Men After God's Own Heart by Dijorn Moss Page B

abortion is wrong, but honestly, I wouldn’t be mad if she decided to have an abortion.” Quincy sat the handgun on the table and hit the counter. “This is my baby girl! She can play Beethoven just by the sense of sound. We go to a Mexican restaurant, and she can order off the menu with fluent Spanish. She can even break down the fine points of the health care debate. I don’t want this for her.”
    â€œIt doesn’t mean that her life is over,” Jamal said.
    â€œIt means that my life is over. I just got used to walking around in my drawers. My wife and I christened every room in our house.”
    â€œThat’s so good that you christened the house. God will bless you two,” Chauncey said, aloof.
    â€œWho invited him?” Quincy looked at Jamal and Will, who in response shrugged their shoulders. “I’m not ready to be a grandfather. I’m still trying to get my grown and sexy on. I don’t need another reminder that I’m getting old.”
    â€œI’m sorry, Q, but it just seems like this is more about you and less about Sasha,” Jamal said.
    â€œLook, you try raising your child and giving them every advantage they need to be successful in life, only for them to throw that back in your face by getting pregnant their sophomore year in college. It’s easy to coach from the cheap seats. Talk to me when you’re on the field. Until then, step!” Quincy made a hand gesture for Jamal to step off.
    â€œLook, Q, there’s no need to get defensive. We’re just trying to help,” Jamal replied.
    â€œYeah, we got you’re back, Grandpa Q,” Will teased.
    That marked the first time someone had muttered the statement that Quincy was old. That he would never play four downs in the Super Bowl was a bitter pill to swallow. Being old meant that Quincy would never have to learn the triangle offense, and he was too old to audition for American Idol. He thought of the loss of those days, and then of the days that lay ahead, the discount breakfasts and the more frequent checkups. Quincy ebbed and flowed from contentment to contempt.
    â€œLook, we all make mistakes, but God can fix any situation to the point where it would seem like that was His plan all along. Just give them a chance,” Chauncey said.
    â€œWhen is the guy coming over?” Will asked.
    â€œSaturday.” Quincy hit his head and then scratched it. “I guess I should be thankful that there is only one father, instead of two potential fathers, like on those television shows. When she was in school, I used to tell her that no man was going to buy a pair of worn shoes. She made it through high school on that analogy. I hoped that she would be able to survive college on that same logic.”
    â€œQ, that doesn’t mean that you did something wrong as a parent. It just means that she made a poor decision as an adult,” Jamal said.
    Another sign that Quincy had gotten old. He held up the gun to the surfer-looking employee with a Mohawk. “I’ll take this one,” Quincy said.
    â€œOkay, sir. Well, we have a ten-day waiting period. I’ll just need your driver’s license and a thumbprint, and you have to take a HSC test,” the employee said.
    â€œA test? What is this? The DMV?” Quincy placed the gun on the counter, reached into his pocket, removed seven one-hundred-dollar bills, and placed them on the counter.
    â€œI’m sorry, sir. We have a ten-day waiting period,” the employee repeated.
    Quincy reached into his pocket and pulled out another hundred-dollar bill.
    â€œWe have a ten-day waiting period,” the employee said again with a smile.
    â€œI ain’t trying to be funny or nothing, but since when did the gun store grow a conscience? Doc, you got enough guns to supply the Afghan army. You probably have some missing WMDs in here.”
    â€œCalifornia has a very strict gun policy, and you have to demonstrate