Hi readers; I've finally been given the green light health wise, and I'm eager to get back into it, properly this time I hope,
Happy reading, and thanks for your patience.
America
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
"We've made our decision" Sam told their thirty-year-old twins Anne and Adam, as he sat holding his wife's hand trying to make their children understand "You guys know we've always wanted to visit Scotland."
"Dad" Adam raked his hand through his hair, the older that boy got the more he looked like his father "I'm not being facetious, but you two are closer to sixty than fifty, why would you be thinking of doing something like this at your age?"
"Not to mention leaving us behind" Anne added.
"We just turned fifty thank you" Mercy laughed.
"Look" Sam raked his hand through his hair "You guys are settled now, you have your own families, we've slowed right down on work, we just think we need to get right away from it all and get some time for us" he looked into Mercy's eyes.
"You guys in trouble?" Adam sat forward shocked.
"No" Mercy butted in "We're fine, we just want some..." she looked up at Sam for the word.
"Adventure I guess" Sam told their children.
"What about family night?" Anne asked "The children look forward to them, we do too" she looked at Adam.
Family night had started off as a nightly ritual when the twins were babies, no matter where Sam and Mercy were in the world, they would call home for bedtime stories. Over time the ritual evolved and by the time they'd left for college it had turned to a catch up on Wednesdays, over time the tradition had stuck.
"We don't get a say in this decision then?" Adam asked.
"You don't get to control our lives, not anymore" Sam told him.
"When will you be going?" Adam asked still not convinced.
"Next week" Sam confirmed.
"And what's happening with the house?" Anne looked around the room.
"We'll be back, and I'm sure it will still be here" Mercy told them.
"We are only talking about a month to six weeks, not a lifetime, we love America."
"I can't believe you guys are going to Scotland, it's cold over there at this time of year, you know that don't you?" Ann enquired.
"We know" Sam told them.
"We've been to England many times, as you know, winter's not that bad, we've weathered worse" Mercy confirmed.
"Canada" Sam widened his eyes at the memory.
"But everything comes to a standstill for rain over there, you said so yourself" Anne reminded them.
"We shouldn't encounter too much traffic where we're going" Mercy laughed "And I don't think it's the standstills that have helped us make our decision either."
"So, what did?" Adam asked.
"Well, it certainly wasn't us" Anne snapped.
"Come on sweetheart, that's not fair" Sam looked at her disapprovingly.
"Sorry" Anne gave him those puppy eyes that made her look like her mom "I just feel like you're abandoning us."
"We're not abandoning you" Mercy grabbed her hand "We're taking some time out for ourselves."
"It's not like we're not coming back" Sam laughed.
"Was this how you felt when we left?" Anne asked.
"Honey, you're exaggerating again" Mercy laughed "It's six weeks".
"You just said four to six weeks now it's..." Adam butted in
"Your mom means six weeks max son" Sam interrupted him, his tone telling Adam he wasn't happy with his tone.
"Sorry" Adam wiped his hands down his thighs and sat back.
"Sweetheart" Sam looked at Anne "To answer your question, we probably felt more, proud than abandoned" Sam smiled.
"Redundant even" Mercy looked at a sulking Adam.
Sam and Mercy had been married for just under a year, they were just getting started with their musical careers, so the announcement of the pending twins hadn't been expected, however, they were very welcome once they were known about, the whole family got on board with planning their arrival. Everyone was delighted to learn they were expecting twins including them, they knew only too well it could be lonely sometimes being an only child.
As the months went by the arrival of the twins in the family became more significant as Sam's grandma suddenly became ill, getting progressively worse in a short space of time. They begged her to hang on for the reveal party, then until the twins were born, eventually she very much wanted to meet the babies too, that kept her going.
