Page 25 of Crossing the Lines for Love

She rolled her eyes. “What do you want to know?”

“Anything you’re willing to share.”

“Well, I was born and raised in Black Elm. I’m an only child. I started playing lacrosse when I was nine. My goal was to play on one of the professional teams after college, but I suffered a career-ending injury during my senior year. It took a while forme to come to grips with it, but eventually, I got out of my funk. I’m a permanent substitute teacher at Black Elm High School, which happens to be where I went to school, and prior to taking the job at BEU, I coached boys’ lacrosse. There’s not much else to tell.”

“We have a lot in common. I’m also an only child and started playing lacrosse at about the same age. I grew up here, too, and if I hadn’t gone to private school, we probably would’ve crossed paths long ago. I’m sorry about your injury and want to know more about it whenever you’re up to sharing. I can tell how much you love the game by how passionate you are on the field as a coach. I have a five-year-old son who is my namesake, and?—”

I stopped when she began to choke on her tea. “You have what?” she asked when she recovered.

“I have a five-year-old son who we call Deuce.”

I picked up my phone, went to my photos, found the most recent picture of Deuce, and showed it to her.

“He’s adorable and looks just like you.”

“I think he’s a good blend of me and his mother.”

“Speaking of his mother…”

“Obviously, we aren’t together. Honestly, we never really were. She’s still in the Navy and wants to serve until she’s retirement age.”

“Oh. How often does she see your son?”

“Chanice didn’t want children, but when she told me she was pregnant, I asked her to keep him and promised to assume all responsibility for him. She hasn’t given up her rights, but I have full custody.”

“So, she doesn’t see him at all?”

“She hasn’t seen him in person since he was a year old, but she’s asked for pictures a few times since then.”

“Wow, I couldn’t imagine not being in the life of a child I brought into the world.”

“It was hard to understand at first. It wasn’t hard to convince her to keep him, so I thought she might change her mind after carrying him for nine months and giving birth. After she shared how she grew up and the plans she made for her life, I saw it from her perspective and decided not to judge her.”

Before she responded, she looked at me for a moment with wonder. “She’s lucky she got pregnant by a stand-up man. I don’t know many men who would’ve done what you did.”

“My parents have the same sentiment. Do you want children?”

“Four of them, if God blesses me.”

“You didn’t even have to think before you answered. Four, huh?”

“Yep. I know I can’t choose the gender, but I want two boys and two girls, born boy, girl, boy, girl.”

“Damn. I see you have it all planned out.”

“Hopefully, my plans match God’s.”

We ate in silence for a little while. During lacrosse season, I tried to eat healthier, so I ordered blackened catfish, corn, and collard greens for myself. When Aranda visited the restaurant with her parents, she ordered mac ‘n’ cheese, sweet potatoes, collard greens, fried chicken, and cornbread, so I ordered the same for her today.

“Do your parents help you with your son?”

“I wouldn’t be able to go to school or play lacrosse if they didn’t. My dad will probably retire soon, and my mother stopped working years ago at my father’s request.”

“Nice. Both my parents still work. My father owns a construction company, and my mother basically runs the office part of it. They seem to still enjoy their jobs and haven’t said anything about retiring.”

“I bet if you gave them a few grandbabies, those jobs would be in the rearview mirror. It’s something about becoming a grandparent that changes their whole perspective on life.”

“Maybe one day I’ll find out.”

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