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Story Notes:

This is a  continuation of the story, "The Gift"




Author's Chapter Notes:

Now that Henry has regained his health, he's on a mission to win back his first love.




Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


Henry’s New Year’s Resolution



Henry McDermont was on a mission. A year had passed since he had received the bone marrow donation from his daughter and he was now restored back to full health. He had not seen her since the day that she had agreed to donate, but he thought about her and her mother every single day.

Henry really hadn’t expected to hear from Henrietta again after she had given her marrow, and she hadn’t taken a second glance back at him or tried to contact him since that day. She had given the donation and then dropped back out of his life. Henrietta, his namesake had given him new life and he now felt that they were now forever connected, whether she wanted to accept him in her life or not.

He knew that he couldn’t let the matter rest now even if he had tried. It had been twenty two years since he had walked away from the love of his life. Henry now realized that his decision to leave Vanessa was the biggest mistake he had ever made; and his decision to cave into his parent’s demands would haunt him for the rest of his life. Henrietta had given him new life and he promised himself that he was now going to live it to its fullest potential. Henry’s near death experience left him desiring the family that was stolen from him by his parents, and by his own immaturity and fear. He now made up his mind that he would not make the mistake a second time.

When he had fully recovered from his surgery, he had hired the best private investigator to find everything he could on Henrietta and her mother. He knew that most likely Vanessa had gotten married after all this time, and it was too much to hope for or to imagine that she could still be single.

When he got the detailed report from the private investigator and saw that Vanessa Young had NEVER been married, he fell on his knees and thanked God for the blessing. His eyes greedily scanned the information in the folder that the PI had given him. Vanessa had obtained her nursing degree and she was now working two jobs to help put her daughter through college. The report also noted that there appeared to be no men currently in Vanessa’s life and he had grinned at those words, reading them over several times.

There were pictures also included in his report. Most of them showing Vanessa with her hair, lightly streaked with gray pulled back in a ponytail. She had gained weight and was no longer the slim size ten that she had been in college. Her hips were full and wide and she was pear shaped. Still, his eyes devoured the pictures, hungry for more knowledge of her. She was still beautiful to him, her face and body fuller than her remembered, but she was still his Vanessa. She had been his first love and he silently cursed at himself for the time he had wasted.

Coming so close to death had changed Henry’s attitude about a lot of things. He didn’t take anything for granted anymore. He didn’t give a damn about the thirty five million that he had in the bank, nor the house with more rooms than he could count, or any other material things he possessed. None of those things had helped him when the doctors had told him of the slim chance he had in recovering without a donor. None of those things were a comfort to him once he was told that there was only an eight percent chance of finding an acceptable donor due to his rare blood type.

Henry decided that he was going to make some changes for the upcoming New Year. The first thing he decided to do was to catch a plane to Florida to visit his parents, two days before the New Year. The flight was uneventful and he took a taxi to their house. Henry’s parents were in their sixties and still active. He was glad that he was able to catch them both at home. After his breakup with Vanessa, the bond between them and their only child had become strained and Henry had decided that he would only see them when it was absolutely necessary. He still remembered his father trying to reassure him that he would ‘get over’ Vanessa in time. The problem was that it had never really happened.

Five years after he had graduated college, his father had confronted Henry and told him that he was tired of his only son moping around. He then had named a list of acceptable women Henry could date. His father had then set up dates for his son and basically orchestrated the marriage between his son and Sabrina Gathers. Henry didn’t give a damn about anything anyway, so he went along with everything his father suggested. He figured that whatever befell him was adequate punishment for his past sins..

The marriage to Sabrina Gathers had been doomed from the start. She enjoyed the attentions of women far more so than men and told Henry that she was marrying him to shut her parents’ mouths. Being in a similar situation, Henry thought that perhaps the two of them could work something out. They agreed to consummate the union and to at least make an attempt to have a marriage. On their wedding night, Henry had insisted that the lights be out and he ended up calling Sabrina Vanessa as they made love.

Needless to say, things went downhill from that point on. They stayed married for convenience sake and to shut up both sets of their parents; hers for not accepting that their daughter was a lesbian, and his for thinking that he had gotten over Vanessa. Both he and Sabrina came from old money and neither had the strength to fight their parent’s demands. Their marriage was a complete sham and they slept in separate beds and began to live their separate lives just two days after the wedding ceremony. The marriage ended five years later when Sabrina came into her inheritance.

