Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Grandpa turned sharply in his direction. “No…” He waved his finger sternly. “She ain’t dead. My heart would tell me.”
“Your heart would tell you?”
“Yes. My heart understands life and death. I can feel it. When you’ve had as many children and grandchildren as me and lost some of them prematurely, too, you know what the Grim Reaper looks like. You can smell him comin’. You know what new life looks like, too. Always the sun bursting through a cloudy day. When I look at Tina’s picture, I don’t smell no Grim Reaper. All I see is the sun… Contrary to popular belief, I do in fact possess a heart, still.” He chuckled. “She’s the only woman I ever truly loved with every fiber of my being. I’ve loved plenty of women in my lifetime, but it wasn’t that deep, rich, addictive, I-will-turn-the-world-inside-out-for-you kind of love. Tina and I had this supernatural connection. It was cosmic. Time travelling. Magnificent… The other bitches that came into my life?” He sucked his teeth. “No stayin’ power.
“We weren’t even supposed to be together, Garrison, but we were. We defied the odds, in more ways than one.” He was quiet for a moment as he rolled over ideas and fantasies inside his mind. “You go back and offer ten thousand for a DNA sample from her one sister. The one that is still alive. You found her brother, too, right?”
“I did.”
“That brother of hers has a different pappy. I remember that. He wouldn’t be as good of a match, and he’s in hospice last I checked.” Garrison nodded in understanding.
“If you don’t mind me sayin’, Mr. Wilde, I’ve never seen a man of your mature age still pining over a woman to this extent. It’s admirable, actually.”
Grandpa faced him head on; his heart now full.
“I want you to imagine the most beautiful woman you’ve ever laid eyes on, Garrison. I want you to imagine that lady, if you will, standing in front of you right this very moment. And then, I want you to multiply that loveliness, that magnificence, by one hundred. That’s not an exaggeration.” He stroked his beard. “That’s the reality. I’ve never been fond of fairy tales. The first time I saw Tina, she was like some radiant princess walking around in a castle. I took a look at that woman, and I forgot how to fucking speak.”
“I saw the old photo of her… she definitely was a showstopper. She looked like a living doll,” he complimented. “It’s obvious why you were so smitten with her.”
“When Tina stepped into a room, men damn near fainted. Once she opened her mouth to speak, she mesmerized you with cool charm, sweet eloquence, and somethin’ mysteriously arousing, dark, and damn near deadly. She’s the only person who made me weak at the knees.” He swallowed. His eyes followed a dust ball rolling around from side to side. “This woman was a ten in every category. She had the type of intelligence that you might run into once in a lifetime. She was humble, warm, and wise. She had boundaries. Didn’t lie but delivered bad news with cherries and whipped cream. She saw somethin’ in me… potential, she called it.” He picked up a tiny sharp rock from the floor. Rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger. “That’s when I was still rough around the edges,” he added with mock severity.
“You know, Mr. Wilde, it might help me with the search. You’ve told me the last time you saw her, but remind me: Do you happen to recall the last thing she said to you?”
“Yes, I do.” Grandpa forced a smile as his blood turned hot, flowing like lava through his veins. The detective removed a pen and pad of paper from his jacket, and began writing. Garrison was old school. No recorders for these private meetings.
“And what was it she said?”
“We’d had a rather unfortunate disagreement, and she looked me in the eye and said, ‘I’m gone, Cyrus. Don’t look for me. You won’t find me.’ I laughed at her. Not taking her seriously. I said, ‘And just where do you think you’re going?’ Tina got right in my face and pointed her finger at my nose. ‘I’ll be where you’re afraid to explore. Deep inside of you. Dancing with the ancestors that cursed you, the angels who’ve discarded you, and the God that you’ve long forgotten…”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Devil is in the Details
Some folks make deals with the devil. They make them when they ignore evil and believe that the good bits of a fiend will shine through on their behalf if they cast their praise, vote, or well wishes in their direction.
They say, ‘Well, I don’t like that this demon caused a drought and plagued the land with locusts, but the demon promised to drive out the greedy green wild pigs that keep eating all of our crops, therefore, I will ignore the drought they caused for our neighbors, and the plague they brought upon our brothers and sisters, and focus on how right they’ve been about the fruit coming to us from the big ships. We need these wild green pigs to stop pillaging our crops. It will be worth it…