Eli: Here's the next bit. Hope you enjoy!
"When's it gonna start?!" Nicky complained loudly. People from the row in front of them turned around and looked at the youngster. The accompanying adults grimaced at this. Danny grabbed his arm to get his attention.
"Hey, what did I tell you earlier?"
"Be silent." Nicky repeated grimly.
"Yes, we've established you listened. Now obey."
"Yeah, Dad." Nicky sat back in his seat. Chris would have usually made fun of him for getting in trouble, but he was too busy trying to get his tie off. Lee slapped his hands away from his tie when she saw him fiddling with it.
"Chris, stop." She demanded.
"But Mom! It's choking me! I'm gonna choke to death!" He complained, trying to get at his tie again.
"Christopher, I said stop! You have to keep it on." When he was about to protest again, she put her hand up to stop him. "No buts. The tie stays, and that is final."
"Yeah, it's the least you can do." Bethany said to him quietly. "If I have to wear a dress, you have to keep the tie on."
"Shut up, girly girl." Chris said. Bethany got mad and was about to leap from her chair to make him feel sorry, when Ian grabbed the back of her dress and stopped her.
"Calm down, you are not Xena: Warrior Princess."
"But Daddy! He called me a girly girl!" Bethany protested.
"Then ignore it. Besides, you look adorable in your dress." She sat down, very angry.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't see why I couldn't have looked adorable in a dress." She huffed out.
Just then, the lights in the theatre went low.
"Alright, you guys keep your mouths shut." Danny reminded Chris, Nicky, and Gracie. Vicky didn't have the night off, so Gracie had gone with Danny.
"And the same goes for you two." Sara warned Bethany and Jamie.
The orchestra began, and classical music filled the room. The curtains opened and revealed a beautiful garden setting. Two women, dressed as young girls, came out from the left.
"Hey, Auntie Midja!" Screamed Nicky from his seat. Danny covered his mouth. Midja, who was on stage dancing, had trouble not laughing out loud at her cousin's remark. Danny took Nicky by the arm and dragged him outside.
"Busted." Gracie whispered as he passed her on his way out.
When Nicky returned, he sat in his seat without making a sound for the rest of the night.
By scene 2, Gracie had begun to get confused. She knew the girl dancing around her room and writing at her desk and singing about her unrequited love for that Eugene dude was her Auntie Midja. Then why in the world was everyone calling her Tatiana? Was that her new name? Would she have to call her Auntie Tatiana for now on? Gracie sat back in her seat and rubbed her head. This play was too confusing.
Jamie was loving every minute of it. He was following along with the plot. As the climax grew closer in Act 2, he was on the edge of his seat as the four men drew their pistols. When the Lenski dude was shot, he felt really bad for the Olga girl who loved him. He sat back in his seat very upset. This play wasn't fair! Jamie no longer liked this play.
Chris loved the dueling scene. As opposed to Jamie, who got upset, he clapped when Lenski was shot. There was fake blood and everything! This was a really cool play, he decided.
Bethany had behaved quietly during the whole thing. She liked the play over all, and smiled at the end when Onegin (or who all the other kids were referring to as Eugene dude.) was on his knees, begging before Tatiana, aka Auntie Midja, who then ran from him in disgust. As the curtains fell and the audience stood and applauded, Bethany smirked at the guy who played Onegin.
"Ha, loser." She thought to her self.
They met with Midja back stage. She was still really excited from the performance. The adults gave her flowers. Nicky asked her if he and Chris could play with the dueling pistols next time she baby sat them. She laughed and shook her head no. Nicky hung his head with disappointment.
Gracie pulled on Midja's shirt to get her attention.
"Auntie Midja?"
"Yes, grace?"
"How come all the people up there with you are insane?"
"What?" Midja asked, taken back a bit.
"They all kept calling you Tatiana! I wanted to yell at them that that wasn't your name, but Uncle Danny said we couldn't say anything, so I didn't."
Midja laughed out loud. "Honey, Tatiana was the girl I was playing. You know, like on TV with the actors pretending."
Gracie's eyes widened. "Ohhhhhhhhhhh."
"But thanks for not yelling it out, unlike some people." She eyed Nicky. He shrugged his shoulders.
"What? I wanted to say hi." Everyone laughed.
"I liked it." Bethany announced. "It was good. What was it called again?"
"It's called 'Value Beyond Your Reach'. It's a newer version of an old opera called 'Eugene Onegin', except we made it more fitting for dances."
"Cool." Bethany said, nodding her head. Jamie scowled.
"I didn't like it. The good dude died! Why didn't they just kill the Eugene dude?" He asked out loud.
