Racing Home

When I parked across the street from my grandparent's house, I felt a heaviness on my chest as I walked past their gate towards Jade's front yard. I believe it was the suspense when I was going to see them in a few weeks. I rang the doorbell, within a few seconds, the front door opened. I looked down to see a young girl present, not more than ten years old.

"Mum, Jade's boyfriend, is here!" The young girl yelled.

Jade appeared from nowhere, running towards the young girl trying to put on her stilettoes. "You are so dead, Elizabeth!" Jade screamed. The young girl ducked past her, disappearing into one of the rooms. Jade stepped outside, pulling the front door to close.

You could still hear the young girl inside. "Jade is right; her new boyfriend is hot."

I tried not to laugh.

Jade's face went red. She grabbed me from the hand and pulled me towards the gate. "Let's go."

I won't get into too many details about my first date with Jade, but I can say it was one of the best days of my life. We carried on seen each other every day. I did become a regular customer at the hotel's restaurant, mainly in the morning for breakfast. Jade covers the early shifts, as she is doing a full-time course at university. Her dream is to become a solicitor. She wants to follow in her father's footsteps. Between Jade and I, we have a love for similar movies and music. That could be due to the reason that we have a year age difference. She's one year younger than me. Her hobbies are reading and long walks. She is not into fast cars, but I'm working on that. Our future is too early to know. I know that I am very fond of her, and I hope she is also.

By the end of the week, it will be three weeks we have been dating. Also, my grandparents will be coming back from their holiday. I haven't told Jade yet that they are my grandparents, as I don't know how it will work out when introducing myself to them. I guess she will know soon enough.

Chapter 16

The day my grandparents came back from their holiday. Things didn't work out as I had planned. The little white lie I told Jade when I first met her had backfired on me.

It was late afternoon on Monday. I was still at the garage, working on a classic Mercedes. I had spent half of the day taking off and fitting new track rod ends. The majority of the time, I was struggling to take off the old ones. It was supposed to be finished by five, but it took me much longer to get it ready. My original plan was to be out of the garage by five and meet with Jade by six. I was going to tell her then about my relationship with Mr and Mrs Porter. That was the plan before I introduced myself to them. I should have told her earlier, but I can't change the situation now.

With the car reversed over the garage pit, I made the last adjustments on the rods. There was the sound of a car pulling up in front of the garage. I didn't take much notice of it until the loud slamming of its door. Heavy footsteps marching in my direction made me look.

"Why did you lie to me?" It was Jade.

I put down the spanners I was working with and climbed out of the pit. Jade was not too delighted to see me; the expression on her face showed it. "Let me explain to you," I said.

"Explain what, Michael." her eyes were moist. She was upset. "You lied to me. You don't even know Mr and Mrs Porter!" she yelled.

I turned away. I didn't dare to look at her in the eyes. "Please, give me a chance to explain," I pleaded.

There was the sound of more car doors closing. I turned to see who it was. An elderly couple approached Jade. The lady stopped by Jade's side and put a cardigan over her shoulders. I didn't see the ladies face as there wasn't much light illumination where Jade was standing. The gentleman advanced towards me. He was big, like a rugby player with broad shoulders. When I looked at him, I saw my mother's eyes.

I turned to my side, resting the palms of my hands on the Mercedes bonnet. I leaned forward and stared at the cars chrome emblem. "Let me explain," I repeated.

The gentleman, which I presumed was my grandfather, was only a few feet away from me. In a deep clear voice, he said, "Do you know how much grief you have caused this young lady by lying to her?"

From the moment my mother told me my grandparents were alive. I have been playing different scenarios in my head on what to say to them. Now that I have them in front of me, I'm speechless.

"My husband asked you a question, young man. Do we need to call the police to get some answers? Why were you sneaking around our property?"

I turned to face them. Jade and the lady were standing next to the gentleman. My eyes misted up. She was the spitting image of my mother but more aged. There was an unexpected change in the lady's face. From anger, it turned to sadness. She raised her hand and pointed her index finger towards my chest.

"Oh, my God. Where did you get that crucifix which is around your neck?" The lady asked.

