touch my heart (19 page)

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Johnson.”

“In all my years the only person who called me Mrs. Johnson is the person who put this ring on my hand, and he’s been gone for almost thirty years. You can call me Mama like everyone else.”

Aaliyah nodded, not sure if she should speak.

“Good, and I’m going to call you Aaliyah. It’s one those new fancy names, but at least I can pronounce it. And it’s just like you, beautiful.”

“You’re a sweetheart,” Aaliyah said.

“I’ve been told so, but be warned, I can be a battle ax, too, and this mouth here God give me to speak my mind, so I usually do just that. I’ve said many things before I think about what I said, but ain’t no time I ever regret saying what I did.”

She cackled, a deep-down-inside, hearty sound.

“Come, let’s go inside. I been cooking and baking all day.”

She led the way.

* * *

Dominic put the plate and spoon down and rubbed his stomach. He’d enjoyed the lunch of cou-cou and steamed flying fish, the island’s national dish. He’d not eaten it in ages, but he remembered coming to this same home and feasting on the dish made of cornmeal swimming in a hefty amount of gravy.

“Dominic, I know you’re probably readying to leave, but I wanted to talk to you before you go.”

“That’s fine.”

“Aaliyah, I’ll leave the boys to entertain you. I want to chat with Dominic about something private, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. I’m sure the boys will keep me occupied.”

Mama rose from her chair and nodded to Dominic. He followed her out of the dining room and down the corridor to the sitting room. He waited until she was seated before he lowered himself onto the couch next to her.

“Your leg all right?”

“I’ll be fine. It’s been getting better each day.”

“Your girl’s doing a good job?”

“Yes, she’s doing a good job.”

“Good. I want you to be healthy.”

He nodded, knowing that she had something more to say.

“I’m not sure exactly how to say this... I’m dying.”

He turned to look at her. He didn’t tell her that Brandon had told him. “How long do you have?”

“I’m not sure. The doctor says three months. Maybe six.”

“Cancer?”

“Yes, I’ve been in remission for several years, but it’s back.”

“You don’t have to worry. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Oh, I’ve already taken care of most things. It’s Brandon I’m worried about.”

“You don’t have to ask. I’ll take care of him.”

“God bless you, son. I’ve been so worried thinking about what would happen to him. I’m his legal guardian, but I’m going to have to take care of making you that person.”

“I’m fine with that. I want to do something for my best friend.”

“I’m so sorry I have to do this to you. You just came back into our lives and I’m placing a burden on you. It’s just that he has no one.”

“It’s fine. You don’t have to worry about him. I’m glad I can do something to help. I could get my lawyer to take care of the papers. His office is in the city. I’ll get him to come by on Monday.”

“Okay. I haven’t asked Brandon about any of this. I wanted to talk to you first. Didn’t want to get his hopes up. But I’m sure it’s not going to be a problem with him. He already idolizes you.”

“He’s my best friend’s son. It’s the least I can do. He’s a good boy, so it’s no burden.”

“I know you want to do this for my son. But you still have to think about your future. Suppose you get married and your wife doesn’t want a ready-made family?”

“I’m sure she will love him.”

Mama cleared her throat. “So Brandon’s assumptions were correct.”

He didn’t feel like beating around the bush. “You mean his notion that I’m involved with Aaliyah. Yes, he was right.”

“I could see it from the time I stepped outside and saw the way you look at each other.” She laughed at her own skill of deduction. “You’re in love with her.”

He hesitated briefly. “I wish I knew what love was. Maybe if I’d ever been in love I would know. If it’s the fast beating of my heart when she comes near, or the fact that I don’t want to live another day without her, then it means I’m in love.”

“You’ll know when you are and you’ll even know when it’s time to let her know.”

“Oh, I’m sure one day I’ll be ready to let her know. At times, I feel so inadequate because of my hand and leg. Who’d want someone in this condition?”

“Condition! You’re a good man. Yeah, you have a few minor problems with your hand and leg. And from what I can see right now, that leg is doing mighty fine.”

“But I’m not sure if that’s enough.”

“For some other woman. I’ve only known Aaliyah for a few hours and already I’m so impressed I’d marry the two of you myself. But give it time. That’s one of the problems with you young folk. Always in a hurry to do stuff instead of sitting back and looking at yourself in the mirror and finding out who you are.”

“Interesting... That’s all Aaliyah has been talking about recently. But I think I’m getting a better understanding of who and what I am. At least, much better than I understood two years ago. It’s almost as if saving that girl and getting injured made me look at my life differently.”

“That’s good, son.”

“Well, I should have said eventually. At first I was really angry at the world and God. Now I can see things differently.” He paused. “You don’t have anything to worry about. I’ll take care of Brandon.”

“Thank you,” she said, tears glistening in her eyes. “I know you’ll take good care of him.”

“Thanks for having us over. I was wondering...we were wondering if Brandon could spend the night. We’ll make sure he’s back by tomorrow evening. I know he has school on Monday.”

“Of course he can. And you can tell him what we decided.”

“You want me to tell him?”

“He knows about my illness. But yes, I’d like you to tell him, so he knows that you want him. He’s going to think I forced you into doing this because his father was your friend. He must know that you wanted him.”

“Then I’ll definitely do it.”

“Come, I’m sure he’s looking forward to spending the time with you and Aaliyah. He kept talking about his last visit.”

“I’m going to also transfer his funds to you. The settlement for the accident by the insurance company was a lot of money. It will help when he is ready to go to college.”

“That’s no problem. I can take care of that.”

“I know you will.”

“Let’s go. I am sure they are wondering what we could be talking about so long.”

With that, she rose from the sofa and proceeded out of the room.

As she walked away, Dominic followed. For some reason, he felt happy. He’d done something that was important.

Of course, there was a bit of fear. He had no idea how to take care of a growing teenager and the thought scared him. What if he didn’t do a good job?

* * *

By nine o’clock that night, Brandon was fast asleep. Even before the movie was midway done, he’d closed his eyes. They’d had a busy evening. Desmond had collected the pizza from Chefette Restaurant, a short distance away. The restaurant served the best pizza on the island.

While Aaliyah was accustomed to pizza with cheese and pepperoni, the islanders preferred their pizza with a lot more garnishes, and she could tell why. A thick chocolate milkshake had gone down well with the pizza. Of course, she could not believe that Dominic and Brandon had wolfed down so many slices. She’d eaten two of the ridiculously large slices and then had been full. But she had enjoyed the competition between the two males and had had no doubt that Brandon would be the eventual winner despite the valiant effort by Dominic.

“You need to take him up to his room, Dominic?”

“How am I going to do this, Aaliyah? I don’t have a clue what I’m doing. Maybe I should have told his grandmother I can’t do it.”

The look she gave him made him cringe, but when she spoke to him she spoke gently.

“I know you feel overwhelmed at the moment, but you’re going to do fine.”

With that he stood and walked over to Brandon, shaking him awake.

“Come and get to bed, Brandon. You’ve been sleeping here for hours.”

At the boy’s shocked look, he laughed. “Just kidding. You just missed half of the movie.”

The boy jumped up and turned to Aaliyah. “Good night,” he told her, a broad smile on his face.

“Good night. Have a good night’s sleep.”

“I’m sure I will. I’m tired.”

She watched as they exited the room. She hoped it all worked out. Brandon needed a strong man in his life.

* * *

Dominic followed the teenager into the room. The boy no longer looked sleepy.

“Is it all right if I read for a while before I go to bed?” Brandon asked.

“Of course. You can read until you’re sleepy again. You know where everything is. I’ll see you for breakfast. Enjoy your sleep.”

“I will, and thanks for having me over.”

Dominic turned to walk away and then stopped. He turned back.

“I was going to talk to you about this in the morning.” Brandon was already on the bed, a book in his hands.

The boy said nothing. A look of dread was on his face.

“Take that look off your face. I had a chat with your grandmother this evening and she told me about her illness.”

Brandon nodded. Dominic could see the moisture in his eyes.

