The Story of Tonight

Chapter Thirty

Lin had always found the stage to be a home away from home. Since elementary school plays, he embraced the feeling of escapism that it would always give him. It was one of the reasons he had originally developed 'In The Heights.' He wanted to be on the stage, and didn't see enough roles that he could fulfil already. Some could call it selfish. Others would call it genius. It usually gave him over two hours to forget anything about his life and immerse himself fully into Alexander Hamilton. Some nights that was harder to do than others, and tonight was in the group of the latter.

Since finding out he was a father, singing songs like, 'Dear Theodosia', hit him differently; they had to. Even a fragment of what he thought he understood about love and fatherhood was nothing in comparison to what he felt from the moment he found out Lia was his. This night, however, the moment that hit him was during 'Blow Us All Away' when Alexander gives Phillip his gun for the duel. One decision ended up leading to the worst moment of Hamilton's life. There was obviously no comparison to what he was dealing with as a father, but he couldn't get Lia's face out of his mind. The role of a father trying to do right by their child and it all going to hell.

When Lin checked on Lia during intermission, he found her asleep on the couch, no doubt worn out from all of the crying. He had felt so helpless as he held her in his arms as she cried, not knowing anything else to do but hug her. This was different from the drinking or Lia just coming to him to avoid Vanessa. Lia was in over her head and was looking to him for help. The longer he was a father, the more admiration he had for Vanessa having done this alone for so many years. The only thing that made him feel somewhat less incompetent was knowing he had her by his side.

Once the show ended, he knew he would be foregoing any meetings with fans at the stage door. The cast and crew could tell something had been up with him, but knowing Lia was there respected their privacy. He
wasn't shocked to find Lia still sleeping, burrowed his winter coat that she was utilizing as a blanket. He let out a sigh as he sat down next to her, rubbing her back gently. He thought after a few hours he might have a better idea as to how to fix the situation Lia had gotten herself mixed up in, but it hadn't. And he felt just as lost.

Lia stirred, her eyelashes fluttered open, "You look like a stalker from the Revolutionary war," she said in a dazed voice.

Lin laughed, having completely forgotten that he was still in costume, "Now, that's a new way to describe Hamilton,"

Lia gave a groggy smile, "What time is it?"

"Around 11. The show's finished." Lin went behind the wall to change out of his costume, calling out, "Wanna guess the craving for tonight?" He hoped the inside joke between Lin and Lia would keep the light mood.

"Spicy?"

"Nope,"

Lia stretched her arms out, as she woke herself up, "Salty?"

"You're getting warmer," Lin said as he came back out in a sweater and jeans, only to find Lia still snuggled up in his coat.

"Chips?"

"Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!" Lin emphasized with an exaggerated clap, "And do you even want to attempt to guess the flavor she wants?"

Lia rolled her eyes, "By the sound of your voice, I don't think I'll be able to,"

"New York Reuben,"

Lia's face instantly scrunched up in a scowl, "That's disgusting. Where do you even find those?"

"I have the slightest idea, but one of the perks of the job is I have a lot of people in my phone who will be eager to tell me," Lin said with a smile as he tweeted out, not caring how crazy it made him seem to his followers that he had to have the chips as a post-show snack as long as he didn't have to face the wrath of Vanessa. "You ready to go on this trek?"