Prologue - one year ago
Donna gave Sophie a huge hug. The full moon was hanging overhead; stars twinkled in the Grecian sky. Tears stung Donna's eyes for a brief moment as she sadly thought, 'Slipping through my fingers all the time, I try to capture every minute, the feeling in it, slipping through my fingers all the time. . .'
Sophie was leaving her. Not as she originally had planned, by getting married to Sky, but now she was leaving with him to see the world, something she had done at her age. Though it was one of the major highlights of her life, and she wanted her only daughter to experience the same joy, she didn't want her to leave. She would miss her too much.
The two pulled away. Sophie gave her mother a sad but excited smile. Donna tried to do the same, but it wasn't working out well. She tried not to cry. Not when she was so happy. Yet she was so sad at the same time.
"Well," Sophie said quietly, "first we're off to New Delhi then over to Auckland for the rest of the season before going to Cairo."
Donna tried to appear happy for her daughter. "That's great," she said weakly, holding Sophie's hands in her own. "If you're happy, I'm happy."
"And that's one of the things I love about you."
Donna didn't need to turn around. She knew Sam, the love of her life, was standing behind her, gently grasping her shoulders. She kissed one of his strong hands.
Sophie looked up at Sam and smiled. "Thanks for everything, Sam." She looked back down at Donna with a glimmer of dark blue sadness in her eyes. "I'll see you soon, okay?"
Donna let a small tear escape. "Write once a week." She looked down for a quick moment then shot her head back up. "I'll be waiting for your letters."
Sophie gave a her small nod then looked up at Sky, who smiled down at her. Then they turned slowly in the other direction, though not before Sophie mouthed to Donna: "I love you, mom."
Donna stood sadly and silently as she watched her daughter walk away into the moonlight. The whole world was spinning by her. Just twenty-four hours ago she was a free, single, independent, heart-broken woman. Now she was married, deeper in love than ever with her daughter and husband, and very, very happy.
"C'mon," Sam said suddenly, breaking the silence of the night. "Let's go inside." He rubbed his head into her neck.
Donna smiled and watched Sophie and Sky for a few more seconds until her eyes began to water. She turned around and looked deep into Sam's eyes, feeling so happy. He took her hand and they walked together back up the moonlit path towards the back entrance of the Taverna.
The newlyweds walked up the path in silence. Sam was dying to say something, but he was reverent towards Donna and her feelings. He would wait for her to speak first.
They soon approached the two blue wooden doors that led inside the hotel. Sam reached out to turn the knob but Donna stopped his hand. He looked at his bride, who was wearing an iridescent smile.
"What's the matter?" he asked, putting his hand on her cheek.
Donna just laughed and looked up at the night sky. "Nothing's the matter." Then she looked back down at Sam, heart skipping a beat, knowing that he was finally hers. Then she added, "That's what so strange."
Sam wrapped his arms around here. "Awww, honey, nothing's strange about being happy." He began to rock her gently to the sound of music coming from inside mixed with the swaying of the Mediterranean Sea.
Donna leaned against him. "Oh, Sam, it's not being happy." She closed her eyes and pictured heaven. "It's being happy for the first time in so long."
Sam lifted her head and looked deep into her eyes. Their faces inched closer together. "I love you, Donna the Dynamo."
"I love you, too, Sam."
Just as they were about to kiss, the doors burst open and there stood Tanya and Rosie, laughing and dancing with margaritas in hand. They both looked up and saw Donna and Sam staring at them as if they were insane.
Tanya chuckled and lifted her drink up towards the sky. "Looks like we're interrupting something here, Rose," she said to her friend.
Rosie looked at Donna with a smirk. "Sorry, Don. We just came to find you." She shook her hips. "There's a party going on in this lean-to hotel of yours."
Donna laughed and looked up at Sam. "You in the mood for a little performance?"
Sam laughed and lifted Donna up off the ground and swung her around. He put her down gently and kissed her on the cheek. "How could I miss a classic Donna and the Dynamos show? I'd have to be mental."
"I'd say that ship has sailed," Tanya cut in. She pointed to Donna. "You married her after 21 years, after all."
Donna laughed and gave her best friend a shove. "Ha ha, very funny, Tanya."
Rosie took hold of Tanya's arm and began pulling her inside. "Well, we'll be going now. Donna, we're on in ten, so you better be in your white spandex soon." And with that, she and Tanya went back inside the noisy hotel and shut the doors behind them, leaving Sam and Donna alone again.
"Those two never change, do they?" Sam laughed.
"Nope," replied Donna with a giggle.
Sam gazed happily upon his wife then looked down at his watch. "You better get going, sweetie." He kissed her lightly. "This is one show I don't want to miss."
Donna gave him an enormous hug. "And you'll never have to."
