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“I will talk to him, Mom,” I conceded, not promising that he would listen, though.
“Good.”
Merging into the traffic on the interstate between their home and Alise’s, I asked, “Mom, can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“How would you feel if you had mixed grandchildren?” Our family history could come back to bite us all in the ass, thus the feeling her out.
“Son, I would feel ecstatic. I just said go out and get me some grandbabies, I didn’t tell you they had to be a specific color.”
I breathed easier, no longer fearing I’d have to choose between my child and my parents.
“What are y’all talking about?” Dad asked.
“I’m not entirely sure yet, Rowe, so stop interrupting,” Mom ordered.
He grumbled something.
I snorted. “Put the phone on speaker so that Dad can hear me, Mom.”
“Okay. It’s on speaker now,” she said.
Here goes everything.
“You know the singer that was kidnapped yesterday, the one my firm represented?”
“Yeah,” they both replied.
“Well, we’ve been dating, and we just found out some happy news of our own this morning. I don’t have any details on dates or sex, but she’s pregnant with my child, and I’m going to ask her to marry me.”
My mother squealed with excitement. “Oh, son. That is great news!”
My father’s voice came over the line clear and boisterous. He had taken the phone from Mom evidently. “Congratulations, son. I’m glad you found someone that you love. I know you love her because no one has ever made you sound this happy. Definitely not get you to buy a ring, which is what you’re going to do right now, isn’t it?”
“Yes, I am. I’m taking a gamble with my heart, marrying outside of my race with all we’ve been through, but I trust her. She would never turn her back on me, Dad. I need you to understand that, to trust me.”
“Son, I know what you’re alluding to, but I’ve come to learn that life goes on. Holding on to things like that only make us weaker. I’ve forgiven those people for the way they tried to lynch me, you know. I even talked to the young man I shot. He forgave me and asked for forgiveness for attacking me. We’ve both moved on from the mistakes we made that day. Therefore, you don’t have to hold onto it any longer, either.”
I could respect that my father had faced his demons of being quick to pull the trigger. He had to live with that decision for the past twenty-four years. He had no qualms with telling anyone how much it affected his life and his view on the world. He had gotten over the bitterness that robbed him of his life with us, but in a very deep space inside of me, I had still been holding on to the pain I felt until now.
As the weight lifted off me, I drove into the jeweler’s parking lot. “I hear you, Dad. I started to let it all go when I fell in love with Alise. Like I said, it’s a gamble, but I’m betting big on her. I have no choice. She holds my heart in her hands,” I said, continuing the conversation as I entered the store.
Half an hour later, we’d said so much more that needed to be spoken on the subject. It would come up once more, later on with Alise. Driving to her mother’s, my heart beat wildly in my chest. The next step in our relationship was about to be put in play unless she pressed pause. I didn’t know if my heart could take it if she did.
With my parents still on the line, I glimpsed down at the exquisite engagement ring in my hand. “Well, we’ll be coming by so that you can meet her soon. I have to go.”
After I cut the call short, Alise walked out of her mother’s house with Dimir and Limel posting up on the porch. I was standing by the car door, waiting for her to get to me. When our eyes met, I was glad to see the wide smile on her face. This reunion had been incredibly emotional and hard for her, going home to a place she hadn’t been since she was right out of high school. Her mother could have easily undone the steps they were taking toward a better relationship with still insisting that Alise sing only in the church choir.
After that drove a wedge between them, I had hoped her mother would accept what Alise wanted to do with her life finally. Apparently, she had by the grin on my woman’s face. Now, they were genuinely healing. It seemed we all were after the scare we experienced with the kidnapping. Change of hearts was happening all over the place as well. Today was a good day.
Alise reached me and walked into my arms.
I embraced her because there was no other option for me. “I have something I want to show you.” Retrieving the little black box from my pocket, I opened it. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at it, pulling the ring out of the box. As she admired it, I dropped to one knee and gazed up at the most beautiful woman in the world.
“Will you be Mrs. Rowe “Bruiser” Cunningham? Make us a true family, Alise. Only you can.”
She covered her mouth, but it didn’t help suppress the squeal discharging from it. “Yes!!!” she yelled. “I will marry you!”
