Chapter Ten: Gonna Reach My Telephone
"There are no accidents. People come in and out of our lives for a reason and where we end up is where we were destined to be all along." (Mandy Hale)
Blaine was sitting on his sofa, watching an episode of Hoarders and mindlessly doodling, when all of a sudden, his phone rang. Correction: the lost phone rang. His ring tone was always a Katy Perry song, this was Lady Gaga's Telephone. Fitting, he thought. Should I answer the phone?
It kept ringing insistently, so he took it out of his shirt pocket, accepted the call and said: "Hello?"
Nobody answered at first, so he repeated: "Hello?"
Still no answer.
Blaine tried again: "I'm sorry, I found this phone earlier today and I don't know exactly who it belongs to. I'm sorry if you're trying to reach that person. But, hey, if you speak up and let me know whose phone this is, I'll get it back to them in a flash, I promise."
Finally, a voice answered: "Blaine? Blaine Anderson?"
Dumbfounded, Blaine stared at the phone. Was this someone he knew? The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't really place it. "Yes, this is Blaine Anderson speaking. May I ask who is calling?"
"I'm the owner of the phone. We met earlier today, at the book fair, through a mutual friend. Kurt. Kurt Hummel."
Blaine sat there gaping like a fish. Kurt? Wow, what are the odds? I knew I'd heard that voice before! Okay, say something, you idiot!
"Oh, hey, Kurt." Smooth, Anderson, really smooth.
"I was just calling to see whether someone had found my phone. I'm glad you have."
"Do you want me to come and bring it to you? If you text me your address, I will." Because I really really want to see you again.
"Oh no, it can wait. It's nine PM already and you probably don't live in Lima, do you?"
"No, sorry, I live in Westerville. But I could come drop it off after the book fair tomorrow, if you like?" That wasn't too pushy, was it? Well, I have to get his phone back to him somehow …
"You're signing books again tomorrow?"
"Yes, same hours as today. I'm going to sing and tell a story again, too. Loads of people told me they'd come back tomorrow if I performed again. Guess they liked it." No, I'm not fishing for a compliment, Kurt, but I'd like one all the same …
"You were brilliant. Maybe I'll come by tomorrow to pick up my phone. Sarah wanted a book signed by you anyway. When's story time planned? Wouldn't want to miss it …" Kurt chuckled softly.
He's coming to see me again? Better and better!
"It's not set in stone yet, but I think it'll be around 2 PM." Please say you'll be there!
"Okay, it's a date! I'm bringing Sarah and her brother. I'm warning you, though; maybe Sarah's mother will want to come along, too, now that Sarah's been talking about you non-stop the whole evening."
"The more the merrier." Actually, I'd rather have you to myself, but I'll be glad to see you regardless.
"Alright then. Thank you for rescuing my phone, and I'll see you tomorrow!"
"See you tomorrow!"
Blaine put the phone carefully on the coffee table, then got up and danced a happy jig around the living room. Yes! He was going to see Kurt again. And so soon, too! Would he dare to ask Kurt if he planned on coming to Tina's party?
K&B
The next day, he arrived early again at the book fair and sketched until the book signing was scheduled to begin. He'd had an idea for a new story, and for him, it always started with images, so he sketched until he had the entire outline. And if the main character looked a bit like Kurt, well, that was pure coincidence. He couldn't help it that Kurt looked like he came straight out of a storybook, now, could he?
With no Mr Smythe to take the attention away from Blaine, people lined up eagerly to talk to him and get his autograph. One person asked why he'd chosen that particular book character to be featured on his posters, and he explained that it was because of the message she exuded. Perdita was an unlikely heroine, but put on the spot she reacted just the right way to save the day. And Blaine liked to believe that we all have the potential in us to make a difference in a person's life by the simplest of actions, and that we should strive to live up to that potential every single day of our lives.
Another reader complimented Blaine on his accurate depiction of how a child thought and reacted and wanted to know if he had children of his own. Blaine shook his head, smiling, but explained that, as an elementary school teacher, he'd acquired some insight into the workings of a young mind.
At noon, he shared his sandwiches with Jeff and Nick, who'd dropped by with Nick's half-sisters in tow. Iris and Nina were nine and seven years old, respectively, and they loved Blaine. Usually, that love was mutual, but when Blaine noticed they'd eaten all the chocolate chip cookies he'd brought as dessert, he was less than pleased. However, he was thankful for the distraction they provided as 2 PM neared.
