Christian walked into his house. How often he had walked through
these doors to find his beautiful wife, Adrienne, and their newly born
child waiting for him. He smiled when he saw a bit of red hair above a
chair in the living room. Her warm voice called to him softly.
"Hello, darling," she said, "How was your day?"
Christian placed his portfolio on the couch and sat next to it. "Just fine, dear. How was yours?"
They went through this routine every night, except for Sunday night, but had not yet tired of it. Of course, they had only been married for ten months, but they felt as if they had been together forever. A small cry emanated from a room down the hall, and a baby monitor next to Adrienne. She began to get up, but Christian stopped her.
"You've been here all day," he said, "Let me see my family."
She smiled at her husband as he went down the hallway.
A tiny, redhaired baby lay in the crib in her nursery. A baby boy with dark brown hair lay in a crib next to her. Christian smiled, and the redhaired baby began to cry again. He bent down and picked her up. He shushed her and bounced her about as he tried to lull her back to sleep. Perhaps a simple lullaby.
"Lullaby and goodnight, go to sleep little baby," he sang. As soon as she heard his voice, his child dropped off to sleep. He gently kissed her forehead and whispered, "Goodnight, dear one."
He turned to leave, and saw Adrienne standing in the doorway. "She's spellbound by your voice, darling," she whispered. Christian put his finger to his lips and gently pushed her from the room. He closed the door quietly.
"She won't sleep for me," whispered Adrienne, pulling Christian to her.
"That's because you won't sing to her," he whispered back. Adrienne pulled away from him.
"I shouldn't have to sing to her," she said, "I'm her mother." She turned and walked back into the living room. Christian followed her.
"All I meant was that babies like to be sung to," he began. Adrienne rounded on him.
"No, Christian. I won't sing. I left all of that behind me."
"I know you did, darling, I . . ."
"NO, Christian! Don't you understand? It's different for me than it is for you! You didn't have to live in that hell hole for ten years because your acting career was going down the drain! You didn't have to deal with the pushy men, the bitchy girls, and the same damned routine night after night. You didn't have to deal with the bruises and the bleeding and the crying and the wishing to die night after night after fucking sleepless night!" By the end of her paragraph she was running out of breath, and collapsed, gasping onto the floor. Christian slowly walked over to her and pulled her into him. He held her for a very long time, Adrienne's entire weight on him. She sobbed into his jacket until she had no more tears to cry.
"Darling," said Christian quietly, "No matter what anyone says, or what you fear, you are not Satine. Not anymore. You are Adrienne, my wife, the mother of my two beautiful children, and the one person that makes my life worthwhile."
Adrienne looked up at him. "But that's just it," she said slowly, "Somewhere, I've always been Satine, and somewhere I'll always be her. What if she comes back? I couldn't do that to you . . . to our children . . ." Christian silenced her with a gaze.
"Then we just won't go to that 'somewere,'" he said, kissing her gently on the forehead.
Adrienne and Christian made their way into their bedroom, taking their baby monitor with them. The sounds of sleeping Alexis Marie and Dylan Martin drifted lazily through its speaker.
That's the first chapter of the long-awaited sequel to the smash hit Club Rouge! Okay, so I'm thinking a little highly of myself. Please, please, please, please review it!
"Hello, darling," she said, "How was your day?"
Christian placed his portfolio on the couch and sat next to it. "Just fine, dear. How was yours?"
They went through this routine every night, except for Sunday night, but had not yet tired of it. Of course, they had only been married for ten months, but they felt as if they had been together forever. A small cry emanated from a room down the hall, and a baby monitor next to Adrienne. She began to get up, but Christian stopped her.
"You've been here all day," he said, "Let me see my family."
She smiled at her husband as he went down the hallway.
A tiny, redhaired baby lay in the crib in her nursery. A baby boy with dark brown hair lay in a crib next to her. Christian smiled, and the redhaired baby began to cry again. He bent down and picked her up. He shushed her and bounced her about as he tried to lull her back to sleep. Perhaps a simple lullaby.
"Lullaby and goodnight, go to sleep little baby," he sang. As soon as she heard his voice, his child dropped off to sleep. He gently kissed her forehead and whispered, "Goodnight, dear one."
He turned to leave, and saw Adrienne standing in the doorway. "She's spellbound by your voice, darling," she whispered. Christian put his finger to his lips and gently pushed her from the room. He closed the door quietly.
"She won't sleep for me," whispered Adrienne, pulling Christian to her.
"That's because you won't sing to her," he whispered back. Adrienne pulled away from him.
"I shouldn't have to sing to her," she said, "I'm her mother." She turned and walked back into the living room. Christian followed her.
"All I meant was that babies like to be sung to," he began. Adrienne rounded on him.
"No, Christian. I won't sing. I left all of that behind me."
"I know you did, darling, I . . ."
"NO, Christian! Don't you understand? It's different for me than it is for you! You didn't have to live in that hell hole for ten years because your acting career was going down the drain! You didn't have to deal with the pushy men, the bitchy girls, and the same damned routine night after night. You didn't have to deal with the bruises and the bleeding and the crying and the wishing to die night after night after fucking sleepless night!" By the end of her paragraph she was running out of breath, and collapsed, gasping onto the floor. Christian slowly walked over to her and pulled her into him. He held her for a very long time, Adrienne's entire weight on him. She sobbed into his jacket until she had no more tears to cry.
"Darling," said Christian quietly, "No matter what anyone says, or what you fear, you are not Satine. Not anymore. You are Adrienne, my wife, the mother of my two beautiful children, and the one person that makes my life worthwhile."
Adrienne looked up at him. "But that's just it," she said slowly, "Somewhere, I've always been Satine, and somewhere I'll always be her. What if she comes back? I couldn't do that to you . . . to our children . . ." Christian silenced her with a gaze.
"Then we just won't go to that 'somewere,'" he said, kissing her gently on the forehead.
Adrienne and Christian made their way into their bedroom, taking their baby monitor with them. The sounds of sleeping Alexis Marie and Dylan Martin drifted lazily through its speaker.
That's the first chapter of the long-awaited sequel to the smash hit Club Rouge! Okay, so I'm thinking a little highly of myself. Please, please, please, please review it!