"Because then we wouldn't have an Act 3." Midja told him. He didn't like the answer, but he was too tired to really argue. "I'm glad you got into it Jamie. I think you're safe to come to the next one. But you." She said, looking at Nicky. "Can stay home."
Nicky shrugged his shoulders. "That's good to hear, because at least at home I won't choke to death."
-Later-
"Mommy, Daddy, can we go again tomorrow?" Jamie asked as they walked along the block.
"I thought you said you didn't like it." Sara said, smirking. He shrugged his shoulders.
"I didn't, but I want to see the part I missed when I went to the bathroom in the begging when it was still good."
"Not tomorrow, maybe another time though." Sara reassured him.
"Daddy, did you ever get into a duel?" Bethany asked. "I bet you won."
Ian shook his head. "Fights, battles, wars, but never a duel."
"Can we practice a duel in training with pistols?"
"No." Ian and Sara said at the same time. Bethany snapped her fingers and walked along.
They were walking into their apartment building when Sara rubbed her arms from the cold. Her sleeves came down only a bit, covering her stitches. Her hand accidentally went over her stitches and she winced a little. Ian noticed it.
"Sara, you okay?" She nodded her head.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, it looked like you were in pain a minute ago. Is something wrong with your arm?" He moved closer as if to inspect it. She moved away from him and took out her keys. Bethany and Jamie walked pass her as she opened the door to the apartment.
Ian shut the door behind them. "Sara,"
"No, really. I'm fine. I'm gonna go take a shower. Get the kids ready for bed." All he could do was stare after her as she went down the hall into the bathroom.
After he had gotten them ready, he calmly asked Jamie
"Jamie, what happened yesterday while you were out with your mother?"
Jamie bit his bottom lip and briefly saw a flash of the man grabbing him and running off. He shrugged his shoulders and climbed into his bed.
"We went to the store to buy things, then we went to Burger King, then we went to the park, and then we came home."
"Did anything unusual happen while you two were out?" Jamie shook his head no. Ian looked at him seriously.
"Jamie, this is very, very important. And I think you are lying for your mother. Now, I promise you won't get into trouble, but you need to tell me the truth. What happened while you were out with your mother?"
Jamie looked down a few seconds before he muttered out the whole story to Ian. By the end of it, Jamie was crying.
"Hey, it's alright now. You don't need to cry."
"But....... But I told Mommy I would not say anything. And now that you know sh-she lied, you two are gonna fight and be loud! Just like how Gracie's parents were before......."
"Jamie, nothing like that is gonna happen. I promise. Now, I am going to speak with your mother, and yes, you might hear yelling, but it will be better. Now go to sleep."
"Alright." Jamie said, still shaky about the whole thing. "Good-night, Daddy."
"Night, Jamie."
Bethany had gotten up to get a drink of water when she heard yelling from the Living room.
"You could have been killed, Sara. You could have hurt not only yourself, but the baby as well!"
"You don't think I know that?! What did you want me to do, let the guy keep running?! What if he was one of Irons' little henchmen? He would have tried again! I did what was necessary to protect my family!"
"But you could have at least told me!"
"And you would have been freaking out worst then this! The damage is done. I'm fine, and more importantly, the kids are fine! Just drop it, okay?"
But he didn't. Bethany hated seeing them upset. It was like in her dreams of how they use to be, but worst. She turned around and went back into her room.
Jamie was in there, sitting on the edge of her bed crying.
"I knew I shouldn't have told Daddy. Now they're gonna fight and get a divorce like Uncle Jake and Aunt Vicky! And it's all my fault!"
Bethany gave him a hug and sat down next to him. "Hey, don't worry. Mommy and Daddy aren't getting a divorce. Now stop being stupid and go to sleep. You can sleep here if it helps."
Jamie nodded and Bethany tucked him in. But he wouldn't stop crying. Finally Bethany ventured out of her room and entered the war zone.
They were really loud now. Bethany covered her ears to drone out some of the sound. But it kept getting louder and louder till finally
"QUIET!" Bethany screamed.
Sara and Ian both shut their mouths and looked at her. She took her hands off her ears.
"That's better. Please stop arguing, this is really stupid. Mommy, don't lie anymore. Daddy, it's over and done, so please drop it."
They just stared at her, not sure exactly what to do. Bethany took the silence as a victory to her.
"Now, Mommy, can you please go to my room and tell Jamie that you and Daddy are not getting a divorce?"
Sara didn't know what else to do, so she did just that. Sara talked to him quietly and carried him back to his room. Ian tucked Bethany in again and closed the door.
"Finally, sleep." Bethany mumbled out before she was out like a light.
