The Isaac Effect., chapter 13
So I waited for that day to come, and sure enough it did.
It was the beginning of this year, the year when, once again everything would change.
She gave me the address of the Restaurant, I took a taxi. For that whole car trip my heart was going funny. Beads of sweat ran down my face.
I breathed heavily. My nerves took over. I was shaking like a freezing dog.
I sat and waited in the front of the restaurant for what seemed hours.
When she came, she shocked me.
She was well dressed, well presented. A beautiful young lady.
She sat down across the table from me; I was to shocked to speak.
She reached across and grabbed my hands and rubbed them gently. Looking into my green eyes. She opened her mouth to speak.
"I'm so glad you came," she thanked.
I nodded.
"It's great to see you, after all those years!" I thanked.
"Isaac, I have to tell you some thing, and I want you to listen, okay." She began, her face changing instantly into a serious face.
The smile drained from my lips.
"What is it?" I questioned looking deeply concerned into her bright blue eyes.
"Isaac, I'm dying." She whispered. A tear falling from her eye.
I said nothing; I sat and stared at her.
"What? How do you know?" I gasped.
"I have cancer; the doctors say there's nothing they can do." She began. Tears now dripping from her eyes like a leaking tap.
"Nothing?" I repeated.
"Nothing." She replied.
I sat in silence, unsure of what to do next.
"But Isaac, there's ONE thing I have to tell you, before I leave. Because you will never see me again after this day, I mean NEVER." She began.
"wh... what?" I stuttered.
She came clean that day. A secret she had been hiding for 7 years.
At first I thought it was all a joke, just one big joke. It didn't sink in until I saw it with my own eyes.
I had a son.
I remember clearly the first time I saw him.
He was a spitting image of me.
Jade told me anything and everything about him.
She adored him. The way she talked about him made you think he was an angel.
He had my eyes, my smile.
His name was Jicobi. After my Middle name. He was so smart. He could do so much more then I could when I was his age.
Come to think of it, when I was his age just about I saw something that traumatized for life. The murder of my Mother and Father.
I did what I had to do.
After I saw Jade that day, for the very last time I would EVER see her in my life. I didn't leave empty handed.
I took the child. I had no other choice. I was his father, and he was my son. He needed me. Just like I needed some one when I was his age.
I promised her that I would never let what happened to us happen to him. This was a promise I wouldn't, couldn't break.
A few weeks after Jicobi moved in with me in my home in Alabama. With Grace.
I cleared out the extra room next to mine. The two of us painted it. I let him use any colour he wanted.
After that I brought him a bed, and sheets. And some other furniture. Some stuff that as a kid I never had.
He brought with him a bag of things. He didn't have much.
He had this book in there. Called 'Grandfather bear'. I read it to him before he went to bed, when ever there was a stormy night, or he had a bad dream. It would put him straight to sleep.
After a few months past, and school finished for the summer I got the phone call.
Jade died.
On the 2nd of June 2006.
I cried for her, I couldn't tell little Joey. I didn't know how to break it to him.
Up until a few mouths ago now he didn't say anything about her, but the he began to ask questions.
"When's Mummy coming home?" became a routine question.
Every time he asked it I would avoid the subject.
I would use some stupid excuse like, "Hey, isn't it time you had your bath?" or " Why don't you go play with the neighbour Boy?".
But soon enough my time was up. I had to tell him.
I told him in the best way I could.
I sat him down before he went to bed one night. And explained. It was a lot like that book he liked so much. 'Grandfather Bear.'
"Jicobi, mummy has gone into a deep sleep. You see, she wont wake up again." I began.
But he was to smart for that, he knew what I was trying to say almost straight away.
"Mummy's dead?!" he cried. Tears streaming down his face. I felt like such a monster. Seeing his face, it as if I had just torn a piece out his heart.
"Shhhhh, its okay." I hushed. He feel to me, I caught him and hugged him closely.
He berried his head into my chest.
I stood strong and hid the tears; I forced them not to come. Even though my throat ached I couldn't let it show.
After that me and Jericho went out to the back yard and stood by the tree where my fathers name had been carved in.
That day we carved in her name underneath my fathers: Jade Michelle Thomas.
The two of us sat By the tree together until it grew dark and Jicobi feel asleep on my lap.
I carried him inside and lay him down carefully in his bed. Pulling his sheet over him.
I stood by his door and watched him for a while.
He just lay there. In silence. Sound asleep. I went over and kissed him gently on his forehead. Then left closing the door genially behind me.
I cheeked on Grace in her room. She was also sound asleep. I went in and pulled her blanket over her.
After that I took myself to bed.
I lay awake that night.
It was only a few weeks ago now.
But that was the day I realized, I was a dad. I had a child to watch out for. Jade was gone. He had no one, no one but me.
From that day forward I had to be there, 24/7. threw good times and bad.
I promised myself that he wouldn't go threw what I went threw.
I would do what ever it takes to make him happy.
Every morning I would wake up, make breakfast for two. (One for Jicobi).
Then I would sit with him and wait while the bus came. After that make my way to work. Hobbling down the hall to my class room.
Then I would get home everyday after school and met Jicobi at the bus stop and the two of us would walk back to the house.
All the while he would go on about his day. Some days I didn't get a word in. He would just talk and talk.
He was so smart. I would listen to the things he would say and then look at the 7 year old me. I knew none of that stuff.
And that's how it was.
That's my life story up to this very moment.
What happens next?
