Page 26 of Requiem

“Bye, buddy!” I wave up to him as we grab our instruments and head for the entrance.

“Bye-bye, Unca!” he responds as he grabs fistfuls of Natalie’s short, dark hair.

“Ouch!” she yips. “Take it easy up there!”

He giggles happily as his mother blows him a kiss.

“I love you, baby boy!”

“Mamamamamama …” he babbles happily as Natalie takes him toward the room, using the stroller as a trolley for her suitcase.

Julia looks after them a little wistfully.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I reassure, nudging her arm with my elbow. “Natalie’s got this under control.”

“I know, I know,” she mutters, turning reluctantly and following me out onto the sidewalk for the four-block walk to the theatre. “I can’t help it. When he’s out of my sight I feel so …vulnerable.”

“I get that, but wouldn’t you be even more worried if you’d left him at home in New York? At least this way he’s close by.”

She shrugs, unconvinced. “Yeah, I guess. I’m fine when he’s at home with Matthew. But now that his tour with the Gotham Chamber Players overlaps with our tour, things have gotten complicated. I mean, I knew this would happen eventually. I just have to get used to trusting someone else with my child.”

I’d like to tell her that she has absolutely nothing to worry about, that David is safe, and that there isn’t anything out there in the big, bad world that Natalie can’t handle. But that would be a lie. Julia and I both know exactly what, or rather who, is out there in the big, bad world. She should be worried. She should be very worried.

****

True to her word, Natalie has ensured David is out cold by the time we meet-up again at the concert hall. Julia lifts him gently from his stroller into the playpen she has setup in her dressing room backstage. She kisses the tips of her fingers and then transfers it to his forehead. Natalie has gone back to the hotel for a rest before she’s back on duty during concert.

“Looks like it was a big day for the little guy!” I comment, watching his chest move up and down heavily through his denim coveralls.

Julia joins me for the Chinese food feast I have assembled for us on a coffee table.

“Seems so. And believe me, that’s no easy feat! It takes a lot to get him that tuckered out,” she smiles and takes a bite of an egg roll.

I dig into a pint of General Tsao’s. Chicago is only an hour from my hometown of Owl Bridge. As a result, I know all the good restaurants, including the best hotdog cart, pizza joint and Chinese takeout.

“Have you spoken with Matthew?” I mumble through a mouthful.

She nods.

“Yes, they’re in Houston tonight, then on to Dallas and Austin. He should be home a few days after I get back.”

“Will you stay in the city, or head out to your place on Long Island?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Since we’ll have a break from the Walton, I may go out to the house for a few days, let David play in the leaves and go pumpkin picking.”

“Now that sounds like fun,” I smile, pointing my fork at her for emphasis.

“You should come!” she exclaims, suddenly inspired by the idea. “He’d love it. You and Maggie could stay the weekend and keep us company. That’s a big old house to rattle around in, especially when Matthew’s gone.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet. Let me ask Maggie when I call her tonight. She’s missed some work while she’s been staying with my mom. She may need to put in some weekend time to make up for it.”

“How is your mom, Brett?”

I shrug.

“About as well as can be expected, I guess. Her long-lost sister has resurfaced and seems to be sticking around.”

“Is that a good thing?”