The President's Hidden Legacy

(18) A Celebration of Love

Lumi was led onto the stage, and a wave of nerves engulfed her.

oh no

The reality hit her hard – she was moments away from performing in front of everyone, including her new friend, her mother, and her father.

oh god

With her sweaty hands, she arranged her papers and sat on the chair next to the piano.

Lumi grabbed the microphone.

"He-" a long ring interrupted her.

"Sorry about that. Um, hi, my name is Lumi Iris Baird. In honor of my parents' engagement, I've planned a performance that took me a while to, um, learn."

My palms are so sweaty, oh God.

"Um, it's a song that my mom sang to me since I was little, and I would also like to thank my tutor for helping compose the song on piano. Um, yeah."

*Ahem.*

shit now my throat feels dry..whatever

Lumi started playing the opening keys. She wasn't a great singer like her mother, but she wasn't terrible. She had taken vocal lessons on the side to prepare for this.

Deep in the meadow, under the willow
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes
And when again they open, the sun will rise.

Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.

Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when again it's morning, they'll wash away.

Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.

She played the final key, stood up, and bowed.

"Thank you."

She could hear people cheering, and she even noticed some with tears in their eyes. Perhaps it was due to the emotional lyrics. Stepping down from the stage, she joined her mother.

"Lumi!" Lucy Gray rushed to hug her daughter. She pulled back and held Lumi's face. "Oh, my beautiful baby girl, that was beautiful. You remind me of when I used to perform in the hob."

"You liked it?"

"I loved it." Lucy Gray kissed her daughter on the cheek, leaving a bit of her lipstick.

While Lucy Gray licked her finger to remove some lipstick from Lumi's face, Coriolanus also complimented her performance.

He patted her head. "That was beautiful. You have the same stage presence as your mother."

"Tha-thank you." Could he see her huge smile? She was so happy her father loved it.

"Um, I'm sorry, I have to go look for Evangeline."

Surrounded by a sea of people, the constant influx of conversations made it challenging for Lumi.

Whether it was inquiries about her parents or invitations to perform at various parties, the crowd added to the overwhelming buzz of the night.