He looked up at the ceiling and shot a peace sign.
Payton did a count-in, “One-two-three…”
Then the auditorium filled with the guitar licks from the opening of The Beatles’ ‘Blackbird.’ Payton sang the first verse, Liam the second, then they sang the rest together. After the final chords echoed above the room, there was a silence, just like when he’d played his entrance piece.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
An applause roared through the room as Lily’s dad led the standing ovation. Liam and Payton rose for their bow. Then they were joined by the entire ensemble. In total ticket sales and donations, they’d raised over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
It was, needless to say, a very successful night.
Payton just hoped everyone up there…Mom, Lily, her mom, John, Mozart…were all watching, and took their own bows.
You are all gone but will never be forgotten, Payton thought. You’ll live forever in our hearts and souls.
Sixteen
At the end of the summer, when his classes at the prep school ended, but a week before his university classes were supposed to start, Payton stood on the train platform, again, waiting to board. He’d decided to go back to Winnipeg to visit his grandparents in their new home and to bring the last of his belongings back to Edmonton. Since he decided on staying there, he needed to get the rest of his stuff.
He waited among the hugging and crying families on the platform with his canvas bag slung around his body and his MP3 player in hand. He felt a small tug on his sleeve. Dahlia looked up at him, smiling. Her hair had grown into a short crew cut, just like his. She held her silk scarf up to him.
“Here,” she said. “This is for you. It gave me good luck, and made me feel good. So I want you to keep it with you.”
He knelt down to her level. “I got this for you, kiddo,” he said, beeping her nose. “You keep it. Hang it up on your wall or something. Oh! And stay out of my room. I’ll be back soon, so don’t think you’re gonna claim it.”
She laughed, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Okay, thanks,” she whispered. “I’ll take good care of it, I promise. I’ll miss you.”
He rubbed her back. “I’m only going for a week, then I’ll be back for you to jump all over, like usual. I gotta go to school and run that foundation, right? Don’t worry. Besides, you need to take care of River here.”
“Aw, do I hafta?” she said with a nasally whine.
“Uh, yeah! That’s what brothers and sisters do. We stick together.”
“Yeah!” River said.
The three of them laughed.
Liam, who’d been standing back, seemingly letting all the kids say goodbye, walked closer and dropped Payton’s bag at his feet.
“Geez, what do you have in there? You’re only going for a week, right? It’s worse than when Katie packs for herself and the kids for a weekend trip!”
Payton laughed. “Just some books, CDs, and stuff. You know…”
They were interrupted by the station speakers.
“Train from Edmonton to Winnipeg now boarding. Leaving in five minutes. All abooooooo-ard!”
Payton stuffed his hands in his pockets, nodding toward the train. “Guess that’s me.”
“Yeah,” Liam said, stuffing his hands in his own pockets. “Guess so.”
The two of them stood among all the people saying goodbye to their loved ones. Some were laughing, some were crying, some were hugging, and some were doing all at the same time.
A sudden impulse took Payton over, and he walked up to his dad, throwing his arms around him.
“Thanks, Dad,” he whispered. “For everything.”
Liam squeezed his son’s back with one arm and grabbed the back of the boy’s head with the other, rubbing the back of his head.
“No, son,” he said. “Thank you. I have said that to you a few times, but, really. Thank you. You will never understand the impact that you’ve had here, and will continue to. For many different people, for many different reasons.”
There they were, the two MacGregor men, crying and hugging with all the other criers and huggers and…it was all good.
“Lily used to call me a ‘fortune cookie.’ Now I know where I got it from.”
His father laughed, giving him one last pat on the back, then the train conductor made the last boarding call.
“Gotta go,” Payton said, wiping his eyes and flinging his bag back over his shoulder. “See ya in a week or so.”
“I’ll be here at three next Saturday to pick ya up,” Liam said. “Oh. And there’s a surprise for you in your canvas bag.”
Liam winked at Payton, gave his shoulder a quick squeeze, then guided the kids back so other passengers could get on the train.
Payton found his seat, and spent a good minute adjusting himself into the seat.
Another long trip folded into a too small space.
The train whistle tooted its departure song, and the train slowly chugged forward. Payton looked out the window and saw his dad and siblings waving frantically. He shot a peace sign.
Once the train station disappeared from his view, he remembered what his dad had said and looked in his canvas bag. He doubled over with laughter and pulled out Liam’s surprise. It was printed copy of his manuscript, Jamming with John, dedicated to talented teens everywhere, especially Payton who never gave up. On anyone.
Smiling, he slouched down into his seat, folded his legs up and rested his knees on the back of the seat in front of him.
At least I’ll be entertained on this cramped trip.
The train whistle echoed its song into the warm, prairie evening. And for some reason, its song didn’t seem as sad as it had been when he arrived. In fact, Payton thought it sounded a bit more hopeful.
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.
Chynna Laird is a psychology student, freelance writer and multi award-winning author living in Edmonton, Alberta with her partner, Steve, and their three daughters [Jaimie (eight), Jordhan (six), and baby Sophie (two)] and baby boy, Xander (four). Her passion is helping children and families living with Sensory Processing Disorder and other special needs.
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You’ll find her work in many online and in-print parenting, inspirational, Christian and writing publications in Canada, United States, Australia, and Britain. In addition, she’s authored an award-winning children’s book (I’m Not Weird, I Have SPD), two memoirs (the multi award-winning, Not Just Spirited: A Mom’s Sensational Journey With SPD and White Elephants), and a Young Adult novel (Blackbird Flies).
Chynna loves to hear from her readers!
@ChynnaLaird
Chynna-Laird-Author
www.chynnalairdauthor.ca
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