Ginny
2002, Fort Lauderdale
I watched as Grizz froze while retrieving the melting milkshake from Jason’s hand. I saw him swallow, and his eyes met mine. Grizz may have been a man of few words, but he was never a man without words. He was without them now.
I suggested he put the milkshake in the freezer to let it harden up a bit. Without saying anything, he did as I suggested, then seated himself in the overstuffed chair in his living room. Jason, Mimi, and I sat on the couch. Mimi spoke first.
“Mom explained to Jason and me that you two were married a long time ago, and how after you went to jail, she married our dad.”
“My dad,” Jason said.
Mimi looked at her brother. “He was my father, too, Jason. Mom explained that.”
“I know, I was just trying to tell James I know that part, too. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, Mimi.” He looked at her with wide eyes, and she gave him a smile and a quick hug.
Grizz swiped his hand down his face. He took a big breath and sat on the edge of the chair. I could see uncertainty in his eyes as he looked to me, then back at the kids. I nodded for Mimi to continue.
“She thought it was important for us to know we had a family,” Mimi said. “We’ve never had a family before. It’s always just been Mom, Dad, me, and Jason. No grandparents or aunts or uncles or cousins.”
“Aunt Carter and Uncle Bill aren’t our real aunt and uncle,” Jason explained.
“Anyway,” Mimi said, frowning at Jason for the interruption, “we’re going to meet our family for spring break.”
“And we want you to come with us because it’s your family, too!” Jason shouted the last part, his excitement too much for him to contain.
Grizz nodded numbly and excused himself to use the bathroom. I knew he was hiding, but he couldn’t stay in there forever.
Ten minutes later, we stood at the sliding glass doors and watched Jason play with Rocky in the back yard. Mimi was sitting on the couch watching one of her favorite television shows.
“I can’t believe you told him,” Grizz said quietly.
“I couldn’t keep it from him. He’s going to be twelve this year. He’s a sensitive child but not stupid. He’s had to grow up awfully quick since Tommy died.” I cast him a glance. “I’m taking the kids to meet your father whether you go with us or not. I didn’t want to go there with the pretense that we were meeting an old family friend. He is Mimi’s biological grandfather, and I don’t want to hide that truth. I don’t want to hide any more truths, Grizz.”
“How did he take it?”
“Jason is an optimist. He was excited to find out they had a grandfather and lots of cousins.” Before Grizz could ask, I said, “He understands that they are biologically Mimi’s relatives, but he doesn’t care. He’s excited.”
“That’s not the part I was wondering about. What did he think about us being married?” he asked, his voice still low.
He didn’t have to talk so quietly. Mimi knew everything and had even helped me by pretending to learn these things for the first time along with Jason. She didn’t want him to feel like he was the last to know. She had changed so much over the past year and a half. My heart couldn’t have been prouder.
“He was shocked. Had lots of questions, as you can imagine.”
Grizz nodded.
“But the thing that was most important to him was wanting to know if Mimi knew Tommy loved her as much as he loved him. He was worried Mimi’s feelings were getting hurt by finding out Tommy had married me when I was already pregnant with her.” Tears filled my eyes. “My child has a huge heart.”
“Not as big as his mother’s,” Grizz whispered.
The question the kids wanted to ask Grizz that day was if he wanted to go with us. After returning from his bathroom break I watched him seriously consider his answer, and after a few moments of silence, he nodded.
**********
Four days later we found ourselves on a road trip.
Jason beamed. “Don’t be nervous, James. We’ll be there with you when you meet your father for the first time.”
After making sure Rocky, Hope, and Spooky were safely delivered into Carter’s care, we hit the road. We were miles from the North Carolina border when I noticed Grizz’s demeanor change. He looked tense.
I gently touched his arm. “It’ll be fine,” I whispered. “Have some faith.”
We had just crossed into North Carolina. The roads were curvy, and I thought I might be getting a little motion sickness. The scenery was breathtaking. I’d visited this little town the previous winter. It was a different type of beauty then. Leafless trees with stark branches had been splayed against a backdrop of brilliant white snow. It was now spring, and the trees and plants were coming into full bloom and providing a canopy over the narrow road. The air even smelled different here. We saw a sign that said, “Welcome to Pine Creek, elevation 3,800 feet.”
We made a left turn at a small coffee shop that had been the original schoolhouse back in the 1800s. The school bell still hung proudly in its small steeple. Before we knew it, we were turning onto a dirt road. We came upon a mailbox that said “Hunter,” and we knew to make a right.
The gravel crunched beneath the tires, and we all let out a collective sigh of wonder when we reached the top of the long driveway. Green pastures spread out against a breathtaking view of the mountains. A large two-story cabin sat right in the middle, a red barn in the back. Cars and trucks were lined up on the right side of the property, and people were spread out everywhere. The smell of barbecue drifted through the open car windows.
I spotted him immediately. Like his son, he would be a hard man to miss.
Micah Hunter started walking toward our car, speeding up when Grizz put the car in park. I watched as Grizz hesitated, then slowly opened the door and started to get out. He had just slammed the car door shut when Micah reached him and pulled him into a bear hug.
With his voice quavering and his face buried in Grizz’s shoulder, I heard him say, “Welcome home, son. Welcome home.”