I raised my hand to my chest, clutching the cross. I held it tight. "It was a gift from my mother," I said.

On the back, it says. 'To our loving daughter Francis.' The lady said. She was waiting in anticipation for confirmation.

I checked the small gold object, verifying with a nod that the words she told me were engraved on the inside of the cross. Jade and the lady raised their hands to their mouths, both of them shaken up. The old boy, on the other hand, was a tough cookie. He wasn't too convinced. Once I showed them a photo of my mother and me together, he was satisfied as well. It didn't take long for his eyes to mist up.

My grandmother was assured that I was her grandson. She embraced me, kissing me on the cheeks, then the crucifix. She continuously said, "Thank you, God, for this day." Her tears were running down her cheeks. Jade rubbed her back, comforting her. Looking at me, Jade smiled, and with the movement of her lips, she said, "I love you."

Moses was in his office. When he heard all the commotion in the garage, he rushed out to see what was happening. After I explained to him everything and why I was in Brentwood, he nodded his head. "This all makes sense now. A person of your knowledge does not belong in a small garage like this. That is why you stayed in Brentwood." Moses said.

I introduced him to my grandparents. Moses praised me as one of the best mechanics to work in his garage. I'm sure my grandfather seemed a foot taller than when I first saw him. My grandmother's smile glimmered. After been lauded by Moses. He gave me the next day off. When I tried to protest, he said, "Enjoy the time with your family."

My grandparents insisted to take me home to their house, but I told them that I would go to the hotel to freshen up first. Jade would not leave my side.

I drove like a maniac back to the hotel. Thank God Jade was with me, nagging me to slow down. The police would have indeed stopped me from speeding if she wasn't with me. I had a quick shower, but getting dressed was time-consuming. Jade wouldn't keep her hands off me. "I told you to wait in the lobby. I knew this would happen," I laughed while she tried to tickle me.

We eventually got to my grandparents. When I entered their cottage, instantly, I felt at home. Family photos covered the walls--most of them of my mother when she was in her teens. I studied each photograph, Jade, by my side, holding my hand tightly. Tears began to run down my cheeks.

"It was a stupid argument. Stubbornness, that's what it was." My grandmother said. She came next to me, staring at the photos.

When I turned, my grandfather was standing at a distance. I could see his lower lip trembling.

"I've prepared something for us to eat," My grandmother said. She led us to the dining room. A round oak table was set up for four people: plates, soup bowls, cutlery and glasses. The works, it was like a table set up in a high-class restaurant.

I couldn't take my eyes off my grandfather.

"Come on, Michael, take a seat." My grandmother said. "Jade and I will bring the food from the kitchen."

My grandfather and I responded to my grandmother's order simultaneously, taking a seat opposite each other. Yes, my grandfather's name is Michael. My mother named me after him. Until the ladies came back, we both sat in silence. My grandfather was staring down at the tablecloth while I scanned the room at the pictures on the walls.

"It was my fault," he said.

I snapped my head around to face him. I just stared at him. I didn't know what to say.

"Your mother wasn't to blame. It was all my fault. I should have listened to her. We should have talked. Now my grandson is a stranger to me." His lower lip began to tremble.

Before I could respond, the ladies were back with the food. My grandfather and I helped them to put the plates on the table. Before he could retrieve his hand, I put my hand over his. "You're not to blame," I said. "I've brought my laptop with me. After we've eaten, we'll call mom on Facetime to speak to her." He smiled.

The food was exquisite for a short time it took to be prepared. When I complimented my grandmother for the delicious food, she had cooked. She confessed that it was something she had pre-cooked and had in the freezer. After our meal, I insisted on helping with cleaning the table. The ladies wouldn't let me clear anything. Jade beat me to the sink when I went to do the washing up. She wanted to give my grandparents and me some time alone.

There I was with my grandparents in their living room. My grandmother was asking me questions about mum and me. She wanted to know how our life had been for the last twenty years. It took my grandfather a while to open up. When he started to apologise, again. My grandmother said, "Let's not dwell on the past, honey." My grandfather was a big man. He was double the size of my grandmother, but you could see that she was the boss in the house. She had a lot of respect for my grandfather, and they seemed to love each other very much.

