help him with homework. Taught him how to change a tire. Showed him how to grill burgers. All the stuff a dad would teach him.
His mama got a job three months ago. She’s doing better. Still has hard days, but she’s fighting. For Marcus. For herself.
“Mr. Robert, can I call you Grandpa?”
I couldn’t speak. Just nodded.
He hugged me tight. “Thanks, Grandpa. For not being like most people. For coming back.”
I held that little boy and cried into his hair. “I’ll always come back, Marcus. I promise. And I don’t break promises.”
A trash can and a worn-out basketball. That’s all he had. That’s all it took for me to find a grandson I didn’t know I needed.
Sometimes God puts people in your path for a reason. I was just passing through. Just riding my bike on a random Tuesday.
But I stopped. I listened. I showed up.
And it changed both our lives forever.
