19 Years Later
"Travis! Angela! C'mon! We're going to be late!" Troy Bolton rushed around the kitchen, gathering items to fill a large picnic basket. It might look haphazard, but actually Troy knew exactly what he was doing and in another moment the basket was neatly packed and closed. Troy glanced around the kitchen, nodded his head in satisfaction and strode over to the bottom of the stairs.
"Kids!" he started to yell, only to be cut short by the clattering of feet coming down the stairs.
"We're here! We're ready!" they called breathlessly, coming to a stop in front of him.
"Homework? Pens and paper? Calculators? Books? iPods?" The 13 year old boy and 11 year old girl nodded at each question.
"Good job!" he smiled and gave them each a quick hug. "I've fed the dogs and they're out in the yard, so let's go!"
Soon they were in the car and heading toward town. Troy maneuvered expertly through the evening traffic until they arrived at their destination. He parked and they got out, the kids with their backpacks and Troy with the picnic basket, and headed into the theater.
Inside the building, pockets of activity alternated with darkened quiet. In a couple of hours the seats would fill and the show begin, but right now rehearsal had just finished and actors and crew were taking a break. Troy looked around, but Angela saw her first.
"Mom!" she cried, racing down the aisle. Travis jogged after her and Troy followed, smiling at the picture they made. Gabriella was every bit as beautiful as when he'd first met her, and Angela looked more like her mother every day, except for the short blond hair that curled around her head. Travis was more sturdy, an athlete like his father, and with his dark hair and brown eyes he was already attracting the girls at school.
Troy reached the little group and hugged his wife. "Hey babe," he said, kissing her. "How did rehearsal go?"
"Hectic as always," she replied as they headed backstage. "You know how final run-throughs are." Troy handed Travis the basket and waved the kids ahead of them. Then he pulled Gabriella to a stop for a much better hug and a few more kisses. Arm in arm, they continued to her dressing room, where the kids were already setting up dinner.
It was a family tradition to picnic at the theater on opening night. Troy had started the custom the first time Gabriella had been in a play without him. There was no time for her to come home for dinner, but the family always made a point of eating dinner together, so he'd gathered up the kids, stopped at a fast-food joint and surprised her. Now the food was planned ahead and homemade as a family, which became part of the fun. They changed eating locations - sometimes a dressing room, sometimes they spread a blanket in the lobby, once they went way up in the back of the balcony - but the ritual remained the same. Talk would be about school, sports, work, anything but the play. After they finished eating, the kids were in charge of cleaning up and packing everything away while their parents had a few quiet moments together. Then the kids would do homework or read until time to take their seats. Whoever was acting - Troy, Gabriella or both - would prepare for the performance. If either of the adults wasn't acting, they'd bring their own 'homework' to do. As a gym teacher and basketball coach, Troy always had schoolwork to do, and Gabriella kept busy with paperwork from the family law counseling center where she worked.
Troy carried the basket out to the car and retrieved his briefcase, but he didn't head straight back into the theater. Instead he leaned against the hood for a moment, savoring the sunset and thinking. It was 19 years ago this week that they'd graduated from East High. In many ways it seemed like just yesterday. Gabriella was still the light of his life, the secret source of his strength. They were still close friends with Chad, Taylor and most of their other high school friends. And he certainly didn't feel 19 years older! Even when he looked at Travis and Angela he sometimes thought, I'm not old enough to have teenage children! But he was and he did, and he wouldn't trade them for the world.
Troy hopped up to sit on the hood, thinking now of all that had happened since graduation. College had been a great experience and had led to a brief NBA career. A couple of years of that had been enough, though. He'd loved playing, but being on the road all the time had not been for him, unlike Chad, who'd played for several more years before becoming a sports analyst. Troy had missed Gabriella too much and had been ready to settle down. So he'd gotten his education degree in off-seasons and then been fortunate enough to secure a great job at the school where he was now. And now – now he had pretty much everything he could want in life.
"What's the smile for?" his wife's soft voice broke into his musings. He started in surprise and then slid down off the hood to take her in his arms.
"I was thinking about everything that's happened since we graduated and how lucky I am to have the life I do," he said, his voice muffled against her dark hair.
She laughed and held him close. "What a funny thing to be thinking about right now!" Her voice softened. "It has been pretty great, hasn't it?"
"Yeah. Who would've thought it when we met at the ski lodge. Remember?"
"Of course I remember!" she said indignantly. "Do you really think I'd forget that?"
"The first time we sang together," he smiled nostalgically. "You know I almost didn't go to that party."
"Really? Me too! I was so shy back then, I just wanted to read my book."
"And now here you are, a star of the stage!" he teased.
"Oh that reminds me," she said in that 'wife' voice he loved. "Sharpay sent an announcement. She's starring in Ryan and Kelsi's new play on Broadway. It opens in August, and they'll send us tickets for a show."
"Hmmm, sounds fun. We'll have to decide if we want a second honeymoon or if we should take the kids."
"Oh, let's take them with us! We'll make it the family vacation. The Evans kids are right around the same age. They can hang out together while we adults get reacquainted." She hooked an arm through his and started back toward the door. "I'll give Taylor a call and see if they're going and you can check with Chad. We can have a mini high school reunion!" she said enthusiastically, then added sternly, "Now what are you laughing at?"
"You," he replied, still grinning. "You're still organizing us and keeping us a group, just like you did at East."
"Do you have a problem with that?" she asked archly.
"No," he said. "I have no problems with anything at all. I'm having the best life in the world." And with that, they entered the theater together.