Chapter Thirty-two
Angel liked Ella Mae Jenkins. The nurse from Trinity Home Health Care was sweet and joyful, despite Grams’s fussing. She heard Ella Mae say to Grams, “Now, sugar, it’s going to be all right. You sit back and let me get you dressed.” Angel was glad her uncle had hired the nurse to help look after Grams. While she had improved some, her mobility had not come back fully on her right side. She needed to be bathed, dressed, and helped with meals. This wasn’t too foreign to Angel due to the fact that her granddad had had to be cared for in a similar way.
She knew her fiercely independent Grams must be feeling even more depressed since she was not the one in the caregiver role. Angel could mostly understand what she said, but oftentimes she felt the heat of Grams’s frustration when it took a bit too long for Angel to catch on.
She showed Ella Mae to the kitchen, where they kept the medicine.
Ella Mae said, “Oh, you have quite a few medicine bottles up there.”
“I know. I’ve been meaning to get rid of most of those, which were for my granddad.” Angel looked at the bottles, remembering the night Grams had had the stroke. The doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts. “That’s my grams’s hairstylist. Do you mind if I get her situated and then come back?”
“Not a problem, honey. I will get rid of the bottles that are not needed so we can start fresh with the new regimen for your grandmother.”
“Thank you.” Angel sprinted to answer the door. It was beautiful of Candace to take the time to bring Crown of Beauty Salon services to Grams. She had called ten minutes ago to let Angel know she would arrive shortly.
Angel opened the door. Grateful to see her friend, she hugged her. “You need any help?”
Candace answered, “Nope, I have everything I need in this bag. How are you feeling?”
Angel replied, “Overwhelmed. I’m praying a lot.”
“That’s a good thing. When we are weak, God is strong. You’ve been through a lot in a few months and in the past few weeks alone. After I finish Fredricka’s hair, I want you to tell me more about your visit with your father. That had to be incredible.”
“Yes. Wes said the same thing. I’m still soaking it all in, but it is an opportunity to get to know one of my parents.”
Candace stopped in her tracks. “Wes? Is this a young man? I haven’t heard you mention him before, and you said his name so endearingly.” Her friend eyed her.
Angel blushed. “What? I have mentioned him. Wes Cade, the news reporter. His grandfather was the detective who looked for my mom. He’s been trying to help me.”
“Is that all?” Candace winked. “You know he’s friends with Darnell. They play and coach the basketball team together at Victory Gospel Church. If I’m not mistaken, he is one of the most eligible bachelors in Charlotte.”
“Where did you get that?” Angel led Candace down the hall to Grams’s bedroom.
“Darnell showed me this Charlotte area magazine that comes out monthly. Your guy had a half page.”
“I didn’t know,” Angel said quietly. “And wait a minute. We are just friends. He’s not my guy.”
“Mmm, by the look on your face, I would say you have more than just friendly feelings.”
Angel couldn’t disagree with Candace. She was pretty surprised with how quickly she and Wes had grown to be friends. She wasn’t really looking for more. And if he was known as an eligible bachelor, Angel doubted Wes would even be interested. He probably had all types of offers.
Candace went into Gram’s bedroom. “Hey, foxy lady. You ready to get that hair done?”
Angel watched as Grams’s face lit up at seeing Candace. Grams held her good arm in the air and pulled on her hair.
Candace leaned over and hugged her. “I know you do. All the girls miss seeing you at the salon. I’m going to get this hair looking fabulous.” Candace ran her fingers through Fredricka’s hair. “Angel, you don’t know how I love this woman. She has been like a mother to me. Can you help roll Fredricka into the bathroom?”
Candace pulled items out of her bag, while Angel pushed her grandmother’s wheelchair into the bathroom. Candace followed behind and set up bottles around the sink.
“You are a pro at this. Do you do this often?” Angle asked.
Candace smiled. “Well, you know my aunt Maggie stays with us. She has good days and bad days from the cancer. Something about having nice clean hair always lifts her spirits, so I looked online and researched the best way to help someone who has a hard time standing at a sink or in a shower.”
