KNIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN - The Sequel
The warmer weather and signs of summer were approaching. Mari was preparing for the next onslaught of summer activities at the Center and narrowing the lists of students. She always had trouble choosing and remembering who was who during her speaking tour. The colleges, universities and conservatories she had toured also recommended one student for her summer program regardless of what part of the music field they were in. Most were musicians, but there would be others as well, wanting to be producers, technicians, etc. to round out the group. Mari finished her list and emailed it to The Board for their final approval. Though the Center wasn’t a formal institution, most of the colleges gave their selected student intern credit for their attendance there, if they did well. She would have one more return trip to Oberlin to end her speaking tour. She liked ending it with one of the guy’s schools, as kind of a thank you for getting her started.
Lately, she was getting tired of running around and made sure her PA wouldn’t schedule too many. At first, it had been great to get out and be in the public again… she had needed that back then… Now, it was becoming more of a job. She much preferred to stay at the Center and chat with the staff and the kids. She had chosen her staff well, most were people she knew from the “Old days” that were still around, but not in the limelight… They were studio musicians for the most part, used to being behind the scenes, but excelled in their craft.
As Mari went outside to visit her friend, the sea, she noticed David and his Mimi walking up the pathway. She stopped and waved. Only then did she see they had brought someone with them, a beautiful little girl with sad eyes. Mimi was holding her hand and trying to make her smile. The little girl seemed to be shy and hid behind her as she saw the large lighthouse. David started taking longer steps and increased the pace as he moved toward Mari, opening his arms wide as he approached. Mimi, or Sarah and the pretty little girl continued their slow but steady pace behind. David hugged Mari close and kissed her cheek, rocking her gently in his arms. They chatted briefly, his arm still around her shoulder, hers around his waist. After a few minutes, Sarah and the little girl approached. David reached for Sarah as he said, “Mari, you remember Sarah, my Mimi don’t you?” As he slid his other arm around Sarah’s shoulder.
Sarah smiled, changing her hand holding the shy little girl to the other to extend her hand to Mari. Mari smiled, and replied, “Yes, hello Sarah, nice to see you again. And who is this pretty little one here?”Taking Sarah’s hand in hers, but trying to get a good look at the little girl, who was still trying to hide behind Sarah’s legs.
David looked behind Sarah, winked and smiled, turning toward the little girl and opening his arms. The little girl smiled briefly, let go of Sarah’s hand and put hers together. In seconds, she had scampered into David’s arms, smiling back at him and lightly touching the end of his nose with her finger. Shifting her to one hip after interacting with the little girl, he said, “This is my Teeny Mimi. Sarah’s in Big Brothers/Big Sisters and this is her Little Sister that I just love to pieces…” as he snuggled her close. “I wish I had more free time, I’d be a Big Brother to her real little brother Luke, even though he’s only 15 months old and too young for the program yet.”
Mari smiled and watched Teeny Mimi reactions to David and gently lay her head on his shoulder, looking up at his face. Sarah smiled and patted the little girl and brushed back a stray strand of her hair. “Her name is Michelle and yes, she’s my Little Sister, I’m her Big Sister. We’ve been together for a little over a year now. I hope you don’t mind that we brought her here. She wanted to see a real ocean. We immediately thought of here… and you.” Mari reached to hug Sarah now that her hands were empty as David was holding the little girl. They watched David continue to make funny faces to delight her and make the little girl giggle. Both Mari and Sarah commented on how much David liked being the big brother. Sarah pulled Mari off to the side as David continued to entertain Michelle. “Mari, would you mind if David and I …. Well, and Michelle stayed here a week or so to visit? I know you’re getting ready for the big summer season, but we just needed a break from the city…. especially Michelle.” Mari smiled and looked over her shoulder toward what seemed like the happy group behind her. Looking back at Sarah, she saw a worried look on her face that wasn’t there a moment ago.
“That’s fine Sarah, stay as long as you would like. What’s wrong?” Sarah and Mari walked further away as Sarah told Mari Michelle’s story, or at least what she knew. Michelle was born in Europe, but she and her mother had come to the US when Michelle was little. She had never known her biological father; he had never been in her life. Michelle’s mom came to start a new life… worked hard, raising her child. She made some of the costumes used in some of the Off Broadway productions Sarah had been in; that was where they met. She had fallen in love with the little girl soon after. Though Michelle had a mom, Sarah wanted to be her Big Sister. Sarah and Jenni would become close friends. Then, Jenni became pregnant with Luke, what would be Michelle’s half brother. Like Michelle, Luke’s birth certificate would not list a biological father. Soon after Luke was born, Michelle’s mom became sick and was later diagnosed with cancer. She was going to start another round of chemo soon, and the last time, it frightened little Michelle. Sarah and David wanted to help by taking her out of town for a bit - give her some happy memories from her always struggling life thus far. The “system” was trying everything possible to track down family for her, but no luck so far. There was no father’s name on Michelle’s birth certificate… the line was blank. Michelle’s mother wouldn’t say who the father was… that was something she hadn’t told anyone, or at least no one that had been found so far.
Mari was touched by the story and hugged Sarah close, wiping a tear as she hugged her. They stood together awhile, chatting quietly before heading back to the still entertaining David. Michelle suddenly let out a big yawn and snuggled into David’s neck, closing her eyes, and draping her arm across his chest to rest her hand on the other side of his neck. David rocked her gently and started to hum a quiet tune, bringing his finger to his lips to signal Sarah and Mari as they approached. Michelle drifted off to sleep, her other hand now clutching a section of David’s t-shirt sleeve in a tightly balled fist. The three adults whispered among themselves briefly. Putting her arm around David’s waist on one side and Sarah on the other, they made their way back to the lighthouse annex where Mari still lived. David looked around, closed his eyes briefly, remembering the first time all of the guys were here together… the first time he had met Mari and the adventure that followed.
Mari motioned to the sofa with a whispered “Make yourselves at home…”and Sarah and David headed that way. After shifting Michelle a bit, David sat down with Michelle on his lap. Sarah sat beside him, trying to convince him to put her down to nap. David firmly shook his head no and hugged his Teeny Mimi close. Mari offered them lunch and went to the kitchen to get some sandwiches ready as the couple got comfortable on the sofa. Sarah pulled the sweater off of her shoulders and wrapped it around Michelle as Mari brought in a tray of snacks. Mari looked at them and smiled, thinking “What a lovely couple… and a child… oh a beautiful child to make the family complete… wait… there’s a brother too… yes, one for each of them… yes… the perfect family picture…” as her mind added what she thought Luke would look like to the mental image that was forming… “Nice Christmas picture that would make.” The scene tugged at Mari’s heart as the echoes of those distant words from Sophie tried to encroach in her mind. She had struggled to get past them, put them behind her, but in the back of her mind, they hid, waiting to pounce. Mari had to be ever vigilant to keep it at bay - otherwise, the tears would soon follow as she asked herself one more time if she made the right decision with Seb. Her hand would lightly touch the white pearl on her necklace while her fingers rubbed against the ring with the other hand. It was the images of the dark hospital room, with Urs holding her hand, both with tears running down their cheeks that followed and made her decision for her. Urs had been so kind, so supportive, and so welcome that night and the week that followed. She was sad to see him go when he had to leave. He continued to call her regularly, trying to keep a happy tone in his voice. That night was not one he would soon forget.
As Mari slept from the anesthesia used during the procedure after, he made arrangements for the tiny fetus. The staff had told him that most of the time, it was discarded with other bio substances. A sympathetic surgical technician quietly entered the now unused surgical room and retrieved it in a specimen jar. She had covered the sides with surgical tape so no one could tell what was in it. If asked, she was taking it to the lab for analysis. Grabbing a bag from the supply cart, she tucked the jar in and headed back up the hallway. She whispered briefly to Urs and walked away. He didn’t chance looking at the bag as his mind formulated a plan. He stopped in briefly to make sure Mari was still asleep and check with the nurses at the station, leaving his cell number if she should wake up while he was gone. He made his way back to the lighthouse in the dark and sat in Mari’s car for half and hour as thoughts ran through his mind… and tears once again fell. It was a clear night as he made his way around the far side of the lighthouse… stopping at the place where Mari had found Seb that night. He looked to the ocean and back. Walked over to the door and touched it lightly… looking to the ocean once again. He walked the few steps to the dune’s edge as he took the tiny jar out of the bag. He stared at the ocean waves for several minutes thinking he had made a mistake… thinking he should just toss it to the seas to let the waves and surf carry it away… and hopefully its sad memories. No, he wouldn’t let that happen to his friend’s child. After all, what if Mari changed her mind? Looking down, he saw a small crevice in the ground near the lighthouse wall. Kneeling, he looked closer and once again looked at the ocean. This would be the place. Digging with his hands in the hard ground, he scooped out as best he could a nest and laid down the jar, arranging it so part of it faced the ocean Mari so loved. He said a silent prayer and covered it up. Laying some pebbles on top to mark its place. He stood, wiped his hands on his pants and walked back to the car. Later, as Mari recovered and rested at home inside, he would replace the pebbles with little shells of brown and white he had found on the beach below a few at a time. He never told Mari what he did that night… it would be his secret. If she asked he would tell her, but she never did.

Mari, David and Sarah ate and talked quietly for awhile. Michelle’s light eyes popped open and she yawned again, reaching for Sarah. Sarah took her into her arms and sat her on her lap. Michelle soon drifted off again. David stood and stretched. He walked over to the window and looked out at the ocean and the beach to the side. “Mari, can we still get down to the beach? I’d like to take her down to see the waves and play in the sand if we can.” Mari stood up and walked over to him.
“Yes David, you can still get to the beach… the new wing didn’t change that. Why don’t you get your stuff and bring it in. I’ll get the room ready upstairs.” Mari looked out the window and turned around. She picked up the tray and walked to the kitchen. A moment later, she headed up the stairs. David ran his fingers through his hair and looked toward Sarah and Michelle. “They do look like they could be sisters!”He told himself once again.”Except for the eyes and smile.” Michelle had dark blonde hair almost brown that would lighten in the summer sun. Sarah’s would always be light blonde and she had brown eyes. He thought back to Jenni and what she looked like. “No, she didn’t have Jenni’s eyes or smile either, but she did have her hair color and small frame.” David walked back across the room and kissed Sarah’s forehead before opening the front door. He walked out, pulling the door behind him. A few minutes later, he was back with suitcases as Mari came down the stairs. They carried them upstairs and down the hall. Upstairs after putting the bags down, Mari sat on the edge of the bed and patted the place beside her. David smiled. The room brought back those memories. David sat beside Mari and took her hand.
“David, how are Urs and Seb these days?” She managed to get out. David put his other hand over Mari’s and smiled as he rubbed the top of her small hand softly, looking at the ring on her right hand. “I’ve been getting updates from Carlos on his wife’s pregnancy… Oh my twins this fall… and that they are doing well… but it’s been awhile since I heard from Seb. Urs usually calls or emails about once a month, but it’s been a long time for Seb. I know you are grown men and busy with the new album, but I’m just…concerned.”
David smiled, not looking at her face, but continued to rub her hand. “Yes, I heard about the twins too and I can’t wait to meet them. We’ve decided not to tour this year, so Carlos can be there all the time to help her… and get things ready. We’ve scheduled recording dates around the doctor’s appointments and child birth classes as well. I wouldn’t expect him to come by this summer… But things could change. Urs should be here in a day or so, from the last I heard. Seb’s getting his garden planned… you know how he likes to do that… plant them and watch them grow. I haven’t really talked to him much lately, but he seemed fine on the phone. I’m surprised he hasn’t called or emailed you yet. He’s also started composing again and working with the musicians and such for some additional material for the album. He’s in to this one, more so than the others.” David shrugged his shoulders.
“Thanks David for the news. I’m glad he’s writing again. Maybe you guys will sing one of his some time…If that’s what he wants… you as a group want.” Mari said, standing up. Mari realized David wouldn’t tell her what she wanted to know. He had always been the hardest to get a straight answer from. She assumed he was still mad at her for leaving Seb, not marrying him… something… even though he never said or even hinted at it. They chatted about other things… the center, what Mari was doing… everything going on for the summer. Soon, Mari heard footsteps coming down the hall. Sarah and Michelle peeked into the room to find them. As soon as Michelle saw David, she let go of Sarah’s hand and ran toward him. She again crawled into his lap as he kissed her forehead. Michelle looked over at Mari and tentatively smiled. Mari couldn’t help but smile back.
“So how is David’s Teeny Mimi now?” She asked her. Michelle’s eyes became large and she pointed to the pearls on Mari’s necklace.
“Pretty…” Michelle said reaching to touch them. Mari smiled again and leaned close to Michelle to let her touch them and see them better. She told her that it was a very special present she had gotten and she loved the necklace as much as the people that had given it to her. David smiled and blushed. Sarah didn’t know he had given Mari one of the pearls. He made a mental note to tell her later that evening, making sure she understood that each of them had given her one… it wasn’t anything beyond that. Mari saw the blush and didn’t say any more. She changed the conversation to lunch for Michelle and whether they wanted to check out the beach beyond.
Soon, all of them were trooping down the stairs and into Mari’s kitchen. Michelle had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and small glass of milk, her favorite meal as she sat on the counter. Mari washed the dishes and David dried, both looking over at Sarah and Michelle to make sure everything was going well. They spent the afternoon strolling along the beach, David and Mari both pointing out shells on the beach. Michelle would carefully pick them up and look at them before returning them to the sand. Later, Michelle wanted to sit and plopped down without budging. Mari smiled and sat down beside her. David and Sarah looked at each other briefly and soon were sitting as well. Michelle picked up part of a large clam shell and pulled it through the sand. Mari watched her make designs in the sand, Michelle whispering to herself as she did so. David and Sarah started to make a mountain in the sand to try to make a sand castle for her. The sand was too dry. After several unsuccessful attempts to bring water back in his hands, they gave up, watching Michelle instead. She used her finger to draw some stick people… then something Mari couldn’t figure out above. Smiling gleefully, Michelle pointed to one of the little figures and said, “Me.” Pointing to the slightly larger ones beside, she said, “Mommy and Luke… Sissy… David.” Reaching above the stick figures to the one that Mari couldn’t figure out…. Michelle was suddenly somber, saying “Daddy.” David, Sarah and Mari looked at each other with wide eyes. None of them knew what to say for a moment. This was the first time Sarah had heard that word from Michelle. As far as Sarah knew, Michelle didn’t know anything about her father. This was a complete surprise. Mari turned her head back to the drawing in the sand, then to Michelle. Michelle had wiggled over and was making little circles beside the “Daddy” figure, working thoughtfully and tilting her head side to side to look at her drawing. As she dusted off her hands, she announced, “Clouds… pretty clouds with Daddy.” Sarah, David, and Mari all thought the same thing… Michelle was told her father had passed away. It would give Michelle answers to her questions as she grew up, they each reasoned to themselves. Sarah signed and patted her chest. David remained silent, thinking about his own father....wishing that his father would somehow meet Michelle’s and both of them would be looking down now, proud of their children. Later, they left the beach and walked back to the lighthouse. David’s cell phone started ringing and he seemed surprised, looking at Mari. Mari smiled and pointed to the top of the lighthouse… there, just faintly seen was an antenna. Mari had finally agreed to it’s installation a few months before, so students and guests could stay in touch with their families while in the area. He answered and stepped away from the group. Looking over his shoulder, he mouthed, “Its Urs” and continued to talk in a series of single word answers. Closing his cell and putting it away, he said. “He’ll be here tomorrow evening. I’m going to get him at the airport. I guess he’ll be staying here as well Mari. Will there be room or should we get a hotel?”
”There’s always room for more.”Mari replied. David looked down at Michelle, urgently tugging at his pants leg. David bent down and picked her up in his arms. Michelle gently touched his nose again and David responded with “Beep!” Michelle giggled and pointed above David’s head. Sighing, David moved her to his shoulders and clasped his hands behind her back to hold her there. Sarah commented to Mari that now Michelle was the princess in the castle and dramatically curtsied to Michelle. Mari smiled and did the same. Walking slightly ahead, David with Michelle on his shoulders marched smartly back to the lighthouse, trying to sound like a trumpet announcing her royal highness’ arrival. Michelle giggled with glee and smiled, waving to the imaginary crowds on both sides of them, there to greet her.
