"Hey daddy, I missed you so much!" I hugged him as soon as he opened the door. "Happy father's day. We got you something."
"Slow down on me baby girl." He lowly chuckled. "I missed you too! How's my favorite two young ladies doing?" He asked.
"We're great." I tried to ignore the fact that I wanted to break down and cry. "How are you doing?" I handed him the gift.
"Oh, I'm good. Living life!" He pointed to Raegan. "Pick her up for me and sit her on my lap when I sit down."
I nodded. "This chemo's really getting you ain't it?" I asked.
"You can say that." He said walking over to his chair in the corner. He patted his lap and Raegan walked over and sat in it. "Hey grandpa." She said. Fiddling with her fingers.
"Heyy! How's my favorite granddaughter?" He asked.
"Your not supposed to have favorites grandpa!" she said.
"I know darling, but I do. You're my favorite grandchild as a matter of fact. The other ones think they're too good for me. Guess that's apart of being Charles Clark. The grandfather of five grandkids, in which three are rich and belongs to your oldest son that hates you with everything in him."
"Dad... It's okay. Just know me and Raegan is and always will he be here for you."
"You know that me and your momma.. We went out for lunch the other day and he showed up, picked her up and left me there at the table by myself, looking stupid." He laughed to himself.
He coughed into his balled up fist, before he ran his other hand along his head. "Dad, oh my god. You have hair falling out." I panicked.
He nodded. "Yeah, I know. That's apart of it.. Next, ima get real sick, and suffer, until it's all over. Look. Both of you.. I don't want no funeral you hear?... Just find a box I would be able to fit in, dig up the ground in that shape and put me there... Just make sure it's somewhere you remember you put me. I don't want a tombstone, I don't deserve it."
I ran out of the front door and sat in the swing. "Ro!" I heard Kevin from a distance. What's he doing here?
He walked up to me, sat down, and stared. I looked at him, he motioned for me to speak.
"Kevin.. He's dying and I don't know what to do. After what he did, and as many times as we clashed when I was a teenager it's been him, the only one there for me since Raegan was born. He's the only one I can really talk to. Me hating him all of those years, saying mean and nasty things about and to him and it wasn't even his fault why he left us. It was my mom all along that'd driven him away, yes he cheated and had two other children, I don't like that, that's the main thing I didn't like, but thinking back on the times I'd hear them argue.. My mom was always doing the yelling. He talked quietly and i'd remember after almost every argument he would agree to do something. He'd be like okay, I'll do it can you just stop doing this right now."
"I think you should stop stressing out about it. I'm not saying not to care, or be worried about it, just stop stressing yourself. Put this in gods hands! Your father is a strong man."
"Don't tell me to stop stressing out. How am I not? I'm the only one that comes and checks on him. His sisters and other kids, or ex wives don't do shit for him! They can't even pick up the phone to say hey so-"
"Chill out." He said. "I understand what you'-" There was a loud thump and scream. Kevin jumped up and ran into the house, I followed. "Oh my god. Mr. Clark... Mr. Clark, sir!" Kevin bent down beside him.
Nobody
Kevin was checking for a pulse as Raegan ran to Roniah and jumped in her arms and they cried together.
"What The Hell Are Y'all Doing? Call A Fucking Ambulance!!" Kevin cried. "He's Barley Breathing And Blood's Coming From His Head, And Mouth." He got up and ran to a phone and called himself. He ran back into the living room where Roniah was holding her dads face in her hands, literally. He was face down. "Come On Kevin! We Have To Take Him To The Hospital!" She yelled at him.
"Put his fucking face down right now, Roniah. The way you picked it up but more slow, and gently." He gritted, tears falling from his face. She did as he'd told her to do before she got up and in his face, she shoved him and started hitting him. "I fucking hate you!! You just want my dad to lay there and die? He didn't do shit to you!! You dumb ass mother fucker! Trying to te-" He grabbed her arms and pulled her into a hug. She kept trying to fight him. "You really doing this in front of our daughter?" Kevin mumbled loudly. Raegan screaming and crying. "You could end up doing something or moving him wrong and he could die from choking on his blood or something. Now, the paramedics are on their way, if I let you go and you put your hands on me one more time, or start acting crazy i'm picking my daughter up from this floor and we're leaving. She doesn't need to see any extra crazy shit. She didn't even need to see what she saw, but she did and there is nothing we can do about that, but this.. Yes, so stop your bullshit." He kissed her forehead and then slowly released her. No sooner than that the paramedics came and quickly took him. Roniah road in the truck with him. Raegan and Kevin followed. "Is he gong to be okay, daddy?" She finally spoke.
"I hope so, baby. You're grandfather is a strong man." He said wiping his face. "You know.. He's a really good man, and nobody besides, me, him and now you know this, and I'll eventually tell your mother, but when I was your mom's teacher, her dad didn't like my like me. He didn't even know anything about what was going on between us, but he didn't like me. When I went to prison, my second year, my dad told me that hers wanted to talk to me, and he gave me his number and all, and told me to let him know if I contact him so he can know what he dad wanted. I contacted him privately without letting anyone know. After that he started paying me visits about five times a month. We'd just talk, he'd give me some advice and stuff on how to keep a daughter happy, and I think I'm doing one hell of a job. What do you think?"
"If one hell of a job means doing good. Yes." She smiled. Kevin shook his head and laughed. "Thank you.. And the only reason you got away with that ome is because what's going on. Just don't say it again. Hell is a bad word except when it's used in the bible, or in a way, let's say that someone is going to hell for a very bad person, and diso-"
"I know dad. Sorry." She said. "Good." Kevin nodded.
~~~~~~
They finally arrived at the hospital and rushed Charles to the back to work on him.
~~~~~~~~~~~ Thoughts?
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