Hey there, thanks for the reviews. Here's some more.
Enjoy,
So ;)
ps: katvrah, I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit more patient :P
Act 13: Sara
"Hey there," I greet Catherine as she climbs into my car.
"Hey," she smiles back at me and once again I feel like something was blooming inside my chest.
It's been happening every time she smiled at me for a little while now. Part of it is because I'm under her spell – there is no point denying that, and another part is because I know that those smiles are specifically for me. It's subtle but there's a glint in her eyes and a warmth that are exclusively directed at me. When she smiles at other people it's different. How can I not feel all giddy inside when she can make me feel special with something as simple as a smile?
"I'm excited about tonight," she declares as I'm driving us to our destination.
"Me too, I can't wait to watch Lindsey perform."
"Hopefully tonight is the last time I hear that song," she jokes.
Lindsey has been listening to the same song for hours, everyday for the past four weeks. Catherine nerves have been tested to say the least, but she didn't say anything to Lindsey knowing that her daughter was only practicing for her recital. When the song wasn't on Lindsey was singing it, making any escape impossible, and it got to the point that Catherine hummed it at work unconsciously.
We arrive early but there is already a herd of parents waiting in front of the high school, the excitation of the evening palpable. Catherine excuses herself to go and talk to a few parents, I feel out of my element because I don't really belong here, the only thing that keeps me from bolting out of here is the fact that even if she's talking to other people Catherine glances in my direction every now and then grinning at me.
"Good evening, Sara," I'm startled by Nancy.
"Hey, Nancy. How are you doing?"
"I'm good thanks, what about you?"
"Same here. Can't wait to see what my boys have prepared. They wouldn't tell and banned me from their room while they were rehearsing. To be honest I'm split between excitation and fear, because I know how their minds work," I chuckle at her assessment.
I'm not completely at ease with Nancy, and I think she knows it. I'd go as far as saying that she probably doesn't want me to feel too comfortable around her. Catherine had her and her three boys – Jeremy, Allan and Timothy, for dinner and I was gently coerced to stay, twice. Nancy has always been very pleasant with me, but clearly she has been gauging me, forcing me to keep my guard up. I don't know what or if Catherine has told her anything about me, but I don't think it has escaped her attention that I was around a lot as of late.
Nancy is really smooth about her inquisition though, but I know that she's basically waiting to pounce on me with her claws out at the first false step I make.
Lucky for me though Catherine comes back before Nancy's eyes can bore a hole in my skull, she hugs Nancy and they start talking animatedly. They are as close to one another as I am to my own siblings. It doesn't matter that they talk every day or see each other almost every day it's always like they had been apart for months.
Catherine is a family person, we've spent a night talking about it, and whenever she mentioned Nancy or one of her brothers – she has three, her eyes lit up with affection.
I have to keep close to the both of them when we are finally allowed to get in and go into the auditorium, they are moving expertly through the crowd and ninja their way to the perfect seats, not too far from the scene to see everything but not too close.
I barely have time to look at the program before we are plunged into darkness save from the halo of light directed at the stage. One of the teachers, or maybe the Principal of the school wishes us welcome and talk about how the kids have worked hard to present us something, asks us not to be harsh critic and hopes that we'll enjoy the show.
I have to admit I'm impressed by the performances. Nancy has a slight panic when it is announce that the boys will make a comedic routine, but they turn out to be quite hilarious. There are another five performances then Lindsey finally comes onto the stage along with a young boy holding a guitar.
I found myself beaming in anticipation. The boy starts strumming but suddenly stops and he looks at the crowd suddenly taking everything in; colours drain from his face, stage fright overwhelms him and he runs off stage, leaving Lindsey on her own.
Oh no.
Lindsey looks at her friend departing then turns back to the crowd. Panic crosses her features and her chest is rising and falling quickly but against all odds she starts to sing; her voice is weak and wavering and after the second sentence she trails off. Catherine has a hand over her a mouth, her eyes watering as she's witnessing her girl slowly crumbling down.
I know what she feels, it's physically painful to watch it happen and be powerless about it. Lindsey tries again but once more can't get passed the second sentence. Tension fills the room; people are silently squirming in their chair seat feeling bad for Lindsey.
She's slowly enduring the public humiliation and I can see tears gathering in her eyes as she's looking at the audience.
It's not how it's supposed to be. This is her moment.
She talked to me; she told me how much it meant for her to be back on stage. The last time she had participated to a school recital, Catherine and Eddie had made a scene and humiliated she had ran off stage becoming 'the girl who ruined the school play'. If that wasn't bad enough, that day turned out to be the one she almost died in a car, and the one she lost her father forever.
She had refused to take part in any school show after that. For the first time she wanted to change that, and she has been excited about it for weeks.
She's not supposed to live the most embarrassing moment of her life; she's not supposed to turn into the girl who brought the entire show down. It can't happen.
Nobody's laughing but everybody's growing impatient, Lindsey's shaking now and it's clear that she's second away from bolting.
I'm not sure when I stood up but without even thinking I walk up to the stage and jump on it. I grab one of the guitars resting on a tripod behind Linds – for the next performance I suppose, and put the strap around my shoulder.
I think there's noise in the audience but I don't care all my focus is on Lindsey, I start plucking the strings slowly and step onto the halo of light. Linds who was so caught up in the moment hadn't noticed me getting there. Tears are silently running on her face and she shakes her head, but I'm having none of that.
"I'm at a payphone, trying to call home…" I start singing, nodding my head to her so that she joins me, so that she knows it's alright; I have her back.
