Chapter 9 - Final Chapter

I left the bar practically skipping down the street. My heart had been jump started. That old piano reminded me of something I had long forgotten about. My love of music. It had been chewed up and spit out. Now, I realized all I needed to do was get in touch with it again. There was someone else I needed to get in touch with. I pulled out my phone and called Courtney.

“Estelle,” she sounded disappointed, but her voice was beautiful. “What do you want?”

“I have let a lot of my life just slip away without taking any responsibility for my own actions. I hurt you and the kids,” I quickly explained. “I want to change. Will you meet me at the pier? We need to talk about this in person.”

Her hesitation was palpable, but she agreed. I walked as fast as I could to the Santa Monica pier, home of our first and many other dates. I practiced what I was going to say over and over in my head, pacing the boardwalks as I rehearsed. Finally, I stopped and looked over the rail into the water. The crashing waves released the fresh scent of salt-water. I took a deep breath in, relishing the smell. I looked up at the sky, letting the warmth of the sun soak my face. I felt rejuvenated. I turned around and saw Courtney, as beautiful as ever.

I walked up to her and embraced her. For a moment, I thought she was going to push me away. Instead, she pulled me in and held me close. I let all of the tears I had been holding in release, sobbing into her shoulder. We stood there in each other’s presence for a little while, holding each other, making up for lost time. When we pulled apart, she spoke first.

“How can I trust you again?” She had a point. I shook my head.

“Maybe this won't last very long.” I said. “Maybe I've been hoping too hard but I've come this far and it's more than I hoped for.”

“I mean, how do I know you won’t get sucked back into work?” Her concerns showed on her face, and I instantly knew what I had to do. I pulled out my phone and dialed my manager.

“Hello? I’m in a meeting. What do you want?” He barked over the speaker.

“I fucking quit.” I said. He started yelling on the other end. I looked Courtney dead in the eyes and hung up on him, tossing my phone into my bag. She had a look of disbelief on her face as I grabbed her hands and pulled her close to me again. “I don’t care what consequence it brings. I’ve been a fool for lesser things. I want you so bad. I think you ought to know that I intend to hold you for the longest time.”

We had a lot to work out, but I knew life would return to normal. Courtney and the girls moved back into the house, which was officially drug-free after I got rid of what I had stashed away. At Courtney’s request, I got Marina another job far away from me. Stan and I keep in touch often, and he is doing well despite being in and out of jobs. I spot him some money when he needs it and he hasn’t been homeless in a year.

The record company wasn’t happy that I had wanted to quit, so instead of letting me go, they signed me on as my own producer and manager, allowing me to make the music I wanted to and spend quality time with my family. I decided to take some of my older, sad songs and rewrite them into happier versions to reflect my lifestyle change. We bought a dog, who we named Mercury and we continued to work on our perfectly normal lives together.

DECEMBER 25

When we gathered together on Christmas morning, I noticed the piano first.

“I talked to John,” Courtney said, leaning her head on my shoulder. “He knows you’re the one that’s been making the donations. He found a new one and decided you should have her.”

“I... I don’t know what to say,” I stammered out.

Courtney nudged my arm. “Go play it.” I sat on the bench and took a deep breath, then started playing. Mika and Lucia unwrapped their gifts, but Courtney stood right by me, her hand on my shoulder, as I sang,

“Let me call you sweetheart,
I’m in love with you.
Let me hear you whisper
That you love me too.
Keep the love light shining
In your eyes so true.
Let me call you sweetheart,
I’m in love with you...”

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Thank you for following along with this series. For a full list of pop culture references in the chapters, click [a= http://3dspaint.com/blog/?id=98664 ]here[/a]. I won’t say which ending is the true ending, that’s up to you guys. I hope you enjoyed the series. I enjoyed writing it. Maybe there will be more to come.