Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks,
and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy
to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
The Levites calmed the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”
Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions
of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood
the words that had been made known to them.
Nehemiah 8:10–12 (NIV)
The Alyce Family Farm
Evergrace, Texas
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Elissandro sat in the driver’s seat of his sport utility van with his dad, Elec, in the passenger seat and his seven grandchildren in the backseats, all of them on their way to his grandparents’ farm in celebration of Elissandro’s sixty-third birthday and his grandparents’ eighty-seventh wedding anniversary. Freedom had already driven ahead so she could help his grandparents with some last-minute preparations for their celebration.
“Are we almost there?” Essam asked.
“Almost.”
“Will Daddy be there?” Gift asked.
“Your mom and I invited him.”
“Did you invite Storm too?” Eston asked.
“Of course we did.”
“Can we unwrap your birthday presents?” Everly asked.
“If you want.”
“Can we sing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song?” Given asked.
“I’m counting on it.”
“Do we have to sit at the kids’ table?” Echo asked.
“Yes, you do.”
“I love you, Grandpa Eli.”
“I love you, too, Everson.”
From the passenger seat, his dad sniffled.
“You all right, Dad?” Elissandro asked.
His dad exhaled. “I’m fine, Son. I’m just getting used to going out without your mom.”
“I know it’s hard right now, Dad, but trust me, it will get easier. You just have to push through the pain, the grief, and the sorrow, and you’ve got to get out, mingle with others, and surround yourself with the people who truly love you. You can’t avoid people and isolate yourself all the time.” Elissandro grabbed his dad’s hand. “I’ve already lost Mom. I don’t want to lose you too.”
“Don’t worry about me, Son. I’ll get through this, just like I have every other obstacle in life. It just might take a little longer since it’s the loss of the love of my life. I appreciate your concern and your words, though, and I’m glad you got me out of the house today to celebrate your birthday and your grandparents’ wedding anniversary.”
Elissandro released his dad’s hand and pulled the sport utility van into the driveway of The Alyce Family Farm, and he could already see a crowd of cars, trucks, and vans parked in well-ordered rows. Even as he parked the SUV, he saw Justice Shield leaning against his silver four-door truck in a royal blue shirt and blue jeans, with his arms folded and his black dog, Storm, at his side.
As soon as the kids saw Justice, they started bouncing up and down in their seats, anxious to run to him.
“Daddy’s here!” Gift said.
“Can we get off the van already?” Given asked.
“I want to hang out with Daddy,” Everson said.
“I want to hug Daddy,” Echo said.
“I want to give him a kiss,” Everly said.
“I want to play with Storm,” Essam said.
“I want Daddy to feed me,” Eston said.
Elissandro turned in his seat, glancing at his grandkids. “All right, listen!” he said. “The key word today is behave, regardless of whether you’re with your mom, your dad, or both of them. Got that?”
All seven of them bobbed their heads. “Yes, sir.”
Elissandro unlocked the doors. “Dad, would you let the kids out?”
“Of course,” his dad said, opening the passenger door, then stepping down and opening the back door so the kids could climb down. “Come on, kids! Go greet your dad.”
As soon as their feet touched the ground, they sprinted toward Justice, who stretched his arms wide, ready to receive them.
After his dad shut the back door, then the passenger door, Elissandro locked the SUV, then clapped his dad on his back, and they walked together toward Justice and the kids, who were still clinging to their dad like they were superglued to him.
Finally, Elissandro and his dad stood before Justice and the kids. “Hello, Justice!”
“Hello, sir! Happy birthday!”
“Thank you,” Elissandro said. “I’d like to introduce you officially to my dad, Elec Evergrace.”
Justice reached out his hand. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
Elissandro’s dad shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, too, Justice. Elissandro and the kids have been singing your praises for a while, so I feel as though I know you already.”
“The same here,” Justice said. “I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your wife too.”
“Thank you.” His eyes gleamed with tears. “The best gift God has given me in this season of my life, without my wife, has been my granddaughter, Freedom, and these great-grandchildren: Everson, Eston, Essam, Everly, Echo, Given, and Gift. Truly, they have brought me much happiness, much laughter, and much joy. So, thank you for sharing them with me. Now that I’ve met them, I can’t imagine my life without them.”
“That’s how I feel too,” Justice said. “They’re my seven heartbeats.”
“Where’s Freedom?” Elissandro asked.
“She’s in the backyard, running errands for Sweet Alyce and Grandpa Randle, so I’ll be on ‘daddy duty’ while you guys are celebrating.” He smiled. “From what I’ve seen so far, you’ve got a lot of people here who love you and your grandparents.”
“I love them too,” Elissandro said. “So, I guess I’d better get back there so I can find my grandparents, and we can get this celebration started.” He clamped his hand on his dad’s shoulder, then led him to the gate leading to the backyard.
The closer they got, the louder the music they heard floating through the air.
“It sounds like they’ve started the party already, Eli,” his dad said. “You’d better quicken your steps so you’ll make it before the end.”
