Our Time Will Come - An After Story

151

Hardin

Eventful, is the only word to describe the morning that I've had. Tessa and I couldn't get away fast enough after the performance our daughter pulled. Not only did she lie to Tessa and I by telling us that Charlie wasn't in his room last night, but she pretended that everything was perfectly fine, when in reality, she was plotting Charlie's demise. Well.. I wouldn't go that far, but she definitely didn't hold back. Just like the way I couldn't hold back my laughter when she accused Charlie of the most ridiculous shit I've ever heard.

"Fuck this." I thought, and with that, Tessa, Auden, the twins and I left the two irate adolescents to talk. I couldn't stick around any longer as quite frankly, I was cringing. So, we made our way to the rental and I fastened the children back into their car seats. I typed the address of a coffee shop that Paul had given me into the GPS, but decided when we were less
than halfway there to take a detour.

I took a glance at my sleeping children in the backseat and my wife, by my side and was hit by an overwhelming sense of guilt. I sugarcoated this trip as a family vacation, and there I was dragging them to a coffee house in Detroit so I could do exactly what I do endlessly at home, work. So I thought I'd use the fine art of bribery and kill two birds with one stone, by finding somewhere we could visit as a family. That way, Paul and I could get down to business and we could have a family outing in the process.

With Tessa and the children sound asleep, I pulled over and searched for places to go. After scrolling for what felt like forever on a poorly written, tourist blog, I decided on a place. I knew that Auden would lose his mind at a 10,000 square ft venue made up of slides, tunnels, and god knows what else. The page said there was an area for the little ones as well, so that would keep Bert and Ernie, otherwise known as the twins occupied for a while.

I called Paul telling him about the change of plan, before bluntly hanging up the phone so I wouldn't have to listen to his shitty excuse. If we flew all the way to Michigan to him, he can sure as hell drive down the road to us.

I was right, Auden did lose his mind when he awaken in the parking lot of 'KidCity'. Must they name these places so cringe-worthily? Anyway, his little face lit up and I got a pat on the back from Tess, So I was proud of my sudden idea in the end.

And Here we are now. Auden is loving life, somersaulting around the trampoline area. Tessa has the sweetest grin on her face over in the baby area as she watches the twins play so excitably.. and I'm having the most informal meeting possible with my manager.. in the cafe of an indoor play centre.

I wish I could give this family of mine my undivided attention, but I guess this is better than the cliché coffee house that Paul had suggested. "Are you listening?" He brings me out of my trance. I have absolutely no idea what he was saying, but I decide against telling him that. "Yeah." I lie and with that, he continues to drone on. He lists a number of publishing companies, ones that I'd rather stick needles in my eyes than associate with, but I pretend that I'm remotely interested for his sake. He mentions the Hachette book group, the last publisher's we used and I consider them for a moment. They weren't all that bad to work with.

The truth is, I was thinking of allowing Vance to publish my book. I know we had this huge disagreement and for a while, I couldn't stand his face, but he has come a long way recently. He was facing demons that only he knew about, but he did what he had to do to overcome them. And that's exactly what the novel is about. It's about the journey that is life and how it isn't a journey without obstacles.

Vance has practically begged me to work with him since the release of 'After' all those years ago, and I know how much it would mean to him, but I have some thinking to do before I even discuss it with Paul. That manager of mine is like an impulsive child. He gets an idea and he has to make it happen, there and then. Sometimes, it's great, but sometimes I could strangle the man.

I need to know that this is for sure what I want and to set some boundaries before we take any steps. Not only that, I have to think about how it will effect our already fragile relationship. Vance and I are only just beginning to get back to what we called 'normal' and I wouldn't want to ruin that, for the sake of the family. They've been through enough.

"Hardin, you do realise that it's either now or never, right?" Paul huffs and I can't say I care for his demanding tone. "You may think I'm nagging you, but I'm going to have a family of my own soon. So if you want to do a book launch, promo tour and all the extras that come with it, you have a matter of months, dude." He shrugs and I mentally flip him off. Who does he think he is giving out ultimatums? I know it will be his first child and all, but he needs to calm the fuck down.

I recall when Tessa was pregnant with the twins, I was completely against the idea of doing a book tour, but he did everything in his power to persuade me. It was his way, or no way. And now the shoes on the other foot, he's realised what it's like, having to balance work and family. It's fucking hard. But is that my problem? I don't fucking think so.

"It's now or never, really?" I scoff. "You think I can't get a new manager?" I lightheartedly joke, but it comes out as more of a threat. The look on his face is a picture that no artist could paint, but I like the fact that he's scared. It might teach him to take it down a notch.

"What?" He gawps. "You can't do that, I've been your manager since like.. forever." He begins to panic and I let him to do so, before putting him out of his misery. It's true, he has been my manager for a long time now, which is why I just love to shit him up. "I have a baby on the way!" He practically spits and that's when I lose my shit. My smirk turns into a fit of laughter and he's left glaring at me, like I just killed his cat.

"It's not funny!" He slams his hand on the table in a fuss. "It's funny that you think I'd even consider replacing you, you fool." I tell him, still unable to catch my breath. "You're literally a part of the family. You're my children's uncle. Don't be fucking ridiculous." I reassure him, still unable to contain my laughter as he flips me off.

I want this to happen just as much as he does. In fact, the sooner the better, but I have a lot going on. The twins first birthday is coming up, Charlie's moving over here in just a few weeks and I'll need to be there for Emery. The time is right, but the circumstances put me in a difficult situation. The last time I went away, being away from Tessa and the children put me in a dark place. It was all for them, but it was hard. Really fucking hard.

"Look, I'll get back to you in the next couple of days and I'll have everything figured out. As long as you promise to settle down. My own wife doesn't nag me as much as you!" I tell him and he rolls his eyes, before nodding in agreement.

With that, I call Tess and the children to the Cafe to join us. I buy us all lunch and Paul gets reacquainted with Tessa, Auden and the little ones. I'm thankful when we manage to get through a whole hour without talking about work. The conversation revolves around baby talk and how having a family of your own is a feeling like no other. It's wholesome, maybe too wholesome, but what can I say? I've mellowed over the years.