Awake, My Sleeping Beauty

Chapter 29

"Now, are you telling us the truth about Miss Winters not having known that you were going to call her up to the stage?" one of the many entertainment reporters asked Sebastian. He let out a genuine chuckle.

"I can assure you that she did not know," he replied. "She was as surprised as everyone in the audience was."

"And the audience were surprised all right," another reporter quipped, "Word has it that when it comes to music you've always hated to share the spotlight with other musicians. You hardly ever participate in duets. Some say you're really protective of who you play with."

"Well that's partially true. It's a reputation I've sort of picked up since I started studying music in Paris. I didn't like to play with my colleagues as much as I probably should have, I was always going out of my way to be alone and do my own thing. This girl however, Heaven Winters, is a force to be reckoned with and I would play with her anytime she pleases. She is as skillful at the piano as she is with the violin, too."

Sebastian's eyes shifted admiringly towards Heaven's direction on the far end of the lobby where she was talking with his mother.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Heaven asked Frances, remembering the troubled look on her face when she arrived to Sebastian's concert. "Earlier tonight you looked a little worried."

"I'm good," Frances nodded, "I ... well, I went to see Stewart tonight."

"Oh?"

"I had to see him" she said, bringing her brow close together in a deep thought, "I was having this terrible feeling all day long."

"Well, was he alright?"

"Yes," Frances answered, smiling politely at a married couple that congratulated her for her son's triumphant night. "He looked different, though. There was something in his eyes that I can't explain. Ugh, you must think I'm absolutely crazy."

"No, not at all," Heaven shook her head, "On the contrary, I think it's lovely that you still worry about him after everything that happened with Esther. It shows how much courage you have to forgive like that."

"I don't know about forgiveness," Frances sighed, "But I do know that I care for him. The love and meaning our marriage had all these years can't go away just like that, even if he cheated on me."

"Still, it takes a lot for a woman to act the way you have; to worry about him the way did, to go back to that house and make sure that he was doing ok."

"Some women would say I've lost all my dignity," Frances laughed dryly.

Heaven smiled at her, "I would say the opposite. You love yourself enough not to have let this beat you down. If it were to ever happen to me, I hope I'm the same way you are."

Frances grabbed a hold of Heaven's hand and squeezed it gently.

"Thank you."

"Hey there, you must be Sebastian's mother!"

Frances and Heaven turned to see Dennis grinning happily.

"And you are?" Frances said curtly.

"I'm Dennis! I wrote the script for 'The Sleeping Memories'," he said cheerfully.

"Ah, right," Frances nodded, "Great play. I thought it was magnificent."

"Why, thank you very much. Nice to see you again, Heaven."