Their evening was quiet and uneventful. Michelle fell asleep soon after dinner and David carried her upstairs. As Sarah changed Michelle clothes from play clothes to pajamas, David came back downstairs to help Mari with the dishes. Mari had already finished and was wiping down the counter. He stood in the doorway between the living room and kitchen, leaning against the threshold, sticking his hands into his pockets. Later, he heard Sarah tip toe down the stairs and stand beside him, wrapping her arm around his waist and lightly kissing him on the cheek. Mari’s PA stepped through the door beyond to say her good nights for the evening and remind Mari of tomorrow’s schedule. Seeing Mari had company still, she quickly added she would change the schedule this evening. Mari walked over to her and hugged her, thanking her quietly, whispering that she would appreciate opening up the rest of the week for her. Shannon nodded and disappeared back down the hall. A few hours later, Mari would hear Shannon starting her car and the gravel crunch lightly under the tires. By then, Sarah had gone upstairs to check on Michelle. David remained seated on the sofa, laptop on the coffee table in front of him. Mari headed back the hall to take a shower and put on some sweats. She padded back to the living room as Sarah came back down the stairs.
Wanting to give David and Sarah some privacy, Mari announced she would be in her office in the old lighthouse. Sarah looked over her shoulder and waved an ‘okay” to Mari, before wrapping her arms around David’s neck and planting a kiss on the top of his head. Mari headed to the office and stayed until close to midnight without planning to. Standing and stretching, she turned off the desk lamp and headed to the doorway. She turned off the lights and closed the door, creeping up the hallway. She certainly didn’t want to interrupt anything that may or may not be going on in the living room. She put her ear to the door to listen before she opened it. “Nothing…” She said to herself. Slowly, she opened the door a crack and waited again. “Still nothing…” she whispered. Taking a deep breath and looking to the floor, she opened the door the whole way and stepped through. Glancing up because it was still quiet, she was met by an empty room. On the coffee table she found a note from David telling her they had gone to bed and would see her in the morning. Mari turned off the end table light and made her way to her bedroom. She slept well that night, knowing one of her knights was here and another one was coming tomorrow. Sarah and David did not, Michelle seemed to be talking in her sleep, saying, ” se balance dans le ciel” twice was all they could make out. Then she would be quiet for an hour or so and start again. Sarah and David had no idea what she was saying, let alone what it meant.

The next morning a tired David and Sarah came downstairs and greeted Mari in the kitchen. Mari had been awake for an hour and had started coffee and was deciding on what to make for breakfast. Normally, she grabbed a slice of toast and nibbled it as she worked, eating when ever she wanted to. Thinking about Michelle, she had decided that regular meals and a schedule would be in order, at least while they were here. As David and Sarah helped themselves to coffee, they chatted. Mari soon heard footsteps above and soon saw a very alert Michelle peeking into the kitchen at them. Sarah had hoped Michelle would have slept longer; she wanted to nap later herself. Not being around children much, and only Michelle at that, she didn’t know. They started making plans for the day, keeping in mind that David would have to pick up Urs at the airport that evening. Mari started a grocery list and rummaged through her pantry as she did so and asking what Michelle liked… other than PBJs. While she was finishing her list, Shannon stopped in with papers for Mari to sign. Mari skimmed through them, signed and initialed before handing them back, offering her a cup of coffee as well. Shannon thanked her, said she already had some and quietly walked back to the office. David watched her leave, remarking, “It never stops, does it?” Mari smiled and shook her head no. “So, can I get the groceries for you Mari? I have a van this time, plenty of room… no problem. It’s the least I can do… us staying here and all.”
Sarah made the same offer as well, but Mari suggested she and David go for the supplies. She didn’t mention anything about the side trip to get Michelle a few things to occupy her time there. Mari kept that list in her head. She was intrigued but the drawing in the sand yesterday. David showered quickly as Sarah and Michelle had breakfast. Mari loved to cook when she had the time and someone to cook for other than just herself. David and Mari entertained Michelle while Sarah showered and got dressed. As the pair was leaving for the grocery store, Sarah was getting Michelle ready for a bath in Mari’s tub off the bedroom downstairs. The trip into town was dotted with Mari asking David questions about Michelle. The light-eyed, dark haired little one was making quite the impression on Mari. There was something oddly familiar about her that Mari just couldn’t put her finger on. They soon pulled into the parking lot and walked in, Mari pulling the list from her purse as they walked through the door. David grabbed a shopping cart and looked to Mari for direction. They soon had all of the things on the list and a few more. David paid for the groceries, despite Mari’s protests. They loaded it into the van and looked around at the other shops close by. Mari knew she had a stop to make while they were in town. Looking up at David, she mentioned something about a quick errand and headed off. David smiled and yelled to her that he did too; spotting a store that interested him. They agreed to meet back at the van in 20 minutes. David headed to the toy store, Mari the opposite direction. Mari and David each picked out their items and met at the van. Opening their bags, they found they had bought many of the same things - paper, crayons, coloring books, pail and shovel for the beach, and a story book about a princess. Luckily the stories were different. David had also gotten her a Barbie and Ken. Mari had gotten her big floppy beach hat, beach towel with matching t-shirt that said “Princess” on it and sun glasses. They laughed and put both bags in the van and headed back.
They were both laughing as they returned to the lighthouse and started to unload the van. Shannon appeared out of nowhere with a worried look on her face, motioning Mari aside. David watched them whisper between them and Shannon headed back to the office at a rapid pace. Mari looked off to the ocean, deep in thought. He put the grocery bag down and stepped over to Mari, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Mari, what’s wrong?” he said.
Mari’s eyes scanned the water and didn’t reply at first. David’s hand slid around to Mari’s shoulder and he hugged her close, waiting patiently. After a moment, Mari said, “Seems things have changed. You need to go inside and talk to Sarah. I’ll take care of the stuff…. Now go.” David sighed and hugged Mari again, kissing her forehead quickly before squaring his shoulders and heading to the annex. Mari remained behind, staring at her friend the ocean, thinking and planning.
David pushed open the front door to find a crying Sarah sitting on the sofa. Michelle was busy watching ‘Dora the Explorer’ on TV. David’s heart sank as he perched on the edge of the sofa beside Sarah, reaching for her hand and wrapping his arm around her with the other. Looking at the coffee table before them, Sarah said, ”Jenni has taken a turn for the worse. I should be with her… she may not… “She hid her face in David’s neck and shoulder, sobbing. David leaned back and pulled her close, stroking her hair and whispering softly to her. Meanwhile, Mari took a deep breath and turned back to the van. She pulled out the milk and other perishables from the bags, transferring things around so she could carry it to the office. She was greeted by Shannon, still a worried look on her face, who took them and stashed them in the mini-refrigerator in the corner of the office. Mari walked to her computer and fired off three emails, ignoring her incoming messages. Shannon was at her side, hands at her mouth, not knowing what to say or do. Mari turned to her and put her hand on her shoulder. Mari explained her plan, Shannon nodding as the details unfolded. Within minutes, Mari heard the tone that she had a new email. She looked at the email address and opened it quickly, smiling soon after. A second one arrived; again, Mari checked the address and responded back again. Shannon started working, trying to stay busy and calm down. After all, she didn’t mean to hear what was going on… she wasn’t the eves dropping, nosy type… it just happened. Sarah had cried on her shoulder too. The other response Mari waited for would come later that day. She continued to work at her computer, checking different sites and making selections as she went. A few minutes later, she stood and stretched, seeming satisfied at what she had accomplished.
Soon, a worried and weary David appeared at the doorway between the annex and the lighthouse. He ran his fingers through his hair as he made his way to Mari. Mari met him half way and opened her arms to hug him. Shannon slipped through the doorway behind him and headed back the hallway unnoticed by David. David held Mari close and sighed deeply. Mari waited; it was her turn to be patient now. After several minutes, David said, “I don’t know what to do…Sarah should be with Michelle, but she should also be with Jenni… Mari, what do you think?... Oh God what about Luke?” Mari took David’s hand and led him to her desk, forcing him to sit down in her chair. Mari sat on the edge of her desk and looked David firmly in the eye.
“David, let me help you and Sarah and Michelle, well the whole group of you. I can get Sarah and you on a plane this morning, no problem, I have a chopper on stand-by as we speak, - a friend in the business. I can watch Michelle so you don’t have to worry about her. She can stay out of this drama; she doesn’t need it at her age. See what can be done about bringing Luke here to be with his sister. I think they need to be together, not apart. They can both be here, no problem… as long as it takes. That will take at least that much off of you and Sarah. If you trust me, that is, with both of them. I’ve never been a parent David, you know that. But I will give them everything I’ve got… no question. We’ll stay in touch…. Play it by ear… how does that sound?”
David thought a moment before nodding. His mind walked through the steps…He would put Sarah on the chopper to get there and he could fly in later, giving his rental to Urs that night. Little did he know, Urs was already headed to the airport, as the Il Divo plane was being fueled and flight check started as the flight plan was already on file. Mari already knew he was on his way from his prompt email response moments ago. Carlos would follow as well. Her knights were gathering together again… this time for one of their own.

Soon, a worried and weary David appeared at the doorway between the annex and the lighthouse. He ran his fingers through his hair as he made his way to Mari. Mari met him half way and opened her arms to hug him. Shannon slipped through the doorway behind him and headed back the hallway unnoticed by David. David held Mari close and sighed deeply. Mari waited; it was her turn to be patient now. After several minutes, David said, “I don’t know what to do…Sarah should be with Michelle, but she should also be with Jenni… Mari, what do you think?... Oh God what about Luke?” Mari took David’s hand and led him to her desk, forcing him to sit down in her chair. Mari sat on the edge of her desk and looked David firmly in the eye.
“David, let me help you and Sarah and Michelle, well the whole group of you. I can get Sarah and you on a plane this morning, no problem, I have a chopper on stand-by as we speak, - a friend in the business. I can watch Michelle so you don’t have to worry about her. She can stay out of this drama; she doesn’t need it at her age. See what can be done about bringing Luke here to be with his sister. I think they need to be together, not apart. They can both be here, no problem… as long as it takes. That will take at least that much off of you and Sarah. If you trust me, that is, with both of them. I’ve never been a parent David, you know that. But I will give them everything I’ve got… no question. We’ll stay in touch…. Play it by ear… how does that sound?”
David thought a moment before nodding. His mind walked through the steps…He would put Sarah on the chopper to get there and he could fly in later, giving his rental to Urs that night. Little did he know, Urs was already headed to the airport, as the Il Divo plane was being fueled and flight check started as the flight plan was already on file. Mari already knew he was on his way from his prompt email response moments ago. Carlos would follow as well. Her knights were gathering together again… this time for one of their own.
David and Mari continued to talk. David suddenly remembered Michelle and Sarah alone in the annex. He raced down the hallway. He smiled as he saw Shannon and Michelle stilling on cushions, side by side coloring together at the coffee table, occasionally glancing at the TV beside them. Sarah had cried herself out and was sleeping on the sofa, Kleenex in bunches around her. Shannon looked up and smiled. She too loved being with children and she had made a new friend. Shannon loved to baby-sit her nieces and knew what they liked to do, though they were older than Michelle. Michelle had decided she had another Big Sister in the works.
David and Mari let Sarah sleep while they brought in the rest of the supplies from the van and put them away. Shannon knew about the coloring books and crayons, so she had taken them with her to keep Michelle occupied as part of Mari’s plan. Groceries put away and goodies ready, David and Mari headed to the living room to wake Sarah to explain the plan as Michelle would explore her goodies. Shannon had left and come back as Michelle gleefully looked into each bag and pulled out the items one by one. She wanted to give the tiny group some privacy and so she could check Mari’s computer for any new emails. She glanced at Mari with a quick subtle “no” as she walked behind David and Sarah sitting on the couch. She sat down beside Michelle. Michelle wanted to try on her new t-shirt, hat and sunglasses, so Shannon took her back the hall to Mari’s bedroom change as David finished telling Sarah about the plan. She and Mari had agreed that Michelle didn’t need to hear the details of what was going on, even if she was paying attention to what they were talking about.
Back in New York City, Jenni was reading and signing the last stack of pages in front of her. She hadn’t told Sarah yet, but she had found out that Luke’s biological father had been killed in Afghanistan a few weeks ago. She had tucked the copy of the report in her journal as a remembrance of him. Thinking she would tell Luke about his father later, when the time was right… the same way she had done with Michelle. Luke’s father would never know about him. Jenni fought, hoping he wasn’t going to be losing another parent now. Jenni rested a moment, thinking about Michelle’s father and the decision she had made over 5 years ago to not tell him about his child. She thought then it was for the best, while she was pregnant… now she wasn’t so sure. She didn’t want to be a burden, ask his for anything, knowing he had so little then. She had given Michelle his picture about a year ago, soon after she had been diagnosed so Michelle would know who he was. Since then, she and Michelle had kept it a secret between them, sharing the few remembrances with her daughter she had accumulated along the way. She had lost touch with him when they came to the US. She wondered what had ever become of him. Sighing, she finished signing the pages and handed them to the paralegal at her bedside. The paralegal looked over the pages quickly and efficiently, nodding as she went through them before tucking them in her briefcase. She whispered briefly to Jenni, patted her hand and walked out of the room. Jenni had just signed over temporary guardianship of Michelle and Luke to Sarah, the only person she trusted to do the right thing and raise them right if it came to that according to the terms of her will. She reached for the phone and smiled weakly. Sarah was on her way. She would be there by the afternoon. The paralegal made the short trip to the courthouse and filed the paperwork, receiving back a stamped certified copy of the documents. She took it back to the office and filed it in its proper folder, behind the properly executed Last Will and Testament that had been completed months before, closing the drawer firmly. That afternoon, Sarah arrived and kissed her friend softly on the cheek in greeting. Jenni was tired still, but managed to tell her of the plans. Sarah nodded and listened as Jenni explained that Sarah would be in charge of her babies… to take care of them as if they were her own for her for now. Luke was with a neighbor, who was watching him for the night… but couldn’t keep him much longer. Sarah smiled and started making plans in her own mind. As Jenni drifted off to a deep sleep, Sarah stepped into the hallway and made her way to the nearest exit. She called David and Mari, explaining what Jenni had said about Michelle and Luke and that she hadn’t needed to suggest it as planned. David was at the airport getting his bags at the terminal, Mari was putting phase 2 into action. Urs had just arrived and the van was waiting at the airport for Carlos. Urs had rented a motorcycle, thinking it would get him there faster and he did have the required license to rent it. She checked her email again, still waiting for that last one to come.
Urs had barely parked the motorcycle when he was greeted by Mari. He hugged her close and listened to the plan, nodded in agreement. As they entered the lighthouse annex, his cell phone rang. Michelle seemed to perk up listening to his voice as he spoke on the phone. She peeked at him over the top of the sofa with wide eyes. He finished up his call as Mari walked over to Michelle to see what had caught her attention. As soon as he finished talking on the phone, Michelle went back to playing with the Ken and Barbie. Barbie was sitting on the coffee table, propped against Michelle’s sunglasses. She picked up the Ken doll and held him in the air, over Barbie’s head. Soon he was back down on the table and Michelle picked up Barbie and started whispering to herself. Urs looked over the sofa at Michelle and smiled. Mari headed to the kitchen to get lunch ready. Urs walked around the sofa and sat down near Michelle to watch her play.
