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He looked up at the sound of a throat clearing.
“Have a seat, son. Maybe we can talk.”
“Good idea,” his mother said. She tapped his father’s shoulder. “I’ll go work in the back.”
Jahleel sat down, unease gathering in the pit of his stomach. What could his father have to say? He wasn’t up for a battle of wits or condemnation. All he wanted to do was eat his food in peace.Lord, please be in the midst of this conversation, and thank You forthis food.
He took a bite of the fried oysters. He’d get at least one bite in before the lecture started.
“Need some hot sauce?” his father asked.
“Please.” Jahleel licked his lips. His father wouldn’t make enjoying his food easy. Still, the oysters, hush puppies, and crinkle fries called to him. “Ketchup too, please.”
His father placed the condiments on the table, then sat across from him. “How’s your knee doing?”
“Better.” He ate a fry.
“Will you make a full recovery?”
Did his dad care?Lord, please keep my preconceived notions out of my head and let me hear him out.“I should.”
“Good.”
Silence permeated the air.
“Is the team saving your spot?”
“No. I’m retiring.” He watched his father for a reaction.
Surprise filled the Reverend’s eyes. “But you just said you’ll make a full recovery.” His brow furrowed. “Do you need better physical therapy? A new doctor?”
Maybe his fatherdidcare. “The injury was too severe for me to make it back on the field. A full recovery simply means I won’t have a limp. But more than that, I have different priorities now.” Just thinking about Bebe made him want to grin, but he curbed the impulse, lest his father think Jay was making light of their conversation.
His father rubbed his gray chin. “Will you be staying in Texas?”
“Most likely.” He wanted to. It was home to him now, but if Bebe wanted to stay in Peachwood Bay, wouldn’t he move here? He wouldnotleave her again.
“Can’t imagine you staying here, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, I get it. I’m never around.” Jay’s jaw clenched.
“Do you hear insults all the time?”
Unfair.His father loved insulting him. To insinuate that it was all Jay was a bit ridiculous. A lot ridiculous. He drew in a deep breath to speak.
“You don’t fit here,” his father said quietly. “Never really have.”
Jahleel’s mouth dropped open. “But you’ve always pressured me about staying here.Always.” That wasn’t his imagination.He could bring up hordes of conversations from the past to prove his point.
“I know.” His father rubbed his chin again. “I admit I was a little—”
“Zealous?”
“Demanding.”
Jahleel hid a sigh. He wanted to interrupt and argue, but hadn’t he asked God to help give him a new perspective?
“What I want to understand is why.” Jahleel studied his father. “Why was I never good enough?”
