November 17th 2020

Chapter 322
Their Growth in Bonds

Day 4, Thursday. Concert – Houston Night 1

"How's it going out there today?" Lucas asked, once again surrounded with the sounds of the road around him. He was on his way home from class, off for another night with Zay and Mia.

"Well, a potential little wrinkle," Maya reported.

"How come?"

"Right, so, the whole thing with Willow getting up there with us for the show hinged on her being able to find someone to switch hours with her at the hospital. She had someone, and it was all set, but now that person can't work tonight anymore, so we're back to where Willow might have to there and not on stage."

"I'm sorry," Lucas replied, knowing as well as she did that her job would and should take precedent.

"She's trying to find someone else to do it, but we're cutting it pretty close, and if she's not there then we have to switch things back to the first way, and that's more than just moving things around, there's arrangements, and lights, and… yeah, so we're all crossing our fingers. We set ourself a deadline, and if she doesn't call us or text us by then to say she's good to go, then we have to go on without her, and she knows to let it go on her end, too."

"Can she do the show tomorrow instead?"

"No, she really can't. This whole week is going great so far, but let's face it, it's a wire act from start to finish and the slightest thing can throw us off balance, and then we're just… pancakes," she sighed.

"At the risk of sounding predictable, I have all the faith in the world that you are the right people to pull this off," Lucas told her. A moment later, hearing a noise, he had to ask. "What are you up to?"

"Playing with sweet little Jujube," Maya smiled, holding each of the six-month-old's little hands in either one of her own and moving them around, making the girl laugh. She had her perched in her lap, sitting on Asher and Ray's couch. "We split up between both houses so everyone could shower and get ready for tonight. I finished, so I get a treat," she spoke in a very sing-song voice which furthered their friends' daughter very much.

"Your treat probably doesn't screech as much as mine does," he breathed, which got her laughing. "How long until the deadline?"

"Can't see the time right now but I'd say a little under twenty minutes now," Maya sighed. "And, oh, I know this face, I think my treat is about to poop, gotta go. Love you, make good choices!"

As anticipated phone calls went, it had been a long time since Maya could say she felt tangible relief for hearing her ringtone. Willow had secured her replacement. They were good to go.

They picked her up on the way, having spent part of the day – along with rehearsals minus their guest sixth – tracking down an outfit for her to wear to integrate her into the look the rest of them had going. To her credit, she surprised them for how quickly and deftly she was able to get changed, right there in the back of the minivan and beneath the makeshift curtains of Rosa and Kayla's coats. She'd showered at the hospital and, once she'd gotten her new outfit on, Kayla had seen to her makeup with the most stable hand they'd ever seen in a moving car. Next came the hair, which had gotten pretty long as of late but usually sat in a very basic bun or braid when she worked, so tonight she would get to give a sort of wink to her husband, unleashing something of a lion's mane.

"What do you think, can I still pull this off?" she asked as they arrived. The others looked at her and were of a singular mind: she most certainly could. "Great… Now I just have to hope I can also pull off the stage part."

They had to say, as much as this show, like the one before and the ones who'd come over the following two nights, was about enjoying Kayla's presence while they had it, and basking in their state as a band of equals, the highlight of the night was having Willow up there. Specifically, it was having her up there and knowing from the bursts of extra cheers that there were people out in the audience who had been fans for a long time, long enough to know that this had been one of their members, even if she hadn't been among them in a while. They knew her, and they were thrilled that she was there that night.

It gave the whole show its own special kick, and it really felt as though they all got that much more into the songs, the six of them together. If they'd managed to get Isadora out here for this, they could have had every single member, past or present, and it was weird to think how unlikely it would get to be for them to make that happen in the future, what with one being in another city and officially retired, one across the country, and one across the ocean… They didn't rest on the thought too long, not here, not in the middle of their show. The spirit around them was almost a living thing, and it commanded attention.

"Tomorrow morning, we sleep, yeah?" Riley asked, when they finally arrived back at the house, feeling almost as though they'd stepped back in time, when it was their home.

"We are definitely doing that," Rosa told her, already moving to the couch and dropping to her 'bed' of this night and the next.

"You heard the lady," Maya nodded, signing a good night to Kayla before leading Nadine up the stairs. "Got it?"