She stopped briefly to see Mari walk into the kitchen, before turning to look at Urs. Shyly, she stepped toward him and said,” Bonjour monsieur, comment allez-vous aujourd'hui ?” Urs was surprised, but smiled, replying ” Dites très bien merci Mlle et vous, petite princesse?” Hearing the voices, Mari peeked into the room. She shook her head, thinking she had just heard something, but Urs and Michelle were not talking at the moment; they were just looking at each other. Michelle turned around and waved to Mari. Mari waved back, saying lunch would be ready shortly. Mari disappeared back into the kitchen. Urs and Michelle both laughed and started whispering between them. Urs had met Michelle before when he had met David and Sarah in New York and to add a few new purchases to his guitar filled storage locker; her starting the conversation as she did was what surprised him. When Mari came out to check on Michelle and Urs and tell them lunch was ready, she saw them sitting side by side on the sofa. Urs had his arm around her as she leaned against his side. He was reading her a story while she listened, occasionally looking at the pictures and playing with her sun glasses, twirling them around in her hand. Mari smiled at the sight of them, as she heard a knock at the door. She walked over, telling Urs and Michelle that lunch was ready to go into the kitchen and get started. Mari opened the door and saw two delivery men with rental furniture. She let them in and pointed to the stairs as Shannon appeared in the living room. Motioning, Shannon headed for the stairs and started to walk up them, looking over her shoulder to make sure they were following. Mari closed the door behind them and headed to the kitchen, mentally checking that off the mental list she had in her head. She found Urs and Michelle in the kitchen starting their lunch. She grabbed a sandwich and sipped some of the soup. Checking the time, she finished and carried her plate and bowl to the sink, starting the water to wash them with the others. Urs and Michelle soon finished up and she laughed when Michelle copied every move Urs made, including wiping his mouth with his napkin. She giggled as followed his every move. Urs smiled in return. H was amazed by how much she had remembered from the last time he had seen her those few months before, including their brief encounter. Urs picked up his and Michelle’s plates and bowls and brought them to the sink. “What can I help with Mari?”He said as he slid them into the sudsy water. Seeing his hands touch the bubbles sent a tingle down Mari’s spine. He didn’t see that blush that appeared on her cheeks for a moment. He gently wiped his damp fingers up the front of his jeans, leaving a light, wet, trail that Mari followed with her eyes. Mari turned away for a moment, thinking “No, I’m not ready for this...any of this… he’s just a friend… stop it!”
Mari, after turning back to face him, smiled and replied”Well, you and Teeny Mimi here seem to be getting along well, how about you finish the story while I finish up in here. Then we can walk over to the Center and I’ll show you what’s been happening. I also need to drop off a few things while we’re there.” Mari heard the front door of the annex open and then it closes. Soon after she saw Shannon out of the corner of her eye giving her a quick ‘thumbs up”. The delivery men returned within a few minutes and proceeded down the hallway to Mari’s bedroom. Within minutes, they were gone again. Mari started to wash the dishes as Urs and Michelle headed back to the sofa. Michelle picked up her sun glasses again and crawled up on the sofa. She put the sun glasses on the top of her head, looking at Urs as she did so. Now hers were in the same place on her as his were on his. Urs smiled and sat down beside her. She nestled in at his side, propping her back against his side as he opened the book to find his place. Mari could hear him reading to her as she finished the dishes and wiped the table and counter.

Suddenly, all was quiet. She looked into the living room to see a sleeping Michelle against Urs side. Mari walked over and held Michelle, while Urs stood up. He took off his jacket as Mari laid her down. He tucked the jacket collar under Michelle’s chin, tucking the sleeves behind her arms, as Mari straightened the jacket out over the rest of her. Gently he took the sun glasses off of her head and laid them on the coffee table. Urs and Mari tiptoed to the kitchen and talked briefly. Mari found out that Urs had met Michelle before and she was old than Mari had guessed. She would be 5 years old in a few months. Mari’s mind reeled as thoughts of public schools and schedules popped into her mind. It was something she hadn’t thought about yet. She shoved it out of her mind and concentrated on the original plan. Just then, the phone rang. Mari checked the number first, before she answered. She walked out of the kitchen and down the hall to her bedroom, talking rapidly as she went. Urs was confused at first, shrugged as walked back into the living room, sitting in a chair close to the sofa to keep an eye on the sleeping Michelle. Mari sat on her bed and continued to talk on the phone, urgency and frustration was in her voice. A half and hour later, she hung up with a huge sigh. “Well, at least he’ll be here.” She said.
She walked back up the hallway, returning the phone to its base. Carlos appeared soon after. Mari met him at the door. Urs put a finger to his lips as Carlos started to say hello. He hugged Mari and kissed her on the cheek, pulling out the latest ultrasound to show Mari. Mari kissed his cheek after glancing at the picture. They whispered together for a bit, before walking to the sofa. He reached to shake Urs hand as he stood up and run his hands down the front of his jeans. Soon, Carlos was headed out the door to get his suitcase. Mari directed him upstairs to the empty room. As he came down the steps again after unpacking, he saw a pair of eyes looking at him from the sofa. Smiling, he walked over as the eyes became a full view face of Michelle. She watched him approach with curiosity, staring at him.
Mari had gone to her office for a quick update to let Shannon know what was going on. There, she read the email from David and Sarah that David and Luke would be arriving tomorrow morning Sarah would stay in the city with Jenni, keeping an eye on her progress. She also read that Sarah had temporary guardianship of the children and confirmation that Luke’s biological father had died with no known next of kin. Mari worried, the poor child has no father in this world and a very sick mother. She thought back to the Christmas picture she had imaged before. Smiling, she thanked Shannon for the news and headed back the hall to see Michelle’s reaction to Carlos. “Hola señor. Cómo se llama usted?” She said using her best Dora the Explorer voice. Carlos laughed and held out his hand. “Me llamo Carlos. Mucho gusto. ¿Cómo se llama usted?” Michelle giggled and scampered off the sofa and ran over to Urs. She looked from Urs to Carlos and back again. Mari laughed. “That’s her favorite line from ‘Dora the Explorer’ Carlos. She doesn’t know what you said. She’s been saying that line off and on from what Shannon tells me... well, that and gracias.”
The three sat down and chatted briefly, Mari telling them that Seb had just called and he was on his way. He would be there this evening, soon after dinner. He had called her mid-flight. Mari stood, telling them she had a few things to drop off at the center if they wanted to come along. Michelle was running her hand up and down Urs jacket as they talked. Urs noticed and smiled. “I’d like to see the new construction Mari’s been telling me about. Michelle, would you like to see that?” Michelle nodded and lifted Urs jacket off the sofa, putting it on and reaching for him. Carlos and Mari laughed… The coat was way too big; the bottom of it touched the floor at Michelle’s feet and they couldn’t see her tiny hands at the sleeves. Urs laughed as well and covered his face with his hands. Soon, all of them were headed out the door, despite trying hard to convince her otherwise, Michelle wore Urs jacket while he carried her so it wouldn’t be ruined. She had wrapped her short legs around his waist as best she could. Within a few minutes, they arrived at the original “Somewhere” part of the building. Mari pointed toward the hallway to the new wing under construction saying the crew had left for the day. She warned them to be very careful as she turned toward the faculty offices in the other direction. Michelle seemed fascinated by the revolving door by the IB wing. She looked to Urs saying, “Down, please.” Urs stood her on the floor and slid off the jacket, folding it over his arm as he stood up. Michelle took his hand and pulled him closer to the door. She pushed on the glass and it started to move. Urs gently pulled her back out of the way of the next panel. Her eyes lit up and she let go of Urs hand, clapping her together whispering to herself. She reached toward it again and pushed it, causing it to spin some more. Carlos watched her closely, stepping up to push the door harder to make it revolve several times for her. Again, she clapped her hands with delight, whispering to herself as she did so. Neither Urs nor Carlos could make out what she was saying. As Urs bent down to get her attention, she saw the metal framework of the new wing. She pointed and grabbed Urs hand, pulling him once again in the direction she wanted to go. As they approached the new wing construction, Michelle was walking on her toes, pulling Urs with all her might. Finally, he reached down and picked her up. Carlos was beside him as they saw the opening to the new wing. To the two guys, it was a metal skeleton or rib cage with a cement floor, nothing more. Michelle grinned broadly, looked at Urs and pointed down the empty shell of a hallway. Carefully and keeping her tightly in his arms, he stepped through the archway and stopped; Carlos staying a step or so behind. Michelle again pointed down the hallway urgently. Urs took a few steps down and saw the smile on her face, the frown when he stopped. He was about half-way down the first hallway when she suddenly looked at the sky to her left, searching the clouds. Seeing nothing, she turned her head to the right and looked at the clouds there. Mari had finished and was coming up behind them. She was in earshot when she heard Michelle take Urs face in her hands and say to Urs sadly, “Où se balancent-ils dans les nuages ?”

Urs was completely puzzled. Mari hadn’t heard this before coming from Michelle, let alone knowing fully what she said. She and Carlos looked from Michelle to Urs; hoping one of them would say something. Michelle continued to look directly at Urs. Mari finally interrupted the silence and asked, “What did she say?” Carlos shrugged his shoulders.
Urs still looking at Michelle said, “She said, where are they swinging in the clouds?” Mari and Carlos were baffled. “She said it in French. She was born in France… Didn’t you know?” Urs added. “It doesn’t make any sense… why would she ask that? I don’t understand. Does it mean anything to you Mari?” Mari thought hard and couldn’t come up with anything, saying as much to the huddled group. Carlos distracted Michelle from her question with a big smile and eyebrow action. She smiled, completely forgetting her question moments ago. They headed back to the lighthouse for an early dinner. Shannon had moved Michelle’s things to Mari’s room while they were gone. She whispered a quick message to Mari and left for the evening. Shannon had started the meal for them and it was almost ready. Seb was running late and would be there as soon as he could. Urs and Carlos headed to the kitchen as Mari took Michelle back the hallway to wash up and show her where she would be sleeping tonight. They finished the meal with little conversation. Michelle seemed to have forgotten about Urs jacket. She nibbled and looked out into the living room at her small stack of things to play with. Shannon had added the things she had gotten from her suitcase as well as some new things she had gotten her. Michelle started to yawn and rub her eyes. As Urs and Carlos finished eating, Mari took Michelle back the hall and got her ready for bed. The two girls would be sharing Mari’s room for the night. No sooner had Mari gotten her into her pajamas and tucked into bed was Michelle asleep. Mari waited awhile, turning on the light in her bathroom before she left. She left the bedroom door open a bit so she could hear her if she got up and padded up the hallway.
Carlos was clearing the table as Urs ran water in the sink to wash the dishes. Both assured her they had everything under control and asked to take a break. Mari thanked them and headed to her computer by the window. She checked the messages posted in the forum and logged out. As she was googling Michelle’s earlier phrase,’ Seb arrived. He came in without knocking. Carlos greeting Seb warmly, discarding the damp dish towel he was holding. The two hugged briefly, as Urs appeared at the threshold between the kitchen and living room. Mari was engrossed in her search at first, but turned to see he had finally made it. “Now her knights were accounted for.”She said under her breath. Urs waved quickly to Seb and disappeared back in the kitchen to finish the dishes. Carlos looked at Mari and then back at Seb. He mumbled that he needed to help Urs with the dishes, picking up the dish towel before disappearing into the kitchen as well.
Seb took off his jacket and laid it on a chair as he made his way to where Mari was sitting. Mari was afraid to move. She didn’t know what to say. When he had been here before, they weren’t alone- it was always at the Center. There were around lots of people. Now, seeing him walking toward her, the memories pushed there way into her mind. Swallowing hard, she stood as Seb took the last two steps to stand in front of her, arms wide open. He took her in his arms and hugged her close. The smell of his cologne and the feel of his touch made Mari weak in the knees. She closed her eyes and held him close, allowing the time between them to vanish…. Take her back to those glorious nights and days with him…forget everything else in between like it never happened. Seb interrupted her thoughts, “What are you working on with the computer? Is it something for the Center?” He was peering over Mari’s shoulder at what she had typed in. Mari’s memories evaporated.
Sarah was at Jenni’s bedside after she had finished another round of chemo. Jenni was pale and her breathing was ragged, despite the oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. She was holding the journal Jenni had given her to read to Michelle soon and for her to have as a remembrance of her mother. Sarah hadn’t opened it at all. “That would be as a last result. “Sarah had promised herself. She didn’t think Michelle was old enough yet, and Jenni would be able to tell her later as well, or at least she hoped and prayed that would happen. David was at Jenni’s apartment packing what he thought would be the right things for Luke for a few days with Mari. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be long. He had called his sister for advice 6 times already and he wasn’t calling again. He finished and grabbed a few toys for Michelle and stuffed them in an overnight bag. He looked around, watered the plant in the kitchen and picked up a sleeping Luke from the playpen, turning the lights off on his way out. He made his way down the hall and pushed the button for the elevator. Soon he was on the street, hailing a cab. He shoved the bags in the backseat and slid in, telling the cab driver “Kennedy Airport.” The cab pulled out into traffic and David and Luke were soon at the airport. David handed over the fare and a reasonable tip, slinging the bags over his shoulder. He stepped out and walked into the airport. His cell phone went off just as he reached the security gate.

“Great, a busy daddy with a toddler…” The airport security officer mumbled under his breath. He waved David through, checking his tickets briefly. He found his gate and sat down, putting the overnight bag on the seat beside him. He had checked the others earlier with the help of a skycap. Laying Luke on his lap and across his lower arm, he reached for the phone, hoping who ever called had left a message. He opened it and saw there was one, pushing the button for his voice mail. He listened to Sarah’s tired voice tell ing him that Jenni had passed away quietly in her sleep about an hour ago. Sarah was now guardian of the children and she had an appointment with Jenni’s attorney later that morning. She would call him later after he had arrived at Mari’s with details. Sarah started the paperwork for Jenni’s final arrangements, signing forms she had only half read. She knew Jenni had no assets to speak of so her will would be an easy one. When she called the attorney’s office, they had told her she was the executrix of the estate as well as guardian of the children, at least until a family member could be located. An emotionally and physically tired Sarah finally made her way back to her apartment for a shower and nap.
While she was in the shower, David left her a voice message telling her he was on the plane and what the phone number was for his seat row in the event of an emergency as he would have to have his cell off during the flight. He arrived at Halifax airport exhausted. He booked a room at a nearby hotel to grab a few hours sleep before heading to Mari’s. No sooner had he gotten settled in the room then his cell phone rang. It was Sarah. Sarah, after taking a shower, had opened the journal to jot a few things down about Jenni for the Obituary. She had thought it would be like a diary of events Jenni wanted to share with Michelle, but she was wrong. It was a series of letters address at first to Her Baby; then later entries were addressed specifically to Michelle. She read passages at random, looking for something that would help her. She had come across the picture and passage where Jenni told Michelle who her father was. Sarah looked at the picture and read the passage again, not believing a word. She closed the journal, sticking the picture back and picked up the phone to call David, calculating his flight should have landed an hour ago. David sat upright on the bed, exclaiming “Holy Sh**! No freaking way!” as Sarah repeated her discovery. He wasn’t tired any more. He thanked Sarah for calling and said a quick, “I love you…” before hanging up. He picked up the hotel room phone and called the front desk, telling them he was checking out. He scooped up Luke and the bags and headed to the front desk, then the rental car. He threw the bags in the back seat and secured Luke in the car seat. By now, Luke was awake, but not fussing. David dug a few toys out of the overnight bag and laid them on the car seat’s tray hoping it would occupy Luke for a time. He jumped into the driver’s seat, buckled up and started the car, squealing out of the hotel parking lot and onto the highway. At this hour, there was little traffic on the highway, so David made good time. He called Urs and told him he was coming early and to be ready as Luke was with him. He would be there in less than 15 minutes. He said nothing else and closed the phone.
Mari turned around and looked at her computer screen. “Oh nothing, just something that Michelle had said earlier that I was trying to figure out. Why?”
Seb looked closer at the screen and skimmed the list and looking back up at what Mari had typed. Thinking briefly, he said, “Well, I’m not sure what you’re typing there, but it sounds like a Native American name to me.” Mari rolled her eyes and shut off the monitor.
“What? Okay, maybe my French spelling is off, but it should be Où se balancent-ils dans les nuages.
Seb smiled and replied, “No, your spelling is right, but it doesn’t make sense. What does swinging in the clouds mean?”
Mari shrugged her shoulders and sat down. She told him about Danielle speaking French, repeated the phrase and how she reacted to the metal framework of the new wing. Seb listened carefully and thought a moment. Let me see the new wing? Mari took him outside and toward the Center, walking around the outside instead of cutting through the building. Seb looked back and forth thinking as he looked. After a few minutes, he smiled, snapping his fingers. They walked back to the annex and he pulled out his laptop, turning it on. He walked over to the desk and sat it beside Mari’s computer and logged in. Mari motioned to Urs and Carlos in the kitchen, whispering, “Seb thinks he might know what it means…” Seb opened his Media player, opened his play list and made his selection. “Could it be this?” and he stepped back. Mari, Carlos and Urs stared at the screen, speechless. It was a video Seb had done pre-Il Divo. Mari’s jaw dropped as she saw a very young Seb walking up and down an area that slightly resembled the new wing area, the revolving door scenes, yes… people swinging and twirling on something and there were clouds in the background. Carlos and Urs looked at each other and nodded, not saying a word out loud. Mari’s hands went to her mouth as she turned to look at Seb.
