“That’s fair enough, let him decide.”
It was getting late and the kids were getting tired. I didn’t want to fight with Sabrina about where Daddy stayed tonight. We got our things together, said our goodbyes and left. Aunt Sally and Uncle Tee were staying at Sabrina’s also.
The day had certainly taken its toll on me. I got the kids bathed and put to bed. Bryan was waiting for me in our bedroom. “I thought your father was staying here tonight.”
“We all thought since Daddy had a few drinks it was best he stayed at Sabrina’s.”
“First of all, I knew your father was drinking. I was there, remember? I don’t like it when people think for me, Sandra. Every day we’re together, I realize how little you know me. I’m a minster, but I’m not shut off from the world.
“I talked to your father today, man to man. I see and hear his pain. He has years of scars that only few see. Your father wants to be free, Sandra. Free from the demons that have plagued him all his life.” I’d never heard my husband talk like this. It was as if he’d felt my father’s pain for the first time. “I’m picking him up in the morning. We’re going to pray. I just want him to know Christ the way I do. He’s agreed to give the Savior a try.”
I kneeled down beside the bed where my husband was sitting and hugged him. I loved him more at that moment than I ever had. I wanted my father and Bryan to have this kind of relationship. I looked at him with renewed eyes. Maybe my father was finally going to release the pain my mother had caused. Tonight I just wanted to hold my husband in my arms, to let him know how much I loved him.
~~~
The next morning Bryan was up early. “I want to get an early start. I asked Brother Jackson to meet me there. We’re going to have some church. Anthony and Uncle Tee are going with us too.” Bryan was grinning ear to ear as he kissed me, “I love you, Sandra.”
Church was awesome. Bryan’s sermon was on forgiveness. Everyone met back at my house to have Sunday dinner. Daddy had gotten saved and all was right with the world. He was in high spirits.
Daddy and Bryan were talking about him maybe moving to Memphis and getting a new start. Bryan said he would help Daddy get a decent job. “I would like being closer to my girls and grandbabies.” God had a plan for my family this weekend.
After dinner, it was just the girls again as the men gathered in the den to watch sports on TV. “Sandra, that husband of your is some kind of preacher. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”
“That’s the truth, Aunt Sally.”
“I never heard Bryan preach like that, Sandra.”
“My baby was on a mission, and he succeeded.”
“I’ve never seen my brother cry that way before. It was as if his soul was cried out. I believe Tee even shedded a tear. Guess what, Girls? Theodore asked me to marry him today.”
“Congratulations, Aunt Sally! It’s about time,” Sabrina laughed.
“Girls, Tee and I have been happy for years. We didn’t see any need for a piece of paper. I think after this morning he just wanted to make an honest woman out of me.” She laughed so hard.
“Well he did. So when is the big day going to be?”
“I don’t know yet, but it will be something small at my church.”
“Aunt Sally, I want you to let me and Anthony pay for the wedding. It’s the least I can do after all you and Uncle Tee have done for me.”
“I appreciate that, Sabrina. I have always loved you girls like my own.”
“Bryan and I can pay for the honeymoon. You both need a vacation. When was the last time you two left Brownsville? When was the last time you and Uncle Tee went any place exotic?”
“Never. We like living this ordinary life.”
“I’m going to send you someplace that has a beach.”
“You’re right, Girls. We needed this and I’m so glad you two want to give it to us. Well, Tee and I better be getting back towards home. It’s getting late and he has to work in the morning. Is Buck staying until Tuesday, or is he leaving with us?”
“Here they come now I’ll ask him.”
“Daddy, are you staying here, or going home?”
“I think I’m going to stay, if it’s ok with Bryan and Sabrina? I would like to spend more time with my grandkids.”
“If that’s ok? Daddy, you know you can stay.”
“That’s what I wanted you to say.”
“Congratulations, Old Man,” Sabrina shouted, “it’s about time you made an honest woman out of my Aunt.”
Anthony and Bryan looked at each other. “You weren’t going to tell us?” they laughed.
“Men, some things are private, but leave it up to Sally.”
“Tee, they were going to find out anyway.”
“Tee, you know who’s going to be your best man?” Daddy smiled.
“Buck, you know you’re my best friend, so who else would I choose?”
“The girls are going to take care of our wedding, isn’t that lovely, Tee?”
“That’s nice, but I can take care of it.”
“It’s not that we think you can’t, Uncle Tee, we just really want to do something pleasant for you and Aunt Sally after all you’ve done for us.”
“Thanks, Ladies,” and he hugged us both.
They kissed the kids, hugged everybody and headed back to Brownsville. I hated to see them go. “We’d better be getting home too. The kids go back to school tomorrow and Anthony has therapy. Daddy, I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll bring the kids by after school.”
“Sabrina, Anthony, we love you and thanks for a good evening.” After they left Daddy, me and Bryan, had a long talk.
Daddy just started talking. “Bryan, I first want to thank you for the prayer this morning. It did my soul a world of good. I guess I was holding on to unresolved loss. The way those men prayed for me this morning was a miracle in itself. I have never witnessed such a thing in my life.”
