Chapter 25. A Month After.

I can't believe my life now. For over a month I have woke up with Christine by my side, every so often we were concealed by nothing but a blanket, and when we dressed she would go wake up Erica and we would have eggs and toast before I had to run off to work (the season may be over, but there is still much the owner of an amusement park must do), then when I got back I could spend the rest of the day with them both, the spend the rest of the night with my Christine.

However, today was different.

I was working at my desk when I heard the door open, and Erica walked to me and said. "Momma had me bring your lunch."

"Thank you. Leave it on the table over there." I said not looking up from my work.

She walked over to the table and put the black lunch box down then said. "What is that you're doing?"

"Money management."

"Raoul loved money, but he spent too much." She said and walked to the door. "That's why Momma worked so much even though she wanted to quit."

I looked at her and said. "She what?"

"She wanted to quit and be a housewife or something."

I stood up, and even though I was nowhere near finished with my work, I dashed out the door to speak with Christine.

I found her cleaning the kitchen, and I pulled her away from the dirty dishes and said. "Christine why were you planning to quit the opera?"

"What are..." She began.

"Erica told me you were going to quite singing if The Boy ever stopped wasting your money."

"Oh Eric, I, it, it was Raoul's idea for me to quit, and the more I thought about it, the more I had to leave Erica to go to rehearsal, the more I wanted to, it was all too hard on me, that's why singers don't usually have families, Eric, it's too difficult to manage."

I turned away and said. "All my training you has gone to waist. You had such potential talent. And I ruined it when I deflowered you those seven years ago."

"Eric…"

"I'm not blaming you or Erica, and I'm not angry. I'm just, a little sad. I must go back to work."

"Eric I…"

"No Christine, it's your life, I have no power over you."

"Eric you need to listen to me…."

Before she could finish, I was gone.

I didn't go back to my workshop; instead I went to the docs and found Erica there throwing bits of bread in to the water to watch sea gulls scoop it up from the water, while Martha sat in a beach chair nearby.

"This bread's too hard; I can barely pinch it off." She said when I walked up to her.

"Let me try." I said and tried to pinch off some bread, to find it was a tough task, but I eventually broke some off and threw it to the water and a bird came down and took it before it hit the water.

"Won day I'm going to fly like a bird, or a bat for that matter."

"Oh really?"

"Yep, even if it takes me a million years, I'm going to build wings and fly as high as the birds, my children can help me when I get older. If they want to."

"Erica, you set your hopes sky high. Literally."

She pinched off some more bread and threw it out for the birds then said. "Darn stone bread. Papa, what's it like to be in love? Is it like in stories where you just want to kiss all day long?"

"Oh Erica…"I began. "It's that and more, when you love someone they way you speak of, you want to spend every moment with them, but you let them have the privacy they need. That part I was never good at. You also are willing to die for them if it means they get to live. I would go to the ends of the Earth for your mother and bring her back the finest jewels and trinkets. I love her with all my heart and I have for a long time. But when you love someone, you let them go, no matter how painful it is, you let then prefill their dreams and make sure they're safe, even if it means you can't stay with them."

"Is that what happen with Momma and Raoul? You let her go off with him?"

"Biggest mistake of my life, but yes. I did twice, once when Christine was just starting her career, and another time right before you came along."

She hugged me and said. "You shouldn't have the last time."

"No, I shouldn't have." I said and put my arm around her shoulder.

"Papa?"

"Yes?"

"How did I come along?"

Oh mother of hell….