“Are you okay, Dad?” I asked.
“Son, I’m fine. I just haven’t been sleeping much lately.”
“Well, what’s going on? What brings you here?”
“Us.”
“Us?”
“Yeah, us. I’ve been thinking a lot since we last talked, a lot, and what keeps coming up in my mind is how my brother is in jail for hurting Channing’s wife because she is a black woman. I’ve always been a firm believer that races should keep to their own with no intermixing, so it’s going to be hard for me to turn away from my beliefs.”
“Dad, I’m not asking you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“Wait…” He raised his hand to halt me from speaking any further. “Hear me out. I never had the kind of hatred in my heart that my big brother had toward other races. I don’t wish to harm anyone; I just think people should marry their own kind. But maybe I could work on looking at it the way you have.” He looked at me, and I saw a tiny piece of him opening up to the possibility of change.
“Are you serious, Dad?” I had to know.
“It’s not like I’m getting any younger, and you’re all I have.” I saw the pride in his eyes that I saw the first time I changed a tire, the first homerun I hit, and the first time I got in a street brawl and won. “And besides, there is no denying that the girl makes you happy,” he said, cracking the tiniest of a smile.
“She does make me happy. She’s more than her skin color, you know? She’s a beautiful woman who would give her last to a perfect stranger. She would give the best advice to her friends and her enemies. She is a lover and a fighter. Actually, you’d be surprised to find out how much you two are alike.”
“How so?”
“Well, for one, she didn’t want to date me at first because of my race.”
“Oh,” Dad said, looking amused to know Tameka had reservations about dating a white man.
“Yeah, she almost didn’t give me a chance because I was white, but I convinced her that we belong together, because in my heart I know we do,” I said, smiling.
“Son, I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I want you and Tameka to come to the house for dinner, so I can try to get to know her,” he said.
“Are you sure about that, Dad? I refuse to bring her over there to be insulted. If you want her to come, you have to promise to be on your best behavior because as her husband I will protect her in every way.”
“Son, you know better than anyone that my house is my sanctuary, so I wouldn’t invite a black person there unless I had good intentions. The thing is, I have given this a lot of thought and prayer, and I don’t want my heart to sour like my brother who is rotting away in a jail cell.” He looked as if he had more to say but was reluctant to do so. “Besides, Tameka called and talked to me earlier today.”
“She did what?” My mouth dropped open in shock, and I couldn’t believe Tameka had taken it upon herself to call my father, while at the same time, it had her name written all over it. For my woman, taking charge and trying to fix a broken situation was her nature.
“Yes, and I’m going to be honest and say I’m not one hundred percent sure you getting married to her is a good idea, but I can see why you love her. She’s fearless, and she loves you. No man can turn down a love like that.” Dad paused and stared at me, and the unspoken message was clear. He wished Mom was here, and so did I.
“I definitely couldn’t. If you understood how much she meant to me, you would never speak an ill word about her. She brings me life, and her kids are just as wonderful as she is.”
“Oh, don’t remind me about the kids,” Dad said with an exhausted look covering his worn face. “I can only have one breakthrough at a time.” He chuckled awkwardly.
“Well, little Kevin and Eva are a package deal with Tameka. I will be their stepfather officially tomorrow. And I would love for you to be there, but only if you’re ready. Our wedding day will be filled with nothing but positivity, so if you’re not ready I’ll respect it if you stay home.”
“It’s over at Oak Bowery, huh?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah, Channing told me that.” He paused for a moment and started fiddling with his shirt button. “How do her parents and friends feel about all of this?” Dad asked as if he were searching for at least one ally in his mixed feelings about me and Tameka getting married.
“They are accepting. I hang out with them all the time, and there are no issues. The only issue we have right now is you.”
“Have you run into any of the guys from the brotherhood? Have any of them said anything to you?” he asked as is face tensed, and his brow raised in curiosity.
&nbs
p; “Dirty Neil came to my bachelor party tonight, and we exchanged a few blows. Other than that, no one has said anything to me.”