“Buck, you just witnessed the power of God.”
“That’s what I know, and it was incredible.”
“Daddy, was it that powerful?”
“You have no idea, Sandra. My life changed. This was something I wanted but didn’t know how to get it. I wanted you and your sisters to come together, but I was so wrapped up in what was happening with me and your mother.” He started crying.
“Daddy, don’t cry. It’s going to be ok.”
“I should have never let what your mother was doing…” he paused through tears. “I was hurt so I let you kids do without a father.”
“We turned out ok, so stop crying.”
“There is something I’ve wanted to tell you and your sisters for a while now.”
“What’s that, Daddy?”
“I have liver cancer. The doctor told me at the last visit. They want me to take chemo, but I’m not sure what to do.”
“Daddy, you can stay here with me and Bryan and we’ll fight this thing together.”
“I don’t want to be a burden on you two, but I want to be closer to my girls. Through my pain, I lost sight of what was valuable to me. All that drinking and running around still left me empty. Until today, I didn’t realize what truly mattered.”
“You could never be a burden on us, Daddy. You’re the only parent I have left.” My heart was breaking, the tears starting to flow. My daddy was sick and I was determined to help him fight this cancer. He needed to renew his faith in God. We prayed that night, just us three. My husband could see my father’s pain before I did. To me, that was a true gift from God. After we talked and prayed, we all went to bed with love in our hearts.
I woke to the sound of the kids downstairs in the kitchen and knew Rosa had already fixed breakfast. I went to Daddy’s room to find him already up. “Good morning, Baby Girl.”
“Good morning, Daddy, you ready for breakfast?”
“Yes, give me a minute and I’ll be down.”
“That’s fine. I’m going to get down there and make sure the kids are ok.”
I walked
into the kitchen, “Sidney and Justin, you’re all ready? Who dressed you two?”
“Daddy. Is Granddaddy coming down?”
“Yes, Baby, he’s getting dressed.”
“Momma, is Granddaddy staying with us for a while?”
“I hope so, Baby. We will have to convince him. Do you want him here?”
“Yes, Momma, I want him to stay.”
“Well, Justin my Man, we will just have to make that happen.”
“Granddaddy! You’re here! Do you want some pancakes?”
“Daddy, you want some coffee? It’s fresh. Rosa just made it.”
“Good morning to you, Mr. Robinson.”
“Rosa’s coffee is delicious.”
“Thank you, Rosa, don’t mind if I do.” If I didn’t know better, I would think Rosa was flirting with my father. My father has always been a handsome man. When he smiles, it lights up any room.
“I’m going to drop the kids off at school. Bryan should be down soon.”
“Go ahead. Don’t worry about me. Rosa is taking excellent care of me.”
“Did you hear that, Rosa, you better watch out for him?”
“I hear you, Mrs. Davis,” she said grinning.
“Come on, Kids. Let’s get going, we don’t want to be late.” I dropped the kids off and called Sabrina, “Hey, are you at home yet?”
“No, but I’m on my street, what’s up?”
“I’ll tell you when I get there.” I pulled in Sabrina’s driveway. She was out front waiting.
“What’s going on, Sandra? It sounded urgent. Come on in and have some coffee.” We went to the kitchen. I told her as she poured the coffee, “Sabrina, Daddy is seriously sick.”
“What do you mean he’s awful sick?”
“I mean he’s got liver cancer.”
“Are you serious? Liver cancer?”
“Yes. He told me and Bryan last night.”
“I knew he was a lot sicker than Aunt Sally was telling us. I’m going to make sure he stays here now.”
“Sabrina, he has agreed to stay here.”
“He did? He must be terribly sick because he would never agree to that.”
“I’m going to see how soon he can leave his job when I get back home.”
“I wished he wouldn’t go back to that slave driving place.”
“You know Daddy, Sabrina, he’s going to try and leave on a good note.”
“I know, but they have worked my daddy to the grave. You know what, Sandra? I think a lot of this cancer stuff comes from stress. Daddy has worked hard with little to show for it. Now it’s time for us to take care of him for a change.”
“I agree with you there. If we don’t, who will?”
“Bryan said he knows some terrific cancer doctors here in Memphis. I’m willing to take him wherever he needs to go to get the best treatment.”
“I’m with you on that and don’t worry about what it costs. Who’s going to call Candice?”
“I think we should wait. She’s in the middle of planning her wedding. We’ll tell her if things take a turn for the worst.”
“I’ll be over after I get back from the doctor with Anthony.”
“Ok. I’m going to get back to the house before Bryan leaves.”
“You know what, Sandra? That husband of yours never ceases to amaze me.”
“I know. He’s one of a kind. I’m out of here. See you later.”
When I arrived back home, Daddy was sitting in the garden. “Daddy, are you ok?”
“Yes, just thought I would take in some of this fresh air. Bryan said he was going to the church and would call you later. Don’t you have something to do besides babysitting me? I don’t want your life to stop because of me. I’m not going to let this beat me. I’m going to keep going until I drop.”
“Daddy, have you given any serious thought about living here with us?”
