Mack Daddy(78)

“You just told me you’re gonna let me knock you up. I would say the right moment was probably a year ago. I’m late.”

She covered her mouth in shock. “Oh, my God. Is this really happening?”

Getting down on one knee, I looked up at her. “Frankie Jane…thank you for giving me joy. You were the first person to ever bring it into my life. True joy left me when we were apart. But it’s back. Will you marry me and let me knock you up…whichever comes first?”

She waved her hands in excitement. “Yes!!”

After I slipped the one-and-a-half carat diamond on her finger, she looked down at her hand and shook her head in apparent disbelief. “Part one and part two are a lot different, aren’t they?”

Looping her fingers in mine, I said, “What are you talking about?”

“I feel like our relationship can be divided into two parts. Our time in college is like part one. It was fun and about self-discovery. It was even innocent…aside from the fact that you had a girlfriend. Part two has been challenging. We had to reacquaint ourselves with each other to find that old connection again but also had to deal with new obstacles.”

“You chose the more difficult road when you picked me. That’s for sure.”

“Sometimes, the more difficult road leads to the greatest destination. Part two is a lot harder, but the rewards have been greater than I could’ve ever imagined. Easier isn’t always better. I would choose part two with you and Jonah any day.”

I suddenly lifted her up and carried her over to the bed.

“What are you doing?” She laughed.

“I’d like to get started on part three.”





ONE YEAR LATER


I couldn’t sleep for shit. The excitement of what was going to be happening tomorrow was keeping me up. I impulsively grabbed a pen and paper from my nightstand and began writing something that I’d been debating for a while.



Dear Freddie,



You don’t know me, and I’m not even going to tell you my name. But I’ve felt compelled to write you for a very long time now.

I know that you know you have a daughter. What you likely don’t know is the kind of person she is or what’s become of her. Your daughter is a beautiful human being and the woman I love. You might be wondering how someone good and kindhearted could have come from you. I anticipate you have had a lot of time over the years to think about your past actions, and maybe you regret everything you did in your youth. Maybe you don’t. But, in any case, I’m writing to let you know that you did do one thing right in your life; you brought a selfless, compassionate person into this world.

Your daughter grew up thinking that her father abandoned her, that you didn’t want her. I know the truth wasn’t as simple as that. You were young and got yourself into some shit that you can never take back. She knows now. She was recently told the story about you, and even though she’s decided not to meet you, she’s come to terms with it. My almost nine-year-old son had asked her a long time ago whether she forgave you. That was before she knew the truth. At the time, she told him she needed to get back to him on that question. Last night, she fulfilled her promise to him. She told him that, even though her father had made some mistakes, she did forgive him and used it as a lesson to teach my son forgiveness. She’s a better person than I am, because I’m still working on forgiving my own father for his indiscretions. Anyway, I thought that maybe knowing this might help you sleep better at night, whether you think you deserve that forgiveness or not.

As I sit here writing this, I’m preparing to marry her tomorrow in a small ceremony with just our closest family and friends. You won’t be there to walk her down the aisle. Instead, she’s going to be walking toward me alone. That’s her choice and representative of the strong, independent spirit she’s always had.

I’m not sure if writing this letter is a mistake or not. I’m not even sure what has prompted me to write you tonight. Maybe it’s because, as a father, I truly understand that no matter how many times we f*ck up, the one constant is our love for our children.

I want you to know that you don’t need to worry about your daughter’s well-being. She will always be taken care of and will never want for anything ever again—especially love from a man.

Take care of yourself, and I hope this letter brings you even an ounce of the peace that your daughter has brought to me.



Sincerely, M.M.





THREE YEARS LATER


“Remember those stories you used to tell…the ones about Frankie? How come you don’t write those anymore?”

I love that my son called her Frankie, too.

“I guess real life is more exciting than any adventures that Frankie Four Eyes could possibly have. Frankie Four Eyes married Mackenzie Magic, and they lived happily ever after. The End.”

“You should dig them up and read them to Joy when she can understand,” Jonah said.

“That’s a good idea. Maybe we can bring them back when she’s old enough to comprehend.”

Despite my having boasted about my plans to knock Frankie up, it took us a while to actually conceive. I was scared that it wouldn’t be in the cards for us. But our little miracle was born a little over two years after we got married.