Sharon tightened the blue and brown striped scarf around his neck as they went out of the car and into the snowy street. She adjusted his woolen toque and cupped his face in her mitten-clad palms. She smiled at the sight of him. His face was flush from the cold and his lips trembling slightly. She pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss and then took his hand in hers and they continued making their way down the block, their feet occasionally sliding on muddy slushy.
"You know she's going to kill us, right?" Sharon asked, a soft smile gracing her features.
"She is going to be elated, Sharon. And if she gets mad, blame me. I'm the one who got the tickets," Andy squeezed her hand. They walked another block and then stopped in front of a duplex, decorated with Christmas lights.
"This is it," Sharon said and they climbed the five steps that lead to one of the doors and rang the bell. They heard steps from the inside.
"Who is it?" they heard a feminine voice from the inside.
"It's me," Sharon called out and they heard a series of locks being turned on the inside. The door opened and Emily stood in front of them, wearing a leotard and ballet shoes.
"What are you two doing here?" Emily hugged her mother and then wrapped her arms around Andy's neck.
"We wanted to surprise you, honey," Sharon said as her daughter moved from the doorway and invited them in. She took their coats and hung it in the hall closet.
"I'm definitely surprised," Emily replied as she let her mother and her boyfriend towards the living room.
"Were you practicing?" Sharon asked and motioned towards her daughter, as if to indicate the leotard.
"I was warming up," Emily replied and as her mother and Andy took a seat on the couch, she lowered herself to the floor and started undoing the string of her ballet shoes. "These need to be broken in," she said when she saw Andy's horrified face when he saw her bleeding toes. Sharon didn't look too affected by the sight. Emily then stood up and excused herself to get changed, while Sharon explained to Andy about how new ballet shoes could sometimes cause blisters and bleeding in a dancer's feet. He seemed less horrified, but still did not fully accept the idea of a girl having to endure injuries and pain in order to become a dancer. "Can I offer you coffee or tea?" Emily came back into the room, wearing a fuzzy sweater that used to be Sharon's until Emily confiscated it a couple years ago and a pair of jeans. Her feet were bare and her toes were bandaged.
"Sure, honey, I'll have tea," Sharon said.
"Me too," Andy said and Emily went to the kitchen and placed a kettle on the stove. She came back to the living room while she waited for the water to boil.
"So how's the kid?" She asked, referring to Rusty.
"He's doing well. His marks are very good and he joined a chess club in college; they compete and they won a couple of tournaments," Sharon replied.
"That's great," Emily said enthusiastically. "You should bring him here sometime; I think he'll like New York."
"Maybe next time I'll bring him with me," Sharon smiled at her daughter. Unlike Ricky, her daughter did not have a hard time accepting Rusty into the family. It seemed almost natural to her that the boy her mother took in several years before ended up becoming part of their family.
"What are you planning to do in New York while you're here?" she asked.
"Well, we're only going to be here for a week, and we thought of watching a play, maybe…" Andy said, a mischievous smile on his face.
"On Broadway?"
"No, we got tickets to this play… they say that the lead is amazing, so we thought it would be really great to watch it," Andy said and Sharon watched the twinkle in his eyes.
"What is it called?" Emily asked.
"Well, I can't quite remember, but it has some dancing and music in it," Andy replied.
"A musical?" Emily tried.
"Wait, I think I have the tickets here," Andy made a show of rummaging in his pocket when he pulled a white envelope and handed it to Emily. Both Andy and Sharon watched the young woman as she took the tickets out of the envelope.
"What? Mom, no way!" she called out excitedly. "You got VIP tickets to the Romeo and Juliet opening night?"
"Well, it's not every day that my daughter lands the lead role in a huge ballet production. We wanted to should show our support," Sharon replied, a huge smile on her face.
"Oh my God, Mom! This is amazing! I'm so glad you'll be there." Emily said and hugged her mother, then Andy.
"I know how hard you worked to get this role and I'm so proud of you, honey. I wouldn't miss it in the world," Sharon beamed and so did Andy.
"I love you, the both of you. You're the best family I could ask for," Emily said and handed Andy the envelope. He placed it back in his pocket and smiled at the young woman, who looked so much like her mother. He loved Emily the same way he loved Nicole, and he couldn't help but agreeing wholeheartedly with Emily's words. He had his children and Sharon and her children in his life, and all of them together were the best family he could ever ask for.