Well, that's for no one to know and for me to find out.
It was the beginning of this year, the year when, once again everything would change.
She gave me the address of the Restaurant, I took a taxi. For that whole car trip my heart was going funny. Beads of sweat ran down my face.
I breathed heavily. My nerves took over. I was shaking like a freezing dog.
I sat and waited in the front of the restaurant for what seemed hours.
When she came, she shocked me.
She was well dressed, well presented. A beautiful young lady.
She sat down across the table from me; I was to shocked to speak.
She reached across and grabbed my hands and rubbed them gently. Looking into my green eyes. She opened her mouth to speak.
"I'm so glad you came," she thanked.
I nodded.
"It's great to see you, after all those years!" I thanked.
"Isaac, I have to tell you some thing, and I want you to listen, okay." She began, her face changing instantly into a serious face.
The smile drained from my lips.
"What is it?" I questioned looking deeply concerned into her bright blue eyes.
"Isaac, I'm dying." She whispered. A tear falling from her eye.
I said nothing; I sat and stared at her.
"What? How do you know?" I gasped.
"I have cancer; the doctors say there's nothing they can do." She began. Tears now dripping from her eyes like a leaking tap.
"Nothing?" I repeated.
"Nothing." She replied.
I sat in silence, unsure of what to do next.
"But Isaac, there's ONE thing I have to tell you, before I leave. Because you will never see me again after this day, I mean NEVER." She began.
"wh... what?" I stuttered.
She came clean that day. A secret she had been hiding for 7 years.
At first I thought it was all a joke, just one big joke. It didn't sink in until I saw it with my own eyes.
I had a son.
I remember clearly the first time I saw him.
He was a spitting image of me.
Jade told me anything and everything about him.
She adored him. The way she talked about him made you think he was an angel.
He had my eyes, my smile.
His name was Jicobi. After my Middle name. He was so smart. He could do so much more then I could when I was his age.
Come to think of it, when I was his age just about I saw something that traumatized for life. The murder of my Mother and Father.
I did what I had to do.
After I saw Jade that day, for the very last time I would EVER see her in my life. I didn't leave empty handed.
I took the child. I had no other choice. I was his father, and he was my son. He needed me. Just like I needed some one when I was his age.
I promised her that I would never let what happened to us happen to him. This was a promise I wouldn't, couldn't break.
A few weeks after Jicobi moved in with me in my home in Alabama. With Grace.
I cleared out the extra room next to mine. The two of us painted it. I let him use any colour he wanted.
After that I brought him a bed, and sheets. And some other furniture. Some stuff that as a kid I never had.
He brought with him a bag of things. He didn't have much.
He had this book in there. Called 'Grandfather bear'. I read it to him before he went to bed, when ever there was a stormy night, or he had a bad dream. It would put him straight to sleep.
After a few months past, and school finished for the summer I got the phone call.
Jade died.
On the 2nd of June 2006.
I cried for her, I couldn't tell little Joey. I didn't know how to break it to him.
Up until a few mouths ago now he didn't say anything about her, but the he began to ask questions.
"When's Mummy coming home?" became a routine question.
Every time he asked it I would avoid the subject.
I would use some stupid excuse like, "Hey, isn't it time you had your bath?" or " Why don't you go play with the neighbour Boy?".
But soon enough my time was up. I had to tell him.
I told him in the best way I could.
I sat him down before he went to bed one night. And explained. It was a lot like that book he liked so much. 'Grandfather Bear.'
"Jicobi, mummy has gone into a deep sleep. You see, she wont wake up again." I began.
But he was to smart for that, he knew what I was trying to say almost straight away.
"Mummy's dead?!" he cried. Tears streaming down his face. I felt like such a monster. Seeing his face, it as if I had just torn a piece out his heart.
"Shhhhh, its okay." I hushed. He feel to me, I caught him and hugged him closely.
He berried his head into my chest.
I stood strong and hid the tears; I forced them not to come. Even though my throat ached I couldn't let it show.
After that me and Jericho went out to the back yard and stood by the tree where my fathers name had been carved in.
That day we carved in her name underneath my fathers: Jade Michelle Thomas.
The two of us sat By the tree together until it grew dark and Jicobi feel asleep on my lap.
I carried him inside and lay him down carefully in his bed. Pulling his sheet over him.
I stood by his door and watched him for a while.
He just lay there. In silence. Sound asleep. I went over and kissed him gently on his forehead. Then left closing the door genially behind me.
I cheeked on Grace in her room. She was also sound asleep. I went in and pulled her blanket over her.
After that I took myself to bed.
I lay awake that night.
It was only a few weeks ago now.
But that was the day I realized, I was a dad. I had a child to watch out for. Jade was gone. He had no one, no one but me.
From that day forward I had to be there, 24/7. threw good times and bad.
I promised myself that he wouldn't go threw what I went threw.
I would do what ever it takes to make him happy.
Every morning I would wake up, make breakfast for two. (One for Jicobi).
Then I would sit with him and wait while the bus came. After that make my way to work. Hobbling down the hall to my class room.
Then I would get home everyday after school and met Jicobi at the bus stop and the two of us would walk back to the house.
All the while he would go on about his day. Some days I didn't get a word in. He would just talk and talk.
He was so smart. I would listen to the things he would say and then look at the 7 year old me. I knew none of that stuff.
And that's how it was.
That's my life story up to this very moment.
What happens next?
Well, that's for no one to know and for me to find out.