Elissandro laughed. “I’m not worried, and I’m not in a hurry, Dad. As long as I get one gigantic piece of Sweet Alyce’s homemade white-frosted birthday cake, it’s all good, and it’s all God.”
His dad stopped in his tracks, looking at his son sideways. “Is that all you care about—getting a piece of your grandmother’s cake?”
“Everything she bakes is delicious, Dad, especially her desserts, so I’m not ashamed to say I look forward to eating everything she bakes. After all, it’s all a labor of love for her. Now, come on, so we can greet my grandparents and move the celebration along.”
They resumed walking and reached the backyard gate, which was already open and decorated with streamers, balloons, and twinkling lights. In the backyard, there were covered round tables surrounded by rectangular tables, one set with plates and an assortment of food and the other filled with gift bags and wrapped boxes.
Elissandro had not even walked twenty feet with his dad before Freedom found him and kissed his cheek. “Happy birthday, Dad!” she said, smiling. “I love you.”
“Thank you, Twink,” he said. “I love you too.”
“Hello, Grandfather.” She kissed his cheek.
He smiled. “Hello, Freedom.”
“Where are my grandparents,” Elissandro asked.
“Sweet Alyce and Grandpa Randle disappeared on me,” she said. “But they did say they were leaving for a good cause, bringing you the best birthday gift ever.”
“I guess I’ll have to be patient, then,” Elissandro said. “Until they return, I’ll greet some of our guests, and you should probably find Justice and give him some relief. The last time I saw him, he was surrounded by seven excited six-year-olds, and the kids had no intention of letting him out of their sight.”
Freedom laughed. “Gotcha! I’ll go rescue him.”
After Freedom walked away, Elissandro’s dad said he would find a good seat while Elissandro was socializing.
Over the next few minutes, Elissandro lost count of how many people he greeted with hugs and kisses, but finally, he grew tired and weary and decided to sit down at one of the long tables. When he sat down, he finally saw his grandparents approaching him. With them was a breathtakingly beautiful young woman, with hazel—brownish-green—eyes, with long dark-brown hair spilling over her shoulders, who wore a cream-colored blouse and crimson-red pants with dark boots, and she walked with a tall white man with light-brown hair and light-brown eyes, in a white shirt and khaki pants, who held the hands of two four-year-old identical twin boys, with dark-brown hair and hazel eyes, wearing off-white shirts and beige pants.
Sweet Alyce and Grandpa Randle stopped in front of Elissandro, both of them smiling from ear to ear.
“What’s going on?” Elissandro asked.
“Randle and I have a birthday surprise for you.” Sweet Alyce pulled the young lady closer, and Elissandro’s heart thumped his chest as he suddenly realized who this young woman was—his second daughter. “This is Francesca,” Sweet Alyce said.
“This is her family too,” Grandpa Randle said. “Her husband, Brolin Spring, and these are their four-year-old sons, Jacob and Jonah.”
Tears stung Elissandro’s eyes. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Welcome to the celebration.”
“Happy birthday!” Brolin said.
“Thank you.” Elissandro could barely take his eyes off his daughter, who hadn’t spoken yet but who was staring at him just as intensely as he was staring at her. Finally, he stood up, greeting them face-to-face. “Please, sit with me—all of you.”
He reached out, extending his hand to Brolin, and Brolin released Jacob’s hand, then firmly shook Elissandro’s hand.
“Of course, we will,” Brolin said.
“Do you mind if I give your boys a hug?” Elissandro asked, unsure of how much Brolin and Francesca knew in regard to his identity and relationship in their lives.
“Not at all,” Brolin said.
Elissandro squatted in front of Jonah. “Thank you for coming to my birthday party, Jonah. I’m glad you’re here.” Even as he hugged him, tears fell from his eyes, and he discreetly dried them before turning his attention to Jacob. “Hello, Jacob. Thank you for coming to my birthday party. I’m glad you’re here too.” He hugged him tightly before moving back and standing up, rubbing his eyes dry.
Francesca stepped closer to him, tear tracks on her light-brown face, tears in her hazel eyes. “Happy birthday!”
“Thank you.”
“May I hug you?”
“Of course, you may.” He opened his arms wide, and she walked into his embrace and hugged him just as tightly and as long as he hugged her.
Her tears wet his neck, even as she whispered in his ear. “I read my mom’s letter, so I know everything, especially who you are.”
“How do you feel?”
She pulled back but stayed in his arms. “Better.”
“I know you’re close to your dad, so I’m not here to come between you, but I would love to have a place in your life. I would love to spend time getting to know you, Brolin, Jacob, and Jonah.”
She smiled through her tears. “I would like that too.” She hugged him again. “Happy birthday, Dad!”
Fresh tears fell from Elissandro’s eyes. “Truly, you’ve made this my best birthday ever. Thank you.” He kissed her forehead, then reluctantly let her go. “The only thing that would make this day even better is your reunion and reconciliation with your sister.”
“That’s why I’m here,” Francesca said. “For you and for her.”
