If You're Not Busy

Chapter 120 Happily Ever After?

Tessa had a special cabinet made in their office for her to display her EGOT. Mariah found her in there one day, just staring at them all. Are you making sure it wasn't a dream? said Mariah from the doorway. It was nearly a year later since she had won them all. During that time, they had become great friends with Boe and his family. They meet up often at the vacation house when they could get time off work. He was doing really well at UCLA. Between them all, they decided to make a documentary about how he had found out where his heart had come from. And the chance meeting between him, Mariah, and Tessa on the beach that day. It helped make a massive donation boast at all the hospitals, especially when Mariah and Tessa decided to tell their story, about making the decision of letting Bowie become a donor to six recipients, and the added bonus of finding Boe was out of this world. After the documentary was released on CBS TV and in some cinemas, two more recipients of Bowie's organs came forward. They were both from Wisconsin. A daughter who was the same age as Bowie had one of his kidneys. Which helped her get back to full health, her parents told Mariah and Tessa. There was also a boy in his twenties, who'd had trouble with his lungs. So was helped by Bowie's donation to him. Mariah and Tessa, were so proud of him, for being able to save other people's lives.

Tessa and Devon talked about doing a special concert, to raise money for organ donations to be affordable to people with less insurance coverage than others. Devon, got onto people like Pink, Lizzo, Kelly Clarkson, Brandi Carlisle, and Adele to see if they would be interested in helping. They decided on a huge event at the Hollywood Bowl, for two nights. Most of the artists lived around or in Los Angeles, so it made sense to have it there and not in Wisconsin. Tessa was gobsmacked when she saw the list of artists, that Devon had managed to accumulate. When the tickets went on sale, they sold out within minutes. Devon told her, that people from all over the world had said on social media that they had got tickets. Wow! Said, Tessa. I always knew I had fans all over, but for them to fly over from where ever they live, that's special. Also, the awesome lineup with have has helped too. We were very lucky that they were all off tour at the moment, so they were all able to give up their time for free gladly said, Devon. I mean we have Harry Styles, Elton John, John Legend Blake Sheldon, and all the lovely ladies including yourself. Oh! Said Tessa I wasn't planning on singing. Devon was shocked. You're not? But all this was your idea.

Yeah, well I've had a think and I'd just be really nervous about singing with those really big stars, compared to little old me. "Tessa" Come on, not this again. You have an EGOT for god sake. No one else who will be singing has that. Devon decided to have a word with Mariah. She would talk her into doing it. A couple of months later, the concert was a huge hit. So much so, that in later years it would attract huge TV audiences and the stars would give up their time for free. It went from a two-night gig to taking over Hollywood Bowl for a week. And Tessa was front and center, singing her heart out after she got her pep talk from Mariah every year to do it. The kids, Noah, Faith, and Crystal learned to swim really well. They loved the ocean, and Crystal finally had her riding lessons when the family took a trip back to Iowa, to visit Nikki, Victor, and Abby. Abby went on to meet and marry the wonderful Chance They went on to have a baby boy. Who they named Bowie, with Mariah and Tessa's approval. They became godmothers to him. Abby and Chance could not have picked two better people, who would love and protect him. He also had three children that thought the world of him too.

In fact, later on in their lives Noah, Faith and Crystal called him their brother from another mother. They had one another's backs throughout their lives, even when their parents had all left them. After losing Bowie when he was nine, the next saddest thing to happen to them all, was when Crystal was in her early twenties and Noah and Faith were around sixteen. Carl just keeled over and died of a fatal heart attack. One minute he was there and the next he was gone. Luckily he wasn't driving or at Tessa and Mariah's house with the two youngest grandkids. He was just at his and Cindy's home, pottering around in the garden. Which he loved, just as much as his grandchildren. It was a huge shock for Cindy though. She and Carl went hand in hand. It made Tessa so sad for a long time. He was the only true dad she'd ever had. He had taken her on and made her the beautiful woman she was today. Cindy succumbed to cancer about four years later. It was very hard for Tessa to watch, her go through. Cindy had taught Tessa how to be a wonderful wife and mother. Cindy had had pain in her hip for a long time. Tessa finally got her to see a doctor. When they did the blood work, CT scans, etc they found out that Cindy had pancreatic cancer. One of the most difficult cancers to spot.