Chapter twenty-seven
Encore
Four years later:
Masashi grabbed Percy’s arm before he could get on the plane. “Three days. Don’t forget.”
“I won’t if you don’t. Don’t make me look like a fool,” Masashi cussed under his breath.
“Percy? Are you coming? I thought I was the one who’s afraid of flying,” Kalli laughed.
Percy smiled. “I’m coming of course, darling. I was just saying goodbye to my old roommate. We aren’t like you girls, saying goodbye before you leave the room,” Percy said mockingly.
“We will see them again soon, silly,” Kalli threw right back, smiling brightly.
“But, Kalli, you have to call me every night,” Lupe said suddenly running to hug Kalli. She graduated three years ago but she still came back most weekends to visit and work with the professors.
“Every night? Fine but it might be at four in the morning your time.”
“You know I don’t sleep,” Lupe smiled; it was true, Lupe lived on a nocturnal schedule now. “Now come along, Masashi. We have our own plane to catch.”
“Alright,” Masashi hugged Kalli and shook Percy’s hand saying. “Don’t forget me.”
“Never.”
The plane landed in France and Kalli ran out of the car into Percy mom’s arms. “Oh, Kalli, it’s always a joy to see you. And where is my darling son?” Percy came up and Kalli stepped aside so he could hug her. “Oh, my boy. Is this you? My, how you have grown--a foot, at least--since I last saw you. You must need to come by more often.”
“Just three inches mom,” Percy said smiling. “Now, I must apologize. I have to run some errands to run in town. I should be back before sundown. I’m sorry. I know we just got here, but this will give you two to catch up and gossip like you like to without me listening in.”
“Going to see your other girlfriend?” Kalli asked, cocking her head.
“Naturally,” Percy smiling and stealing a kiss from her lips. “I’ll be back my darling.”
“I’ll miss you,” She whispered.
“I already do.”
The next few days passed quickly, full of laughter and celebration of Kalli and Percy finishing their fourth year at UA.
“Hey, I thought tonight we would watch your favorite,” Percy said holding up a copy of The Phantom of the Opera.
“Sounds great! It’s kind of odd that it’s my favorite considering how depressed I was the first time I saw it. It’s a good memory to me,” Kalli thought of that night. The twins picking her up at the dorm dressed to the nines. She missed them. She hadn't seen them in months. Dragen showing up--she still missed him. It had been years but it was still hard without him. But just like he had wanted, she was trying to move on with her life.
A few hours later, Kalli was sitting against Percy’s chest. His arm was draped over her stomach, his long legs on either side of her. She was slouched against him, one knee bent one straight. They always watched movies in this position because neither of them had to shift to get comfortable.
The movie was as it always had been. Kalli cried a little when the Phantom killed someone. Rauel and Christine escaped to the roof. Kalli’s favorite love song began--All I Ask of You.
Percy began singing the lyrics in her ear, his overgrown black hair brushing against her ear. She sang back to him, and then the climax of the song came. Percy shifted slightly. He was pulling something out of his pocket. “That’s all I ask of,” He sang putting a small black box on her raised knee, popping it open on “you.”
“Oh my,” Kalli gasped at the diamond ring. “Say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime. Say the word and I will follow you,” She answered, following the song. He swept down and kissed her lips while pulling the ring out of the box. She offered her left hand and he slid it on. It was a perfect fit.
“I love you, Kalli Hardford.”
“And I love you, Percy Delano. Forever, now, yesterday, tomorrow, and always.”
“Lupe--Pick up!”
“He…Hello?” Lupe answered a little out of breath. What was she doing?
“Percy just proposed to me!"
“I know. He and Masashi planned it.”
“You’re kidding! Those sly dogs…” Kalli glanced at Percy who was grinning ear to ear.
“I think they were hoping we would have a double wedding after you and Percy graduate.”
“Yes! Lupe, will you and Masashi have a double wedding with Percy and me?”
“One moment. Let me ask him,” She covered the phone to ask Masashi. “We would love to! Oh, Kalli, I’m so happy! I want to see your ring. I’m sure Percy has exquisite taste so I’m curious. The one Masashi got is a-mazing.” She said lengthening the ‘a’.
Kalli and Lupe talked for hours and then handed the phones over to the boys so they could congratulate each other like boys do.
