Chapter 45: Family Ties

            It’s been two months since the premier of the video and the tour is just about over. There’s one more date and then it’s back home to the beach house and peace. Well, unless you count the endless planning of the wedding. Oh, my God! I’m getting married in three months! Can you tell I’m just a tad hyper? I thought so. Anyway, Shiri’s invited Darren and me to meet her parents, which are from now on gonna be known as my parents also. Yeah, I’m still adjusting to the idea that I was adopted. It’s a really touchy subject that I don’t wanna discuss at the present moment. Darren has been great about all of it. He’s been very supportive. I’m so glad he’s my future husband. He’s the only man that’s ever been good enough. Really! He’s the only one that’s been able to take all my shit and still come out alive. Okay, I think I’m just gonna cut this short now. Time for rehearsal. If I’m late again, Darren’s gonna get pissed. Shows you how much I care about rehearsals. I’ll be back!

Chance

            Chance’s last diary entry ended then. She had been keeping track of her life in a little journal since the beginning of the tour in a little notebook, which now had a dilapidated cover and stickers all over the back. Tape had been placed all over the front cover since it was falling apart. She hid it from any prying eye that just might like to expose whatever secrets she had to reveal.

            Chance slipped the small notebook into her suitcase and locked it for the time being, then walked out of the bus and into the small club that she and Darren would be playing at tonight in LA. It was their luck that the last tour date was in their back yard. Chance felt refreshed to be home. She had already begun to hate traveling. Fans were so persistent. They had been extremely pushy, especially to her. The spotlight was just beginning to be too much for her.

            After strenuous nights at small clubs, home seemed like the only place to take time off and relax. Chance had been fantasizing about the moment she’d set foot into her home and feel the soft sheets of her bed. She’d picture herself in the little condo walking down the hall and into the bedroom, then changing her clothes and slipping into bed for a proper night’s sleep. She snapped out of her daydream when she reached the door of the club.

            “Chance, where have you been?” Darren asked from the stage in the back.

            “In the bus, where else?” she retorted, walking closer to him and the stage.

            “Come on, we’ve got this last rehearsal, then the performance, then home!” he replied enthusiastically. Darren handed her the guitar at his side and she began to strum the chords.

            “I can’t wait to get home. This has been one hell of a tour. I’m so tired. I can’t wait to get into bed and fall asleep. That is my one and only wish,” Chance said as she started to play the first few lines of their next single, “Why Oh Why.”

            “So…” Darren’s voice trailed off when he heard the door opened. He looked up and saw Dan and Shiri walking into the club. Chance swiveled around to see her sister and her best friend walking up to the stage.

            “AH!” she screamed, putting her guitar down and flying into Dan’s arms. “I missed you so much!”

            “Me…too,” he replied, trying to unblock his airway by trying to pry Chance off him.

            She let go and headed for Shiri. They politely hugged each other and said, “I missed you.”

            “So, what’s it been like on tour?” Shiri asked.

            “It’s been great, but I’m happier to be going home today,” Chance answered. “Are you guys gonna be at the show tonight?”

            “Of course! Why would we miss it?” Dan said.

            “Are you staying until then?” Darren joined the conversation.

            “No, we have a few things to do today. We just wanted to drop by and see you guys before the show,” Shiri answered as she took Dan’s hand and led him out of the club.

            “See you later,” Chance called as they left. “We’re home!”