Henry refused to date after that, punishing himself for his past sins. Nothing in his life seemed to matter. He found no solace in anything he did, still haunted by the fact that he had forced the woman he loved to kill the baby they had created. He was on the board of Feed the Children and did an abundance of charity work, penance he felt for his past wrong doings. Everyone thought that he was cold and distant, a brooding shell of a man who seemed to always have a chip on his shoulder, though he could turn on the charm when necessary.

Meeting Henrietta and realizing that his child was alive had changed everything. He now walked through the house, out to the pool where his parents were having breakfast.

His mother looked up at him when he walked up to them as they sat by the pool.

“Henry!” she exclaimed, surprised to see her son. “What brings you down here? We tried to get you to come down for Christmas and after you said that you were too busy, we sent your gifts up to the house in Maine. Did you get them?”

“I did” Henry replied. “Thank you.”

He kissed his mother on the cheek and turned to shake his father’s hand.

“What brings you here, son?” his father asked. “We never could get you to come down here before. Are you visiting for New Years?”

Henry stared at his father who was an older version of himself. “No. I came to tell you of my New Year’s Resolution.”

The elder Henry chuckled at his son’s statement.

“Really? Don’t tell me you’re getting all sentimental now since you were able to get that bone marrow donation.” His father said. “I told you that the Institute would find a match. We give a lot of money to that place and I was confident that the McDermont name would make something happen.”

Henry stared at his father not believing what he was hearing. How could he even let those words exit his mouth? The McDermont name indeed!

“Do you know why it worked out?” Henry asked looking at his father.

“Sure” his father said. “I assume that they found a donor. You’re not the only AB negative person around, even if the blood type is rare.”

“It seems that the young lady and I are connected more than just by blood type” Henry replied dryly.

“What do you mean, Henry” his mother asked sipping her tea. “How in the world could you be connected to the donor?”

“What I mean is this: She’s Vanessa Young’s daughter. Remember her?”

Emily McDermott would never forget that name. Her son had changed after the incident with the black girl he attended college with. Surely he couldn’t be eluding to what she thought he was eluding to.

“She’s my daughter” Henry said flatly. “My daughter, the one that was supposed to be aborted ended up saving my life. Ironic isn’t it?”

“You don’t know that-“ his father protested before Henry cut him off.

“She looks just like Mama!” he snapped, glaring at his father. “She’s mine! I’m sure of that much!”

“So I guess she and her mother want money right?” his father scoffed.

Henry clenched his hands into fists, his knuckles white. Was money the only thing that his father could relate to? “What makes you think that either of them wants anything to do with me?”

“Son, are you sure she’s yours?” his mother asked looking worried. What did these people want from them? Would the daughter try to claim part of Henry’s inheritance?

“Quite sure” Henry replied sitting in a nearby chair.

“So what are you going to do? That’s all water under the bridge now” his father replied calmly. “What’s done is done.”

“I loved her!” Henry hissed angrily. “And you kept her from me!”

Henry Sr. scoffed. “I kept you from her? You could have had your precious Vanessa and her baby. You just wouldn’t have had our money. You made your choice”

Henry knew that his father was right and that only made him angrier. He sat there and acted as if the decision he made had nothing to do with him!

“I was only nineteen-“ Henry sputtered.

“Still, it was your decision. Don’t blame us for that, Henry” he replied eying him. “Don’t get me wrong. I still believe that you did the right thing. You were too young to be saddled down with a baby, and you were too immature to handle the repercussions of being involved in an interracial relationship.”

Henry tried to control his temper and exhaled. Why was he sitting here trying to reason with his father? He didn’t need his permission anymore and he controlled his own destiny!

“You’re right. It was my bad decision. That’s why I’m going to do all I can to rectify the situation now.” Henry replied.

“Son, it’s been twenty two years, she’s probably moved on.” His mother replied. “If you loved the girl so much, why did you wait so long? You obtained your inheritance when you were twenty five and there was nothing we could have done if you had gone to her.”

