Chapter 14 #2
I sat, rapt, watching every movement of her hands, the sway of her shoulders. The way she flowed with the music was mesmerizing. She felt every note with her entire body and soul. And although her face was serious, joy radiated off her as she played.
Awe. I was filled with awe. And pride. Because this scrappy little twelve-year-old, who’d been through so much heartache and disappointment the last couple of years, was up on that stage, fearlessly sharing her gifts with the world.
Halfway through the piece, there was no point in trying to stanch my tears, so I let them roll freely down my face.
When she finished, she turned on the bench, searching for me in the audience. So I stood, clapping my heart out, my cheeks tearstained but my smile wide. Greta stood too, clapping and jumping up and down. Kit spotted us and gave a small smile before bowing and exiting the stage.
I sat and immediately fished a tissue out of my bag. My makeup was probably a mess, but that was the last thing I cared about tonight. My girl, my brave, talented girl, had accomplished big things, and this was only the start.
Brian put his hand on mine on my lap and squeezed. “She is extraordinary,” he said as the next performers set up. “Just like her mom.”
The rest of the concert was a happy blur. I was on cloud nine, barely conscious of who was performing what. Not only had my daughter performed beautifully, but she’d had a whole cheering section here to support her.
Granted, T. J. had been fidgeting so much he got his foot caught between the seat cushion, and Sully and Cal had to do an emergency extraction while a harpist performed, but it was otherwise a smooth night.
When it was over, the whole group stayed to congratulate her, wrapping her in hugs and demanding photos. So often, I doubted my ability to do this job. To raise these girls on my own. But tonight, I was reminded that the most important thing I could do was surround them with love.
It was bittersweet, knowing that if all went as planned, we’d be gone before the end of the summer. We’d lose this support system. Though we’d gain another in Vermont.
Though in my hometown, we’d also find fewer music opportunities for Kit, and nowhere on earth could compare to the endless excitement of the city. It was for the best. I knew it in my bones. But it was moments like these that made the hard years we’d spent in Jersey almost worth it.
On the way out, I was still coming down from the excitement, a little stunned, so Brian steered me toward the door, his hand on my lower back.
As we neared the exit, my heart plummeted. Kenneth stood to one side, wearing one of his signature dark suits with no tie, his graying hair slicked back in his usual style.
It shouldn’t have surprised me that he was here, but I’d been so nervous and distracted that I’d forgotten to even look for him. It was such a large venue, and I assumed that if he deigned to appear, I wouldn’t even see him.
Beside him, hanging from his arm, was a young woman with her face buried in her phone. She was wearing what I can only describe as a scrap of fabric and texting furiously.
“Jessica,” Kenneth said.
His voice alone, that tone he’d used for so long when he was angry with me, made my spine snap straight.
“And you,” he said, sneering at Brian. “The lawyer.”
“Hi, Dad,” Greta said with a small wave.
Kenneth had the good sense to give his daughter a smile, if nothing else. “Margaret. So good to see you.” The words were spoken as if she were a professional acquaintance instead of his nine-year-old flesh and blood.
He looked around Greta, eyeing Kit, who was chatting with Lana.
“Katherine,” he boomed. “Excellent job. I would have thought the Bach piece was too challenging for you, but you seemed to make it work.”
Seemed? I could feel my blood pressure spike. “She was spectacular,” I corrected, bristling at his passive aggression.
“Thank you, Dad,” Kit replied, her voice and her expression equally stony.
“Good to see you all,” he said, looking at his watch. “Must run. We’ve got reservations.”
The woman, who had only now looked up from her phone, was suddenly keen to participate in the conversation. “Kenny’s taking me to Le Bain,” she said with a smirk. “Bottle service. You know how it is.” She flipped her waist-length hair over one shoulder and went back to texting.
I held back a scoff. He was taking this practical child to a club? He was a fifty-three-year-old father.
Greta’s face fell, but Kit’s expression only hardened, her eyes locking on her father. For a moment, she let her sassy tween glare burn a hole in his forehead. Then she grabbed her sister’s arm and turned her back, focusing on the boys.
Kenneth stepped closer to Brian, jaw clenched. “Happy now?” he asked. “I know what you did. How my Metros seats were suddenly no longer available. And I’m sure the bar association will be thrilled when they find out you’re fucking a client.”
I gasped, stumbling back a step at the vitriol in his tone.
“You are out of line,” Brian said, his voice steely.
Cal and Sully stepped closer, both pulling up to their full height, which was, honestly, intimidating.
“Did I get it wrong?” Kenneth asked me. “You want me to believe you dragged your lawyer here just for fun? Or so you’d have backup when you saw me? I didn’t realize you could afford to pay someone to pretend to care.”
Bile rose in my throat, and the instinct to run washed over me. But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t let my girls see me back down.
Kenneth looked me up and down, sneering in disgust, and a wave of shame nearly knocked me over. In this moment, I was reliving every criticism and nasty comment he’d ever made.
I closed my eyes, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me.
“I’m here to support Kit and Jess.” Brian stepped in front of me, only an inch or two, in a protective way before looking to make sure the kids weren’t listening.
He leaned close to Kenneth and whispered, “I can see why you’d be confused, since you had to be forced to show up for your own child. Seems like being a deadbeat dad really suits you.”
The moment hung like a gavel strike. And I checked to make sure none of the kids had overheard that verbal smackdown.
Kenneth, his face now beet red, grabbed the woman at his side with a shaking hand and walked away without even saying goodbye to the girls, who’d migrated to the area set up for pictures and were taking selfies with my phone.
“You okay?” Brian’s voice startled me.
Peering up at him, I nodded woodenly. He’d stood up for me. And more importantly, he’d stood up for my kids.
As he led me out of the lobby, it dawned on me that no one had ever done that for me before.