Grandma Anne lived for just nine days after the twins were born, and although Sam and Mercy had other plans, they named their daughter after her great grandma, she'd inherited her hypnotising green eyes, and watching their eyes meet was like seeing Sam's grandma's reincarnation. There was a definite moment of silence when his grandma smiled for the last time, as their daughter widely open her eyes as if she knew her great grandma after just twenty-four hours of life.
Adam was named after his great grandfather Jones who had passed ten years prior to their birth, they felt like the occasion needed marking with something to do with him as the twins were born on what would have been his one hundredth birthday. Adam was born first, and never let anyone, especially Anne, forget it, his usual blue eyes flashed hazel or green depending on his mood, and tended to soften at the sound of his mother's voice.
In the early years they leant heavily on their parents, their careers were taking off, it wasn't easy for them, being new parents, newly married, and trying to forge a name for themselves in a difficult business all at the same time. They were getting what they'd always wanted, but they'd never figured they'd be trying to create a normal family life for their children at the same time. The toll of long arm parenting soon showed its stress on both them and their parents, so as soon as they could they found a base and sent the children to private school.
The time they had together as a family was monopolised in remote places, that allowed them to focus on the children. By the time they'd gone through their teenage years Anne and Adam were as grounded as children with famous parents could be. They went to college and all of that cushioning from the world was stripped away, they were living in a goldfish bowl. The protection their parents had afforded them as children was gone, and so neither of them had chosen the bright lights, or even the big city as a career.
Adam had insisted on starting from the bottom up and was a senior engineer in a large reputable company, determined to work his way up and hopefully into his own firm in the future. He was married to Juan who was currently taking time out of her teaching career to nurture their two-year-old daughter Grace. Anne was a fashion designer with her own exclusive boutique, and doing exceptionally well, married to Le'von a director in the film industry, with two-year-old twins Storm and Stevie, Storm; their son, the couple relied heavily on their parents and Juan for childcare.
"Redundant?" Adam asked surprised.
"That was then, we're at peace with things now" Mercy laughed.
"What did grandma say about all this?" Adam looked at his father asking.
"She's more in her past than in the here and now, but we told her, and she seemed alright about it" Sam told him.
"What if something happens while you're gone" Anne asked.
"God forbid" Mercy gasped "But of course we'd come straight back" she looked at Sam frowning.
"I'm going to miss you guys" Anne frowned.
"Don't be so dramatic" Mercy laughed at her daughter "We're talking six weeks at the most".
"Okay" Sam stood up taking control of the situation "We'll be back in six weeks max, and you guys can take care of things here till we get back, right?" he looked at Adam.
"Right" Adam looked up at his dad, he knew what was being said in that one word; he was in charge like he always was when his dad was away, even as a child, it was the usual anything happens, I don't care how small it is, let me know, I'll decided whether or not I'm heading home.
"Are you two coding again?" Anne asked laughing.
"Mind your..." Adam looked at her smiling.
"Business, I know" Anne nudged her brother playfully.
The break wasn't discussed again, until the day they left for the airport, all the grandchildren took time out to come and see them off, everyone behaving as if they were going off on some sort of life-threatening hike. Inside Sam and Mercy were bursting to tell them the truth, but the contracts were signed, everything had been agreed and for them, not that they wanted to, but there was no backing out now.
One Week Later
London
"Do you think anybody knows?" Mercy looked up at Sam asking as they alighted the plane.
"I don't think anybody knows" he grabbed her hand to make their way through customs and into the waiting cab.
The cab ride was quiet, they were hoping not to be recognised, the contract said they weren't to give anything away, so they had no choice but to adhere to the rules. The were in central London the roads were as busy as they'd expected them to be, the Savoy seemed to be the hub of entertainment with the theatre next door, they were rushed through reception, into the elevator, and the next thing they knew they were stood in their suite.
"Okay" he turned his phone off as soon as the door shut behind the butler "I'm sure we can find something to do for the next twelve hours" he laughed walking towards her.
"Babe" she backed away "Let me go freshen up first".
