The Heartbreak Factor - Part Four

Chapter Sixty.

Sitting down on the chair in the theatre, I bobbed Katy up and down on my knee as she looked around the broadway auditorium in amazement. I didn’t know how she was able to look around. I was petrified. We were seated on the balcony, which was right at the top. There was only a small gold barrier than ran the perimeter of the wall at the bottom of the balcony that was preventing us from falling all the way own into the lower stalls. Heights had never been my strong point. George found my fear absolutely hilarious though. I was clinging onto the chair with one hand for dear life as I held onto Katy with the other. In the end, he stopped smirking and took Katy from me so I could hold onto the chair with both hands. 

Mum and Michael were treating us, well, mainly Katy, to a showing of the Lion King on Broadway. I was lucky enough to say I had seen Lion King on the West End when I was younger and absolutely loved it. Katy was still too young to understand what we were doing but as soon as the show began, her eyes were glued to the stage. 

*

Straightening out my dress in the mirror of the theatre’s bathrooms, I sighed to myself. Luckily, mum came out of a toilet cubicle, holding Katy’s hand just before I had chance to sigh again. I didn’t know why I was so nervous. I wasn’t this nervous about the performance the other day for the memorial. I was petrified. 

“Are you sure you want to do it, Sammy?” mum asked, looking at me in huge concern as she helped Katy was her hands in the lowered basin. “You can cancel. I’m sure they’ll understand.”

I nodded. “I need to do it.” I looked back over my shoulder and smiled at mum. “I’ll be fine once I get there. I just think it’s not knowing what to expect beforehand.” 

“From the letter, they seem like lovely people. And when you rang them up, they seemed really happy that you wanted to meet them,” mum smiled, trying to reassure me. “I can’t imagine that they would want to hurt you. I just think they want to thank you personally." 

“But why would they need to thank me? I wasn’t the one who did anything. It was dad." 

“Yes, but you still lost your father for them to have their lives saved,” mum replied. “It’s probably part of their way of dealing with it all.” 

I nodded again. 

“It can help you too. Your dad died. I know it’s been ages but we’re still having to deal with it. I think about your dad every day. Even though we’ve both moved on with our lives, he’s still in our memories and you meeting people who were saved by your dad could make you feel a little bit better about the whole thing. I know it still hurts to think about that day.” 

“Why don’t you come with me?” I suggested.

Mum shook her head. “It wouldn’t be fair on Michael. He’s been so understanding about how I feel about your dad but I think this would be too much. He tries ever so hard not to mind me still grieving the loss of him, but it still shows. I know he does his best and I love him ever so much for that but there’s only so much he will be able to hide. I still love your dad. I always will. But I love Michael as well. Michael is my future. Your dad was my past.”

Even though I knew it hurt my mum for her to say those words, I understood what she meant so I nodded and let the topic drop. “Are you sure you’re okay looking after Katy tonight?” 

“Of course we are,” mum beamed, picking Katy up and grinning at her. “We’re going to go back to the hotel to watch movies and eat as much popcorn as we can, aren’t we?”

Katy grinned. “Yeah!" 

I smiled at them both. “Save some for me though.”

“We’ll try,” mum laughed.