Another Chance

7

The next day Adrien appeared at Nathalie’s house he had a small suitcase in his hands and was received by a freshly bathed Gabriel who had opened the door wearing slim-fit grey pants and a burgundy button-up shirt with the two top buttons undone, the bottom hem outside his pants and the sleeves rolled up.

Adrien looked up and down to him, “What is this, father? Where are the rest of your clothes?” he asked as he made a circular movement with his index finger and smiled.

“Oh, stop it.” His father rolled his eye at him.

“I’m sorry,” Adrien said smiling, “I couldn’t resist. It’s not every day you see the Great Gabriel Agreste with his sleeves rolled up. Are you trying to show off your arms to Nathalie?” Adrien teased him.

“I am not. And stop this right now before she hears you.” Gabriel told him between his teeth. “Have you had your breakfast yet?”

“No.”

“Put your case somewhere then and help me start something. Nathalie’s getting Bastien ready.”

Adrien inspected the living room and saw a blanket folded on the sofa as he deposited his case beside it and followed his father to the kitchen and Nathalie came out from Bastien’s room smiling. “Oh, you’re here so soon? I thought we were going to get you later.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought...”

“No, no. That’s ok. I bought something for you. Gabriel, can you put the passion fruit macaroons on the table please.”

“You remembered.” He said while Nathalie started coffee.

“Of course, I did.” She said as she opened the refrigerator to get Bastien’s orange juice.

“Good morning, Bastien.” He told his little brother as she came out of his room rubbing his eyes and still wearing his pajamas.

“Adrien, could you put your brother on his chair?” At that, the brothers froze. Adrien could see Bastien still didn’t trust him enough to let him carry him and he knew wasn’t there long enough to earn the boy’s trust but Bastien raised his little arms anyway and Adrien helped him up, which prompted Adrien to say, “you know, I’ve never been an older brother, but I’ve always wanted to. Would you help me?” Bastien nodded. “Would you tell me if I do anything wrong?” Bastien nodded again and Adrien smiled at him.

Just then, Gabriel and Nathalie began to bring everything to the table, and he took the seat across from Bastien while Nathalie and Gabriel sat opposite each other.

The conversation was flowing smoothly with Nathalie, at some point, saying how when it was just her and Bastien they always had their meals on the kitchen counter and commented how it was really a good idea to move to a bigger house now that Gabriel was there all the time and Adrien would be more comfortable if he had his own room when he visited when Bastien spoke, “Mister Gabriel?”

To what his father calmly responded, “not Mister Gabriel anymore, remember?” Bastien sheepishly nodded. “It’s Ok. You don’t have to call me dad if you don’t feel like it.”

His brother then lowered his head and whispered, “I want to call you dad, but I always say mister Gabriel.” And Adrien had to smile, touched by his brother’s candidness as his father whispered back to Bastien, “it’s ok. You’ll do it sometime,” then in a normal tone, “did you want to ask me something?”

Bastien nodded again and said, “are you going to live with us?”

“No.”

Bastien pursed his lips clearly unhappy with his answer and asked, “Why not?”

Gabriel who was about to bite his croissant, stopped before it could reach his mouth and calmly put it back on his plate before he could answer, “because your mother and I aren’t married.”

“But you said she went to live with you when you were only friends to take care of Adrien. I want you to come and live with us to take care of me.” And Bastien said that in that cute way that kids have to say something and still make it sound like a request.

“I’m here almost every day, aren’t I?”

Bastien pursed his lips and nodded but apparently wasn’t convinced because there was a crease between his little eyes when he asked, “Were you married to Adrien’s mommy?”

“I was.” He saw his father square his shoulders and prayed that his father didn’t snap with Bastien for bringing his mother to this conversation. Looking at Nathalie, he could tell she was suddenly running on high alert now too, studying all three of them. Especially him and his father.

“That’s why you lived together?” Bastien continued inquiring. Probably trying to understand all this sudden change in his life. How he, in less than a month, got a father and an adult brother and why didn’t his father live with them. His next question will probably be why their father and Nathalie aren’t married. Oh, he didn’t envy his father one bit right now.