It takes a second but eventually her feeble voice mingles with mine. "Where are the times gone…"
She keeps her eye on me as we sing through the intro, we start the verse together then I tilt my head toward the crowd, she understands and faces it again. She closes her eyes to focus and little by little her voice gain strength; so much that by the chorus she starts owning the stage.
I had heard her sing before, or at least I thought I had. I don't think I'm the only taken aback by her voice, it's raw, a bit broken but full of soul, it's actually hard to believe that such a small person has so powerful pipes hidden inside. It occurs to me that she had never sung like that before because right now on that stage, with her eyes closed, she's pouring every bit of herself in that song. She's enjoying herself and it shows.
I back her voice up here and there, she turns to me again harmonizing over the bridge then surprises everyone by reaching a high note to introduce the last reprise of the chorus.
The song finally comes to an end and people go wild, giving her a standing ovation, Lindsey opens her eyes again, she's dumbfounded at people's reaction but a shy smile graces her lips. She looks at me but I sign for her to bow and she does.
I put the guitar back on the tripod and jump off stage to let Lindsey enjoy her moment as she should. I'm next to Catherine when everyone starts sitting down again. My heart skips a beat when I feel Catherine's hand slipping into mine, entwining our fingers together and holding it tightly. I turn to her, and her eyes are shining with tears but she's smiling, a smile I can't describe but that sends my heartbeat rocketing. I grin back before turning my attention back to the stage watching the last acts, never letting go of Catherine's hand.
After the recital, we wait for the children outside. Lindsey all but jumps at me holding me tight enough to cut my airways; I'm a bit awkward about it, not being a naturally touchy person or hugged by people in general, but I manage to return her embrace warmly, that embrace says 'thank you' more than her words could. I allow myself to kiss the top of her head and ruffle her hair a bit so she knows that she's welcome.
Nancy offers to have ice creams before going home to celebrate and there's a unison of agreements. I enjoy the animated talk of the children who are all acting like they were high on something but I suppose it's only the adrenaline from the evening still running in their veins, Nancy and Catherine are lost in conversation and I lag behind lost in thoughts.
I think about my mother. I had asked her once why she was so insistent about me and my siblings learning music, and she had answered 'someday music will save your life'. I had thought she was just eccentric back then. I know that when I tell her about tonight she'll tell me that the universe had been at work for that very moment; that everything had been connected for me to end up on stage on a rescue mission.
Lindsey playing that song over and over again, getting it stuck into Catherine's mind who sung it at work without noticing, leading me to learn it and play it at home just for fun and because it was the thing that made me think of Catherine that day; the whole thing coming together in the most unexpected way.
Right now, my mother's answer sounds wise, rather than a bit crazy, and the scientist in me is ready to accept her spiritual belief that everything is connected one way or another – even if it's just for tonight.
"Hey, you're alright there?" Catherine asks when she seats next to me on a bench.
We are at small park, Nancy and the children have decided to climb a giant spider web made out of ropes and they are all laughing.
"Yeah."
"You're all quiet," she states.
"I'm just enjoying the moment," I assure her.
She stares at me a few seconds before speaking again. "What you did tonight was amazing. Thank you, for standing up for her."
The emotions in her voice make me briefly speechless; the moment is heavy and overwhelming. "Meh, I was just looking for an excuse to get on stage and enjoy my five minutes of limelight," I opt for humour, not wanting to break the mood. She chuckles with a shake of her head. "Although, Linds casted a rather big shadow. Who knew she had such a set of pipes?"
"I know! I was blown away. I never heard her sing like that before, heck I don't even know where she got that voice to start with, because it's not from me that's for sure, and Eddie was almost tone deaf, so he's out too."
We both chortle, watching Lindsey having fun with Nancy and her cousins. "She gave me goose bumps," Catherine declares pensively.
"Yeah, me too."
We stay comfortably in silence for the rest of the evening, then we decide that it's time to go home. We go back to our car bidding Nancy and the boys goodnight – by the genuine smile Nancy sends my way as we part I think I've earned some points on the secret test she's been putting me through since we've met.
The drive is short and all too soon I find myself walking Cath and Linds to the door of their house. Lindsey hugs me first, wishes me goodnight before disappearing inside. Cath and I found ourselves staring at one another, I want to kiss her – I've wanted to for quite some time, but once again I hold back not feeling that tonight is the night for our first kiss. Catherine puts a soft hand on my cheek and caresses my skin with her thumb, then she leans in and delivers a kiss on my other cheek, before giving me a tiny Eskimo kiss, just like she had done it at Halloween. I lean in and rest my forehead against hers, I'm sure she can hear my heartbeat so much it's strong.
"Goodnight," she whispers, her breath teasing my lips.
"Goodnight," I echo with a nod and put some distance between us again. I smile at her then turn around to walk back to my car.
I'm pulling my seatbelt when I notice Catherine walking to the car. I open my window, but don't get a chance to ask her if everything's alright. "Stay," she utters softly.
One word, four letters, that's all it take for my brain to shut down abruptly.
When I don't react she goes on. "I have a spare room if you prefer…" she lets her sentence hanging. "I just don't want you to go. Stay," she requests again.
I get past my brain fart but know with certainty that my voice won't work so I don't even try to reply with words, I just nod and her grin broadens.
I close my window, step out of the car and lock it. I take her offered hand as she guides us to the house and twenty minutes later, I'm changed, lying down on her bed, holding her to me. Even though I know it's impossible I could swear that the corners of my mouth are reaching my ears at the moment, lucky me the room is dark because I don't think it's an endearing look.
Just seconds before Morpheus takes me to his kingdom, a single thought crosses my mind.
I'm starting to have feelings for a woman I haven't even kissed.
Fuck.
The song is 'Payphone' by Maroon 5
Thanks for reading.
