this night is flawless

Kelly leaned against the door of Maya's bedroom and smiled at the sight in front of him. His wife and daughter were sitting together on the floor, surrounded by sequins and sparkles. Stella and Maya were sitting on the floor, the little girl sitting patiently while her mom stuck pink jewels on her face.

Maya had been waiting months for this night since Kelly and Stella had surprised her with tickets. She was going to see Taylor Swift on the Eras tour. She had been listening to Taylor's music for years—Taylor was one of Sadie's favorite singers and she always played her albums when she babysat—but Maya had really started liking Taylor's music in her own right. Plus, she was really excited to stay up way past bedtime with her aunts and best friend.

By some miracle (also known as dedicated husbands and fathers willing to battle it out in the Tickemaster queue), the group of first responders managed to get enough tickets for Stella, Maya, Hailey, Ella, Brett, and Violet to all go on night one. They were each going to dress as different eras and the desire to have the perfect outfit had resulted in weeks of shopping and countless Amazon orders.

Seeing the look on Maya's face, the excitement in her eyes, made it all worth it.

Stella finished putting the jewels on Maya's face and showed her the result in a mirror. As Maya was looking at the pink heart that circled her eye, she noticed Kelly standing in the doorway.

"Daddy look!" Maya yelled, standing from the floor and twirling so Kelly could see her entire outfit.

"I see! Are you ready for tonight?"

Maya nodded excitedly, her neatly styled curls bouncing with the movement. She launched into a full, detailed description of everything she was wearing, giving Stella just enough time to put the finishing touches on her own outfit before it was time for them to leave. The mother-daughter duo said goodbye to the family and headed out.

The hours leading up to the concert were the perfect start to an unforgettable night. Stella and Maya met up with the others for a late lunch before going to Soldier Field together. The atmosphere outside the stadium was electric and it was impossible to not be excited for what was to come.

… … …

Stella had fought fires, completed daring rescues, and faced death many times but none of that quite compared to the Taylor Swift merch line. She thought that waiting until Owenn and Girl in Red started performing would be the best bet for shorter lines but it seemed like everyone else had the same idea she did.

Stella was insanely glad they decided to divide and conquer. Hailey, Brett, and Violet were tackling the concessions lines while Stella had Maya and Ella with her in the merch line. The little girls seemed unbothered by having to wait and were talking excitedly with each other and a few other people in line, especially after the two older girls in line behind them gave Maya and Ella their first friendship bracelets of the night.

Stella had even gotten her own friendship bracelet from the mom in front of her, a pink and purple 'mom of a swiftie' beaded one that now proudly sat on her wrist, and was making small talk when Maya tapped her arm to get her attention.

"Mama, can I sing all the words?" Maya asked, the question loud and clear to everyone around them in line even over the noise in the concourse. "Even the bad ones?"

Stella couldn't help but laugh. "Yes baby, you can sing the bad words. But only for tonight, ok?"

"Me too Aunt Stella?" Ella asked, flashing her green puppy dog eyes.

"That is a question your mama needs to answer kiddo," Stella replied, firm but friendly. "You can ask her when we get back to our seats, OK?"

Ella pouted but it wasn't long before she was back to chatting happily with Maya and exchanging friendship bracelets with other swifties as they crept closer to the merch table.

… … …

When the countdown hit zero and Taylor's intro started, the energy at Solider Field shifted into something none of them had experienced before.

It was impossible to not scream, sing, and dance as Taylor put on the show of a lifetime. Through Lover, Fearless, Evermore, Reputation, Speak Now, Red, Folklore, and 1989 the big toothy smile never left Maya's face. She was on her feet scream-singing the songs she knew and dancing with Ella during the songs she didn't.

When Taylor grabbed her guitar and started I Wish You Would, the first of the surprise songs, Maya gasped and looked up at Stella, eyes full of joy. "Mama, I love this song!"

"I know you do!" Stella replied, and she did. I Wish You Would might have been a weird song for an almost 10-year-old to love, but Maya had been drawn to the song from the second she heard it. "Isn't it so cool she played it on the night you got to come?"

Maya nodded excitedly, her focus moving back to Taylor on the stage as she continued to sing along.

After finishing I Wish You Would and The Lakes Taylor moved on to Midnights.

Maya was clearly losing steam (it was after 11pm at this point) but she wasn't going to let her exhaustion get the best of her. Midnights was one of her favorite albums and the little girl didn't want to miss a minute of it.

… … …

It was close to 2am by the time Stella walked through the front door, a sleepy Maya in her arms, barely clinging to consciousness. Getting back to their car and out of the Soldier Field parking lot had been a nightmare. It took them almost 2 hours to make the 30-minute trip home.

Stella knew Maya was exhausted, she herself felt the adrenaline crash coming, but she was determined to keep the little girl awake until they got home. Maya had always been a great sleeper but the transfer from the car to her bed had rarely ever been successful. It was better for everyone if Maya stayed awake long enough to get to bed.

Kelly was waiting up for them, a rerun of the Cubs game playing quietly on the TV. Seeing Maya in Stella's arms he immediately stood and took Maya into his own and started the climb upstairs to the bedrooms. Stella followed behind, beyond ready to get into bed herself.

"Did you have fun baby girl?" He asked quietly.

Maya nodded against his chest. She mumbled sleepily, her voice so quiet, Kelly almost missed her reply. "I got lots of bracelets. And mama let me sing all the words, even the bad ones."

Stella huffed behind them and Kelly smirked. "Oh she did, huh?"

Maya nodded again. "Best night ever."

"I'm glad," Kelly said, genuinely. Maya was such a good kid; he was so glad he and Stella could surprise her with an experience like this.

Maya lost the fight to keep her eyes open just as they entered her room. Kelly laid her in bed and she immediately knocked out, her bracelet-covered arms wrapped around her teddy bear.

She was still in her outfit from the concert, glitter and pink jewels still covering her skin, but they would deal with it later. The smile on Maya's face, present even in her sleep, made it all worth it.

Just something short and sweet since Taylor and the Eras tour made their stops in Chicago this past weekend and I am still in the post-Eras concert (lavender) haze from when I attended in April.

Like Maya, it was the best night of my life thus far.