Elissandro’s heart practically somersaulted in his chest. “That’s just what I wanted to hear—just what I’ve been praying for all these years.”
Francesca stepped away from him, fingering the tears in her eyes dry. “Do you mind pointing me in her direction?”
“Better than that, I’ll take you to her.” Elissandro grabbed her hand and walked through a small crowd of family and friends until he, Francesca, Brolin, Jacob, and Jonah found Freedom and Justice sitting with the kids at a table. “Here we are! Freedom, I have some birthday guests I would like you to meet.”
Francesca pulled her hand from Elissandro’s and reached out to her sister, whose green eyes were big and round and wide. “Hello, Freedom! Your family is beautiful, and so are you.”
“Thank you,” she said, her eyes already welling with tears as she accepted her sister’s hand. “It’s good to see you again, this time during a more joyous occasion.”
“Can you forgive me for everything I’ve said and done, for choosing Deacon over you, for being envious of your relationship with Mom, and for blaming you for her death?”
As she nodded, tears streamed down Freedom’s light-brown face. “Can you forgive me for everything I’ve said and done and for all the hurt and harm I’ve caused you as well?”
Francesca nodded. “Of course, I can. You’re my sister, and I love you.”
Freedom stood up, facing her sister eye to eye. “I love you, too, and I’ve missed you. I’ve missed us together, like best friends, like the Wonder Twins.” She pulled Francesca into a hug, and soon, the two of them were clinging to each other, crying together.
Finally, Francesca stepped back and thumbed her tears dry. “I can’t believe how much you resemble our mother,” she said. “But you definitely get your green eyes from our dad.”
“Our dad?” Freedom asked. “Which dad are you referencing?”
“Elissandro Evergrace, of course.” Francesca laughed. “I know before you even say it too. You told me so. I just wasn’t ready to listen, to believe. Now, I am.”
Freedom looped her arm through Francesca’s. “Enough about that. Introduce me to your family, all right?”
“All right,” Francesca said, waving her husband forward. “This is Brolin Spring, my better half and your new brother-in-law. Brolin, this is my twin sister and your new sister-in-law, Freedom, formerly known as Faith.”
Freedom and Brolin traded handshakes and greetings.
Then, Francesca introduced her children. “The eldest is Jacob, and the youngest is Jonah, and they’re your new four-year-old nephews.”
Freedom left Francesca’s side, then squatted so she could hug Jacob and Jonah; then, she returned to her sister’s side. “They’re precious,” she told Francesca. “Those hazel eyes are 100 percent you too.”
“Tell me about it!” Francesca said. “Everything else comes from Brolin.”
Freedom touched her arm. “Would you like to meet my bunch?”
Francesca smiled. “Of course!”
She pointed. “First, we’ll start with him—the kids’ dad—Justice Shield.”
“Officer Shield, I have met already,” Francesca said. “Six years ago, actually, when he was in Winwood searching for you, and I wasn’t very nice or hospitable to him.” She looked at Justice. “Can you forgive me?”
He stood up and reached out his hand. “All is forgiven, and call me Justice.”
“Thank you.” Francesca shook his hand. “I’m glad you found Freedom and your kids too.”
“So am I,” he said.
“Are you ready to meet the kids?” Freedom asked. “Your nieces and nephews?”
“Yes!” she said. “Introduce my nieces and nephews.”
Freedom motioned for the kids to stand and introduce themselves. “All right, kiddos! Let your aunt Francesca know who you are.”
Soon, the seven were standing and introducing themselves.
“I’m Everson, and I’m the first.”
“I’m Eston, and I’m the second.”
“I’m Essam, and I’m the third.”
“I’m Everly, and I’m the fourth.”
“I’m Echo, and I’m the fifth.”
“I’m Given, and I’m the sixth.”
“I’m Gift, and I’m the seventh.”
Francesca clapped her hands. “That was great, and I can’t wait to spend time with you all and get to know you better individually.”
“Would you like a hug, Aunt Fran?” Gift asked.
“Aunt Fran?”
Gift bobbed her head. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I would love a hug.”
All seven kids rushed toward her and surrounded her, and soon, they were all hugging her, and she was laughing, with tears streaming down her face.
“Don’t forget about me.” Not wanting to be excluded, Elissandro stepped forward and joined the group, wrapping his arms around Francesca too.
Much later, as they sat down at one of the long tables, Elissandro, flanked on both sides by his daughters, Freedom and Francesca, sharing a meal together, gave thanks to God for the gift of His Son, Jesus, then for the gift of his own family: the gift of his daughters, the gift of his dad, the gift of his grandparents, the gift of his grandkids, the gift of his friends, the gift of grace, the gift of salvation, and the gift of love.
Then, after the soul food had been blessed, then completely eaten, and after the candles had been lit on the gigantic box-like wedding anniversary cake, then the candle blown out on his grandmother’s homemade white-frosted cake, made just for him, Elissandro made his birthday wish, cut himself the biggest piece he could, sank his fork into it, and raised it to his mouth, supremely blessed, extremely happy, and completely full.