Terrell didn’t bother changing out of his work shirt. Sitting down, he placed the Budweiser six-pack on the table between Grandpa and himself. Grandma had been gone a year. The beer and conversation was a poor substitute for hugs and peach cobbler, but the men did the best they could.

Ran Walker is the author of 26 books, including The Library of Afro Curiosities: 100-Word Stories. He teaches at Hampton University and lives in Virginia with his wife and daughter.