Donna gave Sophie a huge hug. The full moon was hanging overhead; stars twinkled in the Grecian sky. Tears stung Donna's eyes for a brief moment as she sadly thought, 'Slipping through my fingers all the time, I try to capture every minute, the feeling in it, slipping through my fingers all the time. . .'
Sophie was leaving her. Not as she originally had planned, by getting married to Sky, but now she was leaving with him to see the world, something she had done at her age. Though it was one of the major highlights of her life, and she wanted her only daughter to experience the same joy, she didn't want her to leave. She would miss her too much.
The two pulled away. Sophie gave her mother a sad but excited smile. Donna tried to do the same, but it wasn't working out well. She tried not to cry. Not when she was so happy. Yet she was so sad at the same time.
"Well," Sophie said quietly, "first we're off to New Delhi then over to Auckland for the rest of the season before going to Cairo."
Donna tried to appear happy for her daughter. "That's great," she said weakly, holding Sophie's hands in her own. "If you're happy, I'm happy."
"And that's one of the things I love about you."
Donna didn't need to turn around. She knew Sam, the love of her life, was standing behind her, gently grasping her shoulders. She kissed one of his strong hands.
Sophie looked up at Sam and smiled. "Thanks for everything, Sam." She looked back down at Donna with a glimmer of dark blue sadness in her eyes. "I'll see you soon, okay?"
Donna let a small tear escape. "Write once a week." She looked down for a quick moment then shot her head back up. "I'll be waiting for your letters."
Sophie gave a her small nod then looked up at Sky, who smiled down at her. Then they turned slowly in the other direction, though not before Sophie mouthed to Donna: "I love you, mom."
Donna stood sadly and silently as she watched her daughter walk away into the moonlight. The whole world was spinning by her. Just twenty-four hours ago she was a free, single, independent, heart-broken woman. Now she was married, deeper in love than ever with her daughter and husband, and very, very happy.
"C'mon," Sam said suddenly, breaking the silence of the night. "Let's go inside." He rubbed his head into her neck.
Donna smiled and watched Sophie and Sky for a few more seconds until her eyes began to water. She turned around and looked deep into Sam's eyes, feeling so happy. He took her hand and they walked together back up the moonlit path towards the back entrance of the Taverna.
The newlyweds walked up the path in silence. Sam was dying to say something, but he was reverent towards Donna and her feelings. He would wait for her to speak first.
They soon approached the two blue wooden doors that led inside the hotel. Sam reached out to turn the knob but Donna stopped his hand. He looked at his bride, who was wearing an iridescent smile.
"What's the matter?" he asked, putting his hand on her cheek.
Donna just laughed and looked up at the night sky. "Nothing's the matter." Then she looked back down at Sam, heart skipping a beat, knowing that he was finally hers. Then she added, "That's what so strange."
Sam wrapped his arms around here. "Awww, honey, nothing's strange about being happy." He began to rock her gently to the sound of music coming from inside mixed with the swaying of the Mediterranean Sea.
Donna leaned against him. "Oh, Sam, it's not being happy." She closed her eyes and pictured heaven. "It's being happy for the first time in so long."
Sam lifted her head and looked deep into her eyes. Their faces inched closer together. "I love you, Donna the Dynamo."
"I love you, too, Sam."
Just as they were about to kiss, the doors burst open and there stood Tanya and Rosie, laughing and dancing with margaritas in hand. They both looked up and saw Donna and Sam staring at them as if they were insane.
Tanya chuckled and lifted her drink up towards the sky. "Looks like we're interrupting something here, Rose," she said to her friend.
Rosie looked at Donna with a smirk. "Sorry, Don. We just came to find you." She shook her hips. "There's a party going on in this lean-to hotel of yours."
Donna laughed and looked up at Sam. "You in the mood for a little performance?"
Sam laughed and lifted Donna up off the ground and swung her around. He put her down gently and kissed her on the cheek. "How could I miss a classic Donna and the Dynamos show? I'd have to be mental."
"I'd say that ship has sailed," Tanya cut in. She pointed to Donna. "You married her after 21 years, after all."
Donna laughed and gave her best friend a shove. "Ha ha, very funny, Tanya."
Rosie took hold of Tanya's arm and began pulling her inside. "Well, we'll be going now. Donna, we're on in ten, so you better be in your white spandex soon." And with that, she and Tanya went back inside the noisy hotel and shut the doors behind them, leaving Sam and Donna alone again.
"Those two never change, do they?" Sam laughed.
"Nope," replied Donna with a giggle.
Sam gazed happily upon his wife then looked down at his watch. "You better get going, sweetie." He kissed her lightly. "This is one show I don't want to miss."
Donna gave him an enormous hug. "And you'll never have to."