by Imani King
My parents were early risers so I set my alarm clock for seven a.m. and, when it went off what seemed like twenty minutes later, I forced myself out of bed, bleary-eyed and stumbling, to find them. They were in the kitchen - my mother reading the newspaper (so funny, they still read actual newspapers) and my father scrambling eggs.
They both looked up when they saw me.
"Kaden!" My mother exclaimed. "Are you OK?"
I laughed. "Yeah, I'm fine - just wanted to talk to you guys."
My dad glanced down at his watch. "It's barely seven in the morning son, what's going on?"
They were worried, I could feel it. "Don't freak out," I told them, grinning because I couldn't stop myself, "it's nothing bad, nothing's wrong, I didn't get arrested or anything like that. Just - just sit down. I have some news."
My dad doled out the eggs onto three plates and set one down for each of us. Then he sat down at the table and I joined him. Both of them were staring at me. It was unnerving.
"Jesus, you two! Can you stop staring! I said it wasn't a bad thing, OK?"
"Well, yes, Kaden, but you just asked us to sit down and that-"
"Mom! Stop worrying! I know it's kind of your mom-thing, I get that, but seriously, just stop worrying and listen to what I have to say. Can you guys do that?"
My own upbeat mood seemed to convince them, at least partially, that I wasn't about to confess to being a drug addict or a murderer. But when I had them both finally paying attention to me I realized I hadn't really rehearsed how I was going to tell them.
"I, uh," I started, fishing for the right words. "Do you, um, do you remember Tasha - Tasha Greeley? From high school?"
"Yes...?" My mom replied, clearly confused about where things were going.
And where were they going? Better to just tell them than spend twenty minutes hemming and hawing, right? I took a deep breath.
"Yeah, well, I think I'm going to come right out and say this. No use in beating around the bush. I saw her last year when mom had her accident and I came home for a few days. She got pregnant and gave birth a few months ago." I paused. Was I really going to say what I was about to say? I was. "I'm going to ask her to marry me today."
I leaned back in my chair and watched as my parents' heads turned slowly towards each other and then, in unison, towards me. Neither of them said anything at first - both of them looked shocked.
"Kaden," my dad said, finally. "Is this - is this a joke of some kind? Because if it is, it's not funny."
"No," I reassured him. "It's not a joke."
"You're - what?" My mom spluttered. "You - you have a baby?! What - why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you-"
"Because I didn't know. Not until yesterday. She thought I was with someone new - my friend Jess, from Brooks - remember we went to that gala together and the photos were published in the tabloids? Tasha thought I was with her - and she thought I was too busy with my NFL career to-"
"Wait." My dad said. "Just wait a minute, Kaden. She only told you about this yesterday? And now you're going to get married?"
"Yeah, it was yesterday. And I can see your minds are blown right now. I'm sorry to spring it on you like this but I thought it would be worse to just go ahead and do it without telling you."
And then the onslaught began, both parents speaking over each other in short, rapid-fire sentences. "You're too young." "She's too young." "You haven't had enough time to think about it." "What about your career?" "Have you at least spoken to your lawyer?" "You can't do this."
I let them speak - it wasn't surprising that they were caught off-guard. My parents are good people and I'm their only child. The least I could do was let them vent. When they ran out of steam about half an hour later and my mother looked at me and threw her hands up in the air yelling "Well?! Aren't you going to say anything?" I just nodded.
"Yeah, I'm going to say something. But are you guys going to listen? Because I'm going to be honest with you right now - I'm not coming to you for advice. I love you both, you know that. You've both done everything you ever could for me. But this isn't me asking your permission. I'm going to propose to Tasha when I see her later. I'm letting you know out of respect. But if you want me to answer questions I will."
My dad, a practical man and one I could see was just barely suppressing a rare level of apoplexy in someone normally so calm, asked the first one. "A lawyer," he said, flustered. "Have you spoken to a lawyer? Kaden, you need to have a prenup, that's not negotiable, you're a very rich man-"
"Dad." I cut in, waiting to see if they were going to listen. "I have not spoken to a lawyer. And not that this is anyone's business but mine and Tasha's but I have offered to pay off her mother's medical bills once before. She's always turned me down. In fact, she seemed pretty insulted at the offer. She's not after my money - if she had been, believe me, she would have it by now."
"But...how do you know she wasn't just angling for this the whole time, Kaden?" My mom asked. "I mean, getting pregnant is a handy way to-"
"This wasn't planned, mom. And I was a willing participant. It's just as much my responsibility as it is hers. And come on, you two know her. I mean, not well but you met her a few times when we were in high school. You liked her. She's from Little Falls, she's one of us."
My dad shrugged. "Yes, we did like her, son. She always seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. But high school puppy love is one thing. Marriage, when you're a multimillionaire, is quite another."
"I guess I just don't see it that way," I replied. "I loved her then and I love her now. I never stopped. I don't care how much money I have or how much money she has. I don't care about anything except being with her and being a father to my son."
"A son?" My mother said and then immediately burst into tears. "A son, Kaden? Can we meet him, at least?"
