Esther, Be Tender With My Love

II - Three

Upon arriving at Barry's house, I was baffled by the size and luxury of it all. It felt like I was walking into a palace. Linda gave me a tour of the house while Barry helped his brother walk to the couch.

"And here is where you'll be staying." Linda said, opening the door to reveal a beautiful room with the whole outside wall overlooking the backyard swimming pool and the bay.

"Wow! Your house is so beatiful!" I beamed, admiring every single detail of the room.

"Thank you!" Linda smiled. "I'm sure you're tired, so I'll let you get settled and go to bed. If you need absolutely anything, we are right down the hall."

"Okay, thank you so much. For everything. I really appreciate y'all."

"Of course! Any friend of Barry's is a friend of mine! And I just know you're very important to the boys." Linda winked. "Anyways, I'll leave you alone now. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight Linda." I replied and watched as she closed the door. Smiling to myself, I rushed over to the bed and jumped down on my back, my arms flailing out in the process. How in the world did I end up here?

Not a minute later there was a quiet knock at the door.

"Come in!" I yelled just loud enough for them to hear me. Barry walked in with a delighted smile on his face. I reciprocated the action and pat my hand down at the spot next to me. He obliged and lied down on his back next to me.

"I can't believe you're here! I didn't think you'd ever come!" He admitted.

"I can't believe I'm here either. My grandpa had a hard attack and while in the hospital recovering, he ordered me to come here. He said I belong here." I confessed. My brain still couldn't wrap around the reason why I belong here.

"I'm sorry about your grandpa. From what I knew of him, he was a good man. I mean, he helped us get back home," Barry paused and gave me a sympathetic look. "But I think he's right. There has to be a reason why were sent specifically to you in '68."

"I don't know why yet but I'm glad I'm here."

"We're glad you're here too! Maybe having you here will help Maurice."

"What do you mean? Is he okay?" I asked, sitting up from the bed.

"He's alright I think. He just has a terrible alcohol problem. He drinks nonstop and it really interferes with the music. It's gotten to the point where we've actually had to hire a bass player for us instead of Mo." Barry explained, sitting up on his elbows.

"That's awful. I'll try to help him. I miss him so much. I can't even imagine how you and Robin feel about having to 'kick' him out like that."

"It sucks, especially for Robin. To have to watch your twin brother go through this really affects you."

It was quiet for a moment as we were both deep in thought. I knew from research that Maurice had an alcohol problem but to actually see him stumblingly drunk made it all even worse. Now I was determined to help him.

"What if he doesn't remember me? What if he does and he doesn't feel the same we he did ten years ago?" I asked, looking at Barry anxiously.

"Trust me Es, he'll remember you. I've never seen him as happy as he was when he was with you," Barry reasured me with a pat on the hand. "Welp, I shall let you get some sleep. Goodnight Esther." He moved over to kiss my cheek and jumped off the bed.

"Goodnight Barry."

--

The bright sunlight from the open wall burned my eyes, making me groan. That was the only downside to having a whole wall as a window, especially in such a sunny place like Miami. Turning over on my side, I tried to fall asleep again but after five minutes realized that it was almost impossible.

With a slight sigh I removed the covers from me and stood up to stretch. The clock on the wall to my right read 7:13. Damn. It's too early for this.

Quietly, I tiptoed my way out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen to see if anyone else was awake. I noticed that all of the lights were off and came to the conclusion that I was the only one awake. What would I do while I waited for everyone to wake up?

To my left was a sitting room with black leather couches. I opted on sitting there to wait for Barry or Linda. Walking closer to the nearest couch however, I heard a quiet shuffle. That's when I remembered that Barry had helped Maurice lay down on the couch when we'd gotten home last night.

Excitement and anxiety filled me as I walked closer to the sleeping man. He was lying on his back with his hands resting on his chest. His face was completely relaxed and peaceful. Memories of the time I woke him up that first night I met him flew through my mind. I couldn't help but kneel down by his side and softly call out to him.

"Maurice, wake up." I whispered into his ear. Almost immediately, his eyes snapped open and he turned to look at me.

"Esther?" He questioned in disbelief. His eyes were wide in shock and his mouth slightly hung open. "This isn't real. This is just a dream."

"No, this is real! I can't believe it either!" I said, standing back up from the floor. He zipped off the couch and wrapped his arms around me so tight that I almost couldn't breathe. But I was okay with it. There was nothing better than to be in his embrace after so long.