Henry resisted the urge to lash out. They were voicing everything that he had chastised himself about. He knew he had been weak and spoiled and it now filled him with self-loathing. Meeting Henrietta had changed everything. He had never had the guts before to face Vanessa, and now all of that had changed. Before his sickness, he had floated through life, not caring about anything, feeling sorry for himself. Now he had a purpose other than doing charity work, and no one was going to stop him from obtaining his goal.

“So what are you going to do?” his mother asked as she watched Henry stand up and head for the door.

“That’s simple” he replied over his shoulder. “I’ve made a New Year’s Resolution to win my family back.”

((***))

Vanessa Young looked at the clock and sighed. It was New Years Eve and she didn’t have any plans other than sitting in front of the television alone. Henrietta was with friends and even though her daughter had tried to get her to go out with them, she had declined. She didn’t want to be out in the streets partying. She wasn’t a teenager anymore.

Vanessa had no one but herself to blame for her present state. She worked all the time and her social life was nonexistent. At first she had convinced herself that it was because of Henny. She didn’t want to bring any old man around her daughter. Well her daughter was grown now, so what was her excuse? The truth was that she couldn’t stop thinking about Henry McDermont II and how Henny had saved his life.

It was fate that brought him in contact with his daughter. Vanessa had thought about contacting him over the years, but had always changed her mind. She didn’t want to set herself up for rejection again. A part of her had hoped that he would come back to her and tell her that he had chosen her over his parent’s wishes, but that never happened. She sighed. The truth was that she never wanted to be hurt like that again, never wanted to love another man like she loved Henry. It was safer to not get involved with anybody, but it was also very lonely.

She remembered meeting Henry on the campus as she was trying to get used to college life. He began turning up in the library quite often while she was there studying, but she had no clue that he was coming there because of her. Finally totally frustrated, Henry had put his books beside hers at the library table and pulled out a chair. She had looked up surprised recognizing him from her English class.

“Hi I’m Henry” he had said smiling that killer smile of his. “I’ve been trying to get up the nerve to talk to you for weeks, but you don’t seem to be able to raise your head up out of that book.”

Vanessa had been taken totally by surprised. “Why were you trying to get my attention?”

Henry had stared at her a moment. “Because I think you’re beautiful” he said sincerely. “I’d like to get to know you.”

Vanessa had been totally floored by his honesty and he had her from that point forward.

It had surprised her that a man as handsome as Henry had never dated. He told her that he had been sick a lot with asthma when he was younger and that he missed a lot of school and ended up being home schooled. He told her that after getting the chicken pox the previous year, his asthma seemed to have gone into remission. Now he was happy that he was doing a lot better, and he wanted to enjoy college life and his independence.

When talking to Henry, Vanessa realized that he came from a rich family and it surprised her that he didn’t know how to make a bed, cook or anything else his parents servants had done for him. She made it her business to show him the basics so that he could function like a normal human being. She suspected that Henry had chosen her because he figured she knew what to do, and he had told her that most of his servants were black.

The McDermonts were well known throughout the University, but Henry was anything but stuck up. He genuinely seemed to be attracted to her and always treated her well, and their love for each other had grown gradually. When things had begun to grow hot and heavy between them, Vanessa had informed him that she was a virgin and it surprised her even more when he told her that he was a virgin also.

Nothing about Henry McDermont was what she expected. She told him that she was a Christian and he confessed that he knew nothing about God and asked her to share her faith, which she did. A month later after attending services at the University’s chapel, Henry told Vanessa that he was ready to give his life to the LORD. Vanessa had then prayed with him.

Even though they had tried to remain strong, it became harder since they spent a lot of time together. Finally one warm night as they walked across the University campus, their kissing got out of hand, and she ended up in Henry’s room. She hadn’t regretted what happened, even though they hadn’t used protection.

Afterwards as he walked her back to her dorm, he told her that they should pray and tell God that they considered themselves to belong to each other even though they weren’t married; and they then prayed and promised God that they would remain faithful to one another.

Now as she stood in her kitchen and thought about it, she realized that their commitment was one reason why she hadn’t bothered to get involved with any other man, though she was sure that Henry most likely had plenty of women since that time. She recalled Henny telling her that her father was divorced. Vanessa felt that Henry most likely never even thought about the commitment they made to God that night on the campus lawn.