"Yes, I promise," Nadine laughed.

X

Day 5, Friday. Concert – Houston Night 2

"Boarding call! Shayla Blake! Let's go!" Maya called out, stretching over the passenger seat and to the open window when they finally spotted her coming out of the high school. She was with a couple other girls who looked to be in her grade, and they startled and looked to the minivan when they heard the call. Every other student who was out of the building looked over, actually, and Shae jogged over after saying goodbye to her friends. Maya pushed the passenger door open and the girl hopped in.

"I thought you were going to pick me up from my house," she breathed, though by the smile on her face it didn't look as though she minded this one bit.

"Yeah, well, this way you get a bit of mystery going," Maya told her, smiling back. "Do you have your things for tonight?"

"I think so," Shae pulled her gym bag open and showed what was inside. "I didn't really have anything else that felt right, or…"

"No, that should be good," Maya promised. "Unless… I mean, we've got time for a quick stop at the mall if you want to." Shae's face said 'can we?' but it also 'I don't really have money for that.' "It's on us," Maya squashed the second part at once, and they were off.

She was starting to think she had something in her that loved playing a bit of Fairy Godmother sort of role with people. She liked to make dreams come true, whatever those may have been, big or small. And right now Shayla Blake needed to access her inner lead singer. So, off to the mall they went, and with the rest of them already dressed for the night, they had the extra perk of many amusing looks from passersby. It also helped Shae to pick out a few things to make her one of them.

"I can't wait to be done with school…" she sighed, as she went on taking in her reflection in the outfit she'd selected.

"High school?" Maya asked, and Shae nodded. "What happens after that?"

"More of this," she gestured at herself. "I guess I want to go to college, yeah, but I don't have to go right away, do I? I could really give it a shot, make things happen now… or then, after I graduate."

"My husband didn't go until after the rest of us," Riley offered. "If this is the way you need to go, then go for it, yeah?" Off the relief on the girl's face as she nodded, they could guess she didn't expect this choice to be a big hit with most people… especially her father.

"Alright, well, for now, we need to get a move on, get you all the way ready before tonight," Maya led her to the cash register, getting them to ring up the items without her having to change.

There was no doubt in Maya's mind that Shae had their songs down, so much that she could have replaced her at a moment's notice. There were the new songs, but she was a quick learner, too, and all she had to focus on were the vocals. Maya had sent her all she'd need two days ago, when they'd invited her to take the stage with them, a guest sixth just as Willow had been. Looking around, it felt as though the whole band enjoyed having an extra for one-off shows. It might have been something for them to explore in the future as something they did from time to time.

It had been some time since Shae had joined them for something, and never had it been for anything of this magnitude. The idea of it all had been one she eagerly jumped to accept, as she was very much of a mind not to let an opportunity go by when it dropped in her lap like this. She wouldn't leap without looking, no, but this was absolutely one where blind faith was warranted. That being said, the band definitely got a kick out of seeing her reaction, standing backstage with them and realizing how many were out there, feeling that presence…

"Are you okay?" Maya asked, smiling. Shae nodded, still looking.

"What if they don't like me?" she finally looked back at them.

"Then they're in the wrong place," Rosa told her, always to be counted on for plain honesty. The others nodded, showing full agreement.

"Band hug?" Nadine asked, as they were a minute off from getting on stage.

"That means you, too, kid," Maya pulled Shae along to join them.

This mini tour of theirs, after it was over, would have left them with more than one idea for the future, for things they might do as they went forward and turned a new page after Kayla would be gone. How long it would be before they made it happen, and whether they'd make it happen at all, that remained to be seen, but the whole experience would be one that stayed with them.

This night would absolutely stay with Shayla Blake, as she took her place as TXNY's guest sixth for the night. The audience was absolutely in the right place and not the wrong. Shae took to that spotlight and she showed what she had to share, and the crowd was right there with her. By the time they drove her home after the show, it was just as well that it would be Saturday… or already was. She'd dozed off almost as soon as she'd climbed into the minivan. She was carried into the house by her father, who had been at the show, too, in the audience, but let her travel with them, with her bandmates for the day. As they continued on toward Sophie and Chiara's for one last night, they hoped Miss Shayla had the best of dreams, reliving her turn for glory.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners