Me: Got it. Jeans and boots. Do we have somewhere we’ll be able to do laundry? Because I sure as hell don’t have five weeks’ worth of clothes, unless you want me to count all my scrub sets.
Ella: LOL. Yes, we use the laundry facilities at the local fire department. We typically are triaged there, but occasionally, we have to travel to a patient. Thank God your SUV can go virtually anywhere. Oh, and don’t forget, you get per diem and of course, mileage.
I smile because I have sufficient PTO and vacation time to cover my leave of absence, plus I’ll be making a chunk of money for this gig. I foresee a nice, hefty payment being made to mymortgage to knock it down a little bit more. At the rate I’m going, my fifteen-year mortgage will be paid off in the next three or four years.
Me: I didn’t forget, although I’m sure we’ll be living off protein bars and water.
Ella: Nope. Those firemen can cook, my friend! But we still get per diem, and we’re definitely gonna need the after-hours snacks and wine. It’s rough, Fee. Be ready, okay?
Me: I’ll be ready. See you next week. I’ll text and let you know when I’m on my way.
Ella: K. TTYL.
Shaking my head, I continue with my list, confident I’ll be able to get it all done before I pull away from my house in a few days. I’m equal parts nervous about what I’ll be dealing with, but also excited to be alongside Ella once again.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Prophet
After an eye-opening conversation with Paul, which was a lot like talking to my grandfather, I’m going to let Phoebe know that my interest in her is far greater than just the fact she’s Cami’s cousin and has been instrumental in helping raise her.
She’s the first thing I think about when I get up in the middle of the night if Cami cries. She’s the last thing that drifts across my consciousness as I ease into dreamland. As my brothers also pointed out, who gives a fuck if she and Rosa are cousins. Or is it were? Hell if I know, to be honest, but the fact of the matter is, she’d have ticked all my boxes if we’d met on the street. So, as Rebel is fond of telling us, it’s time for me to shit or get off the proverbial pot.
Today, though, since she’s working and my book is surprisingly free, I’m taking Cami to meet my granny. I don’t know how she’ll be since some days she’s somewhat lucid, although she may talk as though my grandfather is at work, while others, she’s practically non-verbal. I just take her wherever she’s at, usingthe opportunity to hear stories I may not remember because of my age that I can tuck away as a memory.
“Come on, pretty girl, let’s go introduce you to Granny,” I say as I unbuckle my girl from her carseat. She’s almost ready for the next size up, and that means a trip to the fucking store. Then I remember that I can have Phoebe come with me and my frown turns around as I tuck my girl on my hip and sling her diaper bag over the other shoulder.
After signing in, I find out that she’s in the day room so with many of the aides making ‘aw’ and ‘oo’ noises at Cami, who’s eating the attention up like she’s starved for it, I head down the hallway to search for Granny.
She’s easy to spot, having commandeered a corner near the French doors which are currently opened and allowing a nice, spring breeze to come inside. Thank fuck, too, because some of the residents seem to bathe in mentholated products and I end up sneezing my head off all the way home. They’ve got a screen covering the doors which is also a good thing, since Granny is now allergic to bees and wasps.
“Eli! Why did Joyce just drop off a baby with you instead of coming to see me?” Granny asks as I make my way to her side. “Never mind, let me see that pretty baby,” she says, holding out her hands.
She may be losing her mental faculties a little more each day, which breaks my heart, but she’s still just as strong as she was when I was a kid. “Granny, this isn’t a baby that Joyce dropped off,” I reply. “This is my daughter, Camille Rose Benson.”
“Where’s her mother?” Granny asks as she holds Cami close and looks her over from the top of her head to the tip of her toes.
“She’s dead, Granny. Rosa was her mother,” I admit.
Granny always had mixed feelings when it came to me dating Rosa. She could tell that she was deeply troubled, and she worried that Rosa would pull me down instead of letting me chase my dreams. She shouldn’t have worried, though, because even though Rosa was a part of my life for a very long time, our ‘togetherness’ wasn’t all that long if I’m being truthful. Still, Granny tried to help Rosa as much as possible, even if shedidhave reservations where the two of us were concerned.
“She’s dead,” she says, repeating what I’ve just said. “How? What happened?”
I quickly summarize what I know, stressing the part where I was never told she was pregnant and was completely unaware I was a father until Rosa’s cousin found me. “I really like her, Granny,” I tell her, talking about Phoebe. “The way we interact reminds me a lot of you and Gramps.”
“Oh, we argued, y’all just never saw it,” she retorts. “But that’s what adultsshoulddo, keep those disagreements away from the children, who don’t have the ability to comprehend what’s going on.”
“I think she’s worried about the fact that she and Rosa were cousins,” I admit, “but I want to pursue something with her.”
“Then tell her how you feel, Eli. You’ve been cogitating for a very long time and have a good command of the English language. Use your words. Because the fact that she cared for this little one and fought to get Rosa to tell you says a lot about her character as far as I’m concerned. Not only that, but she made sure to find you as soon as she knew who you were so you could take this little one on.”
“I plan to, Granny. Want to see some pictures?” I ask as I pull my phone from my cut.
Cami is patting Granny’s face and I quickly snap a few pictures to tuck away before I open my picture roll and let Granny scroll through them. “Oh, I’d love a copy of that one,” she says. “Your young lady is very pretty, Eli. Good birthing hips.”
I barely bite back my snicker, as Granny is opinionated about women and their curves. She never could understand why Rosa wanted to be stick thin, saying that a woman should have some meat on her bones to help keep her man warm at night. Shaking my head, I simply say, “Granny.”
“What? It’s true, Eli, and you know it,” she admonishes. “Now, tell me what’s going on with your club brothers and their families.”