She looked at the clock and saw that it was just a little after 8 PM. She had made a pot of stew and decided to have that from dinner along with some cornbread that she had made. She still had on her comfortable scrubs from work and her white nursing shoes. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she put the timer on the oven for fifteen more minutes after checking the cornbread.

The doorbell chimed, and Vanessa wondered who that could be. More than likely it was one of Henny’s friends looking for her. She opened the door with the chain still secure, and felt the cold wind whip over her. A man was standing there in a black fedora hat and long wool coat. She could hear the distant sound of gunshots as people were already beginning to celebrate the new year.

“May I help you?” she asked curiously, thinking perhaps that he was lost.

“Hello Vanessa”

Vanessa stared at the face that was now searching hers. She couldn’t believe that Henry McDermont was standing at her door.

“Henry! What are you doing here?” she stammered still in shock.

“We need to talk. Can I come in, Vanessa” he inquired.

Vanessa closed the door, her hand shaking as she removed the chain. Why was he here? How had he found her? What could he possibly want? Was he looking for Henny?

She opened the door and he stepped into the hallway. She quickly shut the door behind him.

“Why are you here?” Vanessa asked. “Henny isn’t here if you’re looking for her.”

Henry removed his hat and coat and put the items on the hall tree. She stared at him dumbfounded. She hadn’t invited him to stay!

“I came to talk to you, Vanessa” Henry replied looking around. “Are you alone?”

“Yes. Henny isn’t here.” She replied.

Vanessa looked at him and it was as if she was transported back in time. He still looked good and except for a hint of gray around his temples, he hadn’t changed one bit. She on the other hand looked nothing like that girl he met in college. She was at least seventy pounds heavier and she glanced in the hallway mirror at the streaks of gray in her hair.

“What do we have to talk about?” she asked as her heart raced. She didn’t know why he was affecting her like he was, but she made up her mind that she wasn’t going to show it.

“Can we go and sit down?” he asked looking around.

“No, we can’t Henry” she said firmly. “Look, I know you are probably thankful to Henny for what she’s done for you, but there’s no reason for us to talk.”

“Yes there is” he insisted grabbing her hand . “I have to apologize for my bad behavior and for not being there for you. I’ve never forgotten you, Vanessa. I want you to know that.”

“Yeah, right” she said sourly snatching her hand from his. “You got married. Henny told me.”

“Yeah, my father set it up. It was an arranged marriage.” he admitted. “After things were over between us, I just didn’t care anymore. I let him marry me off to a woman whose finances were equal to ours, but she was a lesbian. We lived together more like sister and brother than husband and wife. After she obtained her inheritance, she wanted a divorce and I gave it to her.”

Vanessa scoffed. “You don’t expect me to believe that you two were married and never had sex!”

“Only on our wedding night and that was it” he admitted. “I’ve wasted a lot of years already, Vanessa. I don’t want to waste anymore.”

“What is that supposed to mean, Henry? You can’t just come back here and think you can pick up where you left off?” she said crossing her arms across her chest.

“I don’t have any expectations right now, Vanessa.” He admitted. “I’m willing to take any crumbs you are willing to throw my way.”

She stared at him in disbelief. What did he mean by that? Did he come here in hopes of starting some sort of relationship with her?

“Look Henry, I know that you’re grateful for what Henny has done, but that doesn’t mean that you have to deal with me. You don’t even know me! What we had was years ago. We’re both different people now! You want to get to know your daughter? Fine! Do just that! I don’t have to be a part of whatever you’re hoping to accomplish.”

“You are an integral part of my plan, Vanessa” he confessed. “I have wronged you and I haven’t lived a peaceful moment since that day. We stood before God and promised ourselves to each other forever, remember?”

“You remember that?” Vanessa asked surprised.

“Yeah, I do” he whispered.

She stared at him not knowing what to think. He had come all the way from Maine to Petersburg, for what? For her? She found that hard to believe!

“I don’t want your guilt, Henry. I forgave you a long time ago” she replied. “I’m not some young college kid anymore. We’re both different people now.”

