“They liked it,” Linda whispered in my ear.
I smiled at her. “Thanks to you,” I said.
“No, you did most of the work.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m the best.”
She laughed as we stood up and moved back out into the theater’s lobby with the crowd. That place had begun to feel like my real home, the home I hadn’t had since my mother passed away. It was where I met and fell in love with Linda. It was where I gathered all the weirdos I had helped out over the years. It was my project.
“Noah,” someone said behind me.
I turned and saw Miss H, her face smiling huge. She was wearing several layers of skirts and shawls, and big costume jewelry.
“What did you think?” I asked her.
She crossed the space between us and wrapped me in an enormous hug. I could smell her perfume and heard the soft jingling of her jewelry.
“Thank you,” she said. I could hear the tears in her voice.
“Any time,” I said.
We broke apart, and she looked at Linda, smiling.
“And thank you, too!” she said, wrapping Linda up in a hug.
I laughed at the two of them and looked around. Most people were filtering out back into the night, probably heading home. The theater was slowly emptying, and I felt a bittersweet sadness, something I couldn’t exactly explain. It had to do with completing the task I had set out months ago to complete, even though I didn’t want any of it to end.
“You two did something amazing,” Miss H said, pulling away and looking at us.
“No, we just made your story,” Linda said.
She shook her head. “You two are amazing kids.”
“Cut it out, Lacey. You’re the star of the show.”
She smiled sadly. “I’m not the star, not anymore. But you two, you two have promise. Make sure you don’t waste it.”
I stared at her, surprised at the serious turn the conversation had taken. Her look was earnest and pleading, and I hadn’t heard her speak so plainly since I was a little kid.
“We won’t,” I said softly.
Memories of Miss H checking in on me every day, making sure I had what I needed for school, and taking me out to the park came flooding back. I had a nanny for most day-to-day things, but Miss H never let an afternoon go by where she didn’t at least call me to see how I was doing.
I don’t know what I would have become without her.
“Good! Now I’m going home, I’m tired,” she said, suddenly reverting to her usual self.
“We’ll walk you out,” Linda said.
“No, no, I’m fine on my own,” she replied, walking toward the steps. “You two go talk to your lovely parents.”
I looked in the direction of Miss H’s gaze and saw Linda’s parents waiting for us off toward the box office. I smiled and waved, and her father nodded back.
“Come on, your parents look lonely,” I said to Linda.
She nodded and we walked over toward them. I shook her father’s hand while Linda’s mother wrapped her in a big hug.
“I’m so proud of you, sweetie,” she said.
“Thanks, Mom,” Linda replied.
I grinned at the two of them.
“Damn good movie, Noah,” her father said to me.
“Thanks, Mr. Lewis,” I said.
“Call me Chad, I hate that mister shit,” he said.
I laughed. I could tell I was going to like him.
“And as for you,” Linda’s mom said, coming toward me. “I’m proud of you, too.”
She wrapped me in a hug. At first, I was nervous, and I almost flinched. But I quickly realized that the drama between our parents was between our parents, and her mother was actively trying to put it all behind her. I hugged her back and grinned at Linda.
Her mom pulled away. “I’m sorry for any awkwardness between us, Noah,” she said.
“It’s okay, really. I understand.”
She shook her head. “I shouldn’t revisit the sins of the father on the son, as they say.”
“His sins are bad enough for all of us.”
She laughed. “Maybe that’s true, but I am sorry.”
“It’s really okay.”
She turned back toward Linda and smiled. “So, when did you get good at making movies?”
“I learned from the best,” Linda replied.
“She means me,” I said, jokingly.
He parents both laughed, and the serious undertones of our relationship were washed away in an easy, shared joke. We drifted out into the night, chatting aimlessly, and although there was still a hidden level of awkward tension and discomfort underneath everything we said and did around each other, I knew that everything would be fine. Her parents were decent people, and her mom wasn’t going to hold anything against me.