It was nine when Jade emerged with a tray of beverages. As she put the drinks on the coffee table, I pulled my laptop out of the messenger bag, setting it up in front of us. "Are you both ready to speak to my mum?" I asked.

My grandmother began to stroke her hair back, trying to fix it even though it was perfect. Once she was ready, she turned to my grandfather. "Are you ready, love?" she asked him.

"Are you ok, Grandad?" I asked him before opening the laptop lid.

He took a deep breath and nodded.

I fired up the device. Once it was ready, I pressed the Facetime icon. The ringing chime began. She answered on the second chime.

"Hi, mum," I said.

She was quiet.

"You'll never guess where I am, mum?"

I turned the laptop around to face my grandparents. For a moment, they both stared at the screen in silence. Mum was quiet as well. Like they were one, my grandparents raised a hand and stroked the screen on the device.

"Francis, honey, how are you?" My grandmother said.

"I'm doing well, mum. How are you and dad?" I wasn't facing the screen, but I could hear the emotion in mums voice.

"Oh, honey, we miss you so much. Francis, sweetheart," Grandad said. "I want to apologise."

Jade and I left the room to let my grandparents speak with mum. They talked for a good half-hour. When we returned to the room, both my grandparent's faces were sparkling. The Facetime screen was off.

My grandfather said, "The screen just went blank."

"The internet mum has is not very good," I said. Frank must have got home from the pub, so mum switched off the IPad.

We stayed a while longer before Jade and I left. Jade surprised me by asking me if she could stay with me for the night. I won't get into too many details, but we got to sleep in the early hours of the morning. It was a long day. I was out cold after the third round.

Chapter 17

Life was turning around for me. My grandparents put everything on hold in their life. Moses eventually gave me a week off instead of one day to spend some time with my family. My Grandmother insisted that I stay with them, but I didn't want to intrude into their life so suddenly. I used the excuse that I had already prepaid a week in advance at the hotel.

Every morning after having breakfast, I would go straight to my grandparents and spend the day with them. I would see Jade at the restaurant to have my full English breakfast and late in the evening. During the day, she had her studies and university.

My grandparents were both retired, but they were very active pensioners. They helped at the local church with charity work. My Grandmother, Maria, assisted at the food bank with families who needed help. Grandfather, Michael was a professional photographer before he retired. He has a shop in Brentwood, which was his studio. Now he uses it as a workshop to teach amateur photographers the trade--all free of charge.

This week was an extension to the month they had in Spain. We would sit and converse for hours. I had so many questions to ask them about them. The feeling was mutual; they wanted to know more about my mother and me. I told them all the positive things about my life, leaving the part with Frank, as I didn't want to distress them. I guess this is something they would find out about shortly. They were eager to go to Enfield to see mum, but mum and I kept stalling it. We all chatted every day on Facetime. I agreed with mum to call her in the morning before she went to work. It was good because, at that time, Frank was at work. I think they have suspicions about what's going on, but they haven't said anything to me yet.

My Grandmother always tells me to respect Jade and any other young lady and not to mistreat women. They are very fond of Jade; they adore her. She is always helping them with chores around the house and shopping journeys for them.

On one occasion, the three of us were in the kitchen. My Grandmother was chopping up some greens, prepping them for boiling. I was sitting on one of the kitchen stalls near her. Grandad, buried behind his newspaper, was busy reading.

Out of the blue, I said, "Jade stayed at the hotel last night. I don't know." before I could finish my conversation, my Grandmother cut me off.

She turned to me, putting the kitchen knife down on the chopping board; she pointed her index finger at me and said. "You respect that young lady, young man."

Still, behind his paper, grandad responded, "You listen to your grandmother, Michael."

I looked at both of them in turn first before I answered. "What I was going to say. I don't know if Jade feels the same way I think about her. What do you think, Grandmother?"

"What do you think? You men are all the same, blind to what is going on around you." my Grandmother responded.

My Grandfather folded the newspaper and put it down on the kitchen table. He said, "Here we go, you've triggered her off now. She's going to tell us one of her stories when we first met." He chuckled. Grandmother and I joined in.

