Before he had time to think about what he was doing, Nicholas made his way to the front of the stage. He kept at a crouching position, not wanting to disturb any parent’s potential view of the choir, until he reached the area right below the stage, surrounded by a black pit.
Liam looked down at Nicholas with a frightened expression on his face.
And Nicholas offered Liam a smile in return before he mouthed the words, “Look at the wall.”
Liam shook his head, his eyes still focused on Nicholas. He didn’t turn to face the wall, not even moving an inch. The poor kid was frozen with fear.
Nicholas could hear Molly continuing to stall for time, music from the piano filled up the otherwise quiet auditorium.
Nicholas then mouthed another phrase up at Liam, “Look at me.”
Liam continued to stare down at Nicholas, his eyes wide like a newborn dear. Slowly, Nicholas began to sing along with the playing music. “Oh, holy night... the stars are brightly shining... It is the night of the dear Savior's birth...”
Nicholas expected to hear Liam’s singing in response, but instead it was Molly’s voice that soon intertwined with his own. She was horribly off-key, but her sheer amount of enthusiasm that made even her sour notes feel sweet. “Long lay the world in sin and error pining... till He appeared and the soul felt its worth...”
r /> Nicholas and Molly continued on with the song, turning the pre-chorus into an impromptu duet. “A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices... for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn...”
“Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices... Oh, night divine... Oh, night when Christ was born...” Liam’s song joined in with their duet, finally finding his voice.
Molly and Nicholas stopped singing, letting Liam's sweet voice fill the auditorium. Nicholas kept mouthing the words and smiling encouragement up at Liam. The rest of the children joined in the chorus, but Liam kept his eyes on Nicholas as he kept singing.
When the song came to a close, the auditorium filled with applause. Liam took a bow on stage.
Molly turned to look down at Nicholas.
“Thank you,” she mouthed. The smile she gave him was dazzling and made his heart go into overdrive. For a moment, he forgot about everyone else in the auditorium.
When the applause stopped, she smiled one last time at him before looking back to the piano. Her grin disappeared and changed into something unreadable. She started to play the next song, and the opening notes of “Jingle Bells” soon floated through the air.
* * *
Nicholas waited for Molly outside of the auditorium with a bouquet of roses in his hand. He’d bought them off an opportunistic parent who’d been selling the bouquets in the parking lot, setting up their shop in the back of a minivan. He liked their entrepreneurial spirit.
Molly came out with an older woman Nicholas assumed was a fellow teacher. The pair of them were smiling and chatting away.
“Oh, Molly! That was the best concert we’ve had with the children in years. Promise me you’ll be the director next year, too?”
“We’ll see, Clara. It’s a lot of work,” Molly told her. She spotted Nicholas and grinned, heading in his direction.
“But it’s worth it,” Clara assured her. “Liam was only able to sing because of you...”
“It wasn't just me,” Molly replied, coming to stand near Nicholas.
Clara then turned towards Nicholas, offering him a smile as well. “And because of you, too.”
“No, the singing was all Liam. We just helped a little,” Nicholas said politely.
“Well, you obviously have a talent for both singing and helping kids,” Clara told him. “Just imagine the concert the two of you could put on for next year. You think you’d be up for it?”
“I don’t know.” Nicholas could feel himself blushing after such high praise. “It's something to think about.”
Molly looked over at him with unreadable eyes.
“Oh, please excuse me. I need to talk to Mrs. Sanders about homeroom duty,” Clara said. She smiled at both of them and hurried off to greet another family from the performance. An awkward silence stood between Nicholas and Molly for a moment.
“Those are beautiful flowers, Nicholas,” Molly finally said, pointing to the flowers. ”Liam will love them.”
“Wait, for Liam?” Nicholas frowned and shook his head. “No, Molly. These aren’t for Liam. These are for you.”