“Yes. But then she went away, and Nathalie came to help me.”

“Why didn’t  you marry my mommy then?” Bingo!

Suddenly, a heavy silence fell over them and all the adults were able to do was blink and breathe and the latter only because it was that or death. It was Nathalie who jumped in and saved us all.

“Bas?”

“Hum?” Bastien turned to his other side to look directly at Nathalie now.

“When Adrien was little, something happened to his mother. We don’t know what it was, but she never came back home. Emilie was my friend and I’ve known Adrien since his first day on this earth, so I loved him as if he was my own. Gabriel was alone to take care of his son just as I was alone taking care of you but he was very sad because he’d lost his wife and was still looking for Adrien’s mommy.”

“Did he find her?” His brother asked in a sad little voice.

She shook her head. “No, he didn’t.”

“So, Adrien doesn’t have his mommy?”

“No, he doesn’t.”

Bastien seemed sad for his brother and father ans that crease between his appeared again ill he spoke again. “Can’t you be his mommy too?” She shifted her gaze to Adrien now, looking directly into his eyes and Bastien continued, “We could share you too.”

It felt like Adrien’s heart broke and was rebuilt a hundred times in just one minute. He had come to terms with the disappearance of his mother, but it wasn’t as if he didn’t miss her. He still had that part in him that would always wonder. Wonder why she left and where to? Why would she abandon them? His father had been crushed after she left, and he knew that the police had ruled out the possibility of kidnapping.

Now, Nathalie. She'd stood by his side. She'd bore with the worst his father had to offer until…until she couldn’t anymore. And that hurt just like when his biological mother left.  Except now he knew why she did it, where she’d been all this time, and she did seem to want him, and what his little brother was offering was his most precious possession.

“I see no problem with that.” She smiled at Adrien, shook her head, apparently to take control over her emotions back, and asked, “So, Gabriel, I’ll start to look into houses in this neighborhood.”

“I’m glad.” His father said with a small smile that reached his eyes.


They chose to spend a good calm day at the beach. The knowledge that Adrien was very good with Bastien and that in return Bastien had his older brother wrapped around his fingers came as no surprise to Nathalie. “It was a good idea to wait for Adrien to bring Bastien to the beach,” Nathalie told Gabriel from her seat under the umbrella they were sharing. “It spares my skin from burning in the sun.”

“Yes, it was. It gives you some time to relax.” Answered Gabriel, as he squinted his eyes because of the sunlight reflected on the sand as he tried to spot his children. “Can you see them?”

Nathalie smiled at the sight of him and said, “When we move to the new house you won’t have to live from a suitcase. You’ll have your own space, and will be able to leave your things there. It’s a shame that you’re so uncomfortable because of the excessive light and you don’t have something as simple as your sunglasses in here.”

Gabriel hadn’t commented on what she said. Not that he had to, but he’d had this distant, thoughtful aura since Bastien mentioned Emilie at the breakfast table. It looked like their son had managed to touch all Gabriel’s tender scars at once and he hadn’t still recovered.

“My sunglasses were prescribed to me but” she took her hat and extended it to him “here, take my hat.”

Gabriel grunted, “This is too feminine, Nathalie.”

“Well, it’s better than nothing.”

And he begrudgingly accepted.

“You know you have nothing to worry about. Bastien has Chat Noir looking himself looking out for him.”

“It’s not that. It’s just…did you see Bastien’s face today. He was so disappointed in me...”

“Please, stop this, Gabriel. You’re trying to be a good father and it’s working. That’s why  Bastien wants you around. That’s what that was all about. He’s going to adapt.” And then, “I’m sorry if you felt exposed there.”

“I know it wasn’t his intention but thank you for your support there. This family has so many issues that he shouldn’t have to worry about. He’s so little. I’m sorry for bringing my problems back to you again. It’s not your place to be the fireman every time a delicate situation arises.”

She took his hand and “You don’t have to thank me. We’ll have to deal with these things together.” And to make things lighter again. “Soon we will hear him whining about why Adrien doesn’t live with us too.”

He smiled and, “Are you thirsty? I think I want t drink something. I could get something for you too if you’d like.”