            “And that pretty much proves it,” Darren added.

~~~~~~~~~~

            “It’s finally over!” Chance yelled into the empty club as the road crew finished putting away the equipment. She, Darren, Dan, and Shiri were crowded around the bar celebrating the end of the tour.

            Darren laughed at her enthusiasm. “Calm down. You’re gonna tire yourself out before we get home,” he said.

            “I don’t give a shit. This is the first night I’ll be back in my comfy bed and getting a full night’s sleep instead of waking at five in the morning in a cramped little bunk. I swear, I don’t know how you’ve been able to stand this,” she replied, taking a sip of her daiquiri.

            “I just got used to it after the first tour. I don’t know,” Darren tried to explain.

            “Ah, shut up and kiss me,” Chance said as her lips landed squarely onto his. “Now I get to spend some real time with you.” They kissed again as Dan and Shiri snickered behind them.

            “Shut up,” Darren turned towards them and retorted.

            “Come on, let’s go home. I’ve had a little too much to drink,” Chance said as she stood up and began to walk out of the club. “Daz, you coming?” she turned back and asked.

            “Bye guys,” Darren told Dan and Shiri.

            “Bye,” they replied in unison.

            Chance and Darren headed into the bus. She sat down at the front while Darren walked to the back and sat down on the couch in the rec room. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Dan’s number.

            “Perfect timing,” Dan answered.

            “Yeah, is everything ready?” Darren asked, trying to keep his voice as low as possible.

            “Everything is ready. Shiri and I finished it just before we came to the club for the concert.”

            “You got the right one, didn’t you?”

            “Yes, the little brown and black one, just like you asked.” Dan was beginning to get irritated. Darren could sense it in his voice.

            “What’s up with you?” he asked.

            “You know you still owe me from last time. This adds to it,” Dan replied.

            “I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” Darren answered. “I gotta go. I’ll tell you tomorrow how it went.”

            “Bye,” Dan hung up before Darren could reply. He put away the phone and headed to the front of the bus where Chance was sitting on one of the lounge chairs and staring out into the lighted streets.

            “I’ve got a surprise for you,” Darren said as he sat down beside her.

            “Really? What is it?” Chance asked.

            “You’ll find out soon enough,” he replied as the bus driver pulled into their driveway. Darren ran out of the bus leaving Chance to try and follow him. “Stay outside,” he yelled from the top of the stairs.

            Chance paced at the bottom of the steps until she heard her cell phone ring in her pocket. She answered without looking at the caller ID. “Can I come up now?” she asked.

            “Yes,” Darren replied. Chance slowly climbed up the stairs and pulled out her house key. She unlocked the door and stepped into the condo.

            The first things Chance saw were the burning candles placed throughout the living room. She stepped into their warm glow and looked down at her feet when she felt something crunching under he shoe. Rose petals were strewn all over the floor, each one a different color. Looking up once more, Chance saw a large box in the center of the room with a big tag on the top that read, “Open Me.” Cautiously, she stepped over the rose petals and went over to the box. She began to open it, wondering what could be in such a large package. Pulling the top off, a musky odor reached her nose. Chance looked into the box and saw a pair of little brown eyes staring at her.

            “Oh, my God!” she squealed, picking up the little creature. The German Shepard puppy stared back at her as her eyes filled with tears. A little tag around his neck twinkled in the low light. Chance could barely make out the name etched into it. “Maximus,” she read aloud. A movement took her eyes away from the puppy.

            “I knew you’d fall in love with him the second you saw him,” Darren said as he entered the room from the hall. He leaned against the wall with a big grin on his face.

            “Darren…” Chance barely whispered as she stared at him with tear filled eyes. She put the puppy down and walked over to him. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she cried. “How did you know? I never told you Brutus died.”

            “I have my ways of finding out,” he replied. Darren lifted her chin and gently kissed her pouting lips.

            “Thank you,” she said, wiping her eyes. “He’s adorable.”

            “He’s not Brutus, but he’ll do,” Darren answered.

            “I love his name.”

            “I thought you would. I know you’re into Greek mythology, so I just decided that his name had to be Maximus.”

            “I think you’ve seen ‘Gladiator’ too many times, to tell you the truth,” Chance speculated.

            “And what’s wrong with that?” Darren retorted. “You’ve seen it just as many times as I have, but for completely different reasons.”

            “So what? Russell Crowe is really cute in that movie,” she sarcastically replied. Chance walked over to the puppy and picked him up. “You are just the sweetest thing, aren’t you?” she babied him.

            “And I’m not?” Darren sarcastically remarked as he walked out of the living room and headed for the bedroom.

            “Daz! Come back here! I didn’t mean that!” Chance called after him as she put Maximus down and ran towards the bedroom. Darren stopped in the middle of the hall just as Chance looked up and slammed into him with enough force to knock both of them down. She giggled as she began to roll off of him.

            “Now look what you did,” Darren went again with his sarcasm.

            “Okay, I’ve had enough of your bull shit for one night. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t deck you as you’re laying there on the floor,” she replied as she pinned him down against the carpet and the wall.

            “Come closer and I’ll tell you,” he said. Chance leaned in close enough for Darren to reach her lips and plant a gently kiss on them. She pressed her body against his and deeply returned the favor. Finally running out of breath, Chance pulled away and sat up.

            “Oh, God! How I missed you,” she declared.

            “I missed you too,” Darren whispered as he pulled her close and kissed her once more.

            “It’s funny how we could spend so much time together on that tour yet end up feeling so separated. I didn’t realize up until now what it was like for you. I didn’t know you could easily lose track of everyone you love since this job is so demanding. I’m sorry for all the times I’ve bitched at you for not calling and whatever. I wish I knew then what I know now,” Chance said as she stood up and pulled Darren with her towards the bedroom. “And to make it up to you, I’m gonna do whatever you want me to do tonight. And I mean whatever you want me to do.”

            With a devilish smile on his face, Darren pulled her into the bedroom and asked, “Anything?”

            “Anything,” she answered longingly.

            “Then this is going to be one interesting night,” he replied.

