Chapter 3
“Grandma! Grandma!” I hollered as I opened her front door and ran inside. “Where are you?”
She came around the corner wearing the familiar apron she’d always worn to keep her clothes clean, tied around her waist. She was so tiny, the straps wrapped around her twice and tied at the front.
“Boy, close that door before you let all my expensive cold air out. I swear to God’s green acres, sometimes I wonder what you did with the brains the good Lord gave you,” she tsked, but I knew she was only joking. “Come and give your grandma a hug.”
Daddy and I had been gone longer than we’d meant to, finishing our cabin, and just in time it appeared, given today’s good news. Because of that, it’d been forever since I’d hugged her, and I missed that terribly. Grandma was my rock and the one constant in my life.
“Guess what?”
“You’re pregnant!”
“Wait. What?”
She burst into laughter. “I’m just joshing you, boy. What’s your exciting news?”
“Daddy and I are moving in together up at the cabin!”
Her eyes widened, almost comically. Hopefully, she wasn’t upset by this. “Daddy?”
Oops…
“Err, Oscar. We’re moving in together. Ashwood’s license got approved in Taylor Ridge and they want us up there full-time, so the two of us are moving there.”
“Okay, boy, slow down. Let’s get back to that whole Daddy thing before I even begin to decipher that mess you just spit out.
Explain what you mean by calling Oscar Daddy, because I know yours is no longer with us.
” Great, now I felt like crap for bringing my dad up.
Grandma never really got over his death, and I was too young to remember him or my mom before they died in a car wreck.
“Sorry, Grandma. Um, I call Oscar Daddy.” Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. I just opened a subject I hadn’t meant to.
“And why is that?” Got a bit of attitude with that question. It was best to tread lightly and avoid going into details.
How much to tell? How little to share? Probably should’ve asked Daddy first before I did this. “Um, ‘cause I’m his boy?” A bit of my shy Little slipped out…
“You can’t answer a question with another question, so spit it out, Trey.” Shit, now I got the no-nonsense, don’t-try-to-BS-me Grandma tone.
“Um, it’s a lifestyle?”
“So far all I got was a whole lot of ums and questions. Trey, come and sit with me.” I followed her over to the couch, and she tugged me down beside her.
“You’re a man now and your sex life is none of my business, but your happiness is.
I’ve seen you up and down all the years you’ve been around Oscar, and that hasn’t changed since you started dating. Now, spill it.”
Would I ever outgrow the gift of putting my foot in my mouth…
“He’s my Daddy, I’m a Little, and he takes care of me. I can send you videos of the lifestyle.” Just none of us and no details. God, I would absolutely die right here and now if she saw that.
“I’m gonna decline that offer, thank you, and stay out of your bedroom. Now, about this moving up north deal?” Whew, got out of that one. I’d totally die if she asked Oscar anything. Note to self, make sure Daddy knows what Grandma and I talked about.
“I love it so much up there, and Da—er, Oscar and Chuck said you can come up and stay anytime you want. In fact, Chuck’s mom will be up there all summer escaping the heat.
What do you think? Will you come and stay too, Grandma?
” It was hard to contain my Little right now.
Excitement over her visiting ran through me like the zoomies, but revealing him to her might’ve been more than she could handle.
Shoot, there would be no avoiding it up north. I finally got to be me there, and that was my and Daddy’s special place where my Little side was free.
“Trey,” oh no, here it comes. “Oscar is a good man. Taking on his brothers as he did, working nonstop, he’s done right by them, but now it’s time for him to do right by my grandson.”
“He is, Grandma, I promise. But please think about coming up, maybe even for the whole summer. There’s plenty of room with the three cabins now.”
“Not gonna be much left for me in Phoenix with my baby boy a couple hours away. What’s an old lady gonna do with all this house to take care of and no one in it?” She shook her head. “Doesn’t make much sense to hold onto it anymore.”
“The old lady in question should consider moving up north with her grandson. We could even build you your own tiny cabin like we did for Chuck’s mom.
” That perked her up. Might be able to have my only living blood relative near me too.
Though there’d be a lot of explaining to do once she got there.
Especially when Chuck and Tae were around.
But now that I thought about it, they might be the perfect lifestyle role models for her to see.
“I’ll take it into consideration. The last couple months while you’ve been gone have been lonely, and being retired leaves too much time on my hands. At least that way I can keep an eye on that Daddy of yours.”
Grandma: 1
Trey’s lack of filter: a big fat zero.
“When’s the move happening?”
“Saturday.”