“I haven’t been with anyone else, Vanessa” he declared still standing in the floor.

“What?” she asked surprised.

“Except for my wedding night, I haven’t been with anyone else but you. That one time was years ago, Vanessa. My gut feeling tells me that you haven’t been with anyone else either. We’ve wasted enough time already. I want to be with you. Shall we waste more time just for principle’s sake?”

Just then the oven beeped signaling that the cornbread was done. Vanessa was glad for the distraction. She needed a moment to think.

“Excuse me.” She said hurrying to the kitchen.

She opened the oven and quickly tested the cornbread finding it done and sat it on top of the stove.

“That smells delicious” Henry said from the doorway watching her.

Vanessa glanced at him as he loosened his tie. He was still incredibly handsome, just like she remembered him. She still couldn’t figure out what he really wanted and stirred the stew to avoid making eye contact with him.

“I was hoping that we could go out to dinner and talk, but it seems like you have your meal already.” Henry was saying.

“It’s just stew and cornbread” Vanessa replied. “You’re welcome to have some if you’d like.”

“I’d like that” Henry replied grinning at her.

Vanessa got two bowls and put the stew in them and then cut the cornbread. Henry sat down at the table and she put the bowl in front of him. She couldn’t believe that Henry McDermont II was at her table eating a poor man’s meal of stew and cornbread.

Vanessa sat down across from Henry and quickly said the blessing and began to eat her stew. They were quiet a moment, eying each other.

“Henry, if you want to see Henrietta, I don’t have a problem with it” she ventured. “I don’t understand why you’re here.”

Henry stared at her a moment with those chocolate brown eyes of his. “I’m here because I wanted to see you, Vanessa.” He responded sincerely.

“Henry…why? I’m not some young girl anymore.” She murmured. “What do you want from me?”

“I want us to be a family…at least work on it.” He confessed.

She stared at him in disbelief. “We’re not a family, Henry” she said finishing off her stew and standing up. “We can’t pick up where we left off twenty two years ago and act like nothing ever happened.”

Henry stood up and handed her his empty bowl. “I realize that.” He replied. “But we can begin again…if we want to.”

“What makes you think that I want to even try” she replied.

He took three strides and closed the space between them and pulled her into his arms. Vanessa’s mind was in a whirl as he kissed her hungrily. She couldn’t believe that this was happening and worse, that she was actually responding to his kisses. Her mind was screaming at her, reminding her of all that this man had put her through, but her body seemed to melt into his and it was as if they had never been apart.

Somehow, someway they both ended up naked and on her bed. Vanessa hadn’t been with any other man and it blew her mind as to how this man could come into her house and so easily seduce her. His kisses left her breathless, and his mouth seemed to be everywhere; it was like it was when they were together in college. Her mind was screaming for her to slow down, but the hunger that Henry had awakened, would not be denied. After years of being celebate, her body hungered for the attention only Henry could give her.

“I love you, Vanessa, I’ve always loved you” he whispered in her ear. “We belong together.”

Vanessa couldn’t believe that she had let things get this out of hand. How could she have allowed him to so easily cross the line where so many men had failed in the past? She looked up at him as he hovered over her on the bed. She tried to gain some control.  After all, she shouldn't be allowing him such liberties in such a short period of time.

“We shouldn’t…” her voice trailed off as he slid down her body, his tongue leaving a path of fire as he descended between her thighs, taking away all of her resistance as he pleasured her with his tongue. She wondered if she was dreaming because she couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. Henry McDermont was in her house, in her bed, with his head between her legs giving her more pleasure than she could have possibly imagined.

She had almost forgotten what it was like, the pure bliss of lovemaking and it seemed as if Henry was on a quest to remind her of everything they had done in the past and more. Her fingers dug into his scalp as he held onto her while she shook from the intensity of the orgasm that consumed her.

Her eyes were tightly closed, and she could feel him slide back up her body, as he pushed her legs father apart and he eased himself inside her. She opened her eyes to find his chocolate ones staring at her.

“God, Vanessa.” He exclaimed, his voice heavy with emotion. “You feel so good…better than I remember...better than I could possibly imagine.”