Coming Attractions:
Every Other Sunday
"When's it gonna start?!" Nicky complained loudly. People from the row in front of them turned around and looked at the youngster. The accompanying adults grimaced at this. Danny grabbed his arm to get his attention.
"Hey, what did I tell you earlier?"
"Be silent." Nicky repeated grimly.
"Yes, we've established you listened. Now obey."
"Yeah, Dad." Nicky sat back in his seat. Chris would have usually made fun of him for getting in trouble, but he was too busy trying to get his tie off. Lee slapped his hands away from his tie when she saw him fiddling with it.
"Chris, stop." She demanded.
"But Mom! It's choking me! I'm gonna choke to death!" He complained, trying to get at his tie again.
"Christopher, I said stop! You have to keep it on." When he was about to protest again, she put her hand up to stop him. "No buts. The tie stays, and that is final."
"Yeah, it's the least you can do." Bethany said to him quietly. "If I have to wear a dress, you have to keep the tie on."
"Shut up, girly girl." Chris said. Bethany got mad and was about to leap from her chair to make him feel sorry, when Ian grabbed the back of her dress and stopped her.
"Calm down, you are not Xena: Warrior Princess."
"But Daddy! He called me a girly girl!" Bethany protested.
"Then ignore it. Besides, you look adorable in your dress." She sat down, very angry.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't see why I couldn't have looked adorable in a dress." She huffed out.
Just then, the lights in the theatre went low.
"Alright, you guys keep your mouths shut." Danny reminded Chris, Nicky, and Gracie. Vicky didn't have the night off, so Gracie had gone with Danny.
"And the same goes for you two." Sara warned Bethany and Jamie.
The orchestra began, and classical music filled the room. The curtains opened and revealed a beautiful garden setting. Two women, dressed as young girls, came out from the left.
"Hey, Auntie Midja!" Screamed Nicky from his seat. Danny covered his mouth. Midja, who was on stage dancing, had trouble not laughing out loud at her cousin's remark. Danny took Nicky by the arm and dragged him outside.
"Busted." Gracie whispered as he passed her on his way out.
When Nicky returned, he sat in his seat without making a sound for the rest of the night.
By scene 2, Gracie had begun to get confused. She knew the girl dancing around her room and writing at her desk and singing about her unrequited love for that Eugene dude was her Auntie Midja. Then why in the world was everyone calling her Tatiana? Was that her new name? Would she have to call her Auntie Tatiana for now on? Gracie sat back in her seat and rubbed her head. This play was too confusing.
Jamie was loving every minute of it. He was following along with the plot. As the climax grew closer in Act 2, he was on the edge of his seat as the four men drew their pistols. When the Lenski dude was shot, he felt really bad for the Olga girl who loved him. He sat back in his seat very upset. This play wasn't fair! Jamie no longer liked this play.
Chris loved the dueling scene. As opposed to Jamie, who got upset, he clapped when Lenski was shot. There was fake blood and everything! This was a really cool play, he decided.
Bethany had behaved quietly during the whole thing. She liked the play over all, and smiled at the end when Onegin (or who all the other kids were referring to as Eugene dude.) was on his knees, begging before Tatiana, aka Auntie Midja, who then ran from him in disgust. As the curtains fell and the audience stood and applauded, Bethany smirked at the guy who played Onegin.
"Ha, loser." She thought to her self.
They met with Midja back stage. She was still really excited from the performance. The adults gave her flowers. Nicky asked her if he and Chris could play with the dueling pistols next time she baby sat them. She laughed and shook her head no. Nicky hung his head with disappointment.
Gracie pulled on Midja's shirt to get her attention.
"Auntie Midja?"
"Yes, grace?"
"How come all the people up there with you are insane?"
"What?" Midja asked, taken back a bit.
"They all kept calling you Tatiana! I wanted to yell at them that that wasn't your name, but Uncle Danny said we couldn't say anything, so I didn't."
Midja laughed out loud. "Honey, Tatiana was the girl I was playing. You know, like on TV with the actors pretending."
Gracie's eyes widened. "Ohhhhhhhhhhh."
"But thanks for not yelling it out, unlike some people." She eyed Nicky. He shrugged his shoulders.
"What? I wanted to say hi." Everyone laughed.
"I liked it." Bethany announced. "It was good. What was it called again?"
"It's called 'Value Beyond Your Reach'. It's a newer version of an old opera called 'Eugene Onegin', except we made it more fitting for dances."
"Cool." Bethany said, nodding her head. Jamie scowled.
"I didn't like it. The good dude died! Why didn't they just kill the Eugene dude?" He asked out loud.
