Chapter 25 #2
Gracie thinks for a moment before her face falls. “Shoot. No, not anymore. D-dad, erm, b-broke it during one of his b-benders or something.”
Mae and I share a look of sadness. I know that Grace has a long road ahead in overcoming the repercussions of her dad’s abuse.
“Well, we’ll just have to pick up a new vase then. Tomorrow,” Mae announces with resolve. I notice Gracie’s shoulders relax.
“Maybe they’ll have a bee-shaped vase at the flower shop,” Gracie muses, smiling to herself.
“In the meantime, this will do.” Mae opens a cupboard, grabbing a mason jar. She adds a few inches of water and gently places the tulips inside, fluffing them up. “See? Beautiful. Just like you,” she compliments as she turns toward her granddaughter.
“Yes, she is,” I say.
Gracie’s eyes widen as a blush blooms up her neck.
“Queen Bee, I’ve been meaning to ask. Would you mind popping over to the corner pharmacy to pick up my meds? My doctor called them in before I arrived so I could pick them up right away.”
“I’m happy to pick them up, Mae,” I offer.
“Honey, I haven’t seen you in a long time, so maybe you can stay behind.” Mae leans forward and whispers like she has a secret. “Plus, I didn’t want to have to say it, but I’m already getting a little sick of Bee.”
Gracie laughs and rolls her eyes. “It hasn’t even been a week!” She starts washing the flour off her hands. “I’ll go, but don’t talk about me behind my back too much, you two.”
“We will, dear, but only in Pig Latin.”
“Huh?” I ask in between bouts of loud laughter. Mae is something else.
“Everyone knows that if you gossip in Pig Latin, it’s less toxic. It’s like how if you buy a snack that says ‘only five ingredients,’ it’s automatically healthy—even if three of those five ingredients are some form of sugar.”
“Okay, okay, enough,” Gracie giggles. “I’ll leave.”
“Bye, Dear! Now, Danny. EDDY-RAY OOO-TAY AWK-TAY BOUT-AY RACE-GAY?”
Gracie’s hysterical laughter is so loud we can hear it through the closed front door.
I turn to Mae after Gracie leaves. “Um, do we really have to talk in Pig Latin?”
Mae tilts her head with a wry grin. “If I said we did, you would, wouldn’t you?”
I shift on my feet. “Yeah, but I might be pretty slow.”
She beams, holding out her arms for a hug. “Oh, Daniel. Honey, you have not changed a lick. Bring it in.”
Mae squeezes me so hard that I feel like the last bit of toothpaste in the tube. When she pulls away, I’m surprised to see misty, emotional eyes.
“Daniel,” she whispers. “You are so precious to me.”
“Uh, thanks?”
“You protected my granddaughter. Better than anyone. Better than me. That makes you precious.”
I put my hands in my pockets and nervously play with some loose change, not used to all these compliments. There’s so much more I could’ve done.
“I could live to be two hundred years old and thank you every day for what you did, and it still wouldn’t be enough. I’m so happy she has you in her life, someone that loves her with all they have.”
I drop the coins in my pocket. “Gracie and I are best friends… I’ve always loved her.”
Her eyes twinkle as she takes a seat at the kitchen table.
“Mhm. Anyone who has ever come remotely near you two knows what kind of love it is. Including her, by the way. She just isn’t giving herself enough credit to accept that truth yet.
It’ll all come together in time. Like her grandpoppy and me, you’re meant to bee.
Pun intended.” She gestures to the chair beside her for me to sit and winks. “It’s only a matter of when.”
My face heats, and my heart rate picks up pace as I lower myself into the chair. Mae thinks that Gracie loves me, too? Then again, we’ve always said we loved each other, so maybe she’s confused.
Leaning forward, I place my elbows on the table. “Listen, Mae. I understand if you want to tell her I called you. I won’t make you lie to—”
“No, honey,” she softly interrupts as she pats my hand. “She’s not quite ready to hear that from us yet.”
“Oh. Okay,” I mumble, sliding my hands off the table and slumping back into the chair. Looking at the floor, I consider my options, but nothing feels right. I trust Mae’s judgment.
My head snaps up. “I’ve been meaning to ask—are things, um, worked out with Gracie’s dad?”
Mae’s face hardens as she looks straight ahead. “He went to jail but got out on bail a few hours later.”
My mouth hangs open. “How? So, this isn’t over then? He’s coming back?”
She turns to face me, and it’s hard for me to avoid staring at the bruises surrounding her puffy eye.
“It’s over, Daniel. I made a deal with her father not to testify at his trial in exchange for him eventually signing over custody to me.
He agreed in under two minutes.” She leans forward, lowering her voice.
“It’s not really above board, but I doubt the DA will hold me in contempt given the situation. ”
“How did Gracie take that news?” No matter how terrible her dad was, having a parent give you up without a second thought must be a tough pill to swallow.
“She’ll have plenty to work through due to her father’s abuse. I’ll give her anything she needs—therapy, time, space. But you’ll be there to support her, too, right?”
“Of course. I’d do anything for her.” Clearing my throat, I ask nervously, “So, you’re staying, then? In Ohio?”
“Yes. Your Gracie,” she winks at me, knowing that’s what I’m really asking, “is staying. Given that he doesn’t want to live here anymore, I hope to purchase the house.
For lack of a better phrase, once the consequences of the state’s trial are over, he can ‘take the money and run.’ Walk away without a glance back.
From my end, I hope he does.” Mae frowns before relaxing her face again.
“It’ll be a long process, but my lawyers assured me we’d be safe. ”
The calm that settles over me is maybe the best thing I’ve ever felt in my life. I’m almost woozy hearing that Gracie is staying, high on the fact that we won’t be separated. It’s dizzying, but with Mae right in front of me, I also think about what she’s giving up.
“And what about your bees?”
“Precious,” she mutters under her breath.
“Not many people are interested in saving the bees. I miss them dearly, but they’ll be well cared for by a friend with a farm in Florida.
I’m getting older now, so it wouldn’t have been long before I had to hang up my beekeeper hat anyway. Thank you for asking.”
“Sure, I know how important they are to you.”
She smiles. “In a lot of ways, Daniel, you remind me of a bee. You’re a hard worker, a complex problem solver, and fiercely protective of your queen.”
Knowing how much Mae loves her bees, the comparison lands like sweet, syrupy honey on my tongue.
She lets her compliment sink in before clapping her hands. “Now. I heard you’re on the football team. Do you throw the ball or catch it?”