YOU PROMISED ME FOREVER -- Sequel to "DIFFERENT"

EPILOGUE -- PART 3 -- FAMILY

As Laurent and Michaela took their final bow, the curtains drew closed, and the crowd began to move in readiness to leave.  No one really hurried out of events like these, the people wanted to linger, and relish the atmosphere they were leaving, and chat about their amazing night with their neighbours, most of whom they knew anyway.

"Tell pop I've gone back to the car, can you please ?  I'll be back in time for the press conference."

"Why do you...... " Kayden looked perplexed

"I forgot my phone !"

"You can use mine, what, to record ?"

"I want it on mine, Kayden, just ..... tell him, dude, OK ?"

Larry smiled, placing his palm on Kayden's face so he would know he wasn't mad at him.

"Look after your sister.  You know where it is, right ?"  All three of them nodded their heads, Michael rolling his eyes, he just couldn't help himself.

"What ?"  Larry glared at him.

"Dad, she's been reminding us for weeks" he huffed.  Michaela had indeed sat them all down in the living room, and gone through this evening's schedule in detail, many times.  Where each family member should be at any given time, and for how long.  Taking charge, she called it.  Being fucking bossy, the boy's told her.  

"OK, look, I gotta go, I need to miss all ..... this"  Larry waved at the emptying auditorium below him.  He literally ran down the hallway, sliding down the mahogany banister like the child he sometimes still was, to the floor below.  He was on cloud nine, his smile almost breaking his face in two.  His husband had choreographed, and his daughter was Prima, in his favourite ballet.  Favourite ballet, he never in a million years would have thought he could think like that.  He knew nothing about ballet before he met Laurent, but he had grown to love it.  Especially as two of his loves, two people who made his own heart beat, lived for it.

He arrived with a satisfactory thud on the marble floor.  Good, he'd made it before too many people had started to leave, knowing it would take forever, not only to get out, but to get back in, fighting the oncoming flood of fleeing hordes.  As his dress heels echoed around the amber and gold marble walls, he caught sight of a woman hurrying across the floor towards the doors, also trying, it seemed, to get out, just get the hell out of here, and quickly.  She was immaculately dressed, dripping in gold, her ubiquitous red leather soled Louboutin's click-clacking on the floor as she tried to escape.  He recognised her immediately.

"Deborah"  He was almost ashamed his call to her seemed so halfhearted.  Did he want to see her ?  She had obviously come to see her granddaughter perform.  She was proud of Michaela,  something she had never been of him.  Still, and against his better judgement, he called out to her again.

"Deborah !"  Louder this time.  She had heard him, he could tell she had, her eyes shifted to the side of her, nervously in his direction.  She still walked quickly, though, she hadn't planned on even seeing him tonight.  He couldn't help what came out of his mouth and his heart next.

"Mom !"

She stopped in her tracks then, stiffening her back and stilling her limbs.  Larry could see her taking a deep breath in readiness to face him.  She spun on her heels, and their eyes locked.  Hers were wet from spilled tears, from the emotion of Michaela's performance, he assumed.  What else could they be for ?  

Deborah had kept in touch over the years, not only with Michaela, but with all of their children, birthdays, Christmas, graduations.  Her contact was still restricted by Larry's restraining order, still after all these years.  They had granted her permission to come to Michaela's and Kayden's high school graduation, with the kid's permission, of course.  When they both turned 18, it was up to them as to the extent of the contact they each had with their grandmother.