“Oh my God….” She said. David burst through the door, carrying Luke in his arms. He handed Luke off to Carlos and glared at Seb as he strode toward him. “You Son of a…” came out of David’s mouth as he lunged at Seb. Urs stopped David just in time. Seb’s eyes were wide and he was totally confused. Stepping back, he meekly replied, “Just say you don’t like the video… you don’t have to get violent.” Urs stepped between the two and held David by the shoulders.
“What are you talking about? What is with you?” Urs said to David. David ran his fingers through his hair and tried to calm down. Mari remained seated, not knowing what to do. David’s entrance confirmed what she had realized seconds ago… the video, the French language, the drawing in the sand… it all came together before her. Tears fell from her eyes.
“Yeah Seb, why don’t you tell her… tell us all?” David retorted, leaning forward toward Seb. Urs grabbed David by the shoulders and forced him to take a few steps back, creating a bigger distance between he and Seb.
Seb was baffled. He pulled at his shirt collar and ran his fingers through his hair. “What do I tell her? I made an album a couple music videos? What? Mari knows that… heck that was before I even Knew Mari. We all had careers before Il Divo… you know that? What are you talking about?”He yelled.
Michelle, unknown to most of them, had woken up from the noise and tiptoed down the hall. Carlos saw her first, but his hands were filled with Luke. His head moved from Luke to Michelle and back as he stepped forward. Michelle looked at Mari sitting there with tears in her eyes, then the back of David, then over to Seb… running forward she said, “Daddy” and opened her arms. Urs eyes widened as he heard her, then saw her running by with her arms wide open. “I knew you would find me some day, some where… some how.” She ran to Seb and wrapped her arms around his waist. Carlos almost dropped Luke as he dove for the sofa to sit down. Urs turned his back on David a moment as his eyes widened. David crossed his arms across his chest and smiled.
Seb looked down at the little girl hugging him and looked at the guys, then Mari. Mari looked from Seb to Michelle and back again. “Yes, they have the same eyes. I knew I knew that smile of hers from somewhere.” She thought to herself as she covered her face with her hands. Within seconds, David was at her side, brotherly arm reaching across her shoulder.
“Mari, it’s true. Much as I don’t want to admit it… it’s true. Sarah called me and told me so from Jenni’s journal. Jenni passed this morning and Sarah had her journal, letters to Michelle telling her about her father and who he was… is… whatever. I wish I knew what to say Mari. I can’t imagine how you must feel.”
Urs stepped forward and pulled Michelle from Seb’s legs, despite her protests. Holding her close, he gently said,” We need to let the grown-up talk and you need to go to sleep. He’ll be here when you wake up, I promise, my princess” and he gently kissed her forehead. Carlos followed Urs back the hallway, Luke in his arms.

Urs gently put a fussing Michelle back into Mari’s bed and sat beside her. Michelle wanted to be held and reached for him with sad eyes. She wanted answers and comforting. He wanted to hold her too, but couldn’t. He knew she needed comforting, but he had no answers to give her. Too many things were going through his mind. Instead, he took her hands in his and asked her if she saw Luke was here. Michelle timidly nodded and looked to Carlos, holding her brother. Carlos smiled and put Luke near her on the bed. Seeing her brother was near, she rolled onto her side and put a sisterly arm around Luke and nuzzled her nose in his hair. Luke seemed oblivious to what had just occurred in the other room and put his tiny hand on his sisters arm, before closing his eyes and going back to sleep. Michelle seeing her brother was okay, she too soon nodded off to sleep. Urs sat on the edge of the bed awhile, rubbing his hands up and down his thighs, trying to make some sense of it all. He heard the bathroom door close quietly and noticed Carlos wasn’t in the room. Then he heard Carlos in the bathroom, cursing and pounding his hand on something. Not loud enough to wake the children, but Urs could hear it, and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. He looked down at the sleeping children; really looking at Luke and what was similar between them. Luke’s hair was darker than Michelle’s and probably wouldn’t lighten in the sun like hers did. He hadn’t really gotten a good look at Luke’s eyes, so he couldn’t compare them, but assumed they were dark as well. There were enough features between the two children no one would suspect they weren’t from the same parents. Urs had never met Jenni before, so he didn’t know what she looked like. His only interaction was with Michelle and that was through David and Sarah. Signing, his thoughts were still jumbled with so many questions. “Could Seb also be the father of the little boy too? How could he do this to her… or them... especially with his childhood? God, why would anyone do that? I don’t know what goes through people’s heads sometimes? He has to step up… for her… them… he has to…. Why didn’t he tell us? Of all of the ones to say something… he’s the one that wants a family! Oh my God… Mari… oh God, Mari… What must be going through her mind right now… and… that… Damn it… what only she and I know about... Why did she make me promise?… Why did I?... of all the stupid… Carlos, ease up, you’re going to wake the children…If it would have been me, I would have said something… Well I think I would have said something… yes, I’d be yelling it around the globe… you couldn’t shut me up. ”kept bouncing through his mind. A few minutes later, Urs heard water running in the bathroom and sighed. “About time Spaniard!” He whispered angrily.
Carlos came out of the bathroom drying his face. Urs could see he was upset and his eyes were red and swollen, though the tears had been rinsed away. Now Urs felt guilty for what he had said a second ago. They were all feeling the strain. Carlos sat on the bed close to Urs and put his hand on his shoulder, sighing heavily. He looked at the sleeping children and smiled weakly. “What shall we do, my friend… what shall we do?” Both men sat quietly for awhile, before Urs stood up. He rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. Carlos looked up at him with tears welling in his eyes, saying ”Go, take a break, I’ll stay here with them awhile. We’ll be fine. I’ve had my tantrum and it’s over. I need to think. All that is running through my head right now is ‘Mama’ and what these children will miss not having theirs. Please… please go... Come back later though so I can call my wife. I can’t talk to her now, she’ll know something is wrong and I don’t want her worrying… or traveling… it won’t be good for her or our babies…please go.”
Urs nodded silently, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He walked to the door, opened it a crack, stopping to listen before opening it the rest of the way. He heard no yelling or screaming and took that as a good sign. Opening the door a bit more, he closed his eyes and listened again, cringing for the worst. Again, no hysterics heard, so he stepped out and quietly closed the door behind him. He tiptoed up the hall and stopped once again. He could hear voices a calm David’s and Seb’s, but nothing from Mari. Peaking around the corner, he looked toward the front door…”clear shot” he thought to himself. “If only they don’t see me… please God, don’t let them see me… I don’t know what to say...”He continued. “Give me time to make a plan, okay?” He avoided looking at the area where he had seen them last and slithered to the door, not breathing until he had grabbed his jacket and was safely on the other side. Looking up to the sky as he leaned against the closed door he said, “Thank-you.” He pulled out the keys to the motorcycle and headed toward it. He looked at the keys, then the motorcycle. Sighing, he stuffed the keys back into his pocket and put his hands on his hips, turning around slowly. He saw the ocean in the distance. Looking over toward the Center, he shook his head no and looked back at the ocean again. The ocean had always been a comfort to Mari, he hoped it would be to him tonight. He needed to block the view of the Center so it wouldn’t be a distraction. He walked over toward the lighthouse as more of the ocean came into view. He touched the lighthouse door and walked to the dune’s edge, letting the sound of the surf and waves wash over him. He looked down and found the tiny place marked by the shells. He sat down beside it with his back to the lighthouse wall. He gently touched a few of the shells, remembering what lay below. He pulled his knees up and rested his elbows on top of them, leaning his head back and letting the tears fall.
In the living room, Mari’s emotions ran from anger to sadness to confusion to shock and back again. Hard as she tried, she couldn’t get them under control or the tears that kept falling. David remained crouched by her side, keeping his arm across her shoulder. Seb’s mind was still in a state of confusion. “If this is your idea of a joke on me, it’s not funny. What is going on? This is in very poor taste… I would never have done anything like this to any of you. Who was that little girl and where is her mother? I can’t believe you let a child that age be awake this late at night… She should be asleep, dreaming of… oh, I don’t know, candies and ponies and little puppies… stuff like that. I should give her mother a piece of my mind… where is she?” Seb said, looking around and pacing nervously. “Does Simon know you did this? Was he in on this? If so, what the hell did I do to piss him off? Gees.”
David looked up at Seb and followed him with his eyes. Through gritted teeth he said ”Keep your voice down will ya? Haven’t you done enough?”
“Done enough what? I’m still in the dark here. Mari emails me out of the blue, says you need help with something urgently, get here as fast as I can. We’re supposed to be having some down time… I’m writing for Goodness sake, and I drop everything… leave musicians in the lurch to come here and this…. This is what I get? You guys do this…THIS… to me?...and Mari, you’re a part of it? And to think, we were almost husband and wife! Oh top of which, I pack a few things like it was still freaking winter time and you’re having mild weather. It’s warm here.” Seb says, finally standing in one place, crossing his arms.
David glares at Seb, pats Mari on the back and stands to his full height. He looks at Mari, slumped in the chair and glances over at the now empty sofa. He wanted to get Mari out of the line of fire… his temper was still building…“with Urs and Carlos not here to stop me… I’m going to cut loose…No more Mr. Nice Guy… no more being the referee… no… not tonight, not now.”David thought. “Mari had done all of this for me, thinking I was the one that needed help…so like her…class… cultured without being pretentious…heart as big as all outdoors…” He stepped in front of her and put both hands on her shoulders, bending down to put his cheek next to hers. “Mari, I think you’d be more comfortable on the sofa…How about it?” Mari’s tears had slowed to a whimper, but her hands still covered her face. He didn’t wait for a response from her, instead, letting his hands slide to her sides as he bent his knees. In a single motion, he had lifted her off the chair and was carrying her across the room. Lightly, he sat her on the sofa. He looked over his shoulder at the still defiant Seb. Looking toward the kitchen, he stood, straightened his pant legs and headed toward it, stopping after just a few steps. Taking a moment to think, he then abruptly turned around and headed for the liquor cabinet, opening it and scanning the bottles. Smiling, he made his selection, grabbing a glass at the same time. He opened the bottle, poured a double shot and put the lid back on the bottle. Eyeing his estimation closely, he sat the bottle on the counter and walked back to Mari. “Mari, here’s a drink…. I think you need it. Come on, please… at least look at me.”
Mari peeked through her fingers, spying the glass. Sighing and wiping her tears, she took the glass, whispering “Thank you David.” She swallowed the entire amount of amber liquid at one time, handing back the glass, then covering her face again. David stood, glared at Seb again and walked back to the bar. As he was reaching for the bottle, his cell phone rang.
He rolled his eyes to the ceiling as he pulled it out to check the number. A confused look was on his face as he answered. “Sarah? Hon, is everything okay? I thought you’d be sound asleep by now. … uh huh… huh!… Oh, I see… really? Huh! Ok… yes, that’s fine. Can you take my gray suit to the cleaners for me? Yes, the one I usually wear with the shirt and tie you got me for my birthday last year… thanks… Ok… see you soon… love you too… now get some sleep, please? One of us needs to be alert for the funeral services… right… night.” He closed the phone and put it back in its place. He refilled Mari’s glass and reached for another one, pouring in a single shot. He swallowed the single shot one and sat it down. He headed back to Mari on the sofa and knelt beside her. “Mari, here’s some more if you need it. Take it easy this time… sip it… okay?” As he did so, he heard the front door open and close. He looked that way for a second and back to Mari. Mari held the glass, but didn’t drink any of it yet. David sighed, rubbed his cheeks with his hands and squared his shoulders as he stood up and turned toward Seb. “Seb…” stepping toward him; quickening his pace with each step.

Seb didn’t know what to think with David coming toward him at such a rapid pace. He let his hands fall to his sides, but kept his fingers tucked in. David saw the change and slowed his pace, but didn’t want to smile just yet. What Sarah had just told him was running through his mind along with what little he had seen of Mari’s face. He needed to explain, if for no other reason than to ease Mari’s mind. “Seb, I need to tell you something… well both of you something,” looking over his shoulder at Mari. “How about we have a seat and I’ll start at what I know as the beginning. “ He put his hand on Seb’s upper arm and pulled it gently in the direction of the sofa. Seb, hesitating at first, eventually followed, but sat on the opposite side from Mari. Sighing, David sat between them, reaching for Mari’s hand, trying to calm her at first, but to make sure she listened.
“It’s not a long story, mind you, but you both need to listen… carefully.” He started. He told them both about what he knew about Michelle, Luke and their mother. Some of which he knew from Sarah and spending time with Jenni and the children. The rest was from Jenni’s journal. Seb didn’t know he had a child, Jenni had never told him. She apparently left France when she thought she would bump into Seb and he would see Michelle. When she had left, she knew Seb was a struggling artist, trying to make his way in the world and she didn’t want to stand in the way of his dream or be a burden. He knowing about the child, she felt, would hinder or stop that. Luke was fathered by a different man, from the US, but just before Jenni passed away, she found out he had died with no known next of kin. He continued on, telling Seb some of the details of his daughter. Mari had blocked most of that part out. Her mind was focusing on Luke. “This child has no family now…. Just like me… we both need a family, no matter how many friends we have.” She had only gotten a glimpse of him. It didn’t matter to her what he looked like, he was a child and she loved children of all ages.
She was distracted from her thoughts for a moment, hearing Seb’s voice say, “But I don’t know a Jenni. I don’t remember a Jenni… granted, it’s been years and I dated some girls back then, but not a Jenni. Wow, that would have been during La Petit, after it had debuted. Hmmmm…” He rubbed his forehead and thought for a moment, closing his eyes as he did so. “No, no Jenni. I’m sure of it.” David and Seb continued to talk. Mari stood up from the sofa, letting go of David’s hand as she did so. David looked up at her with concern… stopping midsentence.
“Don’t worry David, I’m just going to put a pot of coffee on…. seems this is going to be a long night.” She walked into the kitchen, turned on the light and started the coffee. Within a few minutes, she was back out in the living room, asking them if they would like something to eat. Both shook their heads yes, so Mari headed back to the kitchen. As the leftovers from dinner earlier were re-heating, she tiptoed down the hall to check on the children, Urs and Carlos. She hoped that was where they would be. Seeing the closed door to her bedroom, she listened a moment first. She didn’t really hear anything, so she opened it a bit to try again. Within a few seconds, Carlos appeared at the door, finger to his lips. Mari stepped back and Carlos came out into the hallway.
“They’re fine Mari, both asleep in your room. I hope that’s okay?”He whispered.
Mari nodded, whispering back “I’m making something for David and Seb to eat. Can I bring you and Urs something? Some coffee, tea, sandwich?”
Carlos hugged her close, “Thank-you. I’m fine. Urs is taking a break… I’m not sure where he is at the moment. I thought maybe he was with the rest of you. I think they will be okay for the night. I put the other pillows beside Luke, so he wouldn’t roll off the bed. Michelle is on the other side of him. I think she’s big enough to stop him on that side. She’s also old enough for a regular bed as well.”Checking his watch, he continued. “I should call my wife; let her know that everything’s fine so she doesn’t worry. She should be awake by now. If it’s all right with you, I’ll go outside, so I don’t disturb anyone. If Urs isn’t with you, maybe he’s upstairs sleeping.”
Mari doubted Urs would be sleeping, but hoped it was so. She nodded and took his arm as they walked back up the hallway. Carlos looked over at Seb and David for a moment, seeing they were calm as well. Carlos didn’t want to lie to his wife – ever, so this wouldn’t be a lie; at least to his way of thinking. He grabbed his coat and went outside. Mari returned to the kitchen. Soon, the food was ready; she told David and Seb to come into the kitchen while the food was still hot. David and Seb walked into the kitchen and did just that, both eating heartily. Mari wasn’t hungry. She watched them eat and continue to chat. Her mind wandered back to Luke, but she pushed it out of her mind. She wanted to sleep on it first; not make any hasty decisions… this wasn’t the time.
