by Emily Bishop
His eyes grow wide. “You’ll do that?”
I approach the nearest teacher. “Is it all right if I sing with my son?”
She glances at David then at me with a puzzled expression, as if she can’t believe David is my son but she nods.
“Yes. The kids can perform with a family member.”
I go to the boy with the guitar. “I know your guitar is very important to you but do you think I can borrow it for just a little bit?”
The boy nods.
“Thanks.”
I take his guitar, strumming it as I go back to David.
“Do you even know how to sing?” he asks, the look on his face doubtful.
I smile as I pinch his cheek lightly. “I guess we’ll find out.”
Family
Randall
“She told me she could sing but wow, she really blew us all away, didn’t she?” I shake my head in disbelief at David as I squeeze Sabrina’s hand, all three of us sitting at the corner table of one of Houston’s finest restaurants.
I still can’t believe that Sabrina performed with David. I was surprised when I saw her suddenly on the stage with a guitar. I thought she only talked to David and that she was taking so long because she went to the restroom. I was starting to worry about her, in fact.
The moment she started strumming that guitar, I could feel the magic in the air. As soon as she opened her mouth to sing, I felt like the whole world just stopped. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I was just staring, gaping, completely mesmerized. She hit every note perfectly but that wasn’t what amazed me. Rather, it was the passion with which she sang and how comfortable she was standing up there, like she was born on stage.
I was so amazed by her performance that, at the end of it, I just got up on my feet and whistled and cheered. I wasn’t the only one, though. Everyone was aware that they had heard something extraordinary. Everyone was in awe of Sabrina’s talent.
I still am in awe. I knew there was something special about her but this? It makes me want her even more, makes me even happier that she’s mine. How on earth did this amazing woman walk into my life?
Now, I understand why she wanted to pursue music. She should. With her talent, it would be a crime not to. She deserves a recording contract. She deserves to be heard. She deserves to be a star.
In my eyes, she’s already a star.
“She was so cool,” David says, pride and admiration in his eyes and in his voice as well. “Everyone was talking about her.”
“Oh, shush.” Sabrina says, lifting her hands and waving us off. Then she turns to David, pinching his cheek. “And I was only good because I had the best drummer in the world.”
David smiles.
“That you were,” I tell him, squeezing his hand. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Did you get to talk to Josh?” Sabrina asks. “What did he say?”
“He said you were cool and that I was cool.”
“Cool.” Sabrina gives him a high five. “I guess that makes you friends again.”
“Yeah. He was asking if he could come over to the house so he could play drums with me and hear you sing some more.”
“And what did you tell him?” Sabrina asks.
David’s eyebrows crease. “That I’ll think about it.”
“Okay.”
“How did you learn to sing like that?” David asks curiously. “Did anyone teach you?”
I must admit I’m curious to know, too.
“No. I just started doing it. I just kept singing, usually alone. I guess I got better as the years passed.”
Maybe but something tells me she was already immensely talented to begin with.
“Can we do that again?” David asks eagerly. “Please?”
Just like that, Sabrina has won him over. To think that she didn’t have to do all those challenges. All she had to do was sing.
“Hey, before you ask Sabrina anything, aren’t you supposed to tell her something?” I remind David.
The smile on his face disappears as he bows his head.
Sabrina opens her mouth, about to console him, but I lift a hand to stop her.
There are just some words that need to be said.
“I’m sorry about the mean things I said,” David says softly.
Sabrina shakes her head. “It’s all right. I understand how you felt.”
“And thank you for coming to my recital and for singing.” David looks at Sabrina. “It was so much fun. Can we do it again?”
“Of course.” Sabrina hugs him. “And you’re welcome.”
David’s face lights up again.
I feel a warmth in my chest. Finally, David has someone he looks up to and trusts. Finally, he has a friend, who also happens to be his stepmother.
David’s happy. Sabrina’s happy. I’m happy. This really calls for a celebration.
Just then, our food arrives – steak for me, prawns for Sabrina and some roasted chicken with lots of gravy for David.
“That looks delicious,” Sabrina says as she looks at David’s plate.
“You can have some if you want.” David pushes his plate toward her.
“How sweet.”
What a big change, indeed. Now, this is how everything should be.
Suddenly, I have an idea.
“Before we eat, I’d like to propose a toast to Sabrina.” I lift my glass of wine.
Sabrina and David lift their glasses, too – Sabrina’s with champagne and David’s with a fruit shake.
“To the woman who’s just full of surprises,” I say.
“To the best singer in the world,” David adds.
“To the two most charming men,” Sabrina says, glancing at David before looking at me.
“To our family,” I say.
Sabrina pauses, disbelief in her eyes. Then they glisten as she smiles.
“Cheers.”
“Cheers!” David lets his glass clink with Sabrina’s then mine.
“Cheers,” I say before taking a sip.
Sabrina does the same, our gazes meeting over our glasses. I can just see the warmth, joy and gratitude in hers.
I set down my glass. “Well, since we’re a family, why don’t we do something as a family? What do you think, David?”
