That Would Be Enough

4

Lin and Kate continued to text throughout the week. It was evenly initiated – some days he would text first and sometimes it was Kate. Like any beginning to a new relationship, any communication sparked feelings of excitement. Lin loved her sense of humor and found himself chuckling quite often at her texts.

They made arrangements to go out to dinner on Friday evening. Lin would pick her up around 6:30. He programmed her address into his Google Maps and found himself in front of an older building. It definitely wasn't the ghetto, but it wasn't Buckingham Palace either. He assumed she was living on a single income, and as a single mother, he was sure money was tight. He managed to find a parking spot and found his way to her apartment on the 17th floor. As he approached the door, he heard loud giggling. He smiled as he knocked on the door.

A pair of small feet rushed to the door to answer it. Madeline's small form struggled to unlock the door and pull it open. She looked up at the man at the door, who would be taking her mother out to dinner.

"Hi!" She greeted him.

Lin smiled down at her as he stepped inside. "Madeline, right?"

"How do you know my name?" She asked.

"I learned it when I almost hit you with my car," he reminded her. The episode had been long forgotten by the four year old. She took his hand and led him over to her kitchen play set.

"I'm gonna bake you some cookies," she told him as he sat down on the floor.

"I love cookies," Lin told her. "What kind?"

"Chocolate chip of course," she told him as she pretended to put together some ingredients.

"Sounds good," he told her, playing around. Kate opened her bedroom and walked out, wearing some white capris and a flowing tank top. As usual, she looked gorgeous. Lin looked over at her and called a greeting.

"I see you're baking," she said as she tried to clean up in the kitchen a bit.

"Yes, Madeline's a great cook," he said. The girl put a play cookie in Lin's palm and he pretended to eat it. There was another knock on the door, and the kid was off again.

"That should be the babysitter," Kate said as she wiped her hands on a towel. Madeline opened the door to a teenage girl with braces. Lin stood up, tucking his hands in his pockets.

"She needs to be in bed by 8," Kate told the babysitter. "No drinks after 7:00."

Kate turned to her daughter and gave her some reminders. "Make sure you brush your teeth and listen to Amy," she said. Kate knelt down and gave her daughter a kiss and a hug. Lin and Kate made a quick exit and headed out to her car.

About 10 minutes later, they arrived at a nice hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant that Lin loved. They ordered some cocktails and relaxed in the quiet, cozy atmosphere.

"So, you're not performing at the moment are you?" Kate asked him. Since realizing last time he was Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, she did some research on him so she wouldn't make a fool of herself.

Lin shook his head and set his drink down. "No, I did it for about a year, but then decided to step back," he said. "It's a pretty exhausting role. I miss it, though."

Kate nodded in understanding. "Doing a show every night of the week and then all of a sudden not having that I'm sure is a bit of an adjustment," she observed. "What do you do with your time now?"

"I like to go on walks with my dog," he began. "I've been catching up on movies and books and such."

"What are you reading?" She asked him curiously.