I remember I was sixteen, and it was raining.
My father told me he was going to take me somewhere I'd never been before,
and I knew immediately where it was we were headed.

As we drove past used car dealerships all claiming to have the lowest rates,
and Dominican and Cuban restaurants painted in their vivid reds and whites and blues,
their reflections painted the roads in murky puddles of summer rain and gasoline.

Turning into the cemetery we were unsure of where to look for my grandfather's grave
as Jewish names cascaded by us;
and there it was.

It was thundering then, so we waited for the weather to calm a bit and then we hopped out of the car.
We walked over to my grandfather's tombstone, and placed our respective rocks atop it.
Then my dad and I stepped back, looking at my grandfather's grave.

And while smiling in the way that is appropriate in cemeteries,
when recalling a fond moment with a loved one,
the sun began to shine on our backs.