On Purpose

~42~

I felt my hands shaking when I sat on the couch with my dad and Isabelle.
Chrissy wasn't here yet and I was glad, because my dad was currently bouncing his leg nervously as we waited for my mom.
Isabelle's head was resting on my shoulder, her breathing was soft which made me think she was sleeping, so I was cared to move.
"Dad, calm down." I tell him, "I'm the one who should be nervous."
He stops abruptly and looks at me, his expression hard, "I am calm, I'm just mad that she's taking so goddamn long and the game is gonna be on in fourteen minutes!"
I rolled my eyes at that.
"I'm betting on the Cowboys." Says Isabelle, which shocked me since I thought she was sleeping.
"You'll be broke by the end of the night, the Green Bay will tear them apart!" My dad shot at her, making her head shook up from my shoulder.
"We'll see about that, you old man."
"Old man?! Listen here short bob, I am not old, and just because you're my son's girlfriend doesn't mean I can't put a foot up your-"
I try not to react to my dad saying Isabelle's my girlfriend, which she is, it's just all so new to me it feels...good.
A hard knock came from the front door which stopped Isabelle and my dad's argument.
I stood up and walked over to it. I wanted to look back and make sure everyone was ready, but this wasn't a movie and I was ready to get this out of the way.
I swung the door open and on the porch stood my mom. Her hair was in two braids. She wore a bright pink coat and white jeans.
"Hi, Oliver." She said with a soft smile but I could see the guilt in it too.
"Hi mom." I said, opening the door for her to come in.
Me calling her mom made her smile the biggest she's ever smiled. Walked inside and I showed her to the living room where Isabelle and my dad were already standing up and waiting for us.
"Hi Ethan." She said to my dad.
"Hello Alice." He replied.
Her eyes landed on Isabelle.
"This is my girlfriend, Isabelle." I said, walking me to Isabelle and held her hand.
"I know you, Parker talks about you a lot."
Isabelle nods and shakes my mom's hand.
"Good things, I hope." I look at her when she whispers. "That's a lie, I was really bad in school."
I held in my laugh and she smiled at me.
"Oliver-"
I shake my head, I don't really care for an explanation. I'm not dead and she's not dead or dying, I don't need the long story, all that matters is I'm happy. I have the love of my life and my parents. That's all that truly matters to me.
"It's okay, mom, you're here now."
She smiled, a few tears shining in her eyes.
"Thank you." She said softly, a bit too softly. I still heard her, even her voice cracking.
Isabelle nudged me and I step forward and wrap my arms around my mom. She shook a little, but she didn't sob how I did when I hugged Isabelle today.
"Thank you." She says again.

][}{][

Isabelle I got ready to leave. My coat was being zipped up when my mom ran up to me just as Isabelle opened the door.
"Oliver, wait." She said and stops in front of me, losing some weird book.
"I wanted to give you this on the day I left. It was your grandmother's."
She placed the book in my hand. It was plain black with the letter S in the middle.
"It's his diary." She smiled then kissed my cheek.
"You two get home safely." With one last look, she was gone back into the living room with my dad.
Isabelle took my hand, her little pink glove wrapping around my uncovered one.
I held her hand tighter.
"I'm tired." I tell her.
"Me too."

][}{][

The car ride home was filled with singing the boring songs on the radio. Or should I say, Isabelle sang the boring songs on the radio.
Once we kicked our shoes off at the door, she looks up at me.
"I'll steal a shirt from you, I'm gonna shower."
I kissed her as an answer as she walks upstairs for her shower. I sat at my table and looked at the diary.
"For a man who used computers more than books, I'm shocked." I said to the diary with a laugh. I know my grandfather is staring at me with an over exaggerated eye roll.
I flip the book open and scan this writing. The dates go back to before I was even born. I flip to the very last page.

July 17, 2004

I hate writing in this piece of shit thing, but my pops told me to keep writing. So I'll do it. It was his dying wish anyways. I'm dying, no harm in that, any old beat up man like me would be jumping for joy at death. I'm just worried about my grandson, my only grandson. I don't know why Ethan had to go around and screw with Alison Hooper. Damn, she was nothing but trouble when Ethan was growing up. I have a feeling they'll be getting a divorce and it'll break my little Oliver. That's his name. I don't really talk about my grandson because I didn't want to grow attached to him. I knew I'd miss him terribly and I'm like a walking time bomb. Ready to go off any second.
I know my wife can feel my death coming, and I know she isn't ready. I wouldn't be ready if that old hag had her due date too, but sometimes you have to suck it up. That's what I tell Liver; never force something that isn't meant to be, if it happens, let it be. If I didn't bump into Mary at Shay's diner, Ethan wouldn't be hear with his huge head, and my little Liver wouldn't be here either, so I find purpose of my life. I see my reason for life, but my job here is done, so I'll be leaving now. Now my grandson can find love and maybe I'll live on through memories and laughter of the crazy stories they'll tell about me. Just maybe Mary will stay long enough to see Liver grow up to be that young and dumb man I said he'll be. I hope he will.
Anyways, I better put this pen down before this crazy wife of mine ask me why I'm not in bed.

QS

I ran my hand over the paper and read it over again.
I stared at the blank page next to it and quickly fished for a pen from my pocket.
I know my grandpa is okay, so I won't write anything specific to him, he wrote about his life and the purpose he had. The people he had who thought about him every second. He had everything and more. So I wrote something simple. I wrote this.

July 19, 2024

I'm not perfect, I'm nowhere near perfect. I'm not rich, I'm not the hottest man in the world, but I can tell you want I am. I am a man who learned to love, I am a man who got heartbroken on my favorite holiday. I am a man who found his purpose, a man who learned that it's okay to be young and dumb and to give all of your heart to the ones who matter. I learned to forgive and forget. I learned to go far, but not too far where I forget who I am.
I'm not rich, I'm not the hottest man in the world, but I'm enough and enough is enough for me.