Chapter 7
Erik was very nervous. He hadn’t planned on Charles meeting his crazy family for several more months. He saw them regularly- once or twice a month and on most major holidays though he did like to have some special memories for him and Nina alone.
His family was close but for the most part not intrusive. He could only hope they’d be on their best behavior when it came to meeting Charles.
He glanced over at the other man who was sitting stiffly next to him in the passenger seat. Nina was oblivious to it all as she hummed an irritatingly catchy tune and bopped along to her own beat.
“It’ll just be my parents. You can meet my sister and her family some other time,” he joked though it fell sadly flat.
Charles gave him a soft smile, “I’m sure they’re lovely, Erik.”
He felt like a heel, surely Charles was the more anxious of the two and here he was comforting Erik. “They’re going to love you,” he said, giving the other man a once over. He was looking remarkably handsome in pressed blue jeans and a lilac sweater with a white undershirt. He had a warm jacket with him in deference to the chill sure to come after the sun set.
Erik was proud to have him on his arm and felt somewhat guilty about his nerves. He wasn’t ashamed of Charles or of his family, but this was a big step. One he hadn’t planned on making for several weeks if not months.
“Are we there yet, papa?” Nina called out anxiously.
He sighed under his breath, she was more excited for this concert than she had been about anything in a long while, “Not yet, sweetheart.”
“Go faster! We’re going to miss it!” she demanded imperiously.
“There were some words missing in that sentence,” he corrected automatically.
She sighed and slumped back into her booster seat, “Please, papa?”
“Thank you for asking, Nina. We’ll be there soon, I promise you won’t be late.” As usual giving his word pacified her.
She turned her attention to Charles. “Are you staying for the festival after?” she asked, shifting in her seat.
Charles chuckled; she’d asked that same question several times like she was worried he’d change his answer. “Of course, Nina. I’m looking forwards to it. Besides, how else will I get home tonight? It’s a bit far to walk,” he said playfully. She grinned at him and nodded her approval before going back to softly singing the song her group would be performing in just over an hour.
Erik absently hummed along. Nina had been singing it for weeks and he was sure he’d remember the tune and the lyrics for the rest of his life.
Charles watched them, feeling warmth blossom in his chest. He felt lucky to be a part of this moment, like for a brief time they were a family.
~~
“Hello, mama. Hello dad.” Erik leaned in to kiss his mother on the cheek and shook hands with his father. They were alight with curiosity but trying to play it cool. He hoped they could keep it going.
“This is Charles, my friend and neighbor. Charles, these are my parents Jakob and Edie.” He placed a hand lightly on one of Charles; shoulder blades in what he hoped was a comforting manner.
“Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Charles said with a bright smile.
“Lovely to meet you too!” “The pleasure is all ours,” his parents echoed warmly as they all shook hands.
“Shall we go find our seats? I want to get a good view of the stage,” Erik segued quickly. They all agreed and moved on to the seating area set up around the main stage.
“Nina must be very excited for her performance,” his mother said as she fell into step at his side.
He chuckled at the memory of dropping off his little ball of energy with her frazzled teacher and her assistants. “She is. She told me she wants to be an actress now.” His mother laughed at Nina’s ever shifting goals as he’d known she would.
They fell into light small talk catching up on family goings on and holiday plans while Erik kept half an ear on Charles and his father just a few steps behind.
So far everything was going well, he was cautiously optimistic for the rest of the evening.
~~
Charles was enchanted; Erik’s parents were friendly but not overbearing which helped him relax in their presence. He’d been concerned that he would feel like he was interviewing for the role of dating their son, fortunately that wasn’t the case.
Though he knew that looks could be deceiving, on first meeting they were charming, warm, and welcoming. He felt himself relax as he and Jakob made light small talk as they made their way to the seating area before it filled up.
He was surprisingly excited about seeing Nina perform; he could only imagine what it was like for Erik. They settled into their seats, Erik sitting between Charles and his parents and casually resting his arm along the back of his seat. Charles hoped no one noticed the light flush that crept up his cheeks. Not for the first time he cursed his pale complexion.
He smiled to himself, more relieved than words could express that the Lehnsherr’s had accepted him without a hitch and that Erik wasn’t ashamed of small displays of public affection even with his family nearby. Charles was cautiously optimistic that the night could only get better.
~~
The concert consisted of a sixth grade concert band playing rudimentary tunes at a slow pace, an all school choir singing in almost perfect harmony, and the kindergarten play to wrap it up.
Erik kept glancing at Charles throughout the well intentioned yet underwhelming performances they had to sit through to get Nina’s portion of the show. He hid a smile when he saw how charmed Charles looked. He wasn’t bothered by the missed notes and occasional coughs and sneezes. The younger man just smiled and nodded along to the beat. He clapped and cheered right along with the other parents making up the audience.
