Chloe takes Haven’s hand. “Do I look pretty, Miss Haven?”
The woman I love instantly drops to her knees in front of my daughter and smiles. “You are the most beautiful little ballerina I’ve ever seen.” When Chloe grins from ear to ear, Haven adds, “Shall we pull your hair up in a pretty bun?”
Chloe nods big.
“Do you have your hairpiece?”
I dig it out of the bag and hold it while Haven works my daughter’s hair up into a bun and adds the clip with the sparkly little top hat. It would have taken me twice as long to complete, and it probably wouldn’t have looked half as good. I’m so relieved I didn’t have to attempt that hairdo, and Haven clearly senses it.
“I got you, Daddy.”
I kiss the side of her cheek and whisper, “Thank you.”
She just beams back at me with those big eyes. “It takes a village….”
We only have a moment of calm before Chloe grabs Haven’s skirt and gives it a slight tug. “Miss Haven?”
Again, she drops to her knees and gets eye level with Chloe. “Yes?”
“My mommy might not be able to come. She’s at the hosbital.”
Haven’s smile is full of love and sadness. “I know, sweetie. If your mommy can’t make it today, I promise we’ll do something special for her, okay? I won’t let her miss your big debut on stage, Chloe. Pinky promise,” she whispers, extending her long pinky for my daughter to twist her much smaller one around.
Chloe grins a big, toothless smile and shakes her head. “Okay!”
“Now, are you ready to go out there?” Haven asks, standing up and dusting off her costume.
“Ready, Miss Haven!”
I glance through the now-open doorway and catch a big group of football players filing into the gymnasium. A smile instantly spreads across my face at the young men who have come to support my daughter during her big afternoon. She was there for them, cheering them on through the regular season and into post-season. We made it to the second round of playoffs before we lost to a tough South Mill team.
Adam is the last one to enter, but stops and turns before completely slipping out of sight. He gives me a big thumbs-up and a grin, and follows his teammates through the doorway. After the season, I was able to help Adam apply for some major financial assistance for the local community college. Now he’ll be headed there this fall, preparing to take a few environmental science classes. He’s working at the local hardware store now, and with the help of the Joneses who own the business, he’s secured the studio apartment above the store.
Haven turns and claps her hands, drawing everyone’s attention to the front of the room. She just gazes out on the dozens of faces, at her students, with pride and excitement. I reach for her hand and link our fingers together as she blinks back tears. Then she stands up tall and announces, “Showtime!”
Haven
The recital went off without a hitch. My little dancers were incredible, and my heart is bursting with pride for each of them. The smiles on their little faces solidify that I made the right decision. Never in my time in New York did I ever feel this amount of pride or accomplishment. All it took was coming home to see that.
Now that the recital is over, I can think about what I’ve been trying to push out of my mind all day. It was challenging to do, considering I spent the day with Sebastian. He was a huge help in pulling off the show, and I plan to thank him for it later tonight, right after I give him my news.
“Miss Haven!” Chloe runs as fast as her little legs will carry her, and I bend down to catch her when she leaps at me. “That was so much fun. Can we do it again?” she asks. Her little face is red from dancing, but her smile is bigger than I’ve ever seen it.
“We can, but it’s going to take some time to learn some new dances,” I tell her.
“Yay!” she cheers.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out to see a group message from Trina to both me and Sebastian.
Trina: I made it. I’m going to surprise her. Can you keep her occupied?
Me: You bet.
“I think Daddy has something for you,” I tell Chloe, glancing up at Sebastian. He slides his phone back into his pocket, having just read the same message from Trina I’m sure.
“I do. Chloe, these are for you.” He hands her a huge bouquet of flowers that are almost bigger than she is.
“Oh, Daddy, I love them. I wish Mommy could see them.” Her face falls for the first time tonight, just as I spot Trina walking up behind her.