His Keeper

Chapter 10

 The night before Amara was to arrive, Nate had dinner with his entire family. It was their family tradition to have family dinner every Sunday night; however, with Amara’s arrival and the guys needing to work on Sunday the family decided to meet up on Thursday instead.  Adrian and Jeff were watching Thursday Night Football while Julie and Isabel were outside watching the kids play. Nate and his mom, Jasmine, were in the kitchen cooking dinner together for the family as they both were the better cooks in the family. Jasmine looked over at her son while she chopped some onions which were going to be added to the sauteed mushrooms that Nate was frying up with some melted butter. “So, how are things going with you?” she says slyly.

Nate adds the freshly chopped onions into the pan as it sizzles and crackles. He replies, “Good, as always, Mama.”

“Good, huh?” Jasmine replies as she washes the cutting board and begins cutting tomatoes and cucumbers to add to the garden salad. “You know what I mean, son?” she replies gently.

Nate just keeps flipping the contents in the pan and shrugs nonchalantly. “It’s the same thing every day, mama. I get up, go to work, and try my best not to think about her.”

Jasmine glances at Nate with sadness in her eyes, “Baby, you know she wouldn’t have wanted you to be living this way. She would have wanted you to be happy, not be stuck in misery and sadness.”

Taking the pan off of the fire and setting it to the side, Nate responds, “I don’t know mama, I just feel all of this regret and I keep thinking of the future that we were both robbed of. I’m mad and I just feel that if I move on, I’m going to lose her even more. I just can’t…. A piece of my heart died that day and I just feel so empty.”

Jasmine puts down her knife and walks over to Nate who is leaning against the counter with his head down and tears silently falling down his face. Grabbing both of his hands, like she did a hundred times before, she responds, “Look at me, son.”

Nate raises his head and looks into his mother’s cool and calm ones. “It’s never easy losing the ones we love, but the way we remember and honor their memory is by living life to the fullest until we meet them again. You will see her again, Son. But you’ve got to live like she would have wanted you to.… Happy”

Nate sighs, “Mama, I am living.”  

Jasmine replies sarcastically, “Hah, more like barely hanging on and if Stacey were here you know what she would do to you, right?”

Nate sighs again, smirks, and mimics a high-pitched girly voice, “Yeah, Nate you are so uptight and if you don’t turn your frown upside down this instance, I’m never talking to you ever again.” Nate flicks his imaginary beautiful long brown hair, hand on hip, and turns, ready to walk away.

Jasmine lets out a snort and belly laugh taking Nate by surprise which led to him barking out a laugh as well. They are both doubled over with tears in their eyes, taking deep breathes, when Adrian and Jeff bursts through the kitchen in high alert ready to attack a bear if need be.

“What’s going on?” asks Jeff confused and worried.

“Yeah, we thought we heard a hyena and a coyote,” says Adrian.

Nate lets out another bark of laughter. Adrian responds, “There’s the coyote.”

Jasmine lets out another snort and belly laugh, “There’s the hyena,” replies Jeff. Jeff and Adrian take off as Jasmine throws an uncooked mushroom at their retreating backs.

“Its so good to hear you laugh again, son.” Jasmine replies with a smile.

“Yeah, it’s been awhile. Thanks, mama.” Nate replies and pulls Jasmine into a bear hug.

“So, what did we miss?” Julie interrupts coolly with Isabel waddling closely behind with her hands on her lower back and 8 month pregnant belly poking out.

Jasmine pulls out of Nate’s arms and wipes the last of her tears, “Apparently, your brother and I are wolves or something like that.”

Isabel and Julie look at each other with raised eyebrows. Isabel states, “I hope you two aren’t tasting the cooking wine again because you remember what happened the last time you two did that.”

Jasmine and Nate look at each other and erupt into even more belly laughs and snorts. Julie responds, “OMG, you sound more like hyenas.” Isabel and Julie join in the laughter.

Mr. Harris promptly walks in and says, “So, when’s dinner going to start because I’m famished.” Everyone turns to look at Mr. Harris and the kitchen erupts into even more laughter.

Jasmine and Nate finished up the cooking, while Julie and Isabel began setting the table. Everyone sat down at their designated seats at the dinner table with Mr. Harris at the head, Jasmine to his right, Isabel, Jeff at the end, Nate, Adrian, and Julie on the other side of the table. The children were sitting in the living room talking amongst themselves. Mr. Harris said grace and the family feasted on fried chicken, ribs, sauteed mushrooms and onions, rice, salad, and pumpkin pie for dessert. The peaceful and humorous atmosphere that had filled their kitchen spilled over into dinner. Soon afterwards, they all pitched in to clean up, then made their way onto the front porch to say their good-byes for the evening.

As Nate was turning to give his mom a parting hug, his cell phone rang. It was Mr. Brown. “Hey Nate, I need to talk to you, Jeff, and Adrian right away.”