“Oh my. Guess we better get to packing up your room.” She got up and headed in that direction while I grabbed the boxes and packing materials I’d brought from the back of my SUV.
Daddy had offered to come with me and help, but I wanted this time with my grandma. I missed her while we were up north and wanted to be able to answer her questions without him feeling put on the spot.
“Do you remember this?” she asked as I stepped inside the room and set the boxes down.
“Yeah, the award I got for winning the Spelling Bee in fourth grade.”
“You never failed to impress me, Trey. Straight-A honor student. Smartest kid around. You’re a good boy and an even better man. I hate the curveball that life threw you, taking your parents away. It was cruel. Then you got saddled with this grouchy old lady.”
“Grandma.” I took the trophy from her and set it aside.
“I got saddled with the best role model I could’ve had.
I didn’t end up in foster care like far too many others have.
I was raised in a loving home, with plenty of food in my belly and clothes on my back.
Never once have I regretted being raised by you, nor was I embarrassed by it.
It sucks that I never got to know them, but what I do know, I learned from you. ”
She pulled a tissue from her apron pocket and wiped her eyes. “I just wish they could see the wonderful man you’ve become.”
“They have, Grandma, I feel them all the time even if I can’t see them. And if you raised my dad the same way you raised me, I know he was equally as wonderful as you are.”
She patted my cheek. “Not sure why the Lord chose me to be a single parent for a second time, but he couldn’t have given me a better grandson than you.
I love you, Trey.” Grandma raised my dad on her own too, given the sperm donor bailed the second she told him she was pregnant.
My grandmother was a strong, determined woman with a heart of gold, but she’d be the first one to chase anyone off her lawn. Fear wasn’t a word in her vocabulary.
I hugged her tightly. “I love you too, Grandma.” The idea of her being alone and so far away didn’t sit well with me.
I would definitely talk to Daddy about building her a cabin.
“Please think about moving up there with us. At the very least, come up for a few days and try it out. Everyone in town is very nice and all the trees are so pretty. I really think you’d like it.
Sometimes the deer come right up to our cabins.
Daddy and Uncle Chuck installed feeders for them so Tae and I could watch them eat.
” No use holding back on calling him Daddy anymore.
“I probably will. It’s been forever since I got out of town.”
“Whatever you decide, we’re all there for you. You don’t have to take this on by yourself, Grandma. You’ve got me and all of the Ashwood family.”
Lost boys find lost boys, Daddy once said to me. It wasn’t until this very moment that I realized what it meant. Found family. For those who didn’t have one, they created their own.
Maybe all this time Grandma was just as lost as I was.
Up until the last few years it has only been the two of us.
She bought this house when my dad was in grade school.
The small two-bedroom home was perfect both in size and price for them, and it was the only home I’d ever known.
From what she said, my parents had still lived here with her when I was born.
“This house means a lot to you, Grandma. If you don’t want to sell it, I totally understand. Maybe you can rent it out?” That would definitely help and give her more income than Social Security.
“Landlording isn’t for me, Trey. This house has a lot of memories, and even though they’re not all good, most of them are. Maybe it’s just time for a change for me as well.”
This was too much for her. Strong as she was, and believe me she was, I didn’t want to leave things like this. “Why don’t you let me take you to dinner after we finish packing.”
“You trying to get out of eating your grandma’s cooking?” she teased.
“Never. You’re the best cook I know, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do something nice for you. Besides, once we get you up north, you’ll have plenty of hungry bodies to cook for.” I winked at her, and she shook her head.
“Sassy boy. But I can’t deny the caretaker in me loving that idea. Alright, let’s get to packing, then I’m ordering surf-and-turf on my grandson.”
Should’ve seen that coming. Considering the only bills I had consisted of car insurance and gas, I could afford the splurge, and she was more than worth it. I sent a text to Daddy, so he knew what I was up to.
(text)
Me: Hey, Daddy, I’m gonna take Grandma to dinner and stay here tonight.
Daddy: Is everything okay? Do you need me to come over?
Me: Everything is fine. She’s just kind of sad. I asked her to consider moving up north with us. I hope that’s okay?
Daddy: More than okay, Angel, and a wonderful suggestion. We could build her a one-bedroom cabin of her own. Think she would like that?
One of a million reasons why I loved my Daddy.
Me: Still talking about her moving. She doesn’t want to be here alone, so maybe if she already has a new home to go…
Daddy: Consider it in the works. I’ll miss my angel in bed beside me tonight, but your big heart is one of the many things I love about you. Call Daddy when you lay down so I can say a proper good night.
Me: Will do. Love you, Daddy.
Daddy: Love you too, my angel.