~~~~~~~~~~

            “Maybe we should spend more time apart,” Chance panted as she rolled onto her side of the bed the next morning.

            “That had to be the best night of my life,” Darren complimented. “I never knew you could be so bad.”

            “I never knew you had such a twisted mind,” she replied, laughing. “That was definitely one of the most interesting experiences I’ve had in a while.”

            “Me too.” Darren began to move in for a kiss when the phone rang.

            “Want me to throw it across the room?” Chance seriously asked as she picked it up from the stand to look at the caller ID. “Hey, Shiri. What do you want so early in the morning?” she immediately answered.

            “Morning? Chance, take a look at your watch. It’s almost one in the afternoon,” Shiri said in near disgust.

            “Is it really? Damn. So, why did you call?”

            “Well, Mom is making dinner tonight and she wanted to know if you could come,” Shiri answered nonchalantly.

            Chance nearly dropped the phone as dead silence invaded the room. She sat in bed listening to her heart race with the sudden realization that her real mother wanted to see her. Darren stared at her in concern and was about to ask why she had turned so pale when she said, “Wha… What time?”

            “Dinner’s at seven, but you should be there around 6:30. If you don’t wanna go, you don’t have to. I can see why you wouldn’t want to.”

            “No, I’m coming. I have to do this some time in my life, why not now?” Chance answered as she began to feel the color return to her face. She looked over at Darren and waited for Shiri to say something else before she hung up.

            “Okay, great. I’ll call her and tell her to make extra. Oh, is Darren coming with you?” she replied.

            “Of course! You actually think I’d go alone. I know Dan’s coming with you. Have you even told you mom about your marriage?”

            “Duh, she saw TRL. I’ve been in the doghouse since then. This is her way of making me explain things and sort things out with her. That’s why I really want you to come. Please, put in some good words for me. I don’t want Mom getting even more pissed off at me,” Shiri pleaded with Chance.

            “Fine,” she reluctantly said. “I’m hanging up.”

            “Okay, bye.”

            “Bye.” Chance let the phone slide out of her hands and fall to the comforter.

            “You just turned pale again. What’s going on?” Darren questioned.

            “Shiri wants me to meet ‘Mom,’” Chance replied, doing her best Dr. Evil impression with her fingers.

            “That’s not so bad. Why are you afraid of meeting your biological mother?” he kept asking.

            “Okay, how would you like it if you were thrust into a new family after finding out your old family had been deceiving you ever since you could remember? I don’t think you’d like it,” she answered, her old pain and fury rising up in her throat.

            Darren wrapped his arms around her fuming body and gently kissed her cheek. “It’s okay. I’ll be there, and so will Dan. You’ve got nothing to worry about,” he comforted.

            “If you’re wrong,” Chance said.

