Scary Similarities

         At dinner the other night, the discussion turned to my dad’s dad, or Grandpa Connolly. He died when I was only three so I did not know him very well, but I vaguely knew the story of his accident. Upon hearing the story anew, I came to the realization that my grandpa led a life startlingly similar to Ashoke’s life. My grandpa grew up in North Canton in the early twentieth century, obviously not a setting very similar to Calcutta. At the age of 21, he enlisted in the army and trained as a pilot for WWII. Before the war, he knew very little of the world outside his home, much like Ashoke at the same age. My grandpa was stationed in Hawaii; he had to transport supplies to aircraft carriers for the navy. On one flight, he had to bring 13 soldiers as well as fuel to the aircraft. My grandpa and his copilot, Fritz, completed all the necessary checks and prepared for takeoff. However, moments after leaving, something went wrong in the back of the plane, causing an explosion. The 13 soldiers died instantly. The impact of the explosion forced my grandpa and Fritz through the windshield and into the water. The fuel in the plane caused the water around them to catch fire so they had to stay underwater, coming up through the fire for air. It took nearly an hour to rescue the two survivors. The doctor said that my grandpa might not survive and he would definitely lose his arm, to which my grandpa replied, “the hell I am.” So, he kept his arm, but his life still hung in the balance. It took two years of rehab but, eventually, my grandpa recovered. Although, he lost half of his ear and his right arm never fully functioned. Just like Ashoke, my grandpa suffered a shocking, almost-lethal accident. They both had to endure an uncertain period, wondering whether they would recovery, or even live. However, they also both had happy ends. After recovering, my grandpa married my grandma, had a successful career at Good Year, and raised eight kids (five girls, three boys). But he still did not like to talk about the tragic accident. I find it really incredible that two people who had such different upbringings could have such similar lives. It makes the world seem that much smaller, and the book that much more relatable.