Chapter 14

“Hi, dear,” Nana greeted Liam, as soon as he walked through the door. “How did your date go?”

“It went well, Nana. I had a good time.”

The old lady gave her grandson a look that meant she was waiting for him to say more.

What else was there to say? Besides everything, of course.

“Would you like some tea? I can fix it up.”

Nana was a tea lover. She used to think a cup of tea could solve almost anything.

“Yes, thank you. You didn’t have to wait up for me.”

His grandmother went immediately to the sink, filled the teapot, and placed it on the stove.

“Old habits die hard, Liam. “Your mother wanted to wait for your return too, but you know her meds make her drowsy.”

Liam nodded.

“Besides, I couldn’t wait to know every detail of your wonderful date.”

“It was wonderful but...” Liam let his last word trail off.

“Oh—?”

The teapot began to whistle, and the old lady poured two cups of tea, placing one in front of her grandson. Then, she sat at Liam’s side.

“She was in a wheelchair,” Liam finally explained, after taking a sip. He shrugged his shoulders, resting importance on the whole thing.

His grandmother just looked at her grandson waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t say anything else, she said softly, “I sincerely hope you didn’t make that poor girl feel bad about that.”

“No, Nana, of course I didn’t. I was a perfect gentleman.” Liam’s words brought a smile to his grandmother’s lips.

“Well, I was a little agitated that she lied at first, but I could see why she might have wanted to hide her situation.”

His grandma moved her head up and down approvingly. “The value of a person is not about her face, her body, or her figure. If you like her, it shouldn’t matter if she is in a wheelchair or not.”

Liam sipped his tea slowly.

“Jenny isn’t a raving beauty, but she seems to have a beauty that came from within. I know you would like her.”

“Do you like her?”

Liam took a few seconds before answering. “I do.”

“So, are you going to ask her out on a second date?”

“I already did. Besides, pushing her wheelchair around is good exercise,” Liam said, with a smile. “I’m going to have biceps of steel.”

His grandma scratched the back of Liam’s head, and smiled softly. Her grandson always used humor as a way of dealing with the hardest parts of his life.

He might come off as the cheery, happy-go-lucky, easygoing person who often liked to lighten the mood by making jokes, but he was also a deep, caring, sincere, and warm person.

His grandmother was one of the few people he let his guard down around.

“Something is bugging you, dear. What is it?”

“I like Jenny, but I don’t want to be a care nurse. It’s a huge burden. I already did that when...”

“When your mother went into depression,” Nana said, completing her grandson’s sentence.

“Yeah ... Grandma ... Am I a horrible person for thinking that?”

“No! Of course not! It is all right to feel that way. Asking yourself these questions means you are considering a steady relationship with her.”

Liam nodded.

“It is a huge responsibility, yes,” Nana went on. “But you do not have to be her care nurse. In any case, you can share your doubts with her. Was she getting along fine before she met you?”

“Honestly, I didn’t ask. It didn’t seem appropriate to ask that on a first date.”

“That’s what dating is for, after all – to learn if you’re compatible with someone. You talk, you get to know her, she gets to know you, you find out what’s important to her and vice-versa.”

“That’s true.

“Grandma, did you know that you were in love with Grandpa from the first moment you set eyes on him?”

“No.” She laughed. “I hated that arrogant, cocky man!”

Liam gave her a surprised look. “Really?”

“Oh yeah. You’ve heard this story before, Liam.”

“Yeah, about how you two met, but I didn’t know how you felt about him.” His grandmother folded her hands on top of the table and had a thoughtful look on her face.

“Well, there must have been something there. Anyone who expends as much energy hating someone else has to acknowledge that there is an excess of passion. I believe that too much of any emotion is akin to love,” his grandmother explained.