“How would you like to come live with me?”

“You mean here?”

“Yes, here. Wherever I am. Here or in the U.S.”

“Now or after my...” Brandon couldn’t say it.

“When it’s time.”

“Good. I want to be there for Mama.”

“That’s fine. Just wanted to know if it’ll be okay with you.”

“I hope my grandmother didn’t force you to do this.”

“She did ask me, but before I visited, I did think about it. After you told me about your dad’s death, I thought about it, so your grandmother’s request was only confirmation. You have no one after she is gone and while part of it is because your dad was my best friend, both Aaliyah and I think you are cool and like having you around.”

Brandon smiled, his body relaxing as if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

And then he started to cry.

Dominic stared at him, not sure what to do, knowing that his own eyes had filled with tears.

He stepped over to the bed, sat down and placed his arms around the boy.

When Brandon had cried himself all out, he raised his head.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry.”

“It’s fine. You’ve lost your dad and now your grandma is ill. There is nothing wrong with crying.”

“Men don’t cry,” he stated.

“That’s not true. Let me tell you something. You are who you are. Don’t let anyone dictate who you are. That’s how people grieve and deal with death and their loved ones. If God didn’t want you to cry, He would not have given you the capacity for the emotion.”

“I never looked at it that way.” He paused. “But don’t expect me to cry too often.”

“I look at it this way. When you need to cry you’ll know. I won’t think less of you if you ever cry.”

Brandon nodded his head.

“Good night, sir. And thanks for everything you’re doing for me.”

“You have a good night. Everything is going to be fine.”

The boy slipped between the covers and was soon fast asleep.

As Brandon lay there, Dominic realized how much he looked like his father.

He felt all choked up inside. He’d not cried for his friend and did nothing as the moisture trickled down his cheeks.

* * *

When Dominic entered the bedroom, Aaliyah looked up from the book she was reading. She could tell he’d been crying. She was glad. He’d needed to cry...for Adrian and Mama. She was sure there were more tears, but men with their macho attitudes never failed to amuse her.

She put the book down and held out her arms. He smiled and walked over to the bed. He needed comfort, and that’s what she would offer him.

“Marry me,” he said, when he was lying with his head against her chest.

While he’d taken a moment, she’d not expected that it would come to this.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “Are you absolutely sure?”

“Mama told me something today that I’ve been thinking about all evening. She said that when I’m in love, I’ll know I’m in love. And that’s it, simply said. I love you, Aaliyah, and I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

She smiled, nodding her head. “Of course I’ll marry you. I want to be in your life forever.”

Epilogue

A
aliyah watched as her sisters and Cheryl cooed over the babies. She was an aunt. Her nieces, Gillian and Alana Grayson, were growing nicely and were adorable. Aaliyah had fallen in love with them that day at the hospital when “the aunts” had finally been allowed to see their nieces.

Today she was celebrating her three-month anniversary. She glanced down at the diamond ring on her hand. She couldn’t believe she was married again.

She glanced across at Cindi. She’d grown to love her newfound sister as much as she loved Eboni. Cindi’s personality hadn’t changed much. She didn’t talk much, didn’t have time to spend on triviality, was focused on her work and didn’t appear to have time for love. Even getting her to come to the monthly girls’ night out was a challenge.

Aaliyah knew her sister enjoyed being with them, but she knew Cindi would much prefer to be at home planning her classes or working on her latest bestseller.

Keisha was another story. Their youngest sister had come home from Europe and the reunion had been an emotional one. But Aaliyah was worried about her youngest sister. Keisha had remained quiet and reserved, but Aaliyah had noticed a haunted look in her eyes when she thought no one was looking.

However, the reason for being here tonight was to tell them her good news. They all thought that they were at a routine girls’ night out.

“Okay, ladies, I want to talk to you about something important.”

“Can’t you see we are playing with Gillian?” Cheryl chided.

“Yes, I can see, Cheryl. I think it’s about time you marry one of the hunky men who always seem to be attached to your arms and get your own little bundle.”