A few months later:
“Congratulations, partner.”
“Tyler!” Kalli hugged him. They had continued their tennis team up every year since freshman year. He was her closest friend outside of Data Venia, which as fifth years was now her and Percy’s responsibility. “You’re here early. Usually you wait until the last minute to show up.”
He shrugged. “It’s my last year, might as well make it count.”
“I know it’s hard to believe. Go us.”
“I swear it was just yesterday that you ran off that dance floor,” She remembered back to that, he was so different then, but everyone had changed so much over the years. Well, except the twins, they still pulled their old crap, just in the adult world. Sasha had gotten better at making his own moves mostly because Demitri was never the same after Dragen. Kalli found that her experience at UA became defined by that. Before Dragen and after Dragen.
“That was a lifetime ago. Or feels like it anyway.”
“So, I heard the good news. Score!” He gave her a fist pump. She laughed
“Thanks, Ty.”
“It was always him. Wasn’t it?” There was sadness in his voice. A sort of defeat she couldn’t place. She couldn’t answer. “So, I heard it was a double wedding, so I’m assuming that’s either both the twins marrying each other or Lupe and Masashi finally getting it done.”
“Definitely the twins,” She laughed. “No, Lupe is actually doing most of the planning considering how opinionated she is and that I’m in school.” She smiled. “You’re invited, you know.”
He looked shocked. “Am I now? Well, that’s nice. Do I get to kiss the bride?” She didn’t know how to respond. He patted her back. “It’s a joke, sweetie. Get me the details and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Will do,” She said. “Well, I have to go stalk the first years to find out if any of them are any good.”
“Better you than me,” He laughed. He always had an easy laugh; an easy smile. He knew all the crap of the world but he always found ways to smile for her. “Oh, Kalls.”
“Yup?”
“Take care, okay? Make sure he takes care of you. You let me know if there is ever a problem, okay?” She nodded. “Oh, and give your fiancée my regards.”
“He still has a name.”
“Still don’t care.”
Exactly one year later:
“Oh, Lupe. You look beautiful. Look at you!” Kalli said holding her in front of the full length mirror.
“Are you kidding? Look at you! Who would have thought that scared little freshman that walked into my dorm room almost six years ago would turn into the woman I see today. A blushing bride, off to marry the very guy that she didn’t even want to give her name to, much less her heart. Look how far you have come. Look in that mirror, Kalli. You are the second most gorgeous bride I have ever seen.”
“Second?” After all Lupe had said, she was surprised.
“To me of course!” Lupe smiled. Nothing had changed in six years.
“Five minutes, ladies,” The building manager said loudly, only cracking the door slightly.
“Come
on. Let’s go meet our futures,” Kalli said linking her arm in Lupe’s.
The manager poised them both on separate walks so they could walk alone first then together at the center of the aisles.
The large doors opened and Kalli and Lupe walked and hooked arms again, only then facing the alter of the church. Lupe saw Masashi and his best men Sasha and Demitri.
Percy had been very secretive as of who his best man was. He only said he was an old friend of his. She looked down the aisle to see her husband-to-be smiling at her. There was a second man. He seemed so familiar but she couldn’t quite place him until she reached Percy, handing her bouquet to her maid of honor, a younger member of Data Venia. Percy smiled and nodded to his best man. “Hey, Kalli,” Kalli’s hand flew to her mouth. “It’s me Kalli, and I’m no illusion. I’m here and I’m as real as how beautiful you look today,” Out of the corner of her eye she saw Demitri jump but Sasha held him back. He and Kalli needed the moment.
“But...but you died Dragen. We had a funeral. How are you here?” She hugged him, confirming he was real. He had chopped off all his hair, but he smelled the same.
“I’ll explain later. For the right now you need to get married to this young man right here,” He said, laughing and pulling Percy in front of him.
“Did you know about this?” Kalli asked Percy under her breath.
“Of course I did. I asked him to be my best man,” Percy said with a smile. “I will explain everything at the reception, for now let’s get married.”
Kalli agreed and put her heart and soul into the vows. They both said “I do,” and she and Lupe kissed their grooms like they had never kissed them before.
“I’m sorry. Can we re-do the kiss? I had a pair of identical twins in my shot,” the camera man sighed.
