by Vega Lizzie
Arriving at their favorite family bar and grill, she walked slowly down the aisle toward the stairwell, knowing that up on the balcony, relief awaited.
Biding her time at the bottom of the long stairwell as a server to brought down an empty platter, she grabbed on to the railing and closed her eyes, I’m tired and hungry, she thought, I want a margarita with extra…everything. The young server smiled and thanked her for waiting as he passed. “All clear,” he grinned, and she found the strength to smile back, “I’m gonna order a carnivore special just for me, so be ready.”
She looked up the L-shaped stairwell and to her, it seemed to be a straight vertical. “I can do this,” she said out loud with the first step. Turning at the first jog, she sighed again, her feet dragging, “Don’t know how the waiters do this. Would an elevator be too hard to put in? Got to stop whining, a nice quiet gathering tonight will be just fine.”
Looking up the remaining steps, the clear blue afternoon sky drew her up to the landing. The balcony setting at the top had been the scene of many romantic dinners with Shannon as well as a regular gathering spot for the extended family. Whatever effort it took, would be worth it. She could hear music as she neared the top and was already starting to feel lighter on her feet.
Hitting the top step, the doorway opened to the long sundrenched rooftop. The festive atmosphere was punctuated with bright fabric banners drifting lazily in the gentle breeze. From the overlook, the city park stretched for a full city block. A gentle jazz tune streamed quietly from the outdoor speakers. It was a perfect setting to finally relax.
“Yes,” she whispered to herself then spied Eliza and Issac sitting with Liam just a few steps from the bar. “Grab a chair,” Liam called out, “we’ll pull more tables together if more show up.”
“Right here’s good,” Eliza grinned as she shifted a chair next to her.
Always one to sit with her back to the corner, Terra hesitated, and Eliza was ready for her. “You look spent,” she observed, “gorgeous, but worn out.”
Setting her bag on the chair, Terra nodded as she draped her suit jacket over her chair, hopeful that some of Eliza’s ever-present enthusiasm might rub off, “You have no idea, but thanks. I’m gonna get a drink, a tall one. You guys want anything?”
“Nah, we’re good. Later though.”
Terra rubbed her hands together as she coveted a plate of appetizers sitting on their table, “I’ll order another round of those. They won’t last two minutes and I’m starving.”
Eliza exchanged a quick grin with Liam, then shifted Terra’s chair a little more as she walked up to the bar. Issac looked down the rows of tables that had been cordoned off by the management for a private party, then watched as Terra made her way over to the outdoor bar.
“If we pull this off,” he whispered excitedly, “gonna be epic.”
“We have a half hour,” Liam teased, “You ready with small talk if she gets suspicious?”
“I am,” Eliza snickered, then frowned as Issac reached over to take her hand off her hair, “You already look nervous,” he teased, “she’ll notice for sure.”
Eliza slapped his hand away, “That’s the idea. We’ll be so deep in girl talk; the building could come down around us, and she won’t notice. I can hold it together for a while.” She looked down to send a quick text, “We’ll be fine.”
As Terra returned, she was so focused on not spilling her drink, she landed in the chair without a comment on the re arrange. “Help yourself,” Eliza said, pushing the platter of food closer to Terra, “It’s our second tray.”
Both Liam and Terra took samples of the egg rolls and Terra commented on the sparsely populated setting, “It’s such a gorgeous day, you’d think there would be more people up here.” Her eyes drifted to Eliza as she gently tugged on a length of her long blonde locks. An eyebrow went up and Terra leaned in, “Everything okay?” She shot a sharp glance to Issac then went back to Eliza to reach for her hand and pull it away gently from her seemingly subconscious twirling, “Seriously, you good?”
Liam just shook his head, then took an overly large bite of his eggroll. Not that Eliza had planned the timing, it just sorta happened. “Have you heard from Shannon?” she grinned, “I thought they’d be here already.”
With the blatant question, Liam began to choke on his appetizer. Quickly waving off any concern, Terra missed the hard glare he gave Eliza.
“Guess she’s running behind at the gallery,” Terra chuckled, “Thought you’d know about that.”
Eliza shrugged, “I texted her a couple times this morning, but she’s been busy, I guess. All quiet on my end.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” Terra grinned, taking another bite.
“It is,” Issac answered softly. “you look nice today.” He gestured at Terra’s outfit, “Very professional, but...soft and,” his eyes darted away, “pretty.”
“Thanks,” she grinned, “Shannon suggested the blouse, since it’s not my usual lawyerly color. She’s been such a nut lately, busy with lots of…” she cleared her throat dramatically, looking to both Liam and Eliza, but as she turned back to Issac, he was beginning to stand, “…stuff. Goin’ somewhere?”
Eliza smirked at Liam and quickly grabbed Terra’s arm, “Little boy’s room, I’d guess,” she said happily as Issac made his way to the rooftop doorway without answering, “You know, Mr. bladder control.”
