Dear Grandpa Errand

10 March, '26

Dear Grandpa, or if you prefer me to call you that, dear Zvonimir Marin,

I am Roland Domagoj, the only child of your son Marko - in other words, your grandson. Please forgive me for not writing to you until now. I learned to write about four or five years ago, and I cannot say I was very successful in those early years. Also, I did not know how to send a letter or your address. Fortunately, I learned the first one recently, and your address, at least the company one, is everywhere.

I have never met you, nor my grandmother. I know you and my father have been estranged for longer than my lifetime, although the reasons have not been shared with me. I thought… maybe I should make my own choice? After all, you are older than I, and although I did not grow up in Croatia, I know that respect for elders is very important in our culture.

I remember that two years ago, you contacted my mother to arrange for me to at least meet you and spend a week with you. This request was conveyed to me most impartially, rest assured, and I was told that my decision would be respected. But I was too young. I was worried about upsetting and hurting my father. Also, school was out, and I guess, somewhat selfishly, I did not want to miss out on the fun of spending time with my friends. I hope I have not hurt your feelings too much, Grandpa, and I also hope this does not cause you to hold a grudge against me for decades, as it did against my father.

Elders are known for forgiving younger ones. At least that is what I am often told. I had broken a couple of vases at home, and my mother forgave me. And I remember scribbling on a couple of my father's books until they were unreadable, and he forgave me as well. I hope you will forgive me as well. If you are considering repeating your offer, I would love to come to Split this time and spend a week with you and Grandma, or rather, to meet you both. If you still want that, please let me know somehow.

I greet you both with respect. I hope you are both well and that we will have the opportunity to meet. I have a few friends who never met their grandparents, but that is because theirs have passed away. Our situation, well, is somewhat unique to us, right? I think having a normal relationship with grandparents, like other children, would make me happy. I would also like to meet my cousins ​​who live there. I hardly have any peers who do not have cousins.

My Croatian spelling is a bit poor (please, do not blame my dad for that). I am sure you know English, or at least have someone around you who can translate this. If you write a letter in Croatian, I can read it without any problems.

Sincerely,
Roland Domagoj Marin