NERVES WRACK my chest when Jerrison slows the car in front of my dad’s humble bungalow. A rusty chain-link fence surrounds a messy garden and a weathered wooden porch.
The moment my eyes land on the front door, I remember the last fight I had with my father.
“You’re moving too fast, Harriet. That boy is a pup. He’s not ready for something as serious as marriage.”
“And you were? Is that why you couldn’t make things work with mom?” “This has nothing to do with your mother.”
“I love him, dad. Why can’t you be happy for me?”
“Love and lust are two different things. One of them runs out.” “Jerrison loves me.”
“The way he keeps sniffing around you proves he’s got the lust part down, but I’m not sure you can call that love.” He shakes his head. “It takes a lot more than attraction to make a marriage last, Harriet.”
I squeeze my eyes shut and dig my fingernails into the seatbelt. A warm hand closes over mine.
Jerrison.
His blue eyes fill with tenderness. “It’s okay. Your dad loves you. It’s me who should be worried.”
“I said awful things to him.”
“We’re human. We make mistakes.” His lips inch up. “Your dad will forgive you.” When I still hesitate, he tugs me into his arms. “Come here.”
I draw comfort from his embrace. “I’m nervous.”
“I’ll be right there.” He leans back. A crooked smile flirts with his lips. “Unless he shoots me on sight.”
“Jerrison.”
“And I’d deserve it.” His fingers close into fists.
“You stayed away. It’s not like you slapped him in the face.”
“I kept my distance because I didn’t want him seeing what I was doing to you.”
My heart shudders. “You’ve changed now.”
“He doesn’t know that. And, honestly, I don’t expect him to forgive me that quickly.” Jerrison smooths his shirt down. “But when I look back on all the things I’ve done wrong, pulling you away from him is one that stands out the most.”
I kiss his cheek. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” Throwing my fists up, I remind him. “My dad taught me everything he knows. And he’s older now. He might be slower. We’re on a level playing field.”
His chuckle warms me from the top of my head to my toes. “Come on, slugger. Let’s meet your dad.”
I open the door.
Every step I take makes my heart lurch higher and higher in my throat. As I walk, I remember the last time dad called me.
“Honey, I never see you anymore.”
“How do you expect us to come down there when you treat Jerrison like crap?”
“I don’t treat him like crap. I’m waiting for him to show me he deserves you.”
“I already married him, dad.”
“And marriage didn’t change a thing. He’s still as immature as he was before you stupidly gave into him.”
“Why don’t you give Jerrison a break?”
“Why are you acting like a weakling? Didn’t I teach you better than that?”
A shadow appears behind the screen door. He’s big and wearing a white T-shirt.
My tongue darts out to wet my lips. Perspiration tickles the back of my neck and under my T-shirt.
The screen door flings open.
A man launches out of the house. He’s got a bald head that reflects the sun and a thick frame. His mustache is more silver than black and wrinkles deepen around his eyes.
My father aged so much.
I feel all the years we missed. They sweep past me in one giant blur. A blow to the gut.
“Harriet,” Dad croaks my name. His eyes are red and his lips tremble. “Dad.” I open my arms and run to him.
He catches me, holding me close and pressing his head to mine. “My precious baby girl.”
My emotions burst open. I bawl, clinging to him and apologizing silently for pushing him away.
“My baby girl.” Dad kisses my cheek. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You too, Dad.” I turn around and notice that Jerrison is still waiting by the car, casting an uncertain look at my father.
Dad sees where I’m looking. His eyes squint into the sunlight. Hands lift. Beckon. “Get over here, Jerrison.”
Surprise plucks his eyebrows to the top of his head. Jerrison stumbles over to us and grunts when dad picks him up in a bone-crushing hug. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too, sir.”
“Daddy, please put my husband down before you suffocate him.” I shake my head.
Dad sets Jerrison on his feet. His face is red and his clothes are wrinkled but, apart from that, he looks unharmed.
“Come inside. Let’s get some tea.” Dad pats Jerrison on the back. I exchange a look with him.
He still seems shocked and doesn’t move.
I mesh our fingers and haul him toward the house.
Excitement sweeps through me when I step inside and remember my past. I used to stay with dad on the weekends. He had me train on the punching bag even after we’d come back from the gym.
“I saw that interview you did,” dad mumbles, returning to the living room with two glasses of iced tea.
“What interview?” I wonder.
“The latest one. It was a boxing competition. Jerrison was supposed to make a couple remarks about the tournament, but it turned into a session
about how much he loves his wife.” Dad laughs at my husband’s reddening face. “The moment I heard you talking on the TV, I knew you were not the same person that married my daughter.”
Jerrison bows his head. “I’m working on being a better man.”
“He treats me like a queen, daddy.” I slip my hand around his. Warm fingers. Strong palms. “I’m not going to lie and say we didn’t have our problems.” Memories of all we’ve been through trip through my head. Nights of pain, loneliness and bitterness. Nights I wondered if I would always live in a nightmare. “But I can honestly say that I’ve never felt more loved.”
Dad grunts. “You know I hated you, Jerrison. And it wasn’t because you were white. And it wasn’t because you were poor.” Dad sips his drink. “It’s because I could smell that you weren’t serious about Harriet. Which is why I couldn’t believe that you’d asked to marry her.” His eyes darken. “And my daughter stupidly said yes.”
“Daddy,” I hiss.
He leans back in the old sofa with the springs that still stick out of the frame. “Even when she tried to hide her pain from me, I knew. A father always knows. Especially when he treats his kid like a princess only to give her away to someone who doesn’t have a clue.”
“I understand, sir.” Jerrison keeps his eyes on the ground.
“But,” dad makes a sound that’s part-grunt and part-cough, “one look at my baby today and I can tell that she’s being loved and cared for in the way she deserves.”
Jerrison’s head bounces up.
Dad gives him a grudging nod. “My daughter is glowing.”
“I’m happy, dad.” I squeeze his hand. Then I give Jerrison a soft smile. “He’s doing everything right.”
Jerrison’s lips tilt up slightly.
“As long as you keep this up,” dad clears his throat, “you have my blessing.”
“Sir?” Jerrison’s eyes widen.
“You never got my blessing before the wedding and you didn’t have it after.” Dad rubs the back of his neck. “But, after seeing that interview and seeing my daughter,” he places a hand on Jerrison’s shoulder, “you have it now.”
It’s not my eyes that mist with tears.
It’s Jerrison’s.
I hug him around the neck, moved by how much dad’s approval means to him.
He speaks in a husky tone. “Thank you, sir.”
Dad glances away. “Yeah, well, don’t screw up or I’ll know.” I smile at the two wonderful men in my life.
Is this really happening? It feels like a dream.
When I first heard about Doc, I never imagined my world would spin into this. When I was scrubbing the auto shop’s floors and washing cars, I could only hope of a future where I wasn’t crying every night and my marriage wasn’t a miserable abyss of destruction.
I never imagined that one decision to see the mechanic would bring me here.
To this moment.
To a reconnection with my dad.
To feeling secure in my husband’s love.
You’ll know when he’s ready, Doc said. Run your tests and observe him.
I have.
And this man who’s taking my hand, this man who is mending broken relationships and loving me with-not only his heart but his actions-is exactly the man I married. The man I went crawling to Doc to find again. The man I’ve been missing for years.
He’s here.
And he loves me as much as I love him.