"Make it fast" he sat on the bed "This bad boy doesn't know about waiting".
"I got your bad boy" she laughed disappearing into the bathroom, reappearing smiling and ready. Night quickly came, they ate, bathed and went back to bed, they had a full hopefully five weeks' work ahead of them, and if their evening was an example of things to come, they weren't to go expecting many quiet ones of those* either.
"How do I look?" she turned to look at him, the morning sun coming through the window, shining on her freshly creamed skin, making the day seem warmer than it was on the October morning. She grinned at him her hands holding on the large woolly hat with ear covers, they hadn't had much sleep, but they were excited for the day.
"Not good considering it's not raining, or snowing" he laughed.
"I know" she ripped the hat off her head "But I need to hide."
"We both do, and we were advised in plain sight" he sat beside her frowning.
"I said I know, you're always right" she kissed his nose.
"No, you're always right" he kissed her forehead.
"You always know what to say" she giggled "Come on let's get going" she stood up and grabbed his hand.
Twenty minutes and they were in the back of the cab masks on, "Ready Miss Piggy?" he asked as they pulled up outside the studio back doors.
"Yes, Kermit" she laughed watching him get out the cab to help her out.
There were a few people standing around, they looked for their character names and walked towards the people holding them, following them into the studio, Sam and Mercy wondering what was going to happen next. They'd never been on a show like this before, and to be honest they doubted they'd ever get another opportunity, so they just had to say yes.
After four hours of rehearsals, they sat, talking, laughing, eating and drinking while a team of experts turned them into full life all singing and dancing Kermit and Miss Piggy. Practicing was one thing, but once the costumes went on it felt like torture, like being in an oven and being forced to hold in the sweat. As the day went on, they sat in the back room waiting for their time, it wasn't as glamorous as it looked on TV, it never was, but this place was more clinical than usual, with no one talking it felt cold. They sat practicing their talk they couldn't sound like themselves even though they were telling the audience facts about their professional life.
"Miss Piggy and Kermit, you're up" someone called to them "You don't want to be the first to leave".
"Make it count today" one of the people that had been with them all day smiled.
"No pressure" Sam laughed, "Ready?" he asked his wife.
"As I'll ever be" Mercy flashed the nerves out of her hands before they walked out onto the stage, gave their clues and sang their song, and left centre stage. At the end of the evening, they were safe, so they didn't have to perform again, just turn up for the second week. "Easy money" she smiled as they made their way to the changing room, they weren't going to know the theme until Monday, so they called Sunday a rest day.
That first week of the competition had been easy, they'd had weeks to work on their performance, and they were able to pick whatever they'd wanted, but on return they'd been given musical theatre as the theme and they'd actually been given the song they were to perform, added to that they had to learn another sing off song, and perform it in a genre of the judges choice.
Hansel and Gretal had been the couple that left after the first week, and they were still none the wiser as to who the couple were, everything about the show was so cloak and dagger, like the viewers they weren't going to find out until the air date either. They had their scheduled studio time, choreography sessions, costume, clue commentary, publicity, there was so much to do outside of the actual performance, they barely got time to think. They'd slowed down about five years ago so to kick back in at this pace was exciting, but exhausting too so the rest day after the second week of gaining another safe position was spent in the hotel, with room service and some good old period drama.
Week two they'd lost a couple calling themselves Bill and Ben the flowerpot people, they thought they knew who they were but the frustration of guessing, go t so much they gave up on that game. Week Three and there were only four couples left in the battle now, Kermit and Miss Piggy had been safe so far, so it was only right they were given a run for their money in week three. The audience was surprised to say the least, so were they to be honest, but there was a game to be played, an audience to please, and a winner to be named, fortunately the sing off left them still in the game.
They'd earned the weekend off, they felt a bit put out having to do that second song, if truth be told, it wasn't very often they'd had to be faced with the back of the queue, but if nothing it learned them to be grateful. It was down to the last three couples, and everyone wanted that win, but they had a weekend to wait before they could even start thinking about the week ahead.