Vanessa was lost in her own world and didn’t reply. She had almost forgotten what it was like to feel his weight on top of her; his familiar scent teasing her nostrils. He kissed her, his tongue searching hers as he pumped in and out of her, sending shivers throughout her body.

“I will spend the rest of my life making things up to you” he murmured into her neck. “Ask me anything, and I will do it.”

“Love me” she commanded without even thinking. After all these years, she knew that she still loved him, though she’d never admitted it to anyone else, including herself. She had never gotten over Henry McDermont. She still loved him, despite what he had done, but she wasn’t sure that she was ready to trust him again. “Love me, Henry” she whispered as another orgasm shook her to the core.

“Always” he murmured as his own consumed him and he exploded inside her. He could hear the sounds of gunshots and fireworks in the distance, signaling that the New Year had finally arrived.

((***))


Henny looked at her watch and saw that it was after 3 am in the morning. The New Year’s party had been great, but she felt a little guilty about leaving her mother home alone.

Henny had tried to get her to go out with her, but her mother insisted that she was staying home to rest. Rarely did her mother get a holiday off, and she had said that she wanted to take advantage of a quiet evening at home. Henny didn’t argue with her decision and decided to go to the party with her friend Cassandra. Vanessa had told her daughter that she was going to watch television and see the ball drop for New Years.

Now she quietly made her way back into the house. She had told her mother that she wasn’t coming home and would spend the night at her friend’s place, but Cassandra had met up with a man and ended up going to his place after the party. Henny had no choice but to return home. She would deal with Miss Cass’ betrayal at a later date.

The house was quiet and she turned on the hall light, surprised to see a man’s wool coat and hat on the hall tree. Did her mother have company? Her mother had never so much as dated for as far back as Henny could remember, and now she had a man stay overnight? It just didn’t make any sense! She quickly reached inside the coat searching for some sort of ID. She found a plane ticket stub and some keys. She searched the other pocket and found a passport. Opening it, she almost fainted when she discovered that it belonged to Henry McDermont!

What was he doing here in her home? Had he come to see her? Why would her mother even think about spending time with the very man that had betrayed and abandoned her? Nothing was making any sense! She quickly cut off the light and decided to ask her mother what was going on.

Henny crept quietly up the steps. More than likely Henry McDermont was in the guest bedroom at the other end of the hall. Maybe he came to see her and her mother had graciously allowed him to stay the night. New Year ’s Eve wasn’t a night you went hotel hunting, and she had promised her mother that she would be home that morning for them to have breakfast together. More than likely she had invited him to stay over and then the three of them would have breakfast together. Satisfied with her deduction, she walked towards her mother’s bedroom. Her mother’s door was not completely closed and she walked over to it and peeked in through the four inch opening.

The light from the hallway spread across the bed as she opened the door wider and she gasped as she saw that Henry was in her mother’s bed. He was on his stomach and he didn’t have a shirt on. Her mother was on her side facing him. Henny quickly pulled the door together and cut out the light in the hall and went into her room and shut the door.

Henny awoke the next morning to the smell of bacon cooking. She snatched the covers off of her wondering how she had been able to get to sleep at all after what she discovered a few hours earlier. She couldn’t believe that her mother was sleeping with Henry McDermont!

She slipped on her robe and went down the steps into the kitchen. She found her mother standing over the stove cooking. She looked around, but there was no sign of Henry. Her mother had some explaining to do!

“Hi” her mother said glancing up at her. “When did you get home?”

Henny cleared her throat. “About three”

“I thought you were staying over at Cassandra’s.” Vanessa replied flipping the bacon in the frying pay.

“Well Cass met up with someone…” Henny replied letting her voice trail off.

“Oh” Vanessa replied removing the bacon and stirring the grits that were cooking.

“Ma, what was Henry McDermont doing here last night?” she asked, unable to hold it in any longer. She crossed her arms and glared at her mother.

Vanessa wouldn’t meet her daughter’s gaze. “I know you don’t understand it-“

“How could you, Ma?” Henny accused. “After all that man has done to you, how could you just let him waltz in here and take your cookies?”

“Henny-“

“I mean, Ma really…you’ve never even dated for as far back as I can remember! You have never brought a man to our home. Now Henry McDermont shows up and you just spread your legs?”