“Ok. Something fruity?” and then she amended, “Oh! Don’t forget, non-alcoholic.”

“Ok.” And that was it. He was out of there. His gloominess hadn’t faded completely yet and that was obvious, at least to her, whose job used to be to predict his wishes.

“Nathalie?”

She craned her neck and squinted her eyes a little because the sunbeams penetrated from the sides of her glasses until she finally recognized the owner of the voice and raised from where she’d been lounging to talk to her friend. “Dion, hello. Where’s Ines?”

“Oh, her mother is sick, and she went to take care of her for the weekend.”

“Nothing serious, I hope.”

“I think it’s just the flu, but you know, being of age everything is always riskier. I just saw Bastien down there. Who’s that man taking care of him?” Dion said, probably out of concern for Bastien, whom he knew since he was around one year old when Nathalie began to take him to the park. Coincidentally, she and Ines were co-workers with children of the same age and as it seemed lived near each other. All this made them bond in a moment Nathalie really needed a friend and Dion always mentioned how much harder it must be for Nathalie to do raise Bas alone because he thought their daughter was work enough for a whole tribe. And she was. Bastien was a saint compared to little Emma.

“Oh. That’s his brother.”

“His brother? You mean, the father is here too?” Dion asked popped-eyed.

“He is.” Nathalie calmly answered.

“It’s a good thing, isn’t it?” He asked, obviously concerned for his friend.

“It is.” Nathalie then looked around as if looking for someone and asked, “Where’s Emma?”

“Down there with Bastien.” He pointed with his chin.

“Who’s taking care of her?” she asked looking at her children where and spotting a woman around her thirties, in Nathalie’s estimation.

“My sister.”

She heard an “Ahem,” coming from behind her saw Gabriel approach with their beverages. “Here’s your drink, Nath. It’s pineapple.” He told as he handed hers and came to stand by her side looking at Dion he said, “Is this guy bothering you?” putting a protective hand on her shoulder.

“Oh, no. We know each other. Our children are play-mates. Dion, this is Gabriel; Gabriel, this is Dion.”

Both men exchanged pleasantries. Gabriel was obviously trying his best not to be his usual dry self and as it was expected, not completely at ease in Dion’s presence if his hand never leaving her body was any indication, but she could at least give him cookie points for trying to be civil. Dion must have felt Gabriel’s caginess because it wasn’t long before he told them it was almost lunchtime, collected his daughter, said his goodbyes, and took his leave.

“I don’t like him. He was hitting on you while his wife was right there with his kid.”

Completely nonplussed, Nathalie recovered and replied, “First of all, you don’t have to protect me from other men’s attention, Gabriel, as I’m quite capable of doing it myself. Second of all, he wasn’t hitting on me, and third, that wasn’t his wife. That was his sister. His wife’s taking care of her mother.”

“Oh, that makes it even worse.”

“He wasn’t hitting on me.” She knew how much Gabriel was a man of his word and valued his vows to the point to fight death itself not to be a part of Emilie. Dion was her friend and both men would meet several times in the future, especially since it was Dion who told Nathalie to enlist Bastien in his swimming class. Nathalie didn’t want Gabriel’s first impression of her friend to be of an unfaithful husband.


As it seemed, Bastien’s first wariness about Adrien was a thing from the past and that was a relief, but it had the downside of producing a sad child now that he knew that the next day Adrien would have to go back to Paris. The poor boy wouldn’t leave his older brother alone after they’d gone back to Toulouse after their day at the beach.

Now, however, he was still in her house. “So, I was thinking this sofa bed is too small for the both of you together. How about if you slept in my room?” She said, looking at his father who gasped and it seemed he wasn’t the only one noticing the implication of her words because Nathalie amended, “I mean, you and Adrien could sleep in my bed.”

Nathalie didn’t seem to catch his father’s withered expression. That or she deliberately chose to ignore it. Adrien chose not to comment on it, saying instead, “Oh, no. Nathalie. If I’d known I would dislodge you from your own room I wouldn’t have agreed with this.”

