Yellow

Chapter Eight

                                                                    Chapter Eight

The night came upon us faster than I expected and I found myself rushing to curl my blonde hair as Madeline spritzed herself with my perfume. Mama V did nothing to help us. "We've got twenty minutes until we leave, come on Primadonnas!" She yelled with a cackle that's when she paused and smiled, watching Madeline and I running about like chickens with their heads cut off. I had just finished spraying perfume on myself when Mama V grasped my wrist and pulled me out of her house and to a cab where Madeline was waiting inside.

There was a massive crowd outside Her Majesty's Theater! I didn't see a way through it, but, Mama V assured us that she had a way. Before we stepped out of the cab she gave Madeline and I cards with nothing on them, save the letters 'M,M,C,A,V' printed in black ink upon them. When we stepped out of the cab, Mama V, Madeline and I flashed these cards at a man who smiled, nodded, and lead us through the crowd, we were the first people inside the opera house! I tried not to act surprised when I stepped into the opera house, but it was virtually impossible!

The golden, expert paints of cherubs drew my eyes, then, I would see a grand, golden chandelier, then my eyes would be pulled to the dark, red, velvet curtains. Next my eyes were yanked to the massive, beautiful, stone stage. Mama V had to keep a good grip on my wrist so that I would not wander away and onto the stage, the man brought us up into the opera boxes, to box five. For some reason, I thought I had heard something about box five from Erik, but I could not remember what! Madeline sat in the middle of Mama V and I, I sat on the left of the opera box, and Mama on the right, as the people filed into Her Majesty's Theater I felt they looked like ants!

They looked small from the opera box, crawling around, scavenging for their seats. Twenty minutes after all of the ants got to their seats the opera began and my, I don't believe I've ever been this excited since I met Erik! Don Giovanni was wonderful and played by wonderful actors, and to think, I might be one of them soon! At the first intermission a man in a red coat who worked for Her Majesty's Theater came to me, holding a note. "This is for you ma'am" the man was English, not the French I was so accustomed to.

I thanked him and took the note, I opened it to find well known, childish handwriting in red ink. I held my breath as my eyes caught sight of the first words.

My dearest Penny,

  I do hope you're enjoying Don Giovanni, I know I did when I saw it for the first time. You handled your sister exquisitely in telling her what your mother did to you. You appeared cold and you were twisted into a quite odd position at that desk, I figured it would be better that you slept in your feather bed than at that desk. Anyways, your mother, Jeanette, has learnt of your father's bane and at the moment she is sitting in the third row from the stage, she wears the black dress with the black veil and the white rose. Do your best to avoid her.

I have a special surprise on its way to you as you read this, it should arrive in a few moments. Good evening, darling Penny, do not fret, your guardian angel watches over you.

    With love,

       Erik. 

I reached across Madeline's small body and grasped Mama V's wrist tightly. I whispered the letter to she and Madeline and just as I finished the little English boy wearing the red coat appeared again, now, he carried a box of English Toffees and a bouquet of roses. I smiled up to the boy and thanked him, he turned and left without a word. The three of us divided the box of Toffees and ate quietly whilst I stuck my nose in the roses, I had never smelt flowers so sweet! I placed the bouquet beside me and before I could ask, Mama V held out a sheet of paper to me, along with a pen.