“That’s enough, Henrietta!” Vanessa snapped angrily. “I am the mother here, and I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

Vanessa could feel Henny’s eyes boring into her and she could not meet her daughter’s gaze. She knew how bad it looked, but how could she explain to her child and make her understand that all the old feelings had resurfaced the moment that Henry McDermont had walked through the door?

“Where is he?” Henny asked accusingly looking around.

“I asked him to leave so that the two of us could talk.” Vanessa said wiping her eyes.

“Talk? What’s there to talk about?” Henny hissed. “I gave him my bone marrow! I saved his sorry hide and now he comes here for what? Does he want to try to rectify what he did? Well, he can forget it. You two may have a history, but I don’t know the man, Ma and I don’t want to know him!”

“He’s your father Henny” Vanessa pleaded for understanding.  Henny wasn't having any of it.

“Father? He’s not my father! He’s just a sperm donor…a coward that didn’t have the guts to fight for what was right. Now he wants to come in here and interrupt our lives? I don’t think so!” Henny fumed. “You may have your memories, but he means nothing to me, Ma. I’m not going to sit around here and watch your heart get broken all over again.”

“Henrietta, I’m not a child anymore” Vanessa reasoned. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you really, Ma?” Henny asked in disbelief. “Because I don’t think you do. He came up in here with his sexy voice and seductive words and you dropped your drawers for him without a second thought.”

The sound of Vanessa’s palm connecting with her daughter’s face echoed through the kitchen. Vanessa had never hit Henny before, and was shocked at her response to her daughter’s words. They hardly ever argued and she was mortified not only by her wanton behavior with Henry, but especially now that she had struck her daughter.

Vanessa ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs, sobbing uncontrollably. Henny heard her mother’s bedroom door slam and she sighed. She cut the burners off on the stove and looked at the grits that were simmering. Food was the last thing on her mind. She had lost her appetite.

The doorbell rang and she walked to the door and opened it without thinking, still disturbed by the turn of events. She was surprised to see Henry standing there.

“Henrietta!” he said smiling at her.

“What are you doing back here?” Henny hissed. “Did you come back for seconds with my mother?”

Henry stared at her a moment, his expression grave. “I love your mother, Henny.”

“Don’t call me that!” she snapped. “Only family can call me Henny. You don’t love my mother! I imagine what went on here last night between you two could hardly be defined as ‘love.’”

He pushed past her and walked into the house looking around. “Where is your mother?”

“I gave you the bone marrow. Why can’t you just leave us alone!” Henny snapped angrily. “Why did you come back here?”

“It’s a new year, Henrietta” he said looking around. “I have a resolution to keep.”

“What are you talking about?” Henny hissed, grabbing him by his wool coat.

“I made a New Year’s resolution to win my family back” Henry replied turning to her.

“What? What family? We’re not your family!” Henny said pointing a finger in his face. “We’re the one’s you discarded, remember? You made your choice years ago.”

“I know.” Henry replied sadly. “I made a mistake-“

“He made a mistake!” Henny mocked sourly. She pushed him towards the door. “Get the hell out of this house!”

“No, Henrietta.” He said quietly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You can’t just come back here and suddenly become my father! It’s not happening!” she declared angrily as the tears ran down her face.

Henry surprised her by getting on his knees in front of her, taking her hands in his. “I know I owe you my very life, Henrietta. All I’m asking of you is to give me a chance to redeem myself.”

Henny glared at him and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. He looked up at her with sorrowful eyes and she looked away, not wanting to give in to what he was asking of her. Henrietta felt as if she were suffocating and tried to breathe.

“Statistics show that most people who make New Year’s resolutions end up abandoning them within the first three months of the New Year” she said quietly, not believing that she was even considering giving this man a chance.

Henry stood up and watched as she took her coat off of the hall tree and quickly put it on.


“I need some air” she said, her voice crisp.

“I plan on beating those odds” Henry replied quietly watching her button her coat. “I can show you better than I can tell you, Henrietta.”

Henrietta didn’t respond to his comment, but gave him a final look before walking out the door, slamming it behind her.






Chapter End Notes:

I hope you enjoyed this update.  Stay tuned for another update with the next challenge or the next Holiday whichever the muse says.





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