            “I know I won’t be,” he replied. She rolled her eyes and out of bed to get ready.

~~~~~~~~~~

            Chance sat in the back of the black limo shivering uncontrollably. She wasn’t ready for this. She couldn’t possibly be ready to meet her real parents. Everything was going to go wrong, and she’d never be able to face them again, or so she thought. Her teeth chattered as Darren tried to keep her warn in the almost boiling atmosphere of the inside of the car.

            “Calm down,” he kept repeating to her. “It’s going to be fine.”

            “No, it’s not!” Chance yelled back, rocking in her seat. “No, it’s not!”

            “Well, there’s no turning back now. We just passed the gate, and it’s closed. You’re gonna have to do this. There’s no way out of it,” Darren sternly replied as the driver stopped the car and went to open their door.

            Chance could feel her heart slamming against her chest. Her breathing began to speed up as all sorts of bad images came into her mind. “I can’t do this! I can’t do this!” she rapidly said to herself as she curled up on the seat trying to get as far away from this would be fiasco.

            “Chance! Stop it!” Darren yelled into her ear. “Snap out of it! You’re the most pessimistic person I know, and that’s bad. You’re gonna end up giving yourself a heart attack at the age of 20. Now straighten yourself out and get your ass to the door!”

            For some reason, Darren’s harsh words somehow helped her swing out of her mood. Chance calmed down and unrolled herself. She pulled a mirror out of her purse and began to place her hair back into the right spot as she did her makeup. The driver held the door open for them as they walked out into the cool September wind.

            Chance defiantly walked out of the car and towards the door. She rang the doorbell, the door swinging open seconds later to reveal Shiri wearing a casual royal blue sweater and khakis.

            “I’m seriously overdressed,” Chance said as she walked into the foyer.

            “No, you’re not,” Shiri replied. “I’m underdressed. Dan’s wearing a suit. Besides, I like your long black skirt and the cute little halter-top. It looks really nice on you. I don’t know how I’m gonna make it through the night. Mom and Dad are in the living room interrogating poor Dan. He’s trying so hard. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Compared to me, they think you’re the better daughter even though they don’t even know you.”

            “Oh, no! I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have even come, then,” Chance sympathized.

            “You’re not getting out of this that easy,” Darren said as he walked up to them. He put his arm around Chance’s waist and led her inside.

            “I wasn’t trying to,” she retorted.

            Shiri led them down the foyer and into the living room at the end of the hall. They entered through a gaping arch and found a room full of antique furniture and oriental rugs. Dan sat on the chair farthest away from the doorway. Shiri’s parents had their back towards them as they walked in, but soon turned around when they saw a smile appear on Dan’s face. This was the first time Chance saw her real parents.

            Dan stood up and walked over to her, gave her a hug then a kiss on the cheek, then whispered, “Thank God you’re here.” Chance gave him a confused look, but soon realized what Shiri had told her was true.

            The room fell silent as her real mother and father stood up to greet her. She stared at them for a long time. She could see how much she and Shiri resembled their mother. All three had the same type of hair, long, straight, and almost jet-black. Even the eyes were the same color of chocolate brown.

            Chance was ready to turn around and run, but Darren pushed her forward knowing what was going on in her head. She took a cautious step forward and a deep breath to ease her mind.

            “Oh, my God! Jerry, it’s our daughter.”

            “I know, Dena, I know.”

            Chance plastered a fake smile on her face and extended her trembling hand. She gently shook both of theirs and sat down across from them on the couch that Dan had just occupied. Dena was wiping her eyes with a small tissue as she sat down across from her newly found daughter.

            “I just want to say one thing,” she told Chance before starting the real conversation. “I know how awkward you feel, and I understand if you really don’t want to be here. I’m sorry I abandoned you when you were a child. I know there’s no way I can ever make it up to you, but I can try, can’t I?”

            Chance cracked a real smile this time. Her real mother wasn’t as bad as she had pegged her to be. There must have been a really good reason behind why she would have given her up nearly 19 years ago. “Of course,” she replied. Dena stood up and gave Chance a long, tight hug. They were beginning to respect each other more and more now that the tension in the room had been broken. Darren, Dan, and Shiri stared at them happily. They could see things were going to get so much better after this moment.

            A long conversation passed between parents and daughter until Shiri finally pulled them away and made them go to the table in the spacious dining room. Six places were set, and the food had been out filling the room with the aroma of many wonderful dishes. Shiri had definitely outdone herself tonight. Chance nodded her approval and sat down beside Darren on the far end of the table near Dan. Shiri took her place at the end and seized Dan’s hand under the table.

            “Now that we’re all here, I can finally get to the real point of this family get together,” Jerry said. “Shiri, what possessed you to get married without anyone’s consent?”

            Shiri shot a worried glance at her friends, her eyes showing how confused she was. Chance knew it was time to take a part in this. “Jerry, she’s 23 years old. She should be able to meet the man of her dreams and get married to him if she wants to. And Dan really is a great guy. He saved her life when she got into that accident. If it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t be here today,” Chance explained in earnest. “You have to believe me. I might have just walked into your life tonight, but I know Dan very well, and Darren has been his best friend for the last ten years. Right Darren?”