"Yes you can meet him!" I replied. "What, did you think we were going to keep him away from you? Tasha has no harsh feelings towards you at all, you don't need to worry about any of that!"
Both my parents were very emotional. My mother was crying and I could see my dad was hardly holding it together.
"I know this is a shock," I said. "I didn't want to upset you. It was a shock to me, too! But Tasha and I talked yesterday - I mean we really talked. And I could say she changed my mind, she convinced me of something, but she didn't. I already loved her. She already loved me. Life just got in the way, on so many levels and I'm just not willing to let that situation continue."
"You're so young, Kaden," my dad repeated for about the fourth time. "You haven't even begun to live your life yet. Do you think you can give up the lifestyle in Dallas just like that, is that it?"
I chuckled. "Dad, if by 'lifestyle' you mean sleeping with a lot of women, I've got a surprise for you. I haven't been with anyone since Tasha. Not once. And believe me, I get opportunities every day. It was never something I had to force myself not to do. I didn't want to do it. I've only ever wanted to be with her. Do you understand that? I know it probably sounds really weird - a lot of my teammates thought as much - but I'm telling the truth. I'm telling you how I feel."
My mom was still crying. My dad was just sitting there, looking shell-shocked. "I'm sorry," I told them, "for telling you like this. I wish it could have been different. But I wanted to let you know beforehand, out of respect. I hope you can accept the-"
"Kaden," my dad said, holding his hand up in defeat. "I can tell you've made up your mind. You're a man now, it's your life, we accept that. But it's going to take a hell of a lot longer than half an hour for us to 'accept' this - and that's something you're going to have to accept, son."
He was right. I was going to have to give them time. That was OK, I was confident they would come around. But I had things to do. Most importantly, I had a ring to buy. I apologized to my parents again, for the way in which I'd broken the news to them, and headed out. Little Falls had a single jeweler - Keller's. I'd never even been inside the place before but I was asking Tasha to marry me that day
, there was no time to look online or plan. I didn't even know what her taste in jewelry was, she rarely seemed to wear it. I texted her on the way to Keller's:
"Can I pick you up at work?"
Ten minutes later she texted me back: "Yes! See you then. :)"
A smiley. I had never known Tasha Greeley to use emojis. That smiley made me grin to myself as I drove down Little Falls' suburban streets.
There seemed to be a single member of staff at Keller's. An older man, in his sixties or maybe even his seventies. I looked around for a few minutes and even I could tell it was an old-fashioned kind of store. The type of place you go to buy your grandmother a necklace more than the kind of place you go to buy your gorgeous young girlfriend a ring you hope she'll accept.
"You look nervous, young man," a voice much louder than the owner seemed capable of boomed across the carpeted floor at me. "Is it an engagement ring you're looking for?"
I looked up, surprised. "Uh - yeah, yes, it is. How did you know?"
The old man came out from behind the display case and walked over to me. "I've been working here since I was younger than you, I know a bemused groom-to-be when I see one, son."
It was only when he was right up next to me that I saw the look on his face, the one I was so used to by then, the dawning realization of who I was.
"Kaden Barlow!" He boomed, reaching out to shake my hand. "Stan Keller - I'm surprised to see you here."
"Why?"
"Well, I suppose I just assumed that a man of your means might be picking out engagement rings in a place like Tiffany. But I'm happy to help you out and I can tell you I know how to keep my lips zipped."
He even made the little lip-zipping motion with his fingers when he said that. I liked Stan Keller immediately - he didn't pretend he didn't know who I was, but neither did he get all awed and silly or ask me for a selfie or any of that. Also, he had sensed my cluelessness and I was more than happy to let him take charge.
"Now," he said, thinking, "I'm assuming the lady is young and beautiful?"
"Yes," I replied. "She is."
"Then you're going to need something simple. A beautiful young woman with fussy, overwrought jewelry is just gilding the lily. Did you have anything in mind?"
"Uh," I hesitated. "A diamond? A diamond ring?"
Stan Keller laughed at that. "You've got that part right. I've got some vintage pieces in the back room, not the kind of thing people in Little Falls are usually interested in but I think you should take a look."
A few minutes later, Stan returned with a velvet-lined tray of jewels. One of them immediately caught my eye - a simple gold ring with a single diamond that seemed to catch the light no matter what angle I viewed it from.
"That's a three and a half karats, Asscher cut," Mr. Keller said, lifting it out of its snug velvet resting place and holding it up. "The ring is a size 7, probably too big for a young lady's finger but we can have it resized if needs be."
I took the ring out of his hand and looked at it. The diamond was dazzling, as if filled with tiny sparks. That was the one. Wrong size or not, that diamond was meant for Tasha. She needed a diamond like that, something as fiery as she was.
"This is it," I said simply. "I need this for today."
"Ah, today? Yes, sir. Just let me package that all up for you. I remember what it was like to be young and eager, you know. I asked one girl to marry me because she gave me a certain look on a Ferris wheel. I was only nineteen and that look was a lightning bolt to the heart, let me tell you. I was down on one knee less than twenty-four hours later."
"And?" I asked, when Stan Keller seemed to forget to tell the rest of the story. "What happened?"