Carlos stepped out into the starry night. He pulled out his cell phone and wasn’t getting a very good signal, so he headed toward the parking lot to see if the reception was any better. It was. He called his wife and they chatted a bit. As he turned around to see the ocean, he thought he saw something. He finished his call, closed his cell and put it away. As he walked closer, he recognized Urs, sitting against the lighthouse, deep in thought. It was too dark for him to notice the tear stains down Urs face from earlier. By now, Urs had calmed down, but he continued to stare out at the ocean. As Carlos made his presence known, Urs turned to greet him with a weak, tired smile.
Carlos smiled back, tilting his head to one side.”Are you up for some company or would you rather be alone?”Carlos said softly. Urs signaled the area beside him and Carlos sat down. Both were silent at first, watching the waves. “Mari’s in the kitchen, making something to eat if you’re hungry.” Urs rubbed his stomach and shook his head.
“If we stay here for a long time, I’m going to have to swim back to the UK to burn of the calories. She makes more for a meal than my mother and grandmother combined…. But it’s so good, I can’t help it. I eat like a horse.” Carlos smiled and nodded in agreement, rubbing his stomach too. Soon, their conversation turned to what both of them had been thinking about. They discussed all of the options and made their decision, based on what they knew at the time. Suddenly, both seemed tired. They walked back into the annex together. Seeing that Mari seemed calm, Urs tiptoed back the hallway and opened the door. Smiling to himself, he saw the sleeping children. Satisfied, he yawned, closed the door and walked back the hall, giving Carlos a quick’ thumbs up’. Carlos stepped into the kitchen to tell Mari he had found Urs outside and that he said he wasn’t hungry and thanks. Carlos wished them all a good night; finishing that he and Urs were going to try to get some sleep upstairs if they needed anything.
“Well at least someone other than the children will get some sleep.”Mari thought to herself. Seb and David seemed to keep talking, David trying to tell him more about Jenni, thinking it would trigger something for him. Soon, Mari was getting tired of the noise; she was getting the beginnings of a headache. She left the guys talking in the kitchen, saying she was going to the office for awhile. She checked on the children once again before heading down the hallway. Mari turned on a single light in her office and made her way to her desk. She turned on the computer, but didn’t do anything but stare at it. Seb needed to get to know his daughter; Michelle needed to get to know him, other than the stories from her mother. Mari was too tired to think straight. She closed her eyes a moment to rest them. The next thing she knew, the phone was ringing and it was 7 am. Her while body ached. Standing, she stretched and checked her watch. The children should be up by now. She wanted to make everyone breakfast. She turned off her computer and headed back to the annex.
She was pleasantly surprised to find the guys in the kitchen, eating breakfast with the children. Carlos was at the counter, asking who wanted more to eat when she walked in. He put down the spatula, wiped his hands on a towel and walked over to Mari. “Well, the lady of the house has finished working for the night… morning. “ He hugged her and kissed her cheek. “May I make you something?.. . a nice omelet…some coffee?” Mari hugged him back and rested her head on his shoulder for a moment.
“Coffee would be great… but I’ll get it thanks.” Mari said. She waved to the group at the table as she made her way to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup of coffee. David had Michelle on one side of his lap and Luke on the other. Both seemed to have had something to eat, based on what was still smeared on Luke’s face. Michelle whispered something to David that made him smile. She hopped off of David’s lap and walked over to Mari. She hugged Mari whispering, “Good morning” smiled and walked back to stand between David and Seb. She lightly touched Seb’s arm. “Daddy, will you sing me a song later? My song...please?...”
Seb choked on his coffee. David smiled as he handed Luke off to Urs. “Why don’t you show ummm ‘Daddy’ the picture of you, Luke and ‘Mommy’. I think he would like to see that.” David was still trying to jog Seb’s memory.
“Ok David. I’ll go get my backpack. I keep one there and the song… in case ‘Daddy’ forgets some of the words.” Carlos, Urs and David all chuckled. Seb blushed, but smiled. Soon, she was back in the kitchen with her pink backpack over one shoulder. “Daddy, mommy always sang it to me, even when I was a baby. She said it was a very special song. She promised you would know it too. When I was littler, she would hold me and sing it, rocking to the music. Now that I’m big, we rock together while she sang it. Will you sing it for me Daddy, please? We don’t have to rock if you don’t want to… honest.”
David and Urs looked at each other, puzzled, trying to figure out the song. Seb cleared his throat, stalling for any seconds he could put together. “Michelle, why don’t you sing it for me? If you get stuck, I’ll help you… okay?” David and Urs snickered, looked at each other; both saying, “Yeah, right”. Carlos and Mari tried really hard not to laugh out loud. Mari’s shoulders shook and her face turned red.
“It’s okay Daddy, you don’t have to be shy… how about we take turns… first, we’ll listen to the song together, then you sing it, then I’ll sing it. If you need help, just say so- deal?” She said, putting her hand on his back and patting it gently.
She reached into her backpack’s side pocket and pulled out an mp3 player. “It’s on here, but how are we going to listen together?” Mari smiled and said, “How about we hook it up to my computer and we can all listen to it through the speakers? “ After about twenty minutes of trying, both Mari and David gave up on trying to get the sound to work. Mari asked Michelle if she could listen to the song to try and find it on the computer for her. That way they could all still listen. Michelle looked to Seb and nodded. Mari put the headphones to her ears and listened, instantly recognizing the song. She turned it off and smiled.
“I think I can find it Teeny Mimi. Give me a minute and I’ll have it ready.” Mari said, going out to one of the music sites. As Mari found the song, Michelle asked the guys, other than Seb to please sit down and be comfortable. Reminding them, during the song, they had to use their inside voices so the others could still listen. She asked Seb to stand with her closest to the monitor so he could hear the song the best.
Mari found the site she was looking for and pulled up the video with the song (http://youtube.com/watch?v=12C8ENoXkxY)
As it started, Michelle handed the well worn photo to Seb. Seb held the picture in one hand as Michelle reached for the other, whispering, “Ready Daddy?” Seb looked down at her and nodded, returning to look at the monitor. The Beatles had performed this song many times and it was very popular. The video done by Paul McCartney, done as a solo on the screen, was “Michelle” Seb knew the song… they all did… he glanced at the photo and then at Michelle; turning white as his eyes widened. “Vieve… your mommy is Vieve?” He dropped to his knees to look his daughter in the eyes.
“Shhhh Daddy, use your inside voice, please. My mommy is Genevieve… she like Jenni best, said it was an American name. It was our secret. Do you know the song now Daddy?”She said hopefully, putting her hands together.

“Vieve… Jenni… the same person? Your mother…” Seb said, sitting on the floor. “Yes, I know her now… I remember her. She helped make the costumes we used for ‘Le Petit’ in 02.” Seb said, looking at his daughter more closely. “Yes… I l know your mother…. I can see some of her in you, Michelle.”
David smiled, stood up and gave the American Football referee touchdown sign with his arms in triumph. Looking around, he quickly sat down and folded his arms, resting them on his knees. They all looked to Seb and Michelle, still in the middle of the floor.
“Yes Daddy, but do you know the song?” Michelle asked.
Seb smiled and reached for Michelle, putting her on his lap. “Yes Michelle, I know the song. I know it very well. And yes, it is a very special song.” He hugged her close and kissed the top of her head.
“Mommy said that too. She said that the night you and her danced to it was also the night that you made…” Michelle blurted out, but didn’t finish as Seb had realized what she was going to say and gently put his hand over her mouth, blushing.
Michelle seemed surprised by Seb putting his hand on her mouth and turned to look at him. Pulling the edges of his fingers away, she said, “What? I was using my inside voice.”
David, Urs, Carlos and Mari laughed. Seb’s mind filled with the memories of Jenni and how close they had become back then. Mari could see his eyes move between the ceiling and his daughter. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it, but kept that to herself. She turned around and logged out of her computer. “So, are any of you guys or the young lady still hungry? If not, I’m going to start on the dishes. “
David stood and stretched. He was exhausted. He mentioned getting a shower and a nap. Carlos and Urs had been keeping Luke occupied during this time. Urs stood with Luke in his arms and headed down the hallway. Looking over his shoulder he said, “I think someone needs cleaned up here. We’ll be right back.” Carlos saw the tired look in Mari’s eyes; he assumed she hadn’t slept at all. He walked over to Mari and put his arm on her shoulder. “I made breakfast, I’ll do the dishes. Just tell me where the soap is and I’ll take it from there.” Mari told him the dish detergent was under the sink. Carlos headed to the kitchen.
David was already half way up the stairs, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he went. “Could someone wake me up in say, 3 hours please?” He yelled over his shoulder, not waiting for a reply. He skipped the shower for the moment and walked back the hall to the room he knew would have a place for him to sleep. He pulled off his jeans and crawled under the blanket, pulling it up to his shoulders. Within a few minutes, he was asleep.
Michelle snuggled closer to Seb for a moment, putting her head against his chest and her arms around him. Mari smiled at the sight of them together. Seb looked down at her and smiled, putting his hand on her back, rubbing it up and down softly. Within a few minutes, Mari could hear water running in the kitchen and Carlos singing snippets of “Michelle”. Mari bolted out of her chair and ran to the kitchen, whispering to him a moment. Carlos blushed and was quiet a moment, changing the song to something Mari didn’t know right off, but sounded vaguely familiar. Mari felt Michelle should hear the song first from her father before any of the guys, hoping David hadn’t already done that already.
Urs with a newly cleaned up Luke in his arms came up the hall. Urs smiled as Mari came out of the kitchen. Luke saw Mari and held out his arms to her to be held. Mari smiled and took him gently from Urs arms. Urs shrugged his shoulders and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Seeing the interaction going on between Seb and Michelle, he mumbled something about helping Carlos in the kitchen. Mari, holding Luke snuggly in her arms, walked to the sofa and sat down. She wanted to get a good look at him as well as get to know him. She held him for a short time, before he started to fuss to be down on the floor. Mari stood him on the floor, holding his hand. He reached for the coffee table, and looked back at Mari, smiling. Mari stood, still holding his hand as he saw his sister across the floor. His little fingers pointed to her and he giggled. Mari saw the look and she helped him totter across to his sister. Michelle turned to see Luke coming, making room on Seb’s lap for him as he got closer. She reached her hand up to touch Seb’s cheek, whispering to him as he bent down, “Luke has a different daddy than me, but I still love him. He’s my brother. He’s too little to know that he has a different daddy, so don’t tell him, okay?”She shyly kissed his cheek. Seb blushed and nodded his head, hugging her again. Mari and Luke made their way across the floor, Michelle coaching and cheering her little brother along the way. Finally, they reached them and Luke plopped down on the floor near Seb. Mari sat down on the floor near Luke, watching him interact with his sister. Within a few minutes, Luke had crawled onto Mari’s lap and the two children kept playing, with Michelle chattering away the whole time.
Urs had taken a moment to look into the living room and saw the small group on the floor. He smiled at the lovely picture it made. He motioned to Carlos, putting a finger to his lips then pointed into the living room. Carlos tilted his head, questioningly, dried his hands and walked over to the doorway. He looked out as well, as Urs took a second look. Both of them smiled, nodded to each other and walked away. They finished in the kitchen, talking quietly as they did so. They wanted to give Seb and Mari some quality time with Michelle and her brother. They sat down at the kitchen table and continued to talk, making mental lists as they thought of things. A few hours had passed before Urs realized what the time was. He stood, telling Carlos he was going to wake up David. As David seemed to know Michelle the best, he should have input on what to get the children. Just then, David walked into the kitchen, looking over his shoulder at the small group still sitting on the floor in the living room. As he looked to Urs and Carlos, they stopped talking to smile and nod their heads at David, knowing what he was thinking. David joined them at the table as they talked. He told them what he had told Seb and Mari the night before, so everyone knew the whole story. Carlos and Urs were mentally revising their lists from earlier that morning as David spoke. As they finished up, David, Carlos and Urs all agreed that Seb would and should have time to get to know his daughter. David felt it would be no problem with Mari that both children stay together, at least for the time being. He told them about Mari’s earlier offer, telling them that it was before any of them knew what the real situation was. He finished by saying he couldn’t speak for Sarah, the children’s legal guardian, at the moment, but was confident she would feel the same way.
Just then, Mari came into the kitchen to get the kids a drink. The guys smiled and waved to her as she glanced in their direction. She went to the cupboard, looking at the shelves of assorted glasses, choosing one and then another. She poured apple juice in each, adding water to the smaller one before she picked them up and headed back out into the living room. David then realized he hadn’t packed Luke’s cup with the lid. He started thinking about all of the things he had brought, realizing he had forgotten several they would need. Standing, he told the others he would be heading into town to get a few things, Carlos and Urs telling him that they wanted to go along to pick up a few things themselves. Plan made, they walked into the living room to tell Mari and Seb. They found Mari and Seb sitting on the sofa with a sleepy Luke in Mari’s arms. Michelle was sitting on the floor between them, coloring a picture as Seb watched. Mari nodded, and asked them to get some more toddler supplies for Luke. David nodded, saying he had that covered. The three headed to the door. Michelle, seeing that some of the guys were leaving, stood up and walked over to them as they put their jackets on. David smiled down at her and picked her up in his arms. He assured her that they wouldn’t be away long and he gently kissed her forehead. She waved to Carlos; giggling she said “Hola.”. She looked to Urs and held out her hand. Urs smiled at her as she leaned toward him. He took her in his arms and hugged her close. He felt her tiny hands slide up and down his Jacket sleeves. He smiled again, remembering how she had looked the other day in it. He put her down on the floor, squatting beside her. He whispered something to her that the guys didn’t hear. Suddenly, Michelle was all smiles. She skipped back to the sofa and resumed coloring.

David, Urs and Carlos headed into town in the van. David was driving. The split up at the same shopping center he and Mari had been at before. David went to the grocery store, as Urs and Carlos looked around, both deciding on different stores. The plan was to meet back at the van in an hour. David grabbed a cart and headed through the store, stopping here and there, picking up items that he thought they needed. He finally made his way to the aisle with baby/toddler supplies and let out a long, low whistle… so many things to choose from… so many decisions. Luckily, another customer stopped to help him. He thanked her, picked out what he needed and continued through the aisles. He was running a bit late as he paid for his items, seeing the other two near the van waiting, arms loaded down with packages and shopping bags. David hit the remote door lock for the van and Carlos and Urs put their purchases in the back as David approached. Seeing how much David had gotten, they moved most of their things to the passenger seat to put the groceries in the back. David’s cell phone rang, so he stopped to answer it. It was Sarah, calling to give him an update. They talked a bit as Urs and Carlos emptied the grocery cart, returning the cart to the store front.
David updated Urs and Carlos, advising them that Sarah had spoken with the kids pediatrician about Jenni’s passing and how to tell them. The funeral arrangements had been finalized, Jenni had wanted to be cremated, and so on. He would be meeting Sarah tomorrow with the memorial services to be the day after. She had read the rest of Jenni’s journal and felt it belonged to Michelle. She had arranged to have it sent to Mari’s lighthouse by over-night mail. Sarah and David, along with the rest of the guys and Mari would be together to tell Michelle her mother had passed away; reasoning that the closeness and the hopefully blooming bond between Seb and Michelle, and knowing her and David, would be enough to ease Michelle’s mind and help her through the loss of her mother.
David eased into the parking lot at the lighthouse, Carlos and Urs were opening their doors as David put the van in Park and killed the engine. Shannon watched the still sleeping Luke and Michelle playing contently as Mari and Seb went outside to help with the unloading. Mari’s eyes widened as she saw all of the bags and packages, commenting it was entirely too warm to be Christmas in Canada… let alone the right time of year. As they were finishing, a delivery van pulled into the parking lot as well. Urs looked at it and smiled. One of his gifts was about to be delivered. He handed the last grocery bag off to Seb and waved to the truck driver. The rest of the adults headed to the lighthouse, as Urs walked toward the truck. As soon as he saw everyone was back inside the annex, he signed the form on the clipboard and walked to the back of the truck. The delivery man opened the door to the truck and pulled out Urs’ delivery. He smiled as lifted it off the truck and down on the ground. He shook hands with him and waved him off. Struggling a bit at first, he made his way up the pathway, carrying his new surprise. He pushed open the door and stepped in. Everyone turned to see him carry in a beautiful dark walnut antique rocking chair. He set it down just inside and closed the door. He smiled at the attention he was getting and rubbed his hand over the top part of the chair.