“Heard that,” Issac called back from the landing as he rounded the corner to the stairs without looking back. Liam quickly leaned forward, “Any cool cases you’re working on?”
Thinking for a moment, Terra lowered her voice, ‘There are a couple that are unusual. One of them is an abuse case where I’m defending the husband, the other,” she paused, “is a juvenile with a supposed laundry list of troubles.”
Eliza seemed to detect a tone in Terra’s voice, “You seem unconvinced.”
“I do have theory,” Terra said quietly after looking around the rooftop, “But I can’t really come out and ask him, if you get my drift.” Looking back at Eliza, she seemed happy to have regained eye contact with Terra, “He’s of our world?” she asked.
Terra shrugged, “Not the sort of thing you blurt out to a teenager, right?”
“Anyone, for that matter,” Liam added quickly. “What makes you think he’s got something extra?”
“He’s got something extra,” they heard Issac repeat as he rejoined them. “don’t leave me hangin’.”
Terra chuckled but as Issac sat down, she noticed his eyes, “You okay? You look a little flushed.” Both Eliza and Liam erupted with laughter, but Terra hadn’t meant it as a joke. She winced slightly, “Sorry, not intended, but points to me, I guess.”
“I’m fine,” Issac grinned, “but I walked by one of the prep cooks downstairs and he had a tray full of freshly sliced jalapeños. Made my eyes burn big time.” As if to solidify his defense, he continued, “Can’t say I’ve felt this good in an awfully long time. Robbie is downstairs too. He’ll be up in a sec.”
“Probably conspiring with the kitchen staff to brew up something weird,” Eliza grinned.
“He’s been a nut too this week,” Terra offered with a broad smile, “His house project is a go and he’s almost delirious. Alicia’s been telling Shannon all the good stuff. I can’t share cuz he’d be super-embarrassed.”
“Good call,” Liam remarked as he looked to the doorway, “He has arrived.”
“Grab another table,” Robbie boomed as he walked out of the landing, shielding his eyes from the sun, “Marcus is like three minutes out.” He quickly grabbed a chair to block Terra in next to Eliza. He grinned at her, “Hi, hotshot. How ya doin?”
“Go-od,” Terra said, then looked at Liam, “See? Allie coming?” Terra’s brow began to twitch as she held back a comment, but Eliza started to snicker. Marcus rescued them both by coming through the door and another chair was quickly rounded up for him.
After a few minutes of spirited conversation, Eliza pic
ked up her phone to acknowledge a text and quickly entered back into the conversation. A minute later, Terra’s phone buzzed, and she picked it up with a grin only to pout for a moment and send a quick reply. “It’s Shannon. She’s running late still. Otherwise all good to go, it says.”
“Good to go,” Eliza repeated, taking a long sip of her wine. “So,” she continued, “how would one go about asking a teenager about odd goings on their life?”
“Weird, I know,” Terra said softly, “But the one I want to ask is Olivia. She’s got that dialed in pretty well these days.” She turned to watch as one of the rooftop servers walked by with a bucket full of dishes. He stopped at the doorway as if waiting for someone, then slowly walked into the stairwell landing. Liam was quick to continue the interrupted conversation, “Appeal to their inner self,” he suggested, “that things that seem…you could use your early life as an example.”
“Or just throw in something weird and spooky and see how he reacts.” Robbie offered as he watched Eliza point to the door, “Alicia’s here. Make room.”
Terra started to stand with an eye toward her preferred side of the tables. Both Robbie and Liam stood and shifted one chair to the left, opening a seat next to Terra. As Alicia settled in next to Robbie, they shared a kiss. “Oh my. This is…going to be…epic.” She turned to Terra, who sat back down, rubbing her hand along her arm, “You look amazing.”
Grinning crazily, Eliza took a fast glance at the doorway and gasped, quickly looking away and closing her eyes. As she turned back, she had tears in her eyes.
“What’s with you?” Terra asked suddenly only to have Eliza smile back, then wipe her eyes. As Terra looked around the table, no one in their group was moving. They were sitting way too still. Terra looked at Issac, only to see his eyes shining brightly.
“What’s going on?” She asked warily, her shoulders beginning to turn. She could sense someone moving up behind her. Only then did she notice the non-descript music had been replaced by a familiar pop song. It was one of her favorites.
“Not yet,” Liam whispered, gently shaking his head with the softest smile on his face, “not…just…yet.”
A hand rested gently on Terra’s shoulder. Placed with such loving care that the normally vigilant Terra didn’t flinch. She only looked down to see a young girl’s hand. Two large rings and a set of freshly manicured nails surprised Terra as she looked up to see Olivia standing next to her. Dressed in a dark blue broomstick skirt and a white tank, Olivia smiled sweetly. Her hair and gentle makeup perfect, a wide belt subtly revealed her hips. Aware of the others staring at her, Olivia kept her eyes shyly fixed on Terra.