"She's at home right now helping our granddaughter with her homework. Best thing I ever did. Don't let anyone tell you you're too young, son. When you know, you know, it's that simple."
I found myself very heartened by Stan Keller's story. He'd done it at nineteen. All those people I knew were going to call me crazy - other than my parents, I mean - they were going to have to deal with it. As Stan said - when you know, you know. And damn if I hadn't known since I was a little kid that Tasha Greeley was the one.
I walked out of Keller's with a smile on my face, a small, red leather box in my pocket and the hopes of a lifetime in my heart.
Chapter 34: Tasha
Kaden picked me up at work in his dad's Audi. I admit it was a relief to see the broad smile on his face when he spotted me walking out of the office - I didn't know when he was going to realize he was angry at me for keeping the news of his son from him but I was sure it was coming.
"How was work, dear?" He asked, grinning, when we were on our way.
I played along. "It was fine, honey. Do you think we need to stop at the grocery store for bread and milk?"
"Maybe, but first there's something else I need to do."
"Oh?" I asked. "And what's that?"
In response, Kaden just shrugged and held his hands up.
"Keeping secrets?" I giggled. "I hope it's a good one."
Kaden turned down a road that led away from my family's house, which is where I'd assumed we were going, and held his hands up. "I think you'll be the one who decides that, cupcake."
"OK..." I replied, searching for the right cheesy nickname, "sweetie pie."
"Huh. I actually kind of like you calling me that," he chuckled.
It took a few minutes for me to realize we were heading out of town and then a few more to notice the road as it turned into gravel and the hills started to roll up on us. That's where we were going - the hills. The same hills we went to after that football game in high school and then again on the day of our prom, which seemed like a thousand years ago. Eventually, Kaden pulled up at a rocky outcrop overlooking the town.
"Is this-"
"Yeah, same place," he said, knowing what I was going to ask.
We got out and stood looking over Little Falls for a few moments.
"I bet it seems so small now, huh?" I asked. "I mean, compared to Dallas?"
"It is small, but it's home." Kaden replied, pointing into the distance. "Look - look over there, to the left of the brick building. You can see the end of the Reinhardt stadium."
I followed his direction and sure enough, there it was, the concrete curve of Little Falls' secular church.
"Oh my God, you're right. I can see it. It feels like an ancient artifact, doesn't it? Like a memory of a dream rather than something that really happened."
Kaden sat down on the ground and took his coat off, laying it down next to him and patting it with his hand.
"You'll get cold!" I protested.
"No I won't, the sun's out and my blood runs hot, anyway."
"I bet," I laughed, sitting down and experiencing a weird time-warp effect as the memories of years past crashed into the present reality. I looked up at Kaden sitting beside me - he still had exactly the same effect on me as he had when I was in high school, I was as tense with the adrenaline of attraction and love as I had been then.
"It doesn't seem like that long ago to me," he mused, wrapping one of his muscular, million-dollar arms around my shoulder. "Seems like just yesterday, actually. Except now I live in Dallas and you live here and we have a baby."
We were at ease with each other. The previous day's conversation had cleared away all the doubts and misinterpretations clouding our minds. I was just so stupidly happy to be there, beside him.
"I'm really sorry, Kaden," I started, overwhelmed once again with a feeling of guilt.
"Stop," he said, putting his hand up. "You don't need to say it, Tasha. I know it. I know you're sorry. I forgive you. I hope you forgive me my stupidities and assumptions as well."
"I do, but I think what I did was-"
"Stop!" He turned and looked me in the eye, smiling but firm. "Do you have a time machine, Tasha?"
I giggled. "Uh, no. I mean, I did have one but it broke last week."
"Damn, too bad. Well, given that neither of us has
access to a working time machine I think it's OK if we just agree to do the best from now on, don't you? For ourselves - and for Henry?"
I went a little quiet at the mention of our beautiful son. He was probably at home right now, waving his chubby little fists in the air and demanding to be fed. "Yes," I replied. "OK, Kaden. That's a good idea. Although I'm not saying I'm just going to be able to change into a different person in a day. I am who I am, but I'm going to try, I promise you that."
"I don't want you to be a different person," he told me, squeezing my knee. "I want you to be exactly who you are. I know your father did a number on you - on all of you - but you need to believe that I love you, that I'm here for you, that whenever you worry or feel alone you can tell me and I'll do everything I can to reassure you."
I leaned my head against his shoulder, warm in spite of the nippy weather and asked: "Do you even know what a big deal that is to me?"
Kaden turned his head down to look at me. "I think so."
"Really," I continued, "I think that's all I ever wanted from the people I loved - reassurance. It's why my family is so tight, we're all so conscious of what it feels like not to have it."
"I know, Tasha," he whispered, kissing my forehead. "I know. It took me awhile to figure it out, but I've got it now. That's actually kind of why I brought you up here."
"Is it?"
Kaden shifted his weight slightly, so we were facing each other and I sensed that something important was coming. At the time I thought it was words. It was, but it was so much more than words.
"It's funny, isn't it?" He said, running a single finger down my cheek. "Everything used to seem so difficult - our problems so insurmountable - didn't they? And they're not. They're really not."