“Nonsense. I wanted you here. There was no point in you being here to meet with us and be kept apart when we had so little time together before you’d have to go, and I don’ even know when we’ll be able to see you again.”

After all the rituals were complete, after Bastien was asleep, when his father was beside him on Nathalie’s bed shifting from one side to the other, Adrien was unable to contain himself.

“I know you’d prefer if it was Nathalie here with you, father. Is that what’s keeping you awake?” Adrien said with a smirk. His voice without a drop of sleepness in it.

“Stop it.” His father grunted.

“I understand. I miss Marinette too.” He teased further.

“Nathalie and I are not like that.” This time he could picture his father rosy-cheeked. Lovely.

“But you wished you were.” Adrien was smiling now. This version of his father was too easy to pick on.

“Adrien, would you be so kind and shut up. Don’t you have a flight to catch in the morning?” His father responded in a serious tone.

“I do. And so do you.”

“So, let me sleep, son.”

But Adrien thought that perhaps he should save some sleep for the plane because he could better use his night hours to tease his father instead. “I thought you were going to choke when Nathalie began explaining our sleeping arrangements.”

Gabriel grunted and raised from the bed and as he walked to the door Adrien asked, “Where are you going?”

“Away from you. I’ll be back when you’re unconscious.”

“Oh, please. You just needed an excuse.”

“If you’re still awake when I get back, I’ll hit you in the head.” His father said dryly and then he was gone. It was obvious he wasn’t planning to come back because he took his pillow with him. Who did his father think he was fooling?


Nathalie heard the door of her room close, and someone go to the kitchen. She couldn’t distinguish if it was Gabriel or Adrien because it was too dark and now both men were almost the same high, Gabriel managing to be a little taller, but as the person opened the fridge, she could see it was Gabriel.

She pushed herself up on the roll-up bed and sat so she could see him better and asked, “Can’t sleep either?”

“Did I wake you?”

“No. I wasn’t sleeping yet.”

“Why is that?” Asked Gabriel came to the living room and sat in one of the chairs by the table.

“I don’t know. Too much happening, I guess.  I just decided to move, Adrien.” Then after a minute, she said, “I missed him. I knew I had to leave you, but Adrien…He was so young, I knew he still needed me.”

“I’m sorry for that.”

“Don’t be. I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything. We have to be able to stop feeling sorry for ourselves. It’s in the past now. I’m just happy I got to see him again. And that he’s forgiven me.”

“That’s because there was nothing to forgive, Nathalie. The way I was behaving didn’t leave you much of a choice. Adrien knows this.”

“How does he know this?”

“Because I told him why you left. Well, part of it anyway. And well, he knows me. He remembers how I was back then.”

“I’m just glad you two found your way, Gabriel.” And then she stopped talking because she didn’t want Adrien to overhear about his father’s criminal activities by accident, if he too decided to get some water, so she asked, “Could you come closer?” She could see in the darkness that Gabriel’s shadow had risen from the chair and was now seated beside her on the bed when she continued talking lower, “I was going to say that I was afraid that you’d end up in jail and was worried that you might have revoked the arrangements for me to be Adrien’s guardian.”

“You really thought that was a possibility?”

“Well, you did become reckless. You managed to send even more akumas out even when I wasn’t there to cover for you anymore. So, yes, I thought things could get ugly fast. There was a point I had to just stop looking you up because it was too stressful.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No point now. Aren’t you going to lay down?” She said tugging at the pillow in his hand.

“I, ahmm. I was just going to rest over there, if you don’t mind,” He answered, “Adrien doesn’t stop talking.”

“Oh.” She said scooting over. “Here. Better than a chair.”

“No, no. I don’t mean to take up your space.”

“Nonsense. I’m not as big as Adrien.” She said as she pulled the sheets she was using to cover herself and when he laid beside her, she covered his legs.

He just lay there thinking, facing the ceiling, until he whispered, “Nathalie.”

“Uhm?” She said already feeling sleepy.

He turned his head to look at her. “I’m glad I found you.”

She turned to his side to look at him in the dark and said, “I’m glad you found me too.” Then she inched closer and put a hand on his hip, closed her eyes, and slept.