Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Prophet
After an eye-opening conversation with Paul, which was a lot like talking to my grandfather, I’m going to let Phoebe know that my interest in her is far greater than just the fact she’s Cami’s cousin and has been instrumental in helping raise her.
She’s the first thing I think about when I get up in the middle of the night if Cami cries.
She’s the last thing that drifts across my consciousness as I ease into dreamland.
As my brothers also pointed out, who gives a fuck if she and Rosa are cousins.
Or is it were? Hell if I know, to be honest, but the fact of the matter is, she’d have ticked all my boxes if we’d met on the street.
So, as Rebel is fond of telling us, it’s time for me to shit or get off the proverbial pot.
Today, though, since she’s working and my book is surprisingly free, I’m taking Cami to meet my granny.
I don’t know how she’ll be since some days she’s somewhat lucid, although she may talk as though my grandfather is at work, while others, she’s practically non-verbal.
I just take her wherever she’s at, using the opportunity to hear stories I may not remember because of my age that I can tuck away as a memory.
“Come on, pretty girl, let’s go introduce you to Granny,” I say as I unbuckle my girl from her carseat.
She’s almost ready for the next size up, and that means a trip to the fucking store.
Then I remember that I can have Phoebe come with me and my frown turns around as I tuck my girl on my hip and sling her diaper bag over the other shoulder.
After signing in, I find out that she’s in the day room so with many of the aides making ‘aw’ and ‘oo’ noises at Cami, who’s eating the attention up like she’s starved for it, I head down the hallway to search for Granny.
She’s easy to spot, having commandeered a corner near the French doors which are currently opened and allowing a nice, spring breeze to come inside.
Thank fuck, too, because some of the residents seem to bathe in mentholated products and I end up sneezing my head off all the way home.
They’ve got a screen covering the doors which is also a good thing, since Granny is now allergic to bees and wasps.
“Eli! Why did Joyce just drop off a baby with you instead of coming to see me?” Granny asks as I make my way to her side. “Never mind, let me see that pretty baby,” she says, holding out her hands.
She may be losing her mental faculties a little more each day, which breaks my heart, but she’s still just as strong as she was when I was a kid. “Granny, this isn’t a baby that Joyce dropped off,” I reply. “This is my daughter, Camille Rose Benson.”
“Where’s her mother?” Granny asks as she holds Cami close and looks her over from the top of her head to the tip of her toes.
“She’s dead, Granny. Rosa was her mother,” I admit.
Granny always had mixed feelings when it came to me dating Rosa.
She could tell that she was deeply troubled, and she worried that Rosa would pull me down instead of letting me chase my dreams. She shouldn’t have worried, though, because even though Rosa was a part of my life for a very long time, our ‘togetherness’ wasn’t all that long if I’m being truthful.
Still, Granny tried to help Rosa as much as possible, even if she did have reservations where the two of us were concerned.
“She’s dead,” she says, repeating what I’ve just said. “How? What happened?”
I quickly summarize what I know, stressing the part where I was never told she was pregnant and was completely unaware I was a father until Rosa’s cousin found me. “I really like her, Granny,” I tell her, talking about Phoebe. “The way we interact reminds me a lot of you and Gramps.”
“Oh, we argued, y’all just never saw it,” she retorts. “But that’s what adults should do, keep those disagreements away from the children, who don’t have the ability to comprehend what’s going on.”
“I think she’s worried about the fact that she and Rosa were cousins,” I admit, “but I want to pursue something with her.”
“Then tell her how you feel, Eli. You’ve been cogitating for a very long time and have a good command of the English language.
Use your words. Because the fact that she cared for this little one and fought to get Rosa to tell you says a lot about her character as far as I’m concerned.
Not only that, but she made sure to find you as soon as she knew who you were so you could take this little one on. ”
“I plan to, Granny. Want to see some pictures?” I ask as I pull my phone from my cut.
Cami is patting Granny’s face and I quickly snap a few pictures to tuck away before I open my picture roll and let Granny scroll through them. “Oh, I’d love a copy of that one,” she says. “Your young lady is very pretty, Eli. Good birthing hips.”
I barely bite back my snicker, as Granny is opinionated about women and their curves. She never could understand why Rosa wanted to be stick thin, saying that a woman should have some meat on her bones to help keep her man warm at night. Shaking my head, I simply say, “Granny.”
