What Lies Beyond the Veil(Of Flesh & Bone #1)(78)

“Like what?” Nia asks, sneaking a glance at me. I pretend not to notice, cause I don’t exactly want Granddaddy to know that I told Nia what we talked bout. It don’t make much sense for me to know and not Nia, but still, I ain’t sure if I was s’posed to tell.

“It’s not my place to tell your momma’s business,” Granddaddy answers with a sigh, “but all you need to know is that she’s taking care of some stuff, and she gon’ be back soon as she can.” Granddaddy looks at Nia, then looks at me. Now I know he knows that I told her.

“Can you tell us bout what Momma was like when she was our age?” I say quickly, tryna change the subject before Nia gets too impatient or Granddaddy gets too mad. And it seems like it works, cause Granddaddy’s face softens, and even Nia perks up to listen.

“She was just like the both of you, rolled into one.” Granddaddy smiles as he gazes off at the image of young Momma that lives in his mind. “Beautiful and tough. Funny and serious. Smart as a whip and determined to do whatever she said she was gon’ do. And always asking too many questions,” Granddaddy finishes with a wink.

As I listen, I put an image of young Momma together in my mind, adding pieces from me and pieces from Nia. I wish I could know her that way, cause I bet we would be best friends. Momma now ain’t much like the Momma that Granddaddy describes.

Seems like Nia thinking the same, cause then she asks, “How come Momma so different now?”

Granddaddy sits up, just a little. “What you mean, different?”

“Well, she’s still beautiful and smart for sure. And I get the serious part, definitely. But funny? Tough? That don’t sound much like the Momma we know.”

“Well, she can be funny when she wanna be,” I cut in, remembering the funny notes she wrote on that homemade wrapping paper years ago.

“Hold on nah, you don’t think your momma is tough?” Granddaddy asks, now sittin’ all the way up. “After all that she’s been through, I’m surprised she’s still standing.”

“What has she been through?” Nia takes the opportunity to ask. “You just mean what happened to Daddy, or something else?”

Granddaddy looks at me again, this time with a face that says, See what happens when you tell secrets? “Nia—” Granddaddy starts, but just then, our food arrives. We all sit there quiet while our waiter sets down full, hot plates in front of each of us. Once he walks away, Granddaddy talks again, not even bothering to look at his food.

“What is it that yawl girls want?” We don’t say nothin’, but Granddaddy ain’t easily fooled. “C’mon now, I know yawl want somethin’. I could tell from the minute we got here that yawl had a plan. So gon’ ’head. Spill it.” Granddaddy takes a big bite of his food and chews slowly while he waits for us to talk.

Nia stuffs a bite of quesadilla in her mouth and looks at me. I look back at her and shrug. Maybe it’s time to just tell Granddaddy the truth. Nia’s still looking at me, so now I nod.

“We want to stay here,” Nia whispers once she finishes chewing, not making eye contact with Granddaddy.

“Speak up, girl,” Granddaddy replies. “You know I can’t understand you when you mumble.”

This time, I jump in, louder. “We wanna stay here, with you, Granddaddy.”

“In Lansing,” Nia finishes, then we both look at Granddaddy at once.

“Oh,” Granddaddy says eventually, like maybe we caught him off guard. “But what about yawl Momma?”

“We want her to live here with you, too,” Nia says quickly. “We think it would be perfect for all of us!” Nia pauses mid-excitement. “That is, if you have enough space, and want us to stay and stuff.” Now Nia looks back down at the table. Granddaddy reaches cross the table and places his finger underneath her chin, tipping her head up so she’s looking right at him.

“Of course I want you to stay.” Granddaddy smiles, Nia smiles, I smile. “It’s just”—Granddaddy leans back into the booth—“I don’t know if your momma is gon’ want to stay here, with me.”

“Don’t worry, Granddaddy,” I say, “we have a perfect plan to get Momma here. And once she’s here, the first thing you gotta do is apologize.” I give Granddaddy a look that I hope says, I know what you did. “I know you can make her forgive you, I just know it.”

“How do you know that, huh?” Granddaddy asks, voice strained. “I really hurt her. I don’t know if she’s ever gon’ be able to forgive me. I don’t even know if she should.”

This time, it’s Nia who reaches cross the table and lifts Granddaddy’s dipped chin. “She’ll forgive you,” Nia says. “Daddies make mistakes, but it don’t change that special thing between a daddy and his daughter. Ain’t nothing that can change that.”

I rest my hand on Nia’s thigh and squeeze, just a little, to let her know I’m proud. Maybe she ain’t get her chance to forgive Daddy, but now she got a chance to keep Momma from making the same choice. Nia’s right—daddies make mistakes. And the hurt they cause, that can’t be undone. But how they try to make up for those mistakes is important, too. Like Granddaddy, being here for Momma when she needs him. As I think bout all that Granddaddy’s done for us this summer, I realize, it looks a whole lot like working hard for her forgiveness.