Would Kurt come, as promised? Would Blaine hear him sing? Would he like the new story? Would he stay and talk a bit afterwards?
Nick and Jeff agreed to stay and provide back-up for the sing-along, and towards 2 PM, Blaine announced to the crowd that he'd sing a few songs, encouraging all the children and their parents to join in, and promising to tell them a story afterwards if they had done a good job.
He'd just played the first few chords of Mr Tambourine Man when he heard Sarah's voice pipe up, and a fierce joy lit up his face when he looked her way and saw Kurt. They locked eyes for a moment, and Blaine's smile grew impossibly wider when Kurt started singing along. Wow, what a voice! And the tiny brunette next to him - Sarah's mother, probably, they looked so alike - had an exceptional range and projection. Yes, he definitely needed to ask Tina about the glee club she'd been in. Or ask her what was in the drinking water in Lima, Ohio, that everyone there seemed to be graced with singing skills worthy of Whitney Houston.
When they'd sung for a while, he praised the children for having sung so beautifully, and asked them whether they'd like to hear a story now. The resounding YES that answered his question made him chuckle, and he proceeded to tell them the Japanese folk tale of the Three Strong Women.
The applause he got afterwards warmed his heart, but he had eyes for only one listener, who made his way to Blaine as soon as the crowd dispersed. Sarah, her mother and her brother followed in his wake.
"Hey," said Kurt. "That was lovely. The crowd ate it up."
Blaine felt a blush creep up. "Thank you."
"This is my sister-in-law, Rachel. Sarah you already know, and this young man is called Toby. He wasn't feeling too well yesterday, but today, he's on top of the world, aren't you, Tobes?"
The boy hid behind his mother, big chocolate eyes peeping at Blaine from between Rachel's legs.
Rachel shook his hand and smiled at him. "So you're the famous Blaine … Tina's told me about you. And Sarah's quite smitten with you, too. You've managed to supplant Sebastian Smythe as her favourite author in just one afternoon. I'm impressed."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Rachel. These are my friends Nick and Jeff, also known as Niff for short, because they're inseparable, and Nick's sisters Iris and Nina. Niff and I were in the Dalton Warblers together. You were in Tina's glee club, in high school?"
"The lead singer, actually," Rachel clarified proudly.
"The bossiest singer, actually, who always got her way and hogged all the solos," rectified Kurt.
"Hey!" protested Rachel. "That's …"
"The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. But we love you anyway, honey," said Kurt, pulling her close and kissing her on the temple.
Rachel, who had looked as though she wanted to hit him just a minute ago, melted visibly under his gentle touch and smiled at him affectionately.
"We've always been very close, the lot of us. We fought a lot, but we had each other's backs. I married my duet partner from glee club, and Tina and Quinn did, too."
Kurt snorted. "You make it sound like glee club was a dating service. I still think it was madness that you and Finn got married in senior year. Quinn, I can understand, because she wanted to raise Beth with Puck, but you had no reason to get married that early."
Rachel shrugged. "It seemed the right thing to do at the time. I thought I'd manage to go to college anyway, but then I got pregnant straightaway and had Sarah, and Finn was away all the time at the police academy, so I had to drop out of college and focus on my family. I don't regret it, though. I'm so happy with Finn and my babies."
She sounded a bit wistful, though, Blaine thought. Time to change the topic!
"Tina's having a Halloween party on Sunday. Niff and I will be there. Are you all coming, too?" he asked.
Rachel looked at Kurt. "We haven't discussed it yet, but Finn's off duty, so we could come. Do you think Burt and Carole would mind baby-sitting?"
Kurt grinned. "Yesterday, dad complained again that he doesn't get to see his grandkids often enough these days, so you'd be doing him a kindness, really."
Sarah jumped up and down in excitement. "We get to stay at grandpa's on Sunday? Yay!"
She turned to Blaine and said: "Grandpa Burt tells good stories too, but I like yours better."
"Thank you for the compliment," smiled Blaine.
"Mama, can I have a book signed by Blaine?" purred Sarah, her eyes wide and beseeching.
"If you promise to be good for grandpa and grandma on Sunday," Rachel bargained.
"I will, I promise!"
Blaine chuckled. "Right this way then. Kurt, come along too, I still have your phone."