“What? It’s true, Eli, and you know it,” she admonishes. “Now, tell me what’s going on with your club brothers and their families.”
I spend the next hour filling her in on all the latest news, including Marnie and Ash’s wedding and subsequent adoption of Becca, as well as the fact that in addition to running the tattoo parlor we’re looking to open a gym so I can start training kids in martial arts.
When I notice both she and Cami are looking a little droopy eyed, I tease, “Granny, do you need me to take you to your room so you can take a nap? I know Cami’s ready for hers. ”
“Oh, shush now, Eli. I’m perfectly fine right here, especially since it’s almost time for tea and snacks,” she replies. “But you should take her home so she can get a good rest.”
Nodding, I scoop Cami up, then lean in and give my grandmother a kiss on her cheek. “See you next week, Granny. You be sure and have them call me if you need anything before then, otherwise, I’ll be bringing your usual snacks and drinks for your room.”
“Be sure you bring Phoebe with you, dear,” she replies, patting my cheeks. “As well as Cami, of course.”
This time, since my back is turned, I roll my eyes, only to have her swat at me and say, “I saw that!”
“You most assuredly did not,” I tease. “Next week, Granny, and I’ll see if Phoebe’s able to come with me or not, since I’m not sure of her work schedule.”
“You’re sure you don’t mind watching her?” I ask Holly for the third time.
“Absolutely not, what’s one more at this point?” she sasses as she points to the utter chaos happening in the common room. “At least with her and PJ, I can keep them somewhat contained. You go do what you’ve gotta do.”
“Appreciate it, I shouldn’t be too long. She’s gotta work tomorrow, but I figured I could stop by with some takeout, so she doesn’t have to cook.”
“Take as long as you need, Prophet. We’ve got it under control,” Rebel says.
Instead of pushing further, I head out to my bike and settle myself before hitting the button and starting her up.
Feeling that rumble sends a thrill through me, even though I’ve been riding for more years than I can count at this point.
Pulling out, I nod at the prospect who’s manning the gate then head into town to pick up some Chinese food.
I’m waiting in the driveway when she pulls in and I catch the startled look on her face. I briefly wonder what that’s about, then grab the bags of food from my saddlebags and follow her inside, waiting until she deactivates her alarm before I close and lock the door behind us.
“How was your day?” I ask as I follow her into the kitchen.
“It was… interesting. What was yours like?” she questions as she heads to the fridge and pulls out a bottle of water for herself and a beer for me.
Since I’m riding, I’ll only have one, then switch to water.
“Why don’t you go get changed since I know you prefer doing that and then we can eat and I’ll tell you all about it,” I suggest. “Besides, everyone knows that Chinese tastes better when it’s been heated up, so I’ll get on that while you get comfortable. ”
“Sounds like a plan, won’t take me long,” she promises as she heads back to her room.
While I wait for her, I pull down some plates and fill them up before warming them in the microwave.
I’m worried because she seems a bit off, but she might have had a bad day, so instead of building mountains out of what’s probably nothing, I focus on the task at hand.
By the time she comes back in, freshly showered in a pair of sweats and fuzzy socks, I have the table ready for us to eat.
“God, you must have read my mind,” she says as she stabs a piece of sesame chicken. “I’ve been craving Chinese ever since one of the girls had it for lunch. So, what did you do today?”
“I took Cami over to see my grandmother so she could finally meet her,” I reply. “At first, she thought I was bringing her a new foster kid to take care of, but I was able to explain that Cami is my daughter.”
“What did she think of her?” she asks. “I mean, I’m kind of biased and I know you are, but she’s the cutest little girl I’ve ever seen.”
“She fell in love with her, as did everyone else who was sitting around us when I was there,” I tell her, smirking. “I think every single resident managed to come through the day room for one reason or another, but it’s honestly because so many of them don’t get many visitors.”
Her face falls and I reach over to take her hand in mine.
“I go at least once a week to see Granny, and my brothers, as well as Esther and Paul, frequently visit as well. We’re actually going to ‘adopt’ the residents for Christmas this upcoming year since so many have family that are too far away.
How many potted plants can they possibly need, y’know?
So, Esther, Holly, and Marnie are going to meet with the director and get a workable gift list for every single resident. ”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” she muses. “I definitely would love to help with that if that’s okay.”
“The more, the merrier,” I reply. “So, you seemed a bit shocked to see me when you pulled in. Is everything okay?”