“Gran,” she said once she stepped inside, “I’m home, and I’ve brought Ashe with me.”
“Dollface,” I heard as I closed the door behind me. “Happy New Year.”
Pearl walked straight past the kitchen and into the living room, where Gran was sitting on a couch against the wall. Pearl sat next to her, kissing Gran’s cheek, and I watched Gran’s fingers hold Pearl’s face.
“Gran,” Pearl began as I entered the room, “this is Ashe.”
She couldn’t have weighed more than a hundred pounds with gray hair and heavily wrinkled skin, eyes that were warm and endearing, like Pearl’s had become.
“The hands are fragile,” Gran said as she held one out to me. “You’re the size of a football player, so just don’t go and tackle them.”
“He’s gentle, Gran.”
I let her fingers fall on my palm, and I surrounded them. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you. Should I call you Gran?”
“Gran or Esther—either is fine.” She pulled her hand back and patted Pearl’s lap. “Switch here with my Pearl. I want to take a good look at you.”
Since there were no other seats in the room, Pearl moved to the floor while I took her place, immediately feeling Gran’s gaze on me.
“He’s very handsome, dollface.”
I quickly glanced at Pearl as she said, “I know.” Her cheeks flushed a little. “I’m very lucky, Gran.”
She patted my knee so softly that I barely felt it. “Thank you for taking such good care of my baby. She’s extremely special to me, as I imagine she is to you.”
I nodded, feeling myself take a deep breath. “I care about her a lot.”
“I can tell.” She looked at Pearl and said, “Dollface, would you mind fixing me some tea? The wind has been coming through these windows all morning, and I can’t get rid of this chill.”
“Of course. I’ll also turn up the heat.” She rose from the floor. “Can I grab you anything?”
Gran’s hand rested on my shoulder. “She makes the best tea.”
“Then, I’ll take one too.”
Pearl grinned. “Coming right up.”
When it was just the two of us—I figured that was what Gran had wanted—she said to me, “Pearl has never brought a gentleman home before. From the moment she returned with those slices of pie, I knew you were special to her.”
I took a quick look at the kitchen, making sure she wasn’t watching us through the small window. “I’ve been enamored with her since we met.”
She didn’t move her hand when she replied, “My Pearl has spent her whole life fighting. She was determined to be the first in her family to graduate high school and now college.” When she breathed, I saw the love for her granddaughter and the emotion that followed. “I know she can be cautious and closed off, even challenging at times, but once you break through, she has a filling like that wonderful peanut butter pie.” She stared into my eyes, reading them in a whole new way. “Thank you for being patient with her.”
I exhaled, “I would have waited forever.”
Her hand moved to my face, as though she were reading Braille on my cheek. “She found a good one; I can feel it in my bones.”
“What are you two talking about?” Pearl inquired as she came back in, handing me a steaming mug, placing one with a straw on the table in front of Gran.
“Ashe was just telling me about your New Year’s.” She left my eyes to look at Pearl. “I hope you didn’t work yourself too hard and you got some good rest last night.”
Pearl knelt in front of her. “It went perfectly. All of it.” She put her hand on my jeans, pulling the loose material. “I’m going to give Ashe a quick tour, and then I’ll make you some breakfast. Oatmeal today or cold cereal?”
Gran looked at me again. “Do you see how good she is to me?”
“The best,” I replied, holding out my hand to help Pearl stand.
When I expected her to pull away, she clasped her fingers with mine. Gran’s eyes told me she had noticed, and her expression reinforced that she approved.
“It was an honor to meet you, Esther.”
“You too, young man.”
I followed Pearl into the short hallway, where there were two doors across from each other and an accordion-style partition at the end.
“Bathroom,” she said, pointing to the one on the right and then switched to the left, adding, “Gran’s room.” She slid the accordion door open. “And this is my room.”
There was a mattress on the floor and a small desk on the side. A few pictures hung on the walls above a dresser, which must have held all her clothes since there was no closet. I went over to the photos to check them out. One was of her on the stage, dressed in character, and I guessed it was from high school. The other few were taken even before that, where she was standing in different poses with Gran.
“Man, you were adorable.”
Old books were lined across her shelves, and I picked one up, reading the inside inscription of The Outsiders.
One of my favorites, dollface.
I hope you get lost in the words.
—Gran
Small, cozy, and full of the most important moments.
I set it back down and looked at her. “It’s the perfect bedroom.” I surrounded her face with my hands, gently kissing her. “Gran is pretty incredible.” Her eyes lit up as I continued, “I see so much of her in you.”
“How so?”
I tilted her face up, holding her steady. “When I looked into her eyes, I thought I was staring into yours.” I pressed my lips to hers again. “You might be protective on the outside and slow to let anyone in, but what’s inside is so unique, so loving, so much like her.”
She was quiet for several seconds before placing her hands on top of mine, holding me against her face. “Thank you for pushing me to come here.” Her eyes closed, and she let out a long breath. “I’m so happy I finally showed you this part of my world.”
I rested my arms on her shoulders, pulling her closer to me. “No oatmeal or cereal for today. I’d like to go down to the store that we passed on the way here and grab some bacon and eggs and some pancake mix. Would Gran like that?”
“She would love that.” A smile grew across her gorgeous face. “But does that mean you’re going to help me cook?”
I laughed. “I’m going to hang out with Gran on the couch and get every naughty story from your past, so I can tease you relentlessly.”
As she stared at me, her smile changed to one that was more emotional, and she eventually fell against my chest, where she wrapped her arms around and hugged me.
She didn’t need to say anything.
I could feel every word in her grip.
Thirty-Four
Kerry
I could barely call it a bed.
Thin, stuffed with what felt like wood chips, with still no covering or sheet, and hardly any cushion from the cement underneath.
That wasn’t the only thing that sucked down here.
There was no heat, no natural light.