“Hi sweetie,” Terra said, mostly in reaction to her sudden arrival. It was only then that she looked her up and down, “You made good ti-”
Olivia nodded as she offered Terra her hand. As Terra slowly stood, she began to turn toward the door. “Not yet, just a second.” Olivia squeezed Terra’s hand, then accepted a tissue from Alicia to wipe the tears from her eyes. Wiping the tears away, Terra’s hand brushed through the braids in her hair, “You look…amazing.”
Looking at the rest of the teary guests, she gasped and again tried to look into the doorway, “What’s happening? You’re all dressed up.”
Olivia waited for a moment, looking past Terra toward the cordoned off part of the rooftop restaurant, then squeezed Terra’s hand again, “Will you come with me?”
Terra gasped as a thought raced through her mind, then nodded as her eyes began to well up. She looked over to the family gathered in front of her as Olivia turned and offered her arm. “Always,” Terra whispered.
As she stood with Olivia, Terra turned, and for the first time, looked across the patio. Shannon stood at the end of the walkway also dressed in a similar skirt and top, her hair braided and swirled up around her head. She looked radiant.
Her hands shaking, Terra put one to her lips as she looked at her partner. Shannon looked back at her with Olivia’s same shy smile. A tear rolled down Terra’s cheek as she heard people moving behind her. Looking back, she saw Marcus backing away from Olivia, having just handed her a bouquet of daisies. She looked back to Shannon to see her holding the same arrangement.
One by one, the family began to file out of the doorway, taking their places along the tables and bar, all wanting to get a clear view. First it was Angela, then Tess stepped out with a wide grin and Terra’s jaw dropped as Tatsumi and Antonia followed. Chloe, her foot still in an orthopedic boot from her broken ankle, hobbled out from the stairwell on Robin’s steady arm. She took one look at the view over the city park and her eyes riveted back to Terra with an awe-struck smile.
Terra turned to Shannon but saw her point to the door and she turned just as Terra’s aunt Dana stepped out into the sunshine. She bore down on Olivia’s fingers as her aunt waved happily to her as she stood next to Angela. Last, but not least, Iris walked out to quickly stand next to Dana. A moment later, Colin stepped out as well, ushering two young ladies ahead of him. Marcy and Karly took one look at Olivia and instantly realized what was about to occur.
Her chin trembling, Terra looked to Olivia, “Thank you,” she whispered then took a deep breath, “Now what?”
“No pressure,” Robbie quipped to the delight of the guests. Terra looked to Shannon, now only a few steps away, she smiled back at the gathering, shaking her head, “No,” she said as her voice broke, “none.”
Olivia turned her head and her mother stepped forward, reaching out her hand. For a moment, Olivia held them both, then joined their hands together and took a step back. The was a moment of silence as they stood together in the sunlight, then Shannon took a deep breath.
“When I first…” Shannon began but stopped short, “God…my heart is just pounding.” Terra squeezed down on her hands, “It’s okay. Keep going. Mine, too.”
“When I first met you, I was in so much trouble,” she continued, “but from that first day, I knew in my heart that you would be good for me, that you’d get me back on track.” She looked at her gathered family, “That you’d…you’d help me find the home that I lost a long time ago.” She looked at her sister as Iris put her hand over her heart, then blew her a kiss, then turned back to Terra.
“I was weak,” Shannon said quietly.
“You’re the strongest person I know,” Terra said back, tears now flowing freely.
“And…I was so afraid,” Shannon added.
“You’re not afraid of anyone,” Terra said, drawing Shannon a little bit closer, “I’ll protect you…” She stopped mid-sentence with a sly smile, waiting.
“Forever?” Shannon asked, her eyes twitching and chin trembling. She took a half step back and began to kneel. Terra tightened her grip on Shannon’s hands and, with a shake of her head, gently pulled her back up.
“Face to face,” Terra said softly, “Shoulder to shoulder when it’s necessary.” She nodded her head, “Forever.”
“Oh,” Shannon gasped, “Terra Skye, will you marry me?”
Terra hesitated, but only to look at Olivia and wink. She turned back to Shannon, “Yes,” she answered loudly, happily, “I will marry you.”
As Terra wrapped her arms around Shannon, the hug wasn’t subtle. If anything, it was passionate and forceful as Terra turned Shannon to face slightly away from her family. “Your eyes look like they hurt a little, right?”
“I’ve been holding it in all day,” Shannon whispered, trying not to laugh. She pulled back, bringing her nose to Terra’s, “I love you,” Her eyes sizzled in gentle golden glow.
“I love you too.” Terra replied as she leaned in slowly to kiss Shannon deeply. After a long moment and a round of applause, the women parted and reached out for Olivia, drawing her into their embrace as another moment of warm appreciation from their guests wrapped around them.
The End….for awhile