The twins were smiling widely. “We want a copy of that picture!” Masashi slapped them both upside the head and everyone re-did the wedding kiss for the picture.
All the guests moved to the reception area but the members of the old Group stayed by the alter.
“Dragen!” They all screamed jumping on him before shooting off questions.
“If everyone will stop talking for a few minutes I will tell the entire story,” Dragen interrupted and even the twins silenced. “Thank you. Ok, I’m not dead, obviously. I had to pretend to be because I did indeed kill my father. I wrote each of you in case I didn’t make it. All of you except Percy. His letter said I would write him if I was still alive and not to share this information with anyone. So about three weeks after my ‘death’ I wrote him and we have been writing ever since. About a year ago he asked me if I would be his best man at his wedding. So I agreed and he sent me a wedding invite. Which, by the way, Lupe, was gorgeous. I could tell it was your handiwork,” Lupe smiled and blushed. “So here I am six or seven years later and I think I’m safe to come out of hiding.”
“But a man came to tell us you were dead. He looked really official,” Kalli said.
“That was Stefan, the leader of the band I used to drive for, and possibly my greatest inspiration. He came to tell you as a favor to me. He looks the best in a suit,” Kalli looked like she might cry. “I’m sorry.”
Data Venia got into a large group hug around him. The reception went wonderfully but, for some reason, the camera man was having a hard time keeping the twins out of his shot.
***
Epilogue
Coda
Two years later:
Dear Diary,
Life is amazing. Today is my and Percy’s second wedding anniversary so thought it would be a good day to update on life.
Percy and I have successfully become a professional piano duet group. We mostly work in Europe but last year we had a tour in America. On the California stop Mom and Drake came. Percy personally threw Drake out of the concert (which was freaking hilarious by the way. I gave him a kiss for it) but we invited mom backstage after the show. She said she was sorry and blah, blah, blah. The point is that my mom and I are back on speaking terms which I’ll admit is kind of nice. I missed her, as much as she frustrates me at times.
I talked to Lupe last week. The band is doing well. Masashi, Sasha, Demitri, Dragen and of course Lupe went on to form a band. Percy and I naturally get signed copies of every album and occasionally feature in songs.
So life is good. Percy is taking me to my favorite restaurant tonight so I need to go get ready. I think tonight is the best night to tell him: I’m expecting.
Kalli Hardford
###
Thanks for reading!
About the author:
Caitlyn lives in Texas with her family and dog. This is her first novel.
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Tell me how you heard about this book!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Caitlyn_Bogart
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Blog: https://caitlynbogart.wordpress.com/
Acknowledgments
So many people were involved in supporting me during this project and without them, this would have just been a stack of papers on my shelf
A million thanks and kudos to Sharon Eiben for designing the cover with so much patience for my antics. Photo credit: Brad Walsh for the building. Sharon Eiben for the music.
Thank you to my beautiful editors and beta-readers: Diane Boone, Lesley Cobb, and Lori Cummings
To all of those who listened to me ramble all these years about these crazy characters I me, thank you for listening and not sending me to the nut-house. To all my friends: you inspire me to write these crazy characters. There are so many of you but specifically thank you to Marlie Arnell for begging to read chapter after chapter from the very beginning of my first novel back in 6th grade. You made me keep going when I wanted to quit so many times in the years since. And thank you, Sarah Wright and Jamie Royster for always having suggestions of where the story should go next (some of those crazy idea actually got published)
I would be nothing without my family. You all get me through this crazy world. And I will always love all of you. You remind me to chase my dreams and teach me how to achieve them.
Thank you to Amy May and Michelle Lindsay: you taught me that English could be fun in classroom, not just in my head. I am always learning something new from each of you and every day you solidify my career choice.
This project would not have been possible without the excellent guidance and mentorship of Rosemary Clement-Moore and Russell C. Conner who got me through the writing stages, editing portion, and onto publication with grace
My knowledge of music is devoted to the amazing band directors I have had over the years: Margo Strull, Mark Connaway, Matt Holm, Glenn Lambert, and lesson teacher Cami Jerez. A special thanks to Paul Heuer. You taught me to love music again and realize just how inspiring and powerful playing an instrument can be.
A Common Language Page 27