“Great.” David’s face lights up again. “What do we do?”
“What do families do?” I touch my chin.
“We can go somewhere,” Sabrina suggests as she eats a piece of prawn. “Somewhere fun like an amusement park.”
“I know.” I pick up my utensils. “We can go to the Downtown Aquarium.
***
The Downtown Aquarium is one of the top attractions in Houston. It’s like an arcade, a restaurant, an aquarium and an amusement park in one. We decide to see the exhibits first – the Sunken Temple, the Shipwreck, the Louisiana Swamp and the Rainforest, which David particularly likes.
“I want a pet frog,” he says as he looks at the colorful rainforest frogs. “Can we bring one home?”
“No,” I tell him immediately. “These frogs are on exhibit, David, and they’re endangered. They’re not for sale. Besides, remember that time you found a frog in the garden?”
“The one I put in Annie’s hair?”
I frown. “Yes, that one.”
If David hadn’t brought it up, I wouldn’t have remembered that nanny’s name but I remember that she was so freaked out, she fainted.
“You put a frog in someone’s hair?” Sabrina looks at him in horror.
David nods.
“Made her faint, too,” I tell her. “After that, I asked the gardener to make sure there weren’t any frogs in the garden so that the incident would not be repeated.” I look at my son. “And you think I’ll get you a frog?”
“I promise I won’t do that to Sabrina,” David promises.
I believe him. Even so…
“These frogs are actually poisonous, David,” Sabrina says. “You can’t have one as a pe
t, especially not if you have a dog. If Zombie ate it, he could die. You don’t want that to happen, do you?”
David shakes his head and sighs. “Okay. No frogs.”
I heave a sigh of relief. Thank goodness for Sabrina. She really does know what to say.
“Can I have a small gator, then, just like the one in that swamp exhibit?” David asks.
“No,” I tell him, pinching his cheek. “No wild animals for pets.”
“Why not?”
“Because wild animals belong in the wild,” Sabrina explains.
David frowns.
“But hey.” Sabrina lifts his chin. “I read in the brochure that you can win stuffed toys at the arcade here and they look just like exotic, wild animals. How about you try to bring some of those home, huh?”
David smiles. “I’m sure I can do it.”
***
David can’t, though; the games too hard. He wasn’t able to get a prize at the shooting game, the ring toss game or the whack-a-mole game. Now, here we are at the balloon dart game, and he’s still struggling. Sabrina has tried to play and win for him but even she can’t do it.
“Maybe it’s just not our lucky day, kiddo.” She pats him on the shoulder. “Sorry. Maybe we can just buy one at the gift shop?”
David frowns. “But I wanted us to win one.”
Sabrina looks at me and I sigh. “All right, I’ll try. I’ve played darts before.”
“Really?” David looks hopeful.
“Now, don’t get your hopes up,” I tell him. “These games are meant to be hard. That way, people will keep spending money.”
“But they can be beaten, too, right?” David says. “Otherwise, why put prizes on display?”
“To get people to play.” I pay the man at the stand. “Some people don’t like to take a chance if they don’t know what the reward is.”
David just blinks.
“But hey, David.” Sabrina places a hand on his shoulder. “Even if your Daddy doesn’t win, it’s okay. At least, he did his best. Sometimes, that’s what matters.”
David nods. “Okay.”
“If you win, though, I promise I’ll wear whatever you want me to wear tonight,” Sabrina whispers in my ear.
Whatever I want her to wear?
I suddenly imagine her in one of those pieces of Victoria’s Secret lingerie or a bikini covered in chocolate and my heart flips, heat stirring in my crotch.
Fuck.
I have to win this.
At first, I miss, distracted by the images I just had, which have done more harm than good. But during the second round, I win.
“I won!” I tell David as I give him a hug, unable to believe it.
“Yay!” David cheers.
“I knew you could do it.” Sabrina grins.
“You know what this means, right? You have a promise to keep,” I remind her.
She blushes.
“What are the two of you talking about?” David asks as he clutches his stuffed alligator.
“Nothing,” Sabrina and I say at the same time.
David narrows his eyes in suspicion.
“Hey, why don’t you and I play a video game tomorrow?” Sabrina places an arm around him. “That’s the kind of game you’re good at, right?”
“Right,” David says. “You won’t be able to beat me.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I don’t have to because we’re friends now, right?”
“Yeah. But we can still try to beat each other for fun and then we can play together as a team.”
Sabrina smiles. “I like the sound of that.”
I walk behind them, just watching, listening. Yes, Sabrina may look young but they don’t look alike so one wouldn’t think they’re mother and son. But I don’t care what others think. I don’t even care what Sabrina and David call each other. I haven’t seen David this happy before. It’s like he’s finally found something he’s been missing all his life.
“Hey!” Sabrina shouts at me as she stops and turns her head. “You snooze, you lose, daydreamer.”
I hadn’t even realized I’d stopped walking.
“I was not daydreaming,” I tell her, catching up to them. “Just looking around.”