"Because then we wouldn't have an Act 3." Midja told him. He didn't like the answer, but he was too tired to really argue. "I'm glad you got into it Jamie. I think you're safe to come to the next one. But you." She said, looking at Nicky. "Can stay home."
Nicky shrugged his shoulders. "That's good to hear, because at least at home I won't choke to death."
-Later-
"Mommy, Daddy, can we go again tomorrow?" Jamie asked as they walked along the block.
"I thought you said you didn't like it." Sara said, smirking. He shrugged his shoulders.
"I didn't, but I want to see the part I missed when I went to the bathroom in the begging when it was still good."
"Not tomorrow, maybe another time though." Sara reassured him.
"Daddy, did you ever get into a duel?" Bethany asked. "I bet you won."
Ian shook his head. "Fights, battles, wars, but never a duel."
"Can we practice a duel in training with pistols?"
"No." Ian and Sara said at the same time. Bethany snapped her fingers and walked along.
They were walking into their apartment building when Sara rubbed her arms from the cold. Her sleeves came down only a bit, covering her stitches. Her hand accidentally went over her stitches and she winced a little. Ian noticed it.
"Sara, you okay?" She nodded her head.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, it looked like you were in pain a minute ago. Is something wrong with your arm?" He moved closer as if to inspect it. She moved away from him and took out her keys. Bethany and Jamie walked pass her as she opened the door to the apartment.
Ian shut the door behind them. "Sara,"
"No, really. I'm fine. I'm gonna go take a shower. Get the kids ready for bed." All he could do was stare after her as she went down the hall into the bathroom.
After he had gotten them ready, he calmly asked Jamie
"Jamie, what happened yesterday while you were out with your mother?"
Jamie bit his bottom lip and briefly saw a flash of the man grabbing him and running off. He shrugged his shoulders and climbed into his bed.
"We went to the store to buy things, then we went to Burger King, then we went to the park, and then we came home."
"Did anything unusual happen while you two were out?" Jamie shook his head no. Ian looked at him seriously.
"Jamie, this is very, very important. And I think you are lying for your mother. Now, I promise you won't get into trouble, but you need to tell me the truth. What happened while you were out with your mother?"
Jamie looked down a few seconds before he muttered out the whole story to Ian. By the end of it, Jamie was crying.
"Hey, it's alright now. You don't need to cry."
"But....... But I told Mommy I would not say anything. And now that you know sh-she lied, you two are gonna fight and be loud! Just like how Gracie's parents were before......."
"Jamie, nothing like that is gonna happen. I promise. Now, I am going to speak with your mother, and yes, you might hear yelling, but it will be better. Now go to sleep."
"Alright." Jamie said, still shaky about the whole thing. "Good-night, Daddy."
"Night, Jamie."
Bethany had gotten up to get a drink of water when she heard yelling from the Living room.
"You could have been killed, Sara. You could have hurt not only yourself, but the baby as well!"
"You don't think I know that?! What did you want me to do, let the guy keep running?! What if he was one of Irons' little henchmen? He would have tried again! I did what was necessary to protect my family!"
"But you could have at least told me!"
"And you would have been freaking out worst then this! The damage is done. I'm fine, and more importantly, the kids are fine! Just drop it, okay?"
But he didn't. Bethany hated seeing them upset. It was like in her dreams of how they use to be, but worst. She turned around and went back into her room.
Jamie was in there, sitting on the edge of her bed crying.
"I knew I shouldn't have told Daddy. Now they're gonna fight and get a divorce like Uncle Jake and Aunt Vicky! And it's all my fault!"
Bethany gave him a hug and sat down next to him. "Hey, don't worry. Mommy and Daddy aren't getting a divorce. Now stop being stupid and go to sleep. You can sleep here if it helps."
Jamie nodded and Bethany tucked him in. But he wouldn't stop crying. Finally Bethany ventured out of her room and entered the war zone.
They were really loud now. Bethany covered her ears to drone out some of the sound. But it kept getting louder and louder till finally
"QUIET!" Bethany screamed.
Sara and Ian both shut their mouths and looked at her. She took her hands off her ears.
"That's better. Please stop arguing, this is really stupid. Mommy, don't lie anymore. Daddy, it's over and done, so please drop it."
They just stared at her, not sure exactly what to do. Bethany took the silence as a victory to her.
"Now, Mommy, can you please go to my room and tell Jamie that you and Daddy are not getting a divorce?"
Sara didn't know what else to do, so she did just that. Sara talked to him quietly and carried him back to his room. Ian tucked Bethany in again and closed the door.
"Finally, sleep." Bethany mumbled out before she was out like a light.
Coming Attractions:
Every Other Sunday