“Mari, you didn’t have a rocking chair that I could see, and I think with Michelle and Luke here, you could use one. Is that okay? If not, I’ll have it shipped to New York City to my storage room.”Urs said, still lightly rubbing the chair and looking to Mari. Mari walked over to Urs and hugged him tightly. Her eyes watering slightly as she thanked him. She too ran her hands over the top of the chair and down one arm, noticing the engraving as well. At the top of the chair was engraved a sun just rising with its beams of light stretching to both sides. There were birds silhouetted to each side and a pleasant beach as well. It reminded Mari of the sunrise she and Seb had enjoyed so long ago from the window. A touch of sadness kissed her heart, but she was happy otherwise. She sat on it. She liked the feeling of the woods surface or finish and how the chair was comfortable to sit in; as she thought about quiet nights sitting in it, while the children slept peacefully near by. Carlos had picked up Luke, fresh up from his nap, and handed him to Mari, stepping back, satisfied at the picture he had imagined. Mari snuggled Luke close, kissing his cheeks, before setting him on her lap. Luke looked up at Mari’s smiling face and grinned back, putting his hands together and resting his head on her chest. “A fine picture indeed…” Carlos thought to himself. David slipped away to the kitchen and put the perishable things away, leaving the rest for later. He was excited by all of the packages as well as Urs surprise rocking chair. He didn’t want the other things to be opened to be interrupted by anything. He headed back to the living room to join the rest. Mari was now standing, looking around the living room for a place for the chair, still holding Luke in her arms. Urs and Carlos had moved it up closer to the sofa and other chair for the time being. As David returned to the living room, he saw Seb and Michelle whispering quietly together as both looked at the other bags purposely left in the living room instead of taken to the kitchen.
David rubbed his hands together saying, “Well, what do we have here? Boxes and bags sitting here… hmmm I wonder who they are for? Michelle, what do you think?” Michelle smiled, but quickly hid her face against Seb’s for a moment. Seb smiled and hugged her close, kissing her cheek. David was thrilled at the connection that had quickly occurred between them. He smiled and rolled his eyes...”Oh, I’m sorry, my Teeny Mimi, what do you think?” Seb looked at David with a quizzical face, but noticed her responding. Soon, Michelle was in the middle of stacks of boxes and bags, busily exploring as the adults watched. Michelle knew that some of the things were for Luke and some were hers. Urs pushed the last box toward her, smiling. She looked at his face, hesitating a moment, until she saw him blinky-wink at her. She had a bit of trouble opening the box, so Urs helped her at first, then sat back to see her response. It was a black leather jacket similar to his but in her size. She gasped, along with the others as Urs beamed, watching her. As she had done with his the day before, she let her hands glide up and down the sleeves before trying it on. She wore the jacket the rest of the day. She had new story books to be read to her, stickers, play clothes to dress up in and more dolls to play with. Luke had gotten toys and clothes as well. Mari thought, lucky she and David had both gotten the pails as they would need both of them now. She shook her head, thinking of places to keep these things in the tiny annex that now seemed to be bursting at its seams. They had a quiet lunch and rest of the afternoon. The rocking chair found a home in Mari’s bedroom, in the corner where the guitar had once stood for so long. Smiling now, Mari felt that was the best place for it, as she ran her hand over the top and down the arms again. Sighing, she tucked a lap blanket over one of the arms and propped a pillow against the other before walking out of the room at last.
She walked up the short hallway and looked into the living room. Her four white knights, sprawled out, relaxing: David, holding a sleeping Luke in his arms, on one side of the sofa with Carlos on the other; both men nodding off. Urs asleep, curled up on the floor in front of the fireplace with his head on a pillow from the sofa. Seb yawning, but still talking with Michelle perched on his lap; both of them looking at things on his laptop.

Mari walked back the hall and opened the small portable playpen that had been delivered the day before. She went to her closet, got a few blankets out and lined the bottom of the playpen. Standing back, she was satisfied and walked back up the hallway. She carefully lifted Luke from David’s arms and carried him back. Luke was holding one of the new little toys he had gotten that day. She put him in the playpen and he continued to sleep quietly. She closed the door halfway and decided Michelle should get her nap in too. Then she could start dinner. Michelle was drifting off in her father’s arms when Mari came back the hall. Mari opened up a blanket for each of the guys sleeping and covered them, as Seb carried Michelle back the hall. Mari tidied the room quietly; stacking the books together, putting the crayons back in the boxes, taking the cups to the kitchen to rinse them out and let them air dry. She came back to the living room, expecting to see Seb, but didn’t. She walked back the hall to check on the children before starting dinner. Seb was sitting in the rocking chair, drifting off to sleep, Michelle on Mari’s bed. It was then that Mari noticed the little things that were the same between father and daughter. Michelle, like Seb, had tucked one hand under her cheek and the other under her chin. Both slept on their side, knees bent. The smile and the glint in their eyes when they laughed was the same as well. The long eye lashes, the eye color, the way their noses crinkled when they smiled, even the laugh was similar now that she thought about it… yes they were father and daughter. Mari sighed and closed the bedroom door. She walked up the short hallway and into the kitchen. She had decided on spaghetti for the children, lasagna for the adults. As she got the meal ready, she thought about how nice it was to cook for more than one. She liked making the big Sunday dinners. When it was just her, she would just have a sandwich or something small, if she ate anything at all. Now, she had a house full of people and she was happy. She finished putting the large pan of lasagna in the oven when Carlos walked into the kitchen. He smiled at her sleepily, checking his watch.
“I should call my wife again, but is there anything I can help you with first?”He asked. Mari shook her head no as he walked over to hug her. He took her in his arms and hugged her, rocking her gently. “You know, if I wasn’t madly in love with my wife, I’d be spending a lot more time here. It’s so peaceful and beautiful. It would be a great place to raise a family. And you spoil us with all of this good food. Did I say thank you yet Mari? I should say that to you more often… forgive me. Thank you Mari….Thank you for being you, being a friend to all of us, being the big hearted, wonderful person that you are.“
Mari rested her head on Carlos’ shoulder a moment, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes as he spoke to her. It felt good to be hugged, but it wasn’t a romantic feeling… more like a brotherly hug like David’s she thought. She thought about what he was saying, but didn’t want to mention her idea about Luke just yet, not to him, not to anyone. She hadn’t had time to sleep on it. That would come later. For now, she thanked Carlos for his kind words. He hugged her again and walked out into the living room, pulling out his cell phone and heading to the front door. She continued to get things ready for dinner. Urs came into the kitchen a few minutes later, interrupting Mari from her thoughts.
He smiled at her and waved, walking over to the refrigerator and helping himself to a bottle of water. Taking a sip, he saw she was making another large meal. “Oh my, I really am going to have to swim back to London if this keeps up…”He thought to himself. He walked over to Mari and put his arm around her, kissing her cheek. “Mari, you don’t have to keep doing this…please, let us help you. Maybe tomorrow, one of us can make the meal and give you a break… or we can go out somewhere… even order a pizza. You’re working so hard… please?”
Mari smiled. “I like cooking Urs, and it’s a treat to have someone else to cook for. If you don’t like the meals, just say so… I won’t be offended… Is there something else I can make?... a favorite or something?... I realize you guys are used to the fancy meals and everything, but…” She said, looking up into his face.
“Mari, the food is fine… great… there’s just so much of it… I’m going to be a big, fat singer soon with all this food… I can’t help it, I’m eating too much…. You’re spoiling us… and we’re not going to be happy with the meals when we’re on the road again. Mari… please, something smaller… not so much… we’re not an entire army, okay?” He hugged her close. “Thank you Mari… thank you so much… I do, well all of us do, appreciate it… really we do. You’re also making me homesick for my family, Mari… I feel like I’m with family here… and I know when we have to go, it’s going to hurt the same way. Direct it to the children Mari… I know there’s room in that huge heart of yours for them… you can never spoil a child too much, give them too much love. They are going to need that in the coming days Mari… be there for them too… treat them like your own… I know you can.” Mari’s eyes welled with tears as she thought back to that dark time… when Urs was there. She hid her face in his shoulder and neck as she had done so many times that week. This time, no tears would fall.
“Again, the reference to family… Am I substituting Luke for what I had lost? “She thought to herself. “Is he thinking what I’m thinking about Luke? Is this his way of saying I should?” Her thoughts were interrupted by David coming in the kitchen saying, “You gotta see this… shhhh, come on…”as he motioned down the hallway.
The three of them tiptoed down the hall and David opened the door wider so Mari and Urs could see. Michelle was now curled up on Seb’s lap in the rocking chair, his arms loosely wrapped around her with her forehead tucked between his neck and his cheek, her arm was wrapped around his neck, both sleeping. “Is that great or what?” David whispered. “God, a Kodak moment if there ever was one… Why didn’t I think to bring my camera? Damn...” Mari nodded and smiled. Urs smiled, resting his hand on the door’s threshold. Carlos looked down the hallway toward them. David saw him and motioned to him, bringing a finger to his lips. Carlos came down and saw the father/daughter scene as well. Luke had started to rustle, so Mari stepped into the room and picked him up. She carried him out as the guys made room in the hall, each holding out their hands to take him. Mari shook her head, continuing to hold him as she walked back up the hall. Urs smiled watching her, as he closed the bedroom door. She walked into the kitchen and turned down the oven, and turned on the burner under the pot for the spaghetti. She walked out into the living room, still holding Luke in her arms.
David, Urs and Carlos were already seated on the sofa, so Mari sat in the lounge chair near by, sitting Luke on her lap. He snuggled close to Mari and she smiled. “Yes, I will love this child as my own.”Mari thought to herself. Carlos and Urs smiled to themselves, noticing Mari and Luke together, quickly glancing over at each other. They chatted a bit until Mari noticed the water on the stove boiling. She turned her head to look as Urs stood up as well.
“I’ve got it Mari… stay where you’re at… Luke seems comfortable on you lap now and we don’t want him fussing and waking Michelle just yet. “He walked to the kitchen and added a small handful of spaghetti noodles to the boiling water, gave them a quick stir, and looked around. He saw the vegetables on the counter, so he selected a kitchen knife and started chopping them up for a salad, dumping them into a nearby bowl as he went. David stood and held out his hands to Mari.
“How about I change him while you check on things in the kitchen, Mari? I’ll give him right back, promise.” Mari looked at Luke, then toward the kitchen and nodded. Standing, she handed Luke to David and went into the kitchen. Carlos followed her into the kitchen as David went down the hallway. Carlos set the table as Mari opened the over door and slid in the pre-packaged dinner rolls. She selected a modest red wine and opened the bottle to let it breathe. That finished, she looked around the kitchen. David and Luke returned to the kitchen. “Seb and Michelle are awake now. He’s getting her washed up for dinner. God, it smells great in here. Lasagna?...I love lasagna. I’m like Garfield the Cat when it comes to lasagna. I’m staved. Is it almost ready? Smells like what my mom used to make… God, I miss that…home cooked meal… tons of it… and the leftovers… ummmmm…”He rolled his eyes and licked his lips. Luke had been watching him the whole time and tried mocked his expression, causing everyone to laugh.
Seb walked into the kitchen and motioned to Mari, “Mari, could you come here a minute please?” Mari walked over and Seb whispered in her ear. Mari smiled and patted him on the shoulder, walking down the hall. “Michelle wants to change clothes for dinner… I didn’t think I should help her… Mari should.”He explained. “I don’t think that’s right just yet… I mean… to… well, you know.” and he blushed.”So, what’s for dinner? Smells good… I’m hungry.” Urs emptied the spaghetti noodles into a colander to drain them and pulled the dinner rolls out of the oven, sitting them on top of the stove. He checked the lasagna, but couldn’t tell for sure, closing the door.
“Don’t know about the lasagna for sure, but the rolls are done. Have to wait for Mari… she started it. I don’t know how long it takes… but it looks good… smells great. It’s making me hungry too.”
Carlos grabbed the wine bottle and looked at the label, nodding. “Wine anyone?”He said, holding up the bottle. David shook his head no, then, changed his mind, signaling a small amount with a free hand. Still making faces at Luke to keep him entertained. Seb nodded yes as did Urs. Carlos poured a small amount into one of the wine glasses and sat it near David. He filled three others and handed them to Seb and Urs. The four of them gathering near the kitchen counter in a group. Urs wiped his hands on his jeans first before taking it. The four guys raised their glasses, repeating the toast they had done so many times before, moving the glasses side to side, then up and down before taking a sip.
Carlos continued, still holding his glass high, ”To the new additions to our musical family-Michelle and Luke.”
Seb smiled, looking first over at Luke then toward the hallway. “Luke isn’t my child, but yes, he’s one of the family… he is Michelle’s half brother, and that makes it so…”He thought to himself. The guys raised their glasses, but didn’t sip as the look on Seb’s face caused them to pause. Mari and Michelle appeared, hand in hand, in the doorway just then. Michelle was dressed in one of her play clothes pink princess gowns, complete with tiara and of course, the leather jacket on top, smiling ear to ear. Seb set his wine glass down on the counter and squatted, opening his arms as he did so. Michelle looked at him smiling, then up at Mari, also smiling. Mari gave her a quick nod and Michelle raced across the room and into Seb’s waiting arms, just about knocking him over in the process.
Soon, all of them were seated at the table, wine glasses refilled for some, new glass filled for Mari, as they talked quietly, enjoying the meal. As they finished, and cleared away the rest of the food and dishes, Luke started to yawn and rub his little eyes. David excused himself and Luke and walked back the hallway. Luke had a quick bath and change into his pajamas as the rest finished up. Michelle was coloring quietly at the table. Mari put on another pot of coffee and wiped down the counter. David returned with Luke in his arms. He walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door. Looking in, he suddenly looked to Mari, questioningly.
“Don’t worry David. I’ve put the leftover lasagna in the freezer so you can take it back with you when you go to be with Sarah tomorrow. The guys insisted as well.”She smiled, shaking her head. David smiled, licking his lips once again, and reached for Luke’s cup on the shelf. He sat the cup on the counter and closed the door. Mari came over to them, taking Luke from his arms and held him tight, breathing in deeply. “I love the smell of babies… nice and clean, warm, soft and cuddly.” She whispered, nuzzling him again.
David laughed.”That’s because you haven’t changed his dirty diapers yet.” They all laughed.
A few minutes later, Michelle looked at Seb and asked him if he would sing her song tonight. Seb smiled and patter her head, kissing it lightly. He wanted to sing the song for his daughter, but wasn’t sure he could in front of everyone…. at least not yet. He didn’t want to disappoint his daughter; they had come so far in the short time together. He bent down to be eye level with her again and reached for her cheek, holding it gently in his hand. “How about we listen to it together, so I’m sure I know all of the words? Huh? Would that be okay?” Michelle nodded and looked around for her backpack. Mari, holding Luke in her arms suggested they use her computer again as it was already downloaded from the night before.
Soon, everyone was comfortable in their place, with David at the computer to start the song and Mari was on the sofa with Luke. Seb felt like he was giving his first live performance ever… his heart was racing in his chest. He tried not to show it. Michelle had finally taken off the jacket and Urs was holding it on his lap for her, as promised. Michelle took her place beside Seb, reaching to hold his hand. He dropped to his knees and put his arm around her tiny waist, whispering to her again how pretty he thought she looked. She blushed and kissed his cheek, whispering back,” thank you Daddy” then added out loud, “Will you rock with me too?”
Seb kissed her forehead and replied,” Show me what you mean, Michelle?” standing, but holding her hand. Michelle looked to David and nodded. David pressed the button on the computer to start the song as Michelle stepped to face Seb and take his other hand. As the song started, Michelle looked up at her fathers face and smiled softly. Staying with the music’s rhythm, she rocked her upper body side to side. She let go of his hands and made a circle with her arms and clasping her hands together. Seb smiled at her, understanding. She let go of her hands and reached out to him. Seb bent down and picked her up, holding her close, and rocked her back and forth in his arms. Michelle smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her legs around his waist. Her tiara slid off, but she didn’t reach for it as it fell to the floor and bounced away.
Mari’s eyes welled with tears and rolled down her cheeks. She had to look away. Carlos and Urs saw as well and smiled. Soon, they were looking at the floor, giving father and daughter a private moment together. David turned the computer chair around and he stared out the window, trying not to focus on the reflection in the glass.