            Darren could feel the intense stare Chance was giving him. He knew he had to reply. “Yeah, he’s a great guy. He loves Shiri with all his heart, and she loves him back. They’re the perfect couple,” he said. He glanced at Chance for a moment, then turned to the food on his plate.

            “But that still doesn’t mean anything,” Jerry replied. Before he got carried away, Dena stopped him.

            “Shiri, answer me something,” she said.

            “Yes, Mama?” Shiri replied tenderly.

            “How did he know where to find you?”

            “I felt her,” Dan interrupted, his head down and far from anyone’s eye line.

            Dena and Jerry stared at him for a long time trying to think of a response. Shiri squeezed his hand, reassuring him that everything was going to be just fine, especially now that he had confessed. “Explain that to me,” Dena said.

            “Well, we had just gotten into a fight and she left. I didn’t see which way she went, but a few minutes later I got this feeling that something was terribly wrong and that Shiri was hurt. I felt her pain in the pit of my stomach. I ran out the door and blindly picked the direction the pain was coming from and I found her,” Dan told her. Shiri reached under the table again and took his hand to comfort him. Silently she preyed that everything would be okay.

            After a long moment of silence, Dena finally smiled and said, “Welcome to family.” Dan let out a sigh of relief and glanced at Shiri with a small, almost unnoticeable smile on his face. As soon as that was over, the conversation switched back to Chance and Darren.

            “So, how did you two find each other?” Dena asked.

            “Long story,” Chance simply replied. “It took two near death experiences and a really strange dream to finally figure out we were meant to be.”

            “Tell us what happened,” Jerry added. “We’ve got all night to hear about you.”

            “Darren, you explain what you can, then I’ll fill in whatever you miss. I really don’t want to tell this story. It brings back too many painful repressed memories,” Chance said as she leaned back in her chair.

            “But your therapist said…” Darren began.

            “Screw the shrink. He’s got no idea what he’s talking about. I don’t feel like going through all that pain again. You know how hard it is for me. Just tell the story,” she ordered.

            “Fine, whatever. I just don’t want to fight with you over something like this,” he replied.

            “At least you know how to pick your fights,” Dena said.

            “Okay, it started after Chance lost her parents in a plane crash a few years ago…” Darren began. He explained everything from Scott’s death, Chance’s suicide attempt, and Dan’s wild life to what happened in the last few months, Dan’s accident, the album, the engagement, the painful truth, and Chance’s trip. To everyone’s surprise, Chance didn’t say a word. He’d gotten the story straight.

            “You’ve experienced more than I ever will,” Dena said. “I’m sorry all this had to happen. If only I hadn’t given up on you, none of this would have taken place.”

            “Don’t blame yourself,” Chance replied. “If you hadn’t given up on me, I wouldn’t have had such a wonderful life. I mean, I had my low points, but I also had my high points. If I died today, I would die happy.”

            Darren smiled and pulled her in for a short, sweet kiss. The rest of the time was spent quietly eating dinner. After everyone finished, they settled in the living room for a light dessert of pound cake and coffee.

            “So, when’s the wedding?” Jerry asked as he put down his coffee cup.

            “Christmas Day. It’s going to be in Brisbane, Australia. You guys are invited. I think Shiri already gave you the invitations unless she forgot,” Chance replied as she shot Shiri a hard glance.

            “I was saving them for today, you know? Just in case you guys didn’t get along well,” Shiri nervously answered. She reached for her pocket and pulled out the card. “Here you go,” she said as she handed the closed envelope to her parents.

            “Who’s giving you away at the wedding?” Jerry kept interrogating.

            Chance and Darren glanced at each other for a long moment. They didn’t know how to answer. No one had thought about that until now. Chance already had a frown creeping onto her face when Darren replied, “Well, we haven’t really thought about that yet.”

            “Just in case you don’t find anyone, I’m always right here,’’ Jerry said.

            “Oh, look at the time. We must be going. We have so much to do tomorrow,” Dan cut in when he realized Chance was ready to burst into tears.

            “Yeah, I got work, and Dan has to start planning some stuff for his new band. Chance and Darren have their own things to do, so we’ll see you again soon,” Shiri added as she took Chance’s arm and led her outside.

            “It was nice seeing you,” Dena called from the house as she watched the four of them climb into the limo.

            At the moment the door shut, Chance exploded into tears. “Who’s going to give me away!” she sobbed.

            Darren held her close to his chest and didn’t bother to answer. No one did. They sat in silence as the driver pulled up to the condo.

            “How about your grandfather?” Shiri suggested.

            “He can’t even stand up. How do you expect him to walk me down the aisle?” Chance sneered.

            “What about Dan?” Darren replied. The car fell silent once again as everyone pondered the suggestion. “You know him well enough. He’s been one of the very few people who have been keeping you sane in the last few months. Why not?”

            “Yeah, why not?” Dan added. “Come on, Chance. You know we’re like bother and sister. We act that like it. Who else is more qualified that me to give you away? Besides, it would be my pleasure.”