“I’m not sure what I want to do, but I am sure I don’t want to be a burden.”
“Daddy, Sandra and I talked and we want you to move up here and let us take care of you.”
“What about my job, my house, my life?”
“Bryan will find you a job and you can have your own space here. This house is big enough for two families.”
He just sat there soaking up the sun. I was beginning to wonder if he’d heard me. Finally he spoke. “Just let me go back home get some things in order.”
“How long do you think that will take? We need to get your doctors to transfer all your files here.” I was so relieved.
“I won’t take long, I promise. Just give me a couple of weeks.” Daddy left the next day. I wished he could have stayed longer.
Chapter 18
Paxton called. He was leaving for Atlanta and Craig had some sketches he needed me to approve. I headed to the design studio. Craig had fabric samples for me to look at. “These are some of what I had in mind, but the color scheme is a little off.”
“That’s something we can work on. Have you had any more ideas on which sketches you would like to use?”
“No, I had family down for the weekend and didn’t get much work done.”
“Sandra, is it ok if I call you that?”
“Yes. Is there something wrong?”
“In a way. We’re going to be working closely, and working a lot of long hours. We’re going to have to put a lot of things aside if we want to show at fashion week. Let me just say this, family comes before anything. Sandra, and I’m here to help you as much as I can, but you have to work with me. Is this something you seriously want to do?”
“I have a lot going on right now, but this is a dream of mine.”
“So let’s try and put this dream into action.”
We worked a lot that week with me still managing to get home at decent hours so Bryan didn’t complain. Time just seemed to fly when Craig and I worked together. He was funny and charming. He knew a lot of the top designers. He always dressed as if he was expecting the President to walk through the door. “What’s your story?” I asked Craig.
“Which one would you like to hear? I’ve got a million.”
“How did you get into designing?”
“Let’s take a break while I tell you. This might take a minute.” We got some coffee and sat down on the sofa. “Ok. Where do I start? I always wanted to be in fashion, model or something. I always wore a tie, even in school. Guys used to say I was gay. It used to hurt my feelings, but I just kept wearing my jackets and ties.”
“Are you gay? Not that it matters”
“No, just a man who loves fashion. I don’t like sports the way other guys do. I’m just a business man and a lover of fashion. Before my mother died, I promised her that I would live my life and follow my dreams. And I have done both. I’ve been all over the world. I have always lived my life, not according to what people say, but by doing what makes me happy. You see, Sandra, life is really but a dream, and it’s how you dream that truly matters. Now, that’s my story. What’s yours?”
“There’s not much to tell. I always wanted to either design or own my own boutique. This is just the tip of the iceberg for me.”
“Paxton tells me you’re married to a pastor. How does he feel about your dreams?”
“He was a bit reluctant at first, but he seems ok with it now.”
“Really? Just wait until your dreams start taking off. Things will change.”
“I don’t think so,” but deep down inside, I knew he was right.
“Well, we better get back to work. I have to make sure you get home on time.” We went back to our work. I realized Craig had never mentioned a girlfriend or anyone specific in his story.
I got home that night before Bryan, helped the kids with their homework, fed them dinner and got them ready for bed. Bryan was late getting home. It was 10:30 and still no Bryan. I called his phone and it went straight to voice mail. This was really was making me uneasy, but I wasn’t going to panic. I’d give it a few more minutes before I started calling the highway
patrol.
I showered, checked my phone and still nothing. Finally, around 11:30, Bryan walked through the door. “I’m sorry, Sandra. Something terrible has happened.”
“What’s wrong?”
“My father passed. I was over at the house with my family.”
“I’m so sorry, Bryan,” I went to hug him and he pushed me away. I was surprised, but maybe Bryan was still in shock. “What’s the matter? Why won’t you let me hug you?”
“I’m not sure how I feel right now, Sandra.” The tears started rolling down his face.
“Bryan, you have to tell me what’s wrong.”
“My whole life has been a lie...”
“What do you mean?”
“My father wasn’t at home when he died.”
“You’re not making sense, was he at the church?”
“He was at his mistress’s house, that’s where he was.” Now I was in shock. “All these years he told me be a standup guy, keep your family together. He was living the biggest lie ever.” He stopped crying. “He had been with this woman for twenty five years. You know what? She has three children!” This couldn’t be happening. “My father was a man of God!”
“Bryan, you have to stop this. Your father was human. We all make mistakes. Your putting your father in shoes he couldn’t fill.”
“What are you saying? That it’s ok for him to have another family?”
“No. No. I’m saying pull yourself together.”
“You don’t realize what this will do to our family, Sandra.”
“Bryan, our family will be ok, you’re overreacting.”
“I think you’re underreacting. My family is not like yours, Sandra.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I didn’t mean that. I’m just saying.”
“I know what you meant, that your family is somehow better. You live in this glass house where life is perfect. I’ve got news for you. Nobody is perfect.”
“Let’s not fight about this. I’m going to get a bag together and go stay with my mother. She’s going to need our support right now.”
“Are your brothers there, with your mother?”
Black Lies White Lies Page 16