my mom said. “After all, you’re his eldest grandchild.”
I looked back at the letter and read it again. Maybe my mom was right. It just puzzled me that after all this time, he would choose now to invite me to his house for the summer. I still thought that my mom had set this up, because she’s wanted to get me out of town for a while.
My parents divorced a few years ago, and it was pretty hard for me. For some reason, my emotions lost control and I became pretty violent and kept to myself. Now, people in our town look at me like some kind of freak, and don’t let their kids befriend me. Since then, I have almost felt like a freak. Sometimes, all I want is for someone to be like me, and understand me. Maybe my grandpa could help.
But I didn’t think he could.
Two weeks later, my mom and I were driving down the East Coast in her Prius. The entire time, I thought about my grandpa. He was so much of a mystery to me that even when I thought about him, I couldn’t picture him or use words to describe him.
When we finally reached the Outer Banks, I was surprised how happy I was to see the ocean. Growing up in Ohio, I never had real opportunities to see the ocean before. It looked blue, although I knew it was just the reflection of the sky. Lately, whenever I see water, I feel a weird attraction to it. Something inside me tells me I need to feel it on my skin and manipulate it, use its power and feel it within me.
My grandfather’s house was on a street right off of a main road. It was a huge house, with lots of windows and skylights. All the second floor windows had balconies so you could look out onto the water, and there was a crow’s nest on the roof. The thought of being so close to the water sent a weird feeling through my body. I ignored it and got out of the car, somewhat excited to meet the man who had always been an absent person in my life.
I got my bags out of the trunk and walked onto the porch, which was huge and overlooked part of the beach. I felt a breeze blow through, and I could smell salt water. I gathered my courage and rang the door bell. This was it.