“Checking out someone?” Sabrina asks with furrowed eyebrows. “Because I’ve seen some women checking you out.”
“No. Never. I was just trying to figure out what we’ll do next.”
“What about lunch?” she suggests, looking at David. “You’re hungry, aren’t you, David?”
“A little,” David answers.
Sabrina touches her chin. “But if we eat lunch, we might not be able to go on the rides after because we might throw up.”
“There is that,” I say.
“So, what about we try the rides now? There aren’t many, right?”
I nod. “Sure. Whatever you say, Mrs. Brewster.”
She chuckles.
“Hey, Dad, why don’t you call Sabrina ‘honey’ or ‘sweetheart’ like some other dads do?” David asks suddenly.
I ruffle his hair. “You watch too much YouTube.”
He puts his hands on his head. “I did not get that from YouTube.”
“I’ll call Sabrina whatever she likes.” I look at her.
She shakes her head. “Sabrina’s fine. It’s my name.”
I nod. “Sabrina, it is. So, what ride should we try first?”
***
“Are you sure you want to try this ride?” I ask David moments later as we’re strapped to our seats at the Lighthouse Dive, which is a ride that goes up to sixty-five feet and then suddenly drops.
“Yes,” he says even though I see him shaking slightly. “I’m old enough. I’m practically a man.”
I chuckle.
“It’s still okay to be afraid, though,” Sabrina tells him. “Fears aren’t just for girls. Everyone has them. The important thing is to not let your fear control you.”
“Hear, hear.” I look at her with pride.
“I’m fine,” David insists.
“Okay.” I nod. “What about you, Sabrina?”
“I’ll survive,” she says. “I mean, I survived eating three burgers in ten minutes and soaking in a tub of I-can’t-remember-what. How hard can this be?”
“You can do it, Sabrina,” David cheers.
She smiles. “I’m sure we can all do it.”
Just then, the ride starts ascending.
“Or maybe not,” she says.
“Hey,” I tell her. “You’ll be fine.”
“I know.” She nods. “I’ll just scream at the top of my lungs.”
***
“I didn’t know you could scream that loud,” I tell Sabrina after the ride, which just lasted a few minutes.
“Neither can I,” Sabrina says, rubbing her throat.
“At least you didn’t throw up,” David says.
She pats his back. “Thanks for reminding me, David. By the way, you were really brave.”
“I screamed, too,” he says. “And so did Daddy.”
“I did not,” I protest.
Both of them laugh.
I grab their hands. “Come on, we’ve still got other rides to try.”
***
Two hours later, we’ve tried all the rides and eaten at the restaurant, which had good food. We’ve shopped at the gift shop, too. Now, just before leaving, we decide to ride the Ferris Wheel one last time, having enjoyed it the most.
“The views from here are really great,” Sabrina says.
“Yeah,” I agree, looking at her. “The view from here is really good, too.”
“Stop it,” she scolds, blushing again.
I can’t help but keep staring at her, though, and as I do, I excitedly anticipate tonight. Today was a perfect day but I have a feeling tonight will be even better.
Lovers
Sabrina
“Sleep tight.” I pull the covers up until David’s shoulders. “Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”
“There aren
’t any bed bugs in my bed,” he says. “I looked and looked before but I couldn’t see any.”
“That’s because they’re really tiny,” I say. “But don’t you think about them. Just think about what a wonderful day we had, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Good night.”
I kiss his hair then get off his bed, heading toward the door. After turning off the lights, I pause at the doorway, looking at him.
When I was undergoing training to be a nanny, I was taught not to be attached to the child. I thought, too, that I would never have children. That wasn’t one of my dreams. I never thought I’d feel how it was to be a mother.
Now, though, I can feel the warmth in my chest. I can feel pride and joy at knowing I have David. He’s an incredible boy. I’m glad I have the chance to take care of him, to watch him grow and to help him be a good man.
I just know he’ll be a good man like his father.
As I close the door and head down the hall to our bedroom, I think of Randall and smile. Today, I got to spend a lot of time with him. I got to see sides of him and expressions I had never seen before.
I fell even more in love with him.
Love.
I never thought I would feel this way, not for Randall, not for any man. I thought I loved Vince but now, I realize that wasn’t love. I was just desperate to please him so that he would help me make my dreams come true. I wanted him to be my hero and so I looked at him like one. I poured my heart into him.
But that wasn’t love. Everything I felt for him, I felt because I wanted something in return, whether it was the fame, the fine things, the praise or simply the feeling that I was special.
This is love. What I feel right now for Randall, I don’t feel because he saved me, because he’s protecting me from Vince, because he’s the father of a great child I want to take care of or because he makes me feel like the most amazing woman in the world. No. I just love him. I want to be with him no matter what happens, to support him, to comfort him, to laugh with him. It’s just like our wedding vows said. I want to be with him through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer.
Does he feel the same? I don’t know. I think so. Otherwise, why would he treat me so carefully? Why would he believe in me so much? He only had to marry me. He wasn’t required to be good to me. Yet, he is.