Angel watched as Candace set up the hair-washing tray on the back of Grams’s chair and leaned the tray into the sink. Then she connected the hose to the faucet.
Candace winked at Angel. “Almost like the beauty salon experience.”
“This is great. I’m going to go check with the nurse. I left her in the kitchen.” Angel patted her grandmother on the knee. “I will see you in a bit, Grams. After Candace has hooked you up.”
Angel entered the kitchen and gasped. Then she shook her head in amazement. Ella Mae had removed most of the old bottles and had placed new bottles on the shelf. “Wow, you’ve already taken care of everything.” Angel pointed to the shelf. “This has to be above and beyond your duties.”
Ella Mae waved her hand. “No, not a problem. I threw away a lot of the bottles in there and have added your grandmother’s on the shelf here. On this door, I taped a chart of what medicines are here and the times they should be administered.”
“Thank you. That is a big help.” Angel took a look at the chart Ella Mae had created.
The nurse said, “One more thing. I found this stack of mail in the cabinet.”
Angel noticed a large white envelope in the stack. Before she saw the return address, Angel knew who had mailed it. She tore open the envelope and pulled out the card. She read the message inside. You turn twenty-five today. May all your dreams come true. Love, Dad. He had sent her the card. Her dad was telling the truth.
“Honey, are you okay?” the nurse asked.
Angel didn’t realize her hands were visibly shaking. “Yes, yes. I’m fine.”
Angel knew her Grams would lay down her life to protect her daughter’s only child. But Angel couldn’t really understand why Grams would continue to shield her granddaughter from the only living parent she had. She left the kitchen and sat down in the living room. Angel read the card over and over again. She wasn’t sure how long she had been sitting there when she heard her name.
Angel looked up and saw Candace at the living room threshold. “Hey, young lady, your grandmother has a fresh do and a smile on her face.” Candace entered the room and walked up to her. “Are you okay?”
Angel held up the card. “I found a birthday card from my father.”
Candace placed her bag on the floor and sat down next to Angel on the couch. She took the card from Angel. “You said you found it?”
“The nurse did. It was hidden in the kitchen cabinet. When I went to see my father, he told me he’d sent me cards and letters every year. I’ve never seem them. He sent this birthday card recently.”
Candace handed the card back to Angel and grabbed her hand. “I can’t begin to know how you are feeling, but remember the circumstances in which your grandparents lost their daughter, your mother.”
Angel tried to pull her hand away, but Candace held it tighter.
“Your grandmother loves you. She has always been there for you.”
“I know, I know.” Angel shook her head. “I love her. I just wish she and Granddad had given me a chance to find out things for myself. I mean, I met my dad, and I don’t know if he did or didn’t do something to my mom. I’m confused.”
“Trust God. Pray and let him lead you to where this all goes. In the meantime, treasure the card and the opportunity to know your father. Even more importantly, treasure your grandmother right now. Why don’t we pray together?”
Angel nodded and bowed her head.
Candace prayed, “Father God, thank you for blessing this young woman. Thank you for opening the doors for her to begin to deal with her past. This is a confusing time for her, but, God, we know you are not the author of confusion. Help Angel to trust in you and lean not on her own understanding about things that have been revealed to her. Bless her relationship with her grandmother and her uncle, the family that is her connection to the mother she has missed in her life. Bless her reunion with her father that they may be able to get to know one another. Finally, Lord, bless Angel as she forges ahead with new friendships. We ask this in Jesus’s name. Amen.”
Candace reached out to her. Angel hugged her friend and wept. After a few moments she lifted her head and wiped her tears.
“You okay?” Candace asked.
“Yes. Thanks for being here.”
“Hey, that’s what friends are for, to be there when we need support. When I needed support, Fredricka was there for me.”
Angel looked at her phone on the coffee table and noticed there was a text. She picked up the phone. “Wes sent me a text.”
“He did. Wow. Look at the smile on that face,” Candace commented.
“You need to stop.” Angel knew she was grinning.
Wes wanted to meet to tell her what information he’d found out. She was looking forward to seeing him again.