Feeling a bit deflated Sam thought they needed cheering up "What do you say we take that trip to Scotland?" he asked as they discarded of their costumes.
"I suppose" she shrugged her shoulders "I need a distraction."
"I'll get the minivan sorted" he got his phone out to make plans.
Scotland
Sam's maternal family history was rumoured to be steeped in the highlands of Scotland, they'd been a few times, but usually with the children to the more adventurous parts of the main cities, this time around he hired a chauffeured luxury minivan. They left straight after the studio, slept for most of the trip, hoping to be rested enough to visit most of, the glorious mountains, maybe a castle, a cathedral or two, and at least one museum. It took them nine hours through the night to get there, they slept most of the journey; freshening up, with breakfast, at a local hotel in Inverness before starting on their day, around his great grandma's hometown.
They came upon the famous Culloden battlefield, she always talked about, there was a re-enactment going on, they sat watching for a while, before heading to the immersive surround cinema to get a real flavour, then it was off to the interactive visitors' centre to look at some artifacts. The visit to a castle, took them through little picturesque villages with cottages no bigger than extravagant playhouses. The people were as small as the houses, the streets were narrow, busy, and winding leading to the castle that took your breath away on sight, it was hidden at the end of what may have been marked up as the main road, which they freely entered to look at more history.
After lunch Inverness castle was their next stop, the famous fortress, steeped in years of history, including the common story of the infamous Mary Queen of Scots. There was nothing as awesome as the feeling of walking in the footsteps of Queen Victoria herself as their minds relived the story passed down from Sam's Grandparents about how much the former Queen loved this part of the world.
The evening drew in, it was time dinner and a quick walk around the botanical gardens before they got back on the minivan to cruise along some of the most beautiful coastlines, taking pictures through Tummel bridge, past the castle which looked beautiful lit up against the evening sky, the lights in the villages above and below them, produced a postcard view. The last stop was to take more pictures of what had been believed to be some of the tallest trees in the country. Then they were on their way back to London, satisfied they'd finally got to see his Great Grandmother's Scotland as they snuggled in the minivan bedroom to sleep the night away, ready for work in the morning.
London
"Should we plan to go to Birmingham next weekend?" Mercy asked as they stepped into the hotel room.
"That sing off shook you more than you're letting on, didn't it?" he threw the small case on the floor.
"Didn't it you?"
"It shook me, but Babe we'd be fools to believe we were the best in the world, that's crazy" he laughed "You're a diva, I'm a country boy through and through, we're bound not to gel in places".
"We gel in every way" she walked towards him smiling.
"I thought I was trying to make you feel better?"
"As you know Mr Evans, there are several ways to do that for me" she reached up and kissed his lips, reaching for the bottom of his top to pull it off him.
"I'm guessing you're opting for the self-help method?" he held his arms up to accommodate.
"Who's a clever boy then" she pulled it over his head and kissed his naked chest.
"Bad boy maybe"
"I can work with both" she pushed him backwards until he fell onto the bed and climbed on top of him, telling him loud and clear how the morning was going to begin.
Week four they were ready for, nothing and no one was going to stop them getting through, they brought their game, by the end of the raunchy performance exhausted wasn't the proper word, but keeping their place in the finals was the desired outcome and they got it.
"Tonight, it felt like we were favourite to win" Sam banged on the dresser excited.
"That's what I thought but I don't want to jinx it" she looked at his reflection in the mirror "Birmingham?"
"Maybe not" he smiled taking off the costume, and they both sat rubbing off the excess make up, before they grabbed their masks and made ready to leave the studio in the usual way "I booked us a table" he frowned "You don't mind, do you?"
"No" she smiled "We can always come back with the children, give them a visit to Cadbury World".