When the song ended, Michelle whispered to Seb, “You can sing it when you’re ready Daddy. Its ok, I still love you. I can wait, but not till I’m a grown up… okay?” and kissed him on the cheek. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, snuggling against his shoulder and closing her eyes. Seb blushed and looked over toward the sofa. He saw the guys looking at the floor, and the tears sliding down Mari’s face. Seb turned from Mari’s tears; it always broke his heart to see her cry. He turned and looked to David.
David was staring at the keyboard before him, not typing, just looking. David seemed lost in thought, hands on his lap. David was, in his own way, preparing to leave in the morning. He had heard Michelle’s words to her father. He knew now that Michelle, no longer just his Teeny Mimi, would be fine. She would be taken care of, accepted and loved by her father. He had stepped up and done more than David could have imagined in such a short time. Now there was the funeral, the telling to Michelle that her mother was gone, and Luke’s future. Seb walked into the kitchen, still holding his daughter in his arms… he too was caught up in the moment. He didn’t want them to see him cry.
David turned around in the computer chair to the group on the sofa. Carlos glanced up to meet his look. Urs continued to stare at the floor, running his fingers through his hair. As he glanced to Mari, he saw Luke had fallen asleep in his arms. Mari was wiping away her tears and looking lovingly at sleeping Luke, totally oblivious to anything else going on. “I want to be there like that for you, Luke, just like that; that special, that sweet. If only you’ll let me. If only they’ll let me.” Mari repeated over and over in her mind.
David let his eyes scan back to Carlos a moment, who was signaling with his eyes toward Mari and flashed a quick smile. David’s eyes scanned back to Mari, he raised an eyebrow Carlos style, and scanned back to Carlos. Carlos gave a quick nod and double eyebrow action in response, as Urs looked over to the kitchen, looked to Mari quickly, then stared at David, hopefully. David stood, pushing down his pant legs and smiled a big, broad smile. “Yes.” He thought. “Perfect… so… perfect.”
“Thank God we know each other so well.” Urs thought to himself.
Carlos finally broke the silence, “David, how about if I take you to the airport in the morning to catch your flight?” I’ll bring the van back in case we need to do any more big shopping trips before I head back to Spain. Course, I could meet you and Sarah in New York, for the services if you need me to and I can fly back from there instead. No problem, what do you think?” giving David a quick wink in the process. Urs stood, patted Carlos on the shoulder, and went to check on Seb in the kitchen. He looked back at Mari and then gave a quick ‘ok’ signal to David as he crossed the threshold into the kitchen.
“Ummm Carlos, that would be great, giving me a lift to the airport. Let me see how things are going with Sarah first and I’ll let you know about the rest, okay?” David replied, his mind already working on the details. “Let me help Mari get Luke situated, and we can discuss it some more.”
David bit his lip, so Mari wouldn’t see the smile on his face. He couldn’t help smiling, but, it was early yet. Mari was still looking at Luke, and jumped a bit when David touched her shoulder. “Let’s get this little guy to bed, shall we Mari?” David said gently rubbing her shoulder to keep her calm. Mari cleared her throat and whispered, “Okay David. Could you take him back the hall please? I need a minute. I need to get a drink or something first.”
Carlos bolted to his feet. “Ummm let me get that for you Mari. I’ll be right back… water okay?” as he crossed the floor to the kitchen’s threshold. He paused a second, seeing that Urs had moved Seb, still holding Michelle, out of viewing range. He was speaking softly to Seb, rubbing his back. Carlos sighed and rolled his eyes to the ceiling briefly. He managed to make it to the refrigerator and back without Seb even noticing. David had already disappeared down the hallway with Luke. He walked over to Mari, put his hand on her shoulder and squatted beside her. “Here you are Mari. Take your time. Everything’s under control. Luke’s already asleep and probably in bed by now. Michelle will soon follow. I think we could all use a good night’s sleep, don’t you think?’” as he patted her arm. “Are you going to be okay Mari? Do you need anything…else I mean? Is there something I can get you? Mari?”He reached for her hand.
Mari, still holding the glass, looked over at him. “I’m fine Carlos, thank you. It’s been a busy few days, that’s for sure. I know David will get Luke to bed, no problem. I just needed a minute to think, is all. I’m so tired. I think it’s all catching up with me. Do you know if there’s any coffee left?”
Carlos was relieved to get some kind of response from Mari. She sipped some of the water, absently. He rubbed his forehead, trying to think ahead. “I’ll go see Mari. If not, I’ll make some more, I’ll only be a minute…. Will you be okay for awhile?” Mari nodded, absently sipping at the water in the glass until it was empty, her mind running at a fast clip now with her plans. She had decided; she didn’t need to sleep on it. She would start in the morning, finding out what she would have to do.
David put Luke in the portable playpen and watched him roll over and go to sleep almost immediately. He waited a few minutes before walking across the room and peek up the hall. No one was coming to check on him. He ducked into the bathroom and made a quick call to Sarah, giving her the idea he assumed the guys, minus Seb, had come up with. Sarah seemed thrilled. He told her quickly he had to go, there would be more to follow and when his flight was arriving in the morning. A quick “good –bye and I love you” followed, before he closed the phone and tucked it back in his pocket. He looked out the door again, liked not being discovered, and took a deep breath. He headed up the hall to see Carlos making his way into the kitchen. He stopped and peeked around the corner. Mari was looking to the floor, deep in thought as he slithered into the kitchen. He saw Urs in the corner with Seb talking quietly and Carlos pouring a cup of coffee into a mug. He consulted with Carlos quickly and headed to Seb and Urs. He took the still sleeping Michelle from Seb’s arms, despite the hurt look on Seb’s face. “I’m just going to put her to bed, Seb. I’m not taking her away fro you.” David assured him. Carlos was standing in the doorway and gave a “thumbs up” as David walked past and back down the hallway. Carlos took a deep breath again, looked over at Urs and Seb, still talking in the far side of the kitchen, and looked to Mari. He quietly made his way back and sat on the sofa beside Mari, putting the coffee mug on a coaster on the coffee table. He reached for the empty water glass, startling Mari from her thoughts. “David’s just put the children to bed. Let’s give them a minute to fall asleep; then you can go to bed as well Mari. I doubt you’ve slept much lately.” Carlos said. “I’ll stay here with you to keep you company if that’s okay. I’m going to take David to the airport in the morning, so you and the rest can sleep in… well, as long as the children will let you. I’m going to be heading to bed soon myself, so I’m not too tired in the morning. “
Mari nodded absently, her mind still making lists and plans. She hadn’t noticed the coffee and hadn’t said any more about it. Carlos didn’t offer it to her either. Instead, he sat silently, looking at Mari, waiting for some kind of answer. David came up the hall and headed for the kitchen. He checked with Urs and Seb, mentioning he was going to bed to get some sleep for his early flight. Seb shook his hand, mumbling something about having a good flight and see you later. Seb’s mind was running through his own plans. Urs and David stepped away as Urs whispered, “Carlos will fill you in; I’ll keep Seb occupied in here for awhile. Mari looks exhausted, she needs some sleep bad. Can you take care of that David?” David nodded and walked out of the kitchen.
A half hour later, David had walked a very tired Mari back the hall to the bedroom and helped her lay down. Within a few minutes, she too was asleep. David sighed and made his last trip up the hall for the night, or so he hoped. He heard Carlos saying “Good Night” to Urs and Seb in the kitchen and heading for the stairs. David followed, reaching him at the top of the stairs. They whispered between themselves the whole way back the hall and into the room. David firmly closed the door and leaned against it as Carlos finished. David nodded. He agreed he had to stay in the sidelines on this one, as the reserve. Urs would have to carry the bulk of it, as Carlos had a pregnant wife to get home to, or that would be his excuse to her if it all went to hell in a hand basket.
The next few days flew by, uneventfully for the tiny group at the lighthouse. Seb got to know his daughter and both he and Mari had read Jenni’s journal. In New York City, the paperwork was started, the services held, and Carlos was with David and Sarah, calling his wife regularly to keep in touch. Simon was even there to help where he could, with the entire staff of ID attorneys working with the best local attorneys money could buy. David, Sarah, Carlos, and Urs were pleased with the progress. The only ones in the dark were Mari and Seb. Luke was confirmed the sole next of kin for his deceased father. The death benefit as sole beneficiary was put into a trust fund in his name for future use. Jenni’s estate was settled and closed. Sarah and David had chosen a few of Jenni’s things for the children to have as keepsakes of their mother. Her ashes were in a modest container at the moment. The courts were also satisfied with the result of the DNA tests confirming Seb was the father of Michelle. David tucked the paperwork away in his safe deposit box just in case. As Michelle was a minor, the records would be sealed. No one needed to know anything about it. One day, Seb and Michelle had gone for an afternoon walk on the beach, as Mari finished some paperwork. Michelle came skipping back the hall to tell Mari that her daddy had sung her song to her as they sat on the beach.
She had already canceled her last speaking engagement at Oberlin. She wondered why she wasn’t questioned more on why, but she figured the director was busy with the end of the school year activities. What she didn’t know was that David had already been in touch with his alma mater and the director was already prepared. Shannon had already taken over the duties Mari usually performed at the Center. Mari had given her a nice raise and bonus as a thank-you. As Mari figured she wouldn’t be speaking much in the near future, she promoted Shannon to Activities Director of The Center, with the boards blessing. Shannon spent her days at the Center now, so the office was just for Mari to use. Mari was now free to spend her time learning and getting to know Luke and Michelle. David and Sarah would be here in a few days to plan telling Michelle about her mother’s passing. Michelle had settled in nicely and she and Seb were acting more like father and daughter as each day passed. Seb and Urs had already taken her upstairs to the see the things up there and she loved playing with the microphones and how it made her voice louder. Seb singing her song to her became a part of the evening ritual – Seb singing the song to Michelle in the living room as Mari rocked Luke to sleep in her bedroom.
One afternoon, while the children were napping, Urs poked his head into Mari’s office. “Seb’s complaining about having the wrong clothes again Mari. Could you please take him shopping? Please? You two could have dinner and everything… an adults evening out. I’ll watch the kids and Shannon said she’d stop by later if I needed anything. Please Mari, could you? I don’t have the patience anymore to wait while he tries on 50 different things and doesn’t buy any of them. Please Mari?”
Mari smiled. It had been awhile since she was out of the lighthouse area. She smiled, remembering the last shopping trip she had been on. There were a few things she wanted to get the kids as well. It was getting warmer these days. Standing up, Mari said, “Sure Urs. Tell him to get ready. I’ll be there in a few minutes. “
Urs smiled and disappeared. In the annex living room, Seb paced nervously, waiting for Urs to come back with an answer. Urs opened the door and looked at Seb smiling. “Ok Seb, she said yes. It’s up to you now. There’s nothing more I can do. Let her drive, okay? She’ll be over in a few minutes.” He patted Seb on the shoulder and walked into the kitchen.

Soon, Mari and Seb were on the highway, headed to town. Mari was driving her car. Urs looked out the window to make sure he knew which car they were taking before they left. Mari and Seb chatted in the car, mainly about the children. Seb smiled as he talked about them, but not as much as Mari. Soon, they were in town and Mari parked the car. Seb got out and walked around the front of the car, as Mari watched, somewhat confused. She opened her door slightly; then realized Seb wanted to be the gentleman, so she closed it quickly and waited. Seb opened her car door and held it as she stepped out. She took him to the same stores they had been to so long ago. Seb remembered them. He smiled to himself, thinking back to that special time… what seemed like an eternity ago. He had picked out quite a few things and headed to the dressing room to change… Mari went over to the children’s clothing section to see what she could find. She found several nice outfits for each of the children and had paid for them, taken them to the car and came back before Seb came out of the dressing room. He made his purchases and they dropped off those bags at the car as well, looking up and down the street deciding on where to have a nice meal. Seb insisted on the restaurant at the hotel they had stayed at before.
After a few minutes, Mari agreed. It would be nice to have a quiet meal, just the two of them. They walked through the lobby and turned down the hall to the restaurant. It wasn’t very busy, so they were seated right away at a nice corner table with a view of the sunset. They ordered and watched the sun go down. The lights in the restaurant had dimmed subtly in the process. Seb looked over at Mari and smiled, reaching for her hand. He didn’t hold it, but lightly patted the top. Mari looked down and smiled, blushing lightly. He moved his hand, palm up, beside hers, waiting for her response. Mari looked into Seb’s face and back at his hand. Seb smiled as she put her hand in his. Mari felt warm all over. They ate their meal quietly, just looking into each others eyes. The waiter informed them that there would be a live band later, if they wanted to stay to listen. Mari asked the music style and after hearing the response, both she and Seb declined. They picked up their jackets and headed to the lobby, hearing a piano playing in the lounge. Intrigued, they looked in. It was an older gentleman playing the piano, practicing by himself. Mari and Seb walked in and listened awhile, enjoying the music. Seb whispered to Mari that he would be right back and walked up to the gentleman. They exchanged words and nods. A few minutes later, Seb walked back to Mari and held out his hand to her.
“Mari, may I please have this dance?” Seb said as the gentleman started a slow tune. Mari smiled and accepted. They laid their jackets over Mari’s purse and headed to the dance floor. Soon, Mari was in Seb’s arms and she was looking into his light eyes. One song, turned into several, as time seemed to melt away. Finally, as Mari heard the strains of the next song, Seb kissed her softly. Mari’s mind reeled as he softly sang the melody of the song from so long ago, Irresistible Bliss’. As he got to the chorus, she joined him, also singing softly, as they swayed and danced on the dance floor. As the song ended, Seb kissed her deeply and looked into her eyes, still holding her close. “Mari, I still love you. I never stopped loving you. I could never love anyone else the way I love you. No one... I love my daughter, but it’s not the same… that’s a parent to a child. I love you as the beautiful woman you always have been and always will be. I need… want… would like you to be in my life again… more of my life… as more than a friend or business partner Mari. I know it’s too early, or maybe too late… to ask you for anything else, but… just know… Just know that I still and always will love you.”
Mari looked into his eyes and saw it was true. She kissed him, holding him close, letting the world around them disappear for just a short time. He kissed her again and she finally whispered back, “I love you too! I always have and always will.” Later that evening, they drove back to the lighthouse and Mari parked the car. She waited once again while Seb opened her car door and helped her out. She kissed him quickly and smiled. They carried the shopping bags in and hung up their coats. Urs looked up from reading his book and smiled. He didn’t have to ask them how their evening went. He could tell by their faces. Mari went back the hall and checked on the sleeping children. She came back out a few minutes later to an empty living room. She assumed Seb had taken his bags upstairs and Urs was elsewhere in the house. Soon, Urs came down the stairs, putting on his jacket as he did so. Mari looked at him as he headed to the front door. “Since you’re back early, I thought I’d go for a bike ride, if that’s okay?” Mari nodded. Urs came over to her, hugged her, and walked out the door.
A minute later, she heard the motorcycle’s engine and the sound fade into the distance, as she stared at the closed door. Seb came out of the kitchen with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He set them on the coffee table in front of the sofa and walked to the fire place. Urs had already laid the fire, Seb smiled as he struck the match to light it. He watched the flames start before turning around to see where Mari was. Mari realized that soon, another of her knights would be leaving. Her once full lighthouse was emptying… slowly, quietly before her. “Will I ever get through the never ending mountain of paperwork for Luke?” She thought. She didn’t hear Seb walk up behind her as she was deep in thought. Seb wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her head. “Are the children okay Mari? Are they still sleeping?”
Mari snuggled in his arms, rubbing her hands up and down his upper arms as she nodded, whispering, “Yes, they’re fine. I knew they would be.” She leaned her head against Seb’s chest as she turned around to wrap her arms around him. Seb bent down and kissed her again, keeping his hand at her cheek, his thumb gently outlining her cheekbone. “I thought you might like another glass of wine. I brought a bottle out and some glasses. How about we have some by the fire?” Seb turned so Mari could see the already lit fireplace and wine waiting. “Let’s continue our evening here… together.” He took her hand and they walked to the sofa. Seb sat beside Mari on the sofa and looked deeply in her eyes. He could see the flames from the fireplace reflecting in them. He hoped it was also a reflection of the love that was rekindled as well. He hugged her close and softly kissed her hand, rotating the ring on her right hand back and forth with his fingers before intertwining his with hers. He kissed her again; then tucked her head against his neck and shoulder. Mari kissed his neck softly and tucked her left hand behind his waist, snuggling closer. Seb looked at their two hand intertwined a moment before he placed the back of hers against his chest. Mari could feel his heart beating through his shirt and felt the warmth of him. As he held her hand in his, against his chest, he closed his eyes and hoped… hoped that it would happen… hoped he would find the right words…hoped she would listen. They watched the fire for awhile, both silent, both content to be together again. The wine was never opened.
