Page 32 of Surrender
She called me three or four times a week just to check in or talk. I wasn’t surprised, but at the same time, I was a little disappointed. I was sure my sister told them I was alive and well because I’d spoken to her three times during our stay. When we pulled into the driveway, I could see my mother looking out the window.
Jessa slapped my arm. “Please don’t put me in a position to have to step in. I have to live here.”
“You don’t have to. You could always get your own place. I’ve told you I’d pay your rent as long as you were in school.”
“I know, but it’s lonely living alone. I need human interaction.”
“Get a roommate.”
“You know I don’t like people in my space for too long.”
“You just said—never mind. Come on.”
We exited the car and headed up the front steps of our childhood home. The front door opened, and my mother stood with a slight smile. She hugged my sister and kissed her cheek. When she came to me, she paused for a second before pulling me in for a hug.
“Hey, baby.”
“Hey, Ma.”
She kissed my forehead and grabbed my hand, leading me into the kitchen where my father sat reading the newspaper. Jess walked over to hug him and took a seat. He closed the paper and folded it, placing it on the table. He motioned for me and my mother to take a seat.
“Jacob.”
“Dad.” I sat back and clasped my hands together. “Jess said y’all wanted to see me.”
“Where’s your wife?”
“She went to see her parents.”
“How was the honeymoon?”
“It was everything we hoped it would be. Why are we making small talk, Pops? I’m sure you have something you want to say since you asked me to come here.”
He chuckled. “You’re right. We can get right to it. You ready to apologize for how you spoke to me and your mother at your wedding?”
“Let’s make one thing very clear. I meant what I said. Maybe I could have said it differently, but the sentiment would have been exactly the same. I wasn’t just speaking to you and Mom. I was speaking to her parents as well. Y’all made both of us very uncomfortable.”
He scoffed. “Did you expect a warm welcome, Jacob? You married a stranger. You have no idea what kind of woman you just tied yourself to.”
“Actually, I do. I don’t know everything…yet. But I know she’s kindhearted. I know she’s sweet, and she loves children. I know that she has a relationship with God, and she prayed for this union the same way I did. I know that I love how natural holding her feels. How aligned I feel she is with my spirit. Maybe I don’t know the extent of the woman she is, but I have the rest of my life to figure it out. That is my wife… your daughter-in-law and future mother of your grandchildren. I don’t care what you feel about our marriage, but I won’t tolerate anything less than respect when she’s around.”
His brows furrowed in anger. Jessa and our mother looked between the two of us.
“Daddy, she’s really sweet,” Jessa tried to reason. “They look so happy together.”
My father grunted. “How happy can he be being oblivious? Does she know what you do for a living? How much money you make?”
“She knows my profession, and she’s never asked how much money I make. She makes her own. And this isn’t about money, Dad. But since you want to take it there, my money is her money now. I’ll provide for her because that’s the kind of man I am.”
“So what happens when she takes you for all you’re worth?”
“The chance of that happening would be just as high if I’d married a woman I dated traditionally, Pops. A snake is a snake.”
“The devil you know is always safer than the devil you don’t. Remember that.”
I sighed heavily as I massaged my temples. “How long are we going to do this? Just let me know now. I love you. I respect you, but I’ve already said I’m not gonna keep having this conversation. What’s done is done. Kachelle and I are starting a new life together. I’d hate me seeking happiness on my own terms to ruin our relationship, Pops.”
He didn’t say anything. Instead, he got up and left the table. I shook my head, seeing that this was going to be a long battle. I turned to my mother, who sat quiet as a church mouse. There had never been many instances where my father and I butted heads, but if we did, she was always right there to smooth things over or be the voice of reason.