My Bush

Photo I took in Franconia near Kitzingen.  These grapes would be turned into wine. 
Some of which would be drunk at a local weinfest.  2012

I was twelve years old.  It was the summer of the OJ chase.  My sister, brother, and I were in Germany for the summer.  We were in downtown Kitzingen one evening attending the annual weinfest.  Plenty of food.  Plenty of music.  Plenty of beer, schnapps and wine.  These are super fun.  It seemed like every weekend some surrounding town held a bierfest or weinfest ( Dettelbach, Iphofen, Marktbreit, Volkach, Rodelsee).  And Opa had to go to everyone. 

My Oma gave me a five-mark coin. The exchange rate at that time probably put that coin at about a $3 value.  I took the coin and went to a prize booth, a raffle booth really.  It was a kiosk that was like a lottery.  The five marks bought me a draw.  The vendor spun a basket and reached in.  He pulled out a paper capsule and handed it over to me.  I opened it up and it revealed a number.

It was my hope to win something cool.  A toy sword.  A toy laser gun.  A remote-control car.  Did I get something like that?  Nope.  I got a tiny bush.  The man behind the counter handed me a little tub with a shrub in it.  What?  I was going to have to haul this thing around all night.  Never fear though.  Oma said she’d take care of it for me.  I’d leave it at our table and get to run around.

This is Letchkov.  This guy was the Bulgarian hero that took down Germany?
Via thesefootballtimes.co

The World Cup was in the USA that year.  That evening Germany faced Bulgaria in the quarterfinals. The place was empty because everybody was at home or in a bar watching the game.  But those of us in attendance got regular updates from the emcee on stage.  Bulgaria defeated Germany 2-1 (Bulgaria!)  The team whose nickname was the Wizards of Ov defeated my beloved Die Mannschaft!  I was confused, I mean one of Bulgaria’s best players was Yordan Letchkov.  The dude was balding but had the really messed up spot of hair in the front.  No way that guy could defeat Germany.  Except he did.  The crowd was stunned.  There was depression in the air.  Temporarily though.  There was drinking to be done.

My Oma, sister, and me. 1982

When I made it back to the table ready to drink another Spezi Oma was sitting patiently with my bush holding little Johnathan.  Opa was probably schmoozing with people somewhere else.  My sister?  Who knows?  Oma did that though.  Ever content to be bored and left behind while others had the fun she denied herself because she loved us.  She told me that she’d plant my bush in her garden tomorrow.  Once it got too big she’d transfer it to their Ponderosa, but for now it would be at their home.  Wow.  I loved her garden and thought it was one of the most beautiful places on earth.  I made the cut!  Amazing.

This isn't even as nice as when I was little.

Pictures of Oma's garden, 2008.

By 2008 old age was taking a toll and her health was deteriorating.

Even in old age, she'd manage to take care of her garden.

The band on the stage began their cover of Elton John’s new hit “Can you feel the love tonight?”  It fit my feelings perfectly.  Not in a romantic sense.  Just how I felt about my Oma, Germany, my family, that bush.  Everything.  I’ve written before about the little things being important to kids.  This was no exception.  To me it was a huge thing.

“Can you feel the love tonight” was from the movie the Lion King.  When we were about to fly to Texas for school, I stole my brother’s stuffed lion he brought and gave it to Oma.  He had had that lion since seeing the lion king and loved it so much.  There's even a picture (it's somewhere, don't have it with me unfortunately) of him in a Lion King shirt taking a picture with a real lion!) 

My brother in THE shirt, not the pic I was talking about though.

Taking it from him was a dick move on my part, but Johnathan was okay with it.  He loved the lion, but we loved Oma more.  I told her I wanted her to have it, to keep her company those days when Opa was gone all day working and hanging out with friends.  I wanted it to remind her that I loved her.  She thanked us.

My bush, 2008

I came back to Germany a few years later a teenager and didn’t think anything of my bush or the lion.  I came back again with my new fiancé Kharla nine years later in 2008 and actually noticed she had the lion in her living room.  She told me she loved the lion and when she felt lonely or missed us more than usual she’d give it a big hug.  That was a big deal to me.  As great as that was, my bush was still in her garden!  It either never got too big or she kept it trimmed back.  Whatever the case, it required much care and remained in the garden close to home.  Close to her.  I pictured her thinking of me every time she watered it.  Every time she clipped back growth.  She took care of that bush the last 17 years of her life.  A few years after she passed away my Opa was forced to sell their house of 50 years.  Now strangers live there.  They have no idea the value of that bush.  But I will always know that it’s priceless.

Kharla holding Julian with my bush to the left. 2012

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