Shortly after midnight, Urs peeked in the front door of the annex. He didn’t see anything unusual, lights on here and there, but not what he expected. As he tiptoed across the room, he saw the fireplace had been used, the unopened wine bottle on the table. Then he smiled. Seb and Mari were asleep on the sofa, Mari’s head resting on Seb’s bare chest, his arms around her and his chin just above her head. Urs slid off his boots and walked down the hallway to check on the children. Both were sleeping peacefully still. He closed the door and made his way back up the hallway, turning off the kitchen light and heading up the stairs. He grabbed a pillow and some blankets and came back down stairs. He covered Mari and Seb with one of the blankets, closed the damper to the fireplace and turned off the remaining lights. He padded down the hallway and dropped the pillow and blanket on the floor. Looking around, he settled in Mari’s rocking chair and drifted off to sleep. He hadn’t wanted the children to wake up in the morning by themselves and he knew he never would have heard them from upstairs.
The next morning Mari opened her eyes slowly. She let her hand glide slowly up and down Seb’s chest, enjoying the feel of his warm, soft skin beneath her hand. She looked up to see if Seb had awakened yet as well. Before she knew it, he had taken her hand and rolled over, pinning her gently between the back of the sofa and himself. He kissed her hand smiling, then whispered “Good Morning” as his reached for her cheek and kissed her mouth deeply. They snuggled together until they heard the others in the house moving around down the hall. Mari and Seb reluctantly stood, Seb buttoning his shirt as Urs came up the hall carrying Luke on one side, and holding Michelle’s hand with the other. “Good Morning you two… sleep well?” Michelle let go of Urs’ hand and ran to Seb. Seb picked her up and hugged her close. Mari glanced at Seb and then the slightly disheveled Urs. She walked over and took Luke from Urs as he smiled, running his fingers through his hair. “If you two could get breakfast started for the kids, I’d like to grab a shower and change… if that’s okay?” Mari nodded and walked to the kitchen, snuggling and kissing Luke’s cheeks and hands as she went.
The phone rang and Mari answered it. David and Sarah would be there tomorrow to tell Michelle about her mother passing and bring a few things for her and Luke to remember her by. David then asked to speak to Seb. Seb and David chatted with Mari hearing short answers from Seb on their end. He smiled and laughed and blushed. Mari tried not to listen, but she couldn’t help it. Seb put the phone down a minute and walked to the bottom of the stairs. “Hey Urs, want to talk to David or not? He’s on the phone now if you want to say a few words.”
Urs came to the top of the stairs and said he would call David on his cell later. He wanted to ask him if he could get one of the guitars out of storage for him and bring it along when he came. Seb nodded and said he would relay the message and he picked up the phone again. Seb relayed the message and they chatted a bit more. Michelle wanted to say hello too. Seb reluctantly agree, fearing she would want to talk to her mother as well. She sat on Seb’s lap and said a very quick “Hello David and Sarah” and handed back the phone. She hopped off of Seb’s lap and walked over to Mari. Lightly touching her arm, she asked if she could just have cereal for breakfast. Mari nodded and Michelle wandered into the living room to get a book to look at until breakfast was ready. Seb finished the call and reached for Luke. Mari had given him some breakfast already. Seb carried him back the hall to get cleaned up as Urs came down the stairs. He hugged Mari saying his usual good morning to her before asking when David and Sarah were coming. Mari told him tomorrow. Urs smiled and offered to make breakfast for who ever hadn’t eaten yet. Mari agreed, telling him about Michelle only wanting cereal. He nodded and started to work. Soon they were eating breakfast at the kitchen table. Urs stood up and started to gather the dishes as Mari and Seb sipped their coffee. Mari insisted he didn’t have to do that but he continued anyway. Michelle went to the living room after asking to watch ‘Dora’ on TV. Mari nodded and she skipped into the living room. Luke seemed content sitting in his new high chair, playing with Cheerios. As Urs turned to take the dishes to the sink to wash them, Seb leaned over and kissed Mari quickly. Mari smiled and reached for his hand. Seb smiled as she held it.
The rest of the morning was filled with making plans for a small Welcome Back party for David and Sarah… hoping it would keep Michelle occupied and ease the news to come later. That afternoon, as a treat for just the girls, Mari and Michelle had their hair and nails done. Mari was surprised at how excited and well behaved Michelle was to have a real Princess hairdo. They also went shopping for a new outfit to match their nail polish. It was a great Girls Day Out. Seb and Urs looked after Luke while they were away. Of course, Michelle had to wear her new outfit home, so Mari made a point of calling the guys to make sure they were aware a Princess was on her way. As they walked into the annex, Seb and Urs both came to greet them. Luke had just started his afternoon nap moments before. Michelle was in a pale blue dress with dark blue trim. Her hair piled on top of her head at the crown with curls peaking out around the bottom. Of course they made a big fuss, Seb most of all as the blue color really brought out her eyes which he then realized were the same color as his. Mari reminded her that she would have to change clothes so it would be nice for the party. Reluctantly, she agreed and walked back to the bedroom to change. Mari helped her put her regular cloths back on and hung up the dress. Urs knocked on the door lightly and asked Michelle if she would like to go with him to the Center to check out the musical instruments over there. She looked to Mari first, before saying yes. Soon, Urs and Michelle were making their way to the Center. They stopped to chat with Shannon on the way.
Seb took Mari into his arms and kissed her, pulling her close. “Would you like to go for a walk on the beach later?…“He asked. “Just the two of us… after Urs and Michelle get back or maybe after dinner a nice moonlit walk? Hmmm? What do you think?”He kissed her again and then started a trail of butterfly kisses across her cheek and down her neck… stopping at the pearls on her necklace. He looked into her eyes and started the trail up the other side of her neck, stopping at her lips in a long deep kiss.
“Don’t start something you can’t finish Seb.” Mari whispered, closing her eyes and kissing him back as he hands rubbed up and down his chest.
“Oh Mari… I plan to finish… I promise you that…” He whispered back, between soft light kisses. “This is just a preview…of what is yet… to come…I wanted to… give you…fair warning…as a gentleman…” and he smiled, as he moved his finger down the side of her face, over her collarbone and to the top button of her blouse. “Did I tell you today that I love you?” as he lifted her chin to kiss her again, wrapping his arm around her and pulling to close. “I do love you Mari, yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and the next day and the next. I’ll never stop loving you Mari…no matter what…no matter where we are…physically together or physically apart… I love you.”

“What do you mean no matter what or where?” Mari asked, putting her hands on both sides of his face and looking into his eyes. “I don’t understand… what are you talking about? Do you mean when Il Divo goes back on tour, your recording sessions… what?” Mari was steeling her heart at the moment. She had prepared for Urs leaving soon, David and Sarah already back in New York, Carlos with his wife in Spain expecting the twins in the fall.
“What I mean Mari is, I want you to have your career too. It is wonderful that you put that on hold for Michelle and Luke and well, all of us. I don’t want you to give that up… it’s a part of you that I love… it’s one of the many parts that I remember… your smile, your kiss, your touch, the way your eyes light up when your talking about music or singing with me, your independence, your strength, your laugh all of it… I’m being greedy Mari… but I want those things not just for you but for me as well. I can see the same things in Michelle too. Mari, she loves you too… she wants to be like you. Yes, I’m a proud new father, but, I’m not the only one now. I have so many plans in my head now, I don’t know where to turn or what to do… but I do know I love you and I love Michelle… I’m even beginning to love Luke. I thought I lost you before Mari… I can’t go through that again. I know we both have things we have to do… I’m just saying please… don’t stop doing your things for me… or anyone else. I don’t want a ‘Casablanca’ ending Mari where you say ‘We’ll always have Paris’ and send me on my way. “
Mari didn’t know what to say… she started trembling. Seb felt it too. He took her hand and led her to the sofa so they could both sit down. Taking her hand in his, he continued.” I want you to know that I should have told you this before, that I didn’t want you to wait for me… ever… I wanted you to have your life and live it the way you wanted to… live your dream, not mine… no matter what that was or is. I should have told you that I’m not the best at communicating… I lose track of time, get so busy in the moment that all other things vanish… I know I need to work on that…and I will. I would also like to think you can tell me any thing, any time. Please, don’t be afraid to tell me anything. I may not be as strong as you are Mari, but not knowing is worse than knowing. When you left France, I didn’t know… I didn’t understand… I can’t imagine how you felt, why you seemed to hate me… the special things I so love about you seemed to hide… I don’t want you to feel that way again Mari, if I can help it. Please?”
Mari nodded as tears started to trickle down her face. Seb lifted her onto his lap and held her close, rocking her in his arms as Mari rested her head on Seb shoulder, hiding her face in his neck while she tried to compose herself. Urs came back with a sleeping Michelle in his arms. He took her back the hall and laid her on Mari’s bed, tucking the top of the bedspread around her. He checked Luke before coming back up the hall and stepping into the kitchen to give the quiet couple on the sofa some privacy. Seb and Mari talked quietly for a few minutes. He kissed her softly and hugged her again before he suggested a walk on the beach. Mari kissed him back and nodded slowly. She wanted to tell Seb about her plans to adopt Luke. That was her dream, to get through the mountains of paperwork and give him a home. He and Michelle could stay as long as they liked, she could stay with them while Seb was on the road. She stood up and held out her hand to Seb whispering, “Let’s go now. There’s something I need to tell you.”
Seb kissed her hand, noticing again she still wore the ring he had given her so long ago on her right hand. He smiled and stood, hugging her again. As they headed to the front door, Urs looked out and nodded. “We’re going for a long walk on the beach, Urs. Mind watching the kids while we’re gone?” Seb said, still looking at Mari. Urs agreed, returning to the kitchen with a wave.
Seb and Mari headed out the door, arm in arm. They walked around the annex side and down the rickety stairs to the beach front below. Mari paused to look at the ocean, hoping to gather strength from it as she had in the past. She felt as though she could handle Urs leaving, eventually David and Sarah would take Luke back to New York, Seb would leave with Michelle. She would continue filling out the paperwork the courts and attorneys sent her. She would be alone for a time, but not long. She was making progress.... if only there wasn’t so much paperwork yet to do. Seb took her in his arms and looked into her eyes questioningly. “What’s wrong honey? You look like you’ve lost your best friend in the whole world. Don’t you believe me when I say I love you?” He reached for her chin and kissed her deeply. “Mari, honey… I want to show you something… something Michelle and I found the other day… when I sang her song for her. Will you come with me?”
Mari nodded and took a deep breath, running her hands down his arms and taking his hand. “Sure Seb, show me.” They walked down the beach quietly, Seb smiling and glancing at her. After a few minutes, Seb looked back toward the lighthouse and at the cluster of boulders along the shoreline with the edges just touching the waves. He led her around the far side and through the small break between two of them to a small opening. It was just enough room for them to both sit down and relax. No one would know they were there. “Michelle calls this her castle by the sea. She said she can climb to the top and it’s her tower. Mari, this is where I sang her song to her the first time. And this is where I want to ask you something… something just as important to me as that. “Seb stopped to take a breath and pull Mari close. “Mari, I said before that I love you. I do. I love you more that anything. Nothing will change that, not even having a daughter I didn’t know about until a few days ago. I asked you this before, and I’m asking you again… Mari, will you marry me? Will you be my wife and make us a family? There’s a child now Mari, so you can’t say no because of that. I know she’s not yours by blood, but I know you love her as your own… it wouldn’t be you otherwise. We can try to adopt Luke too, so they stay together and make an even bigger family. Mari… Please?” Seb dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around Mari’s slim waist, resting his head on her stomach. He closed his eyes tight and waited.
Mari smiled, looking down at Seb, hugging her tight. She let her fingers run through his hair slowly, and rest her hands on his shoulders. Mari took a deep breath. “Seb, there’s something you need to know. Something I’ve never told a soul, ever. If you don’t want to be with me after I tell you, I’ll understand. I’ve been working on adopting Luke soon after I saw him. I’ve been filling out more paperwork than I ever thought possible. Not just because he’s a beautiful child and a sister to Michelle, but because I just found out yesterday, he’s actually my grandson. You wanted me to be open and honest with you Seb, so I am. When I was a teenager, I had a child without being married to the father. The father isn’t important, but I gave up my child to be raised by a family… a couple. I never knew whether my child was a boy or a girl. As soon as I have birth, the baby was taken away to be adopted. Luke’s father was my son, raised in the US by a very nice family. He never knew he was adopted from what I can find out so far. His ’‘parents’’ died in a car accident before they could tell him. And now he is gone too. Back then, unwed mothers raising children on their own was hard, not that it’s any easier now, but it was next to impossible. I couldn’t lie and say I was a widow, that wouldn’t be right. I couldn’t have an abortion… I just couldn’t. I did the only thing I could do… had the child, made sure he went to a good home, and never looked back. I convinced myself it never happened. I had forgotten all about it, until I saw him… and started wondering about my child… the child I never knew. I have to make this right Seb, I have to for me.”
Seb looked up at Mari and smiled. “Luke is your grandson? That’s great… that makes us being a family that much easier. It brings us all together. Mari… please say yes; yes you’ll marry me? Please? Please be my wife? Please Mari… make you, me, Luke and Michelle a family?” Seb stood and took Mari’s hand.
Mari smiled as tears welled in her eyes. “Yes, Seb, yes, I’ll marry you. We’ll be one big happy family. I won’t run away, I won’t hide. You’re mother can’t stop me now… or ever again. I will have my dream, our dream… and no one will stop me… stop us. No one.”
Seb kissed her close, reaching for both of her hands and pulling them close to his chest. Looking at Mari’s face first, he looked at her right hand and carefully slid the ring off of her finger. He kissed it gently, before putting it on her left ring finger. “Mari, I’ll buy you another ring if you want, but is it ok to use this one for now? We can go into town later tonight and you can pick out anything you want.” Mari smiled, looking at the ring on her left hand.
“No Seb, this one is just fine. I remember what all of the parts are for from that special night. I don’t want any other ring… this is the only one I’ll ever want or need.” She put her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. “Now, what about finishing what you started earlier? You promised ya know…”
There on the beach, with the warm sun above them, and the sound of the waves against the boulders, Seb and Mari made love. They watched the sun set from Michelle’s tower above, before heading back to the lighthouse, hand in hand.
Urs had already fed the children and put them to bed by the time they walked into the annex. Urs could tell they were happy. Mari held out her left hand, holding Seb’s hand with her right. Urs eyes widened as he looked at her hand, then Seb’s beaming face, them Mari’s blushing face. He smiled and hugged them both… running to the kitchen saying…”We have to celebrate. Oh, I guess you two should celebrate… I’ll ummm get out of your hair… “
Mari laughed and walked after him. “I think Seb and I have already celebrated in our own way… now, we want to celebrate with friends… so yes, get some champagne or something… and Lets get David on the phone… and Carlos… I want to tell them all” and she kissed Urs cheek and hugged him. “Urs… I know you had a part in this… you did before too. I can tell him now… I will when it’s quieted down. I’m not afraid… he has a child now. Seb and I are going to be making plans… big plans. So keep your calendar open… okay? And we have news for the others as well. I’d like to tell you know, before the others… it’s going to be quite a shock. Let’s get back to Seb before he thinks something’s going on.”
Soon, they were gathered in the kitchen with the champagne poured and Seb was dialing David’s cell. Urs was using his cell to try to call Carlos. Luckily, Carlos who was still in NYC with David and Sarah was at his hotel room. David and Sarah had just left or it would have been a bit awkward, with Seb using the speaker phone option on the kitchen phone. Seb said hello to everyone as did Mari… both trying to be quiet and not wake the children. Seb made the wedding announcement, followed by Mari’s about Luke. David, Sarah, and Carlos were speechless at Mari being related to Luke. They didn’t have to stall her with paperwork any more… the court proceedings would be much faster now that they knew Mari was a relative. That night, Mari couldn’t sleep… plans and ideas flashed through her mind. She also knew that tomorrow would be a hard day for Michelle. She wasn’t looking forward to it.