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“Yes. I’d love to hear you sing that.” He started playing the introduction.
Closing my eyes, I began to sing and sway.
I imagined Dad’s dreamy face before me as I hummed and sang while he was on dialysis.“Soothe my soul, Nadia. When you sing, I see the stars…I see the universe, and I feel powerful.”And I infused my soul in every lyric, letting my spirit cry out in a pleading prayer for healing. Because mom and I can’t make it without him.
At the end of the song, I stopped and opened my eyes, and Paul was staring at me. I couldn’t read him, but I knew he was happy.
“I loved it,” Paul said. “More.”
He played Paul McCartney and Wings’ “With A Little Luck”, and Laurence came over and spun me around. Suddenly, I was back to the three of us at the duplex in Paris. I let go and danced with my hands over my head. Paul stopped playing, came up behind me, lifted me off my feet into a kiss, and laughed.
When he placed me on my feet, he asked, “Hearing you sing songs that connect you with your parents makes me wonder when you’re going to introduce me to them?”
My jaw unhinged. “You serious?”
“Yes. Let’s go talk to your parents.”
I screamed and jumped into his arms and kissed all over his face.
Paul laughed and put me over his shoulder to walk out of the hall. He then put me down and we headed for the car. While I was excited, my mind raced ahead of us. What would we talk about together? Would it be awkward? I had no idea. But it would be an excellent step toward healing things between Mom and me. I wanted her to understand the man I had come to love, and more importantly, why I chose to stay with him.I hope….
As always with Paul, he had things planned, and we went into his office, where he had FaceTime open on the monitor. “We’re not going to talk about what we’ll say?”
He shrugged. “It’s your family. So let’s wing it.”
I trembled all over. I wanted so badly for things to go well, but I was afraid. Mom and I hadn’t been speaking like normal, and I wasn’t sure if she told Dad about the arrangement.
“What’s wrong? You were excited a moment ago, but now you’re terrified.”
I averted my eyes. “Mom might have told Dad about the arrangement.”
He stroked his chin and sighed. “Well, things have changed for us. Your parents love you, and that will never change.”
I was being irrational, but still it hurt to disappoint them. But we’re here together now.Paul wants us to meet them together. That means something.
“Okay. Do Mom and Dad know we’ll talk to them now?”
“They do. We agreed to meet up during this window of time. So, let’s do it.” He pulled me into his lap.
I tensed. “Wait. Maybe I shouldn’t sit on your lap.”
“Why? We should just be how we are together.” Paul clicked to connect, and I saw my parents within seconds. Mom and Dad had on the shirts and jeans I bought for them here.
“Keeping tabs on me?” Dad joked showing off the heart-monitor and activity watch.
I laughed. He had a little more color to his cheeks, and Mom had a tan. I peered at Dad again.Did he drop more weight? Or am I imagining things? He’s smiling, but he still looks tired.
Mom waved both hands and captured my attention. “Hello, Nadia and Mr. Crane.”
Hearing Mom sound so formal had me trying so hard not to laugh again.
“Please, call me Paul,” Paul told her. I could see his amusement on the camera.
“Call us Darek and Agata,” Dad told him. “Heya, kiddo. Are you enjoying Rome?”
I grinned. “I am. It’s been amazing seeing the Colosseum, Pantheon, the Vatican City.”
“You went to the Vatican?” Mom gushed, her eyes widened.