"All the way back to Birmingham England for chocolate?" he laughed, leading her out to the waiting car
"It's not just any old chocolate babe" she lured her eyes at him.
"We're going for dinner" he laughed "My minds been on that ribeye all day".
"I suppose food is a means to and end" she got in the car smiling at him shaking his head at her "And to be honest I'm excited to be out of that hotel room for the evening" she cuddled into him as he sat next to her "Where are we going?"
"Gaucho Chancery, I've booked it on a sound recommendation" he smile, they couldn't get dressed quick enough, they were back in the cab and sat ordering their meals within ninety minutes, enjoying the evening.
The week soon passed the pressure to perform was on again, this was the finals, they needed more than an A game, they needed to win. The first round sounded like it had gone to Mickie and Minnie Mouse, piling the pressure on
"You've got your final clue?" someone asked.
"I've got it" Sam replied, taking a deep breath "I want this so bad."
"Come on" Mercy pulled at him, determination on her face "We've got this" they went out to applause and stood in silence until the crowd went silent.
The intro to 'Country Love Song' by Justin Champagne & K Michelle started they looked at each other, took a breath and went for it, they'd prepared to sing for their lives, the noise of the crowd disappeared as they sang their love song to each other, they felt the same about each other today as they did thirty years ago, and that alone made them happy.
After their performance it seemed like the longest thirty minutes, but they walked away with the winner's trophy, thinking the hardest part was over, week five and they were on their way back home, trying to work out how they were going to lie to their family for six weeks.
America
It was easier than they'd thought, talking about their time in Scotland and sharing pictures sort of threw the children off the scent for a while and, once they were back into family life the holiday seemed like a distant memory. The programme was airing in the UK, there was talk all over the BBC about it but still the children didn't catch on, until they did.
"Dad" Adam walked into the house one Wednesday with his phone in hand "A guy at work showed me this, clip and I couldn't help think" he shoved the phone in front of his dad's face "It's you two, isn't it?"
"What's up?" Anne got up leaving the children to themselves.
"I swear this is mom and dad on this masked singer couple's thing" he showed Anne the clip.
"It is" Anne looked at her dad "Is that what you two were really up to?" she asked watching their dad ignore the question and walk away to pay attention to his grandchildren "We will find out you know?" she giggled grabbing Adam's phone "Let's get it up on the TV".
"You know how your mom is about what the children watch" Sam warned.
"What are the children watching?" Mercy walked into the house asking.
"You and dad on masked singer" Adam told her.
"Old news" she looked at Sam.
"So, did you win?" Anne sat next to her dad asking.
"You're going to have to watch it like everyone else" Mercy giggled "To see if it's us I mean".
"It's you" Anne turned the TV up to listen "It's definitely you" she smiled at her dad.
"Why didn't you do it for America?" Adam asked.
"Do what, what did we do?" Mercy asked laughing.
"You're so cute" Adam laughed "I know it's you two, but we'll wait".
"It's on tonight, we can maybe catch it on tube straight after" Anne told him.
"Juan" Adam called through to the kitchen "We're staying over, mom and dad are hiding stuff from us".
Two hours later the children were in bed Adam, Jaun, Anne, and Le'von were sitting watching an anxious Sam and Mercy "It's you, isn't it?" Anne laughed as the crowd chanted for the masks to be removed "I knew it" she jumped up laughing.
"Why did you do it?" Adam asked laughing.
"Do you ever have those moments where something drops in your lap, you didn't know it was what you wanted, it wasn't even on your radar, but when it finds you, you know it was everything you'd ever dreamed about?" Sam asked him.
"I married Jaun" he looked at his wife.
"Well, this was a dream we wanted to come true" Sam looked at Mercy "And we won it, great song choice Mrs Evans".
"Now I say we go bigger, do America" Anne laughed.
"That's big" Mercy frowned "Everyone knows us".
"They knew you over there" Adam laughed.
"We'll think about it, if we're asked" Sam told them