Alexandre woke up, for the first time in a long time, in his own room. He was home, his tour was over but he felt a mess.
The reality hurt, it had been amazing, almost every night had been a euphoria where he'd experienced energy and excitement. The rush of adrenalin had been indescribable, but now, here he was alone in an empty room feeling equally empty inside.
He felt so unsettled and couldn't even think about unpacking his suitcase.
Everything was quiet, the space next to him left empty, his wife was already up and out, likely taking their little one to nursery. He'd not even seen them properly yet, getting in after midnight he'd come in as quietly as possible and had succeeded in not waking her. However, his melancholy also gave him a sense of guilt. He loved his family so dearly.
Still, his mind drifted back to a couple nights earlier, his final show. It had been such a rush and like other nights he let himself get lost in the moment feeding off the enthusiasm of the thousands of spectators. The routine he'd been living and breathing for was now at an end. His emotions were all over the place and he was at a loss over where to begin in pulling himself back together again.
He got up, sat on the edge of the bed, and picked up his guitar. The quiet and peacefulness that surrounded him only made him feel worse. It was worlds away from the life gotten used to for most of this past year. It wasn't an overly unfamiliar feeling. he'd previously found it hard to adjust to normality following the end of a tour.
He let out a sigh and strummed on his guitar, His mind drifting between memories of his tour and his beautiful family, particularly his wonderful little boy.
It left him captivated to see both him and his wife in the little ones face. His eyes, nose and hair colour were undoubtedly his. His bright smile came from his mother, as did his wild curls although they were looser than hers. He'd also inherited a hint of her skin tone. He was a beautiful little work of art, full of affection and curiosity. He was his heart and the light of his life. He found himself beginning to smile. Now more than ever he longed to be with him.
His thoughts drifted onto his wife and the little girl inside her who was weeks away from joining them. They already had the name chosen and he couldn't wait to meet her.
His bedroom door slowly opened and the little boy stepped carefully forward under his mother's watchful eye. His own eyes were focused on the mug of coffee he was carrying. His face showed determination and concentration at his task. Alexandre couldn't help but smile broadly at the sight. Reaching him the youngster stretched out his arms to give him the cup, Alexandre accepted it, his smile widening.
"Thank you, little sir." He told him, taking it and laying it on the bedside table. His task complete the youngster called him enthusiastically and threw his arms up to hug him. Setting his guitar to one side he scooped him up he enveloped him.
"He wanted to stay home today to welcome his Papa." His wife explained, sitting down next to him. Keeping hold of the boy with one arm he put his other arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. He sat like this for a few minutes, enjoying the nonsensical childish chatter and savouring the closeness of both of them.
"He prepared breakfast too." She went on. "It's downstairs."
The boy climbed from his lap and began pulling on his hand, enthusiastically urging him to come down.
He loved trying to help his Maman in the kitchen, Yet at only three and a half years of age, his eagerness exceeded his abilities.
This wasn't the case however when it came to being in the water.
He'd not intended to push his own love of the water onto his child. He'd only initially taught him as a safety measure.
"I don't want to risk anything happening to him." He'd explained to his wife. "Once he starts walking he'll get everywhere, it'll be almost impossible to keep him within our sight."
A protective mother, she'd been anxious over the idea but still, she trusted him wholeheartedly.
Born in January, by the time summer arrived he could already float and kick about unaided and was not only comfortable in the water but seemed to love it. The following summer, however, he was unstoppable and loved nothing more than jumping in, over and over again, even via the springboard. By this time though, he could swim like a fish, a water baby in every sense of the word. And now, for many months he'd been begging to be allowed to snorkel. So while on a short break on his tour Alexandre had bought him a snorkelling kit and had promised to teach him how to use it when his tour had finished. He'd never seen him so delighted.
Seizing the opportunity as the boy charged from the room to go back downstairs, he enjoyed an affectionate moment with his wife and fussed over her swollen belly.
Sitting together at the table the trio tucked into the various viennoiseries the little boy had laid out.
At his Maman prompting he began to ask what he wanted to ask of his Papa and Alexandre listened intently as he implored him to give him a snorkelling lesson.
He felt his heart melt at the request, joy and pride swelled in him as he looked at the pair of pleading eyes. He leaned over in to tenderly kiss his head, it was the perfect time to deliver on his promise, in fact, it would be just what he needed too.