“Son, I’m gonna tell you a story,” Grampa Zack said, sitting back in his rocker and spreading his legs out. “Back when I was your age, same thing happened to me.”
Matthew squirmed in his chair, eager to get back to his iPhone. He wanted to text Caitlin, not listen to his grandfather’s stories about things that happened back when no one was alive.
“First two weeks, they was the worst. Couldn’t barely get out of bed, didn’t want to eat. Next six weeks, they was pretty bad, consumed by anger and outrage. Month after that, I hated everyone around me. And the next three months, I hardly cracked a smile. But then six months had passed and I started to feel a glimmer of hope, it might be better some day.”
Matthew listened – he didn’t know Granny had dumped Grampa then they’d gotten back together.
“If I hadn’t felt that glimmer of hope, if I hadn’t gone through that pain, I’d never have met your grandmother, and you wouldn’t be here today. Best thing done ever happened to me, son, getting dumped by that Estelle character. She went on a married boy who done got her in a fix, but she didn’t have a single day’s happiness. But me and your granny, well you know how it went.”
Grampa gave him a broad, toothless smile and looked around the porch. “Look round you, ain’t this a house of love? You got to go where you’re wanted, boy.”
Matthew nodded his head, but couldn’t smile. He just knew Caitlin had made a huge mistake, didn’t mean what she said, was just waiting to see what he’d do. He ran off the porch over to the field and texted her.
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