The week was over. I went back to work. Moses was glad to see me, as the business had picked up. My grandparents insisted I stay with them. They made a few changes in the guest room, making it more homecoming for me. When I moved in, they fitted a flat-screen tv on the wall while I was at work. I protested, but it was a no-win challenge. Grandad went to the workshop with his students and Grandmother to her charity responsibilities. She would make sure when her two favourites males finished work, they would have a lovely hot meal waiting for them at home.

Three weeks had gone by since I met my grandparents. Life was good. The only thing that was missing was mum. I couldn't bear the thought of how much mental abuse she was subjected to by Frank. I'm sure my grandparents saw the sadness in my eyes when they mentioned her or when we called her. The final straw came when mum stopped calling us or answering her Facetime. She would telephone us instead, claiming that she dropped her Ipad and the screen cracked. The telephone calls went on for a few days; my grandparents insisted on visiting my mother, but on the other hand, they didn't want to be forceful towards her.

I had to say something, talk to someone. I was going crazy from worry. It was late on Saturday night when I broke down. Jade and I were out for a drink. It was late; I was very reserved towards Jade all evening, but not with the alcohol in my glass. It was after midnight when we left the bar. I insisted on driving us back home. Jade commanded on taking a taxi after seeing how much alcohol I had consumed. I tried to win the argument, but I gave up when I noticed I was wrong. Jade kept her distance from me in the taxi ride back to her house. I would spend the night at Jade's tonight as her parents and sister were away for the weekend. When we got home, Jade paid the taxi driver before I could respond to pay him. She got out of the car and marched towards her front gate. I jumped out behind her.

"Wait, let me talk to you!" I called out as I was staggering to keep up with her.

She turned and looked at me before she talked, "Look at you. You can barely stand." She took a deep breath. "All evening, I was invisible to you because you were busy cradling your drink, and now you want to talk." She turned, opened the gate and started walking to the front door. "It's better you go home. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Please, Jade," I responded in a whisper.

She heard me in the quietness of the night. "This better be worth it, Michael.

Ten minutes later, I was sitting at her kitchen table with a cup of black coffee in front of me. I had both my hands wrapped around the cup, feeling the warmth of the porcelain, looking at my reflection in the brown liquid.

She stood at a distance from me, besides the counter, with her beverage in her hand. "I'm all ears, Michael!" She came straight to the point.

That is when I revealed my life story to Jade. The only thing that was missing was the violin music in the background. I didn't notice her near me. That is until she sat opposite me and put her hand on top of mine until I finished talking.

"You have to tell your grandparents as soon as possible," Jade said.

"I can't now. It's two in the morning." I responded.

She got up, strolled over and sat on my lap. She wrapped her hands around my neck and kissed me on the lips. "No, silly, you tell them in the morning." She then looked up at the ceiling. "Now we go upstairs." She bit my bottom lip giving it a little tug.

The next day we were having lunch at my grandparents. Once lunch was over, Jade kept on looking at me and gesturing with facial expressions to say something. My Grandmother saw her first, and then my Grandfather caught on as well.

"Is everything OK, Jade," my Grandmother said.

"Are you going to say something, Michael!" Jade screamed.

"Say what?" my grandparents said in synchronisation.

I started telling them everything. The story became intense when Frank came into our life. My Grandmother put her hand over her mouth in shock, but grandad took it harder; he got up and started marching up and down the dining room, saying and showing with hand gestures what he would do to Frank when he saw him.

"Michael, calm down and sit down," my Grandmother said to my grandad.

"I wasn't there for my daughter when she needed me. It's not going to happen again." He went marching out of the house towards his car. We all chased after him with jackets in hand, including his blazer.

Eventually, we took my car. Jade and my Grandmother were seated in the back. Grandad and I, in the front. I was driving, and being honest; I am surprised my Grandfather didn't tell me to pull over to take over the driving. Hearing that I was thrown out of my house, grandad became furious.

"Michael, your blood pressure," my Grandmother said.

That comment fueled him up more. "You'll see blood pressure when I meet that little weasel, who likes to prey on defenceless women."