# Aaron Meets Granddad
C> ***Saturday, July 26, 1997***
C> **Granddad**
Setting foot in the home where my first love raised our daughter, I could feel Vanessa's energy throughout the house. Taking a moment to look at family photos adorned all over the living room, I smiled as I saw my daughter's growth from infancy into adolescence. Noticeably, there were no pictures of Vanessa with Etta together with Aaron, but there were plenty with Aaron and either his mother or his grandmother. I looked forward to the day when our other grandson would be added to Etta's family photos although I wished my daughter could be in them, too.
"Curtis, thank you for everything. Allowing you to help me take care of our daughter without direct contact was not my idea. That was the only way Amos would let me keep Vanessa. I never thought we would be planning *her* funeral. I know I don't say thank you enough and I'm sorry for ever refusing help from you." Hearing Etta's words of apology touched my heart. I never believed she wanted me out of Vanessa's life or else she wouldn't have ever reached out to me whenever Vanessa needed anything. Not that Etta or Vanessa had to look far to find me. After Etta told me she was pregnant, I bought the house that I gave to Vanessa. By the time I signed the deed over to my daughter, the house was paid in full. I never wanted any of my family to worry about their necessities. I felt the least I could do was provide shelter, allowing them to have one less worry in their lives.
"A parent should never have to bury their child," I said as I commiserated with Etta at her kitchen table. "As much as I wished that I could have had a larger presence in Vanessa's life, I'm just thankful for what time I had with her."
Looking mournful, Etta choked back tears. "You've only seen her in pictures or from a distance. She was such a beautiful spirit, good-hearted and giving. She would've made the Crew proud."
"About the Crew... and Vanessa..." I was interrupted when the vibration of a booming bass system approaching the cul-de-sac marked Aaron's return home. Etta quickly kissed my cheek before returning to the living room. Within earshot of their conversation, I grinned in anticipation of meeting my daughter's oldest twin son. Upon hearing Aaron call Etta "Big Mama", I noted how much he sounded like me at his age.
Allowing Etta and Aaron time alone before my introduction, I quietly sipped my sweet tea as I sat in Etta's kitchen. Looking around the room, I imagined Vanessa running around with her older sisters, helping Etta with Sunday dinner, doing her homework with help from...
"Amos..." Directly across from the stove was a family picture with Etta, Vanessa, Etta's other three daughters, and Etta's husband, Amos. Sitting in the center with Vanessa on his lap, I was dismayed that it wasn't me in the photo. "You were a blessed man when you found Etta. I hope you loved her twice as much as I do!"
My ears perked up when I heard Etta say "Grandpa Amos ain't ya Mama's daddy." Straightening myself, I took a deep breath as I expected Aaron to explode in shock and anger at his grandmother. Instead, I listened intently as my First Love shared the story of our daughter's conception. To hear it from Etta's point of view gave me a different perspective of how Vanessa grew up. I could only imagine her stepfather's disdain for her existence knowing that *I* was her biological father. Etta believed in fidelity. So much so that she was insistent on me being monogamous with her, knowing that I could never grant her that wish. I never imagined Etta's torment about cheating on her husband with me although she had confessed to me on several occasions after discovering her young husband's side pieces during her pregnancies until the day he left her. Never one to hide my activity while also not broadcasting it, I respected Etta's request to keep my connection to Vanessa a secret from the world. Now that her husband was dead, Etta and I agreed that it was time to tell our grandsons the truth about their mother.