Erik hid a smile and clapped along as the choir left the stage and Nina’s teacher stepped out from behind the curtain to announce the class.
Then Nina and about thirty other children tumbled from behind the curtains and took their places on the stage. The kids giggled and chattered amongst themselves and waved to family members off stage. They all dutifully waved back at Nina who nearly fell over in her enthusiasm once she caught sight of them in the crowd.
Erik was filming on his phone, zoomed in to catch every expression as it flickered across her face. He chuckled softly as one of the teaching assistants nudged her back into place and adjusted her stem from its crooked perch on her head. Her hair was absurdly silky so he felt kinship for the young woman’s frustration.
Then the show started and he was enraptured by the short narrative play about the importance of autumn in the seasonal cycle and how leaves and acorns play their part.
Charles laughed out loud when Nina hopped across the stage with the other four acorns while about twelve leaves (and kids in a few ambiguous costumes) twirled around to a light hearted tune played by one of the teachers on the piano.
After the narration ended the kids sang the song Nina had been practicing for weeks while attempting what Charles believed to be a choreographed dance but it was admittedly hard to tell.
They received a standing ovation and several teachers and assistants had to converge on the stage and herd the kids off. It was hilarious and adorable in equal measure.
“That was darling! I’m definitely buying the tape!” Edie said, still waving to Nina as she was gently led offstage still trying to take another bow. Erik couldn’t help the swell of pride he felt for his little drama queen. She was amazing.
“Me too,” he agreed. His copy only focused on Nina while the school version would show the entire concert in all its glory.
Charles gave him a bright smile, “I’m so glad I came. This was better than I could have imagined.” Erik didn’t think he could have said the same with such utter sincerity if his own child hadn’t been one of the performers. Charles was clearly the better man in this situation.
“I’m glad you could make it,” he said softly, taking Charles hand in one of his and waiting for the crowd to clear a bit before they could head backstage to pick Nina up.
They shared a warm smile and Charles leaned over to Edie to say, “Her costume was definitely the best in show!”
Edie glowed with the praise and Jakob shot him subtle thumbs up, “Thank you, Charles. Sewing is my new hobby,” she confessed proudly.
“You’re very good at it, I’ve considered taking up a fiber craft but it’s hard to pick one.”
Erik stepped back and let them fall into light conversation while he watched warmly.
“Let’s go get Nina,” his father said after a few moments. “I want to give her the flowers I bought.”
“Is that why you didn’t want to see her before the show?” Erik had thought that was an odd request and in his nerves about Charles meeting his parents he hadn’t even noticed the roses when they arrived.
“Of course, what kind of surprise would that be?” Jakob chuckled and lifted a small bouquet of red roses laced liberally with baby’s breath.
They moved as a group to the stage door to collect Nina. She was still dressed in her leotard but now had on a jean skirt and sweater over it. She squealed at the sight of them and graciously posed for pictures with her adoring fans.
Erik snapped picture after picture of her hugging his parents and smiling ear to ear while holding her roses. Charles happily posed for several as well upon Nina’s insistence.
“Here you go, Mr. Lehnsherr,” he heard a chipper voice say. He turned to see Nina’s teacher holding the small duffel bag that his mother had packed the acorn costume in.
He took it with a smile, “Thank you. The show was wonderful.”
She beamed proudly, “Thank you. Nina is very charismatic and really helped keep the show going.”
Erik puffed up with pride at her words.
“Mrs. Perry! Mrs. Perry! This is My Charles!” Nina cut in; dragging Charles along with one hand wrapped around his wrist and the other clutching her roses. “My grandpa got me these!!” she held them aloft proudly.
Mrs. Perry gave her a warm smile, “They’re lovely Nina. It’s very nice to meet you, Charles.” She tilted her head to one side and frowned slightly but the look only lasted an instant before fading away.
He smiled back, “Nice to meet you, too.”
“I have to go make sure all the other kids are collected by their proper chaperone, it can be tricky with mixed class performances,” she gave a small laugh and took her leave.
Erik didn’t have time to dwell on her odd reaction to Charles. His parents were gearing up to attend the outdoor festival and he needed to get Nina into her jacket or she’d run out after them without it and catch a chill.
“Stay with grandma and grandpa while Charles and I put this in the car?” he nudged the side of her head with the duffel bag causing her to giggle and shove it aside.
“Okay, papa!” she darted over to his father to show him the roses he’d gotten her. Erik rolled his eyes at her silliness.
His parents waved them off with knowing grins that he pretended not to see. He took Charles’ hand and they made their way back to the car.
“We had nothing to worry about, your parents are great,” Charles grinned.
“Thank you, I’m so glad you insisted on coming. Sometimes I over think things,” he admitted wryly.
Charles laughed, “I have the opposite problem. Maybe we can balance each other out,” he tucked his head against Erik’s shoulder and twined their fingers together in a tight grip.
Erik rather liked the sound of that.