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“Ah, I see it now,” Charles said. “You two. Anyway, I told Evelyn I wasn’t there to save her or be manly. I just wanted to check on her. She said she had it under control and I should leave. Mind you at that time here I am driving some fancy little sports car. Trying to prove to myself that my house and bank account were all I needed. So I drove away but not far. It was her eyes that did it. The second I saw Evelyn’s eyes, I just knew. For the next thirty minutes I planned it all out. What I was going to do.”
“You decided right then to leave your wife for my grandmother?” Hazel asked.
“It sounds crazy. It probably is. It definitely is.”
“As crazy as getting pregnant after one date,” I said.
Hazel rolled her eyes at me.
“I casually drove back that way. And I found your grandmother with her tire taken off. The brakes taken off. She had half the back of the car taken apart. I pulled over, got out again, and just started to laugh. She threw the damn tire iron right at me. Ended up bouncing off the ground and hitting one of my headlights. And that’s how we met.”
“There’s more to it,” Hazel said.
“Of course there is. I didn’t know how to fix her car. So I offered to call someone who could.”
Hazel looked at me. “Sounds like someone I know.”
“I’m just a nice guy,” I said.
“I had an old buddy who owned a garage. He showed up and helped. Then he pulled me aside and told me the way I was looking at Evelyn… he’d only seen that look one other time on my face. And that was when I was on the beach in the morning, ready to surf. Meaning it was love.”
“That quick,” Hazel said. “And my grandmother just went along with it?”
“Of course not. But we both knew something was there. She told me right away to stay away and call her when I got my shit in order. So that’s what I did. I ended my marriage. My ex knew it was coming. She was happy. As was I. I gave her everything. I just wanted the beach house and a few properties. Just so I could get by.”
“This is crazy,” Hazel said.
“It’s amazing,” I said. “What a story.”
“There’s a lot more, Hazel,” Charles said. “I am just about ready to go to an appointment.” He pointed to his chest. “Gotta get the ticker checked.”
“Are you sick?” Hazel asked, lunging at Charles.
“No,” Charles said. “A few years ago I had a minor heart attack. Everything is fine but I have to get looked at every now and again. That’s all. Can we do this again? Can we meet up? Talk? I’d love to know more about her. I only saw a part of Evelyn’s life. She talked about you a lot. You were her world, Hazel. It’s an honor to meet you. I really debated how to reach out to you. But I didn’t know if you’d believe me or if you’d think less of your grandmother.”
“My grandmother had a secret twenty-year affair,” Hazel said. “And she took nudes and sent them to you. She got you to change your life. I think my grandmother is the most badass woman in the world.”
“I agree,” Charles said.
They smiled at each other.
I felt honored to witness such a moment.
Hazel had lost her grandmother, but in a way she just gained a part of her back.
Charles walked us outside.
I shook his hand.
Hazel hugged him.
Hours later - after a pizza and some happy tears from Hazel - she was sound asleep in my arms.
I sat up in bed.
I held her.
She slept.
