Page 59 of For Love & Torture
Chapter 26
Grant
One day later
Sitting in the visiting area of the prison my father has put himself in, I wait for him to arrive. I have no idea how he will take what I have to tell him. I have no idea if it will change him at all. But I have got to try. I did make promises after all.
I see an orange suit as the door opens and my father shuffles out to meet me. My heart is thumping hard in my chest as I hurry to him and throw my arms around him. “Dad, I love you. I’ve missed you so much.”
A lump has formed in my throat, and a tear gets away from me. But I forge ahead.
I let him go and we walk to sit at the picnic table I’d been seated at. The guard stands back, giving us some privacy. I lean my forearms on the table, clasping my hands as he looks at me. “Dad, Mom’s been communicating with me. She told me you’re innocent.”
Tears spring to his eyes and flow down his cheeks.
His lips are dry, and his jaw cracks when he opens his mouth. “Why?” his voice is weak and rough from not being used for so long.
I look at him for a long time then tears break free and run down my face. I cannot believe this is happening. The man hasn’t spoken in years. And I can’t believe I took me so damn long to do this. “You spoke.”
With a nod, he says, “Yes. Why?”
“She came to ask me to help you, is why. She told me you’re innocent and I want to hear that from you as well. You see, her body is being brought out of her grave as we speak and the coroner is going to do an autopsy to determine if she was suffering from anything. We have reason to believe her stomach was an issue. Do you know anything about that, Dad?” I use a gentle tone and reach out to put my hand on his. “She wants us to help you. You know Mom. What she wants, she gets.”
“Cancer,” he lets me know. Then he runs his hand over his stomach. “Here. Female parts, you know?”
With a nod, my eyes droop as I feel even sadder about my mother’s passing. “I hate that she didn’t tell us she was suffering. And I hate that you guys didn’t tell me about it. I’d have taken her to see the best doctors in the world. She might have been saved if you’d told me.”
“Too late.” He seems to be grasping at the right words to say. It has been so long since he’s said anything. It’s to be expected I guess. “No more time.”
“Well, that’s the past, and we can’t change that. But we can change the future.” I take both his hands and make him look me in the eyes. “Did you cut her wrist, Dad? Was it you who ended her life? Or did she do that to herself?”
His eyes dart back and forth as he seems to be thinking about that time with deep concentration. “It was her,” he finally whispers. “I couldn’t do it for her.”
Finally, he admits the truth.
I sigh heavily. “I’m getting a lawyer to get you out of here. And then I’m getting you the mental help you’ve needed since this began.”
“I can’t go home,” he blurts out. “I can’t see that house. I can’t.”
And maybe I’ve just stumbled upon the real reason he took the blame for something he didn’t do. He didn’t want to go back to the house they shared for so many years without his wife, his true love.
“Not to worry. You’ll be staying with me,” I assure him. No way will I be leaving him on his own after the years we’ve lost. “I’ll hire a nurse to take excellent care of you, and you’ll have the best mental health professionals money can buy. You don’t have to worry about a single thing, Dad. I will take care of you. I promised Mom I would, and I will uphold that promise.” He gives my hands a gentle squeeze. “I’ll have you out of here as soon as humanly possible, Dad.”
Letting his hands go, I get up and move around the table. Dad stands up too, and I hug him one more time before I have to leave him here in this prison. A place he’s never belonged.
“Grant, don’t be mad at me if I don’t come back to my old self.”
I pull back to look at him, and I see fresh tears have fallen down his cheeks. “Dad, I know you can’t be who you were with Mom. But I know you can be someone. You have four kids who love you. You have a family, Dad. Rotting away in this place isn’t good for anyone. And Mom won’t have it anymore, anyway. I’ll be back soon and spring you. I promise you that. I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too, son.” His eyes are shimmering with tears and his lower lip quivers as he tries desperately to hold back a sob.
With a pat on the back, I try to reassure him, “Dad, this is about to be behind us all. All the pain, all the torturing of our souls we’ve done to ourselves is almost over. I’ll have you out of here as quickly as I can. Hang in there. And just hang on to the love your children and your dead wife have for you. The future is bright now. That dark overcast that’s hovered over us all since that horrible day is about to give way to sunshine. Don’t worry.”
Leaving my father where he is proves to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. But I do it, knowing that when I come back to this place he will be coming home with me for good.
