Chapter Nineteen
“There you two are.” Mercy unfolded her feet she had had tucked under her body as she stood from the love seat. Walking toward Grant as he entered the house carrying a sleeping Grant Jr., Mercy was all smiles seeing her two favorite men. Grant Jr. was the cutest little dark-skinned baby with naturally curly hair covering his head. There was no doubt he looked just like his dad.
As Grant closed his eyes for more than just a blink, Mercy felt unnecessary heat rise between the two of them. It was if she was getting under her fiancé’s skin for absolutely no reason at all.
“Anything wrong?” she questioned and offered to take the baby from her soon to be hubby. Their nuptials were just a month away, in April. Instead of April bringing showers, as the old wives’ tale stated, Mercy was looking for April to ring in holy matrimony. But with the attitude Grant was slinging, the old wives’ tale looked as though it would stand.
“I got him.” Grant snatched away and walked quickly around Mercy, headed toward the second bedroom in the pool house, which was their son’s room.
Deciding to wait until her fiancé returned to their living quarters, Mercy picked up the Sanyo remote and pointed it toward the television. Leaving the picture on but muting the sound, Mercy stood in her space and waited with arms folded. Mercy had had enough of playing the guessing game. She wanted answers and she wanted them now.
Two steps into the living space and Grant said, “Um, uh-uh,” with scrunched eyebrows. Rolling the sleeves of his shirt up, Grant stood still until he mastered the task of the material lying three inches above his wrist. “Not tonight, Mercy. And what? You don’t have any wedding stuff you need to do?” He took a step to the right but stopped short once she leaned on her left leg, letting him know she would follow his every step.
“Then when, Grant? You’ve been standoffish, not talking to me at all. I thought I was the one who was to have wedding jitters.” Mercy flung her arms in his direction, wanting to strangle the young man she loved.
Waiting for something, anything Grant could offer, Mercy grabbed a strand of her natural and twisted hair. It was a nervous tick she’d picked up while in college. Mercy needed to know what was going on with Grant.
They’d met in high school where they started out as just friends. He made her laugh and didn’t make her feel different because she wasn’t afraid to let people know how much she loved God. She told him so herself. Grant had backed her 100 percent. Especially since he proclaimed the same. But now it seemed as though those times were few and far in between. There had been no laughs ... and way too many tears.
He knew she was waiting. Still, nothing. Grant still stood with his arms crossed and no response. He was thinking. Grant knew he couldn’t keep living the way he did. He no longer felt the way he had years ago toward Mercy. Things had changed, which was why he knew he had to talk to Mercy, sooner rather than later. But at the moment, he didn’t have the nerve.
For once, he wasn’t going to lie. Anyone from the outside looking in could tell that Grant did have jitters. But not about marriage. Just about marrying her.
His love for Mercy hadn’t changed because she was the mother of his child. She was his first love. They’d even made their first major mistake together: premarital sex. But even through that, God had blessed them with a beautiful son.
Grant was an awesome father. To be all he could be for his child was a task he’d take on no matter what. Which was what he did while Mercy finished up her studies. That was what started it all ... Mercy still able to live out her dream while he sat home, at her home, playing “Mr. Mom.”
It wasn’t until he saw the questionable tears in Mercy’s eyes that Grant’s heart began to melt. He felt his palms get sweaty and placed them in his blue jean pockets to soak up some of the wetness.
“Look, Mercy ...” Walking closer to his baby’s mother, Grant knew his attitude had come from things out of his control. He had been in the same predicament Mercy was now in: blind-sided by love. Unfortunately it just hadn’t been with her.
When they’d gotten pregnant with Junior, it was an unwritten rule that Mercy had to finish school. Her parents would have it no other way. With him only working part time, not enrolled at school himself, her family saw fit for him to move into their quarters and raise the baby. No questions, only requests.
At first Grant didn’t mind because he was still young, twenty-one, with no stable family support and no money. But as he got older, Grant realized he was going nowhere fast and sitting around waiting for Mercy’s next move. Then he started going out more, making new friends in different crowds. Just like that, one thing had led to another.
He was now twenty-four, a grown man, experiencing different things that life had to offer. Grant even wanted to complete studies he had long ago left behind. But how could he? He was expected to be everything to Grant Jr. that Mercy could not be.
“I guess we really should just talk. Maybe you should sit down.” He made the mistake and glanced at the television that had been muted.
“What is it?” Mercy saw the worried look on Grant’s face and turned to stand by his side.
When the news channel panned a house fire on the other side of town, Grant squinted his eyes at the familiar surroundings the cameraman zoomed in on. When the camera set in on the street sign, he grabbed for the remote, shoving Mercy forward, almost knocking her off her feet.
“Grant!” Mercy was shocked and upset by his actions. Especially when she didn’t know what was going on.
Grant glanced Mercy’s way but only for a split second before he turned the sound up.
Standing in front of the television set, all it took was for Grant to hear the street name that all of the ruckus had been taking place on. When the reporter said the owner, who lived alone, had been rushed to the emergency room and had been in critical condition, Grant only went with what his heart was feeling at the time and it had nothing to do with Mercy. It took one swift move for him to get from in front of the television and out the front door.
With only a yell back to let Mercy know that it was one of his friends, Grant didn’t bother kissing her cheek, nor looking back. If he had, he would have seen a confused, tearful, and heartbroken Mercy.
After one look at her engagement ring, Mercy walked back to the sofa, sat, and sobbed.