Although he looked away, I could see the pride beaming from his eyes and I was certain that he held his chest out ever so slightly.
“Sugar, none of this should have been kept from you but I’m glad you know now.” Giving me a side-glance, he asked, “When you went to see Joker, did he have anything else to say about me?”
I laughed. “Well he said you used to lie about how many fish you caught...”
“That old bird… he’s just mad that he could never catch nothing but poison ivy. He’d whine like a baby if I didn’t let him beat me at everything.”
I leaned over and wrapped my arms around him. “Gramp, I’m sorry for everything but if things hadn’t happened the way they did, I may never have seen just what an admirable man you are. I’m proud to call you my grandfather.”
His arms tightened around me.
“So your grandmother tells me you’ve found quite a fine young man in that Ellis boy.”
Leaning back in my chair, I replied, “Yes, I have. Gramp, I’d like for you to meet him and...”
I let my words trail off, uncertain whether I wanted to continue.
“After the afternoon we’ve had, one more ‘and’ won’t hurt nothing,” he said with a laugh.
“And I’d like to invite Joker, too.”
He feigned anger, and said, “Oh hell, Sugar, if it’s that important to you but don’t expect me to be happy about it.”
“Just knowing you’ll give it a try is enough for me.” I ran a finger up and down my glass. “Again Gramp, thank you, I know it wasn’t easy.”
Giving my head an affectionate rub, he joked, “Go ahead, get out of here and find your fellow. Your grandmother probably fell asleep on the bed, I better get her before she wakes or she’ll think I forgot about her.”
With a kiss and a hug, I was on my way back to the city feeling lighter in spirit than I had felt in a very long time. I thought about everything I had learned and the meaning of a lily white lie became clear.
The feud between the families had ended with my grandfather’s father. Out of respect for their fathers’, Gramp and Joker went through the motions of hatred, but never lost sight of the friendship they had formed as young boys. Every lie told since that time was told with the intention of protecting someone. Gramp, Gram, Joker and even Gayle lived with their secrets and lies rather than hurt the people they loved. My eyes filled just thinking about the bond they shared from a distance.
I drove to Upper Darby anxious to get the families together, eager to see Con and ready to begin our future.
Thirty
...As the door swung open, each man stood tall, eyes fixed on the other. I held my breath until Gramp began to speak...
I felt a pang of disappointment when I returned home and there was no message from Con waiting, so I assumed he was still in the air and unable to be reached.
“C’mon, please ring... please, please, pl-e-a-s-e ring,” I begged.
While I waited for the phone to ring, I stared at it, talked to it and even carried it around the apartment with me as if sheer will would cause it to happen.
I nearly dropped the phone when the knock on the door startled me out of my thoughts. The only thing on my mind was sharing my great day with Con and I saw an unexpected visitor as an intrusion. I was going to ignore the knock when it came a second time but as it persisted, I finally answered the door, even if it was a little begrudgingly.
As the door swung open, my mouth was already open and ready to fire my best phony excuse at whoever wanted a piece of my time, but instead, I froze until the corners of my mouth began to turn up.
Holding out the phone, I said, “You were going to call but this is even better.”
He winked as he brushed past me. Following the cord from the base of the phone, he held it up when he reached the end.
“I had a feeling,” he said with a smile.
Thinking back, I remembered unplugging it to avoid interruptions. “I didn't want to be disturbed while I read,” I said apologetically.
I watched silently, as he picked up my keys and my purse and took the phone from my hands, setting it in its base, all the while giving me playful side-glances. Taking hold of my hand, he began to lead me out the door.
“Wait, where are we going?”
He stopped in front of the door and turned to face me. “I thought we’d go for breakfast.”
“But its six o’clock in the evening, I thought we’d...”
Following his seductive smile up and down as he nodded, passion lit his eyes and suddenly, I realized what he had implied. A jolt of electricity raced through my body causing an outward tremble.
Taking one-step backward, I whispered, “I have to get clothes.”