Chapter Forty-Five: The Concert
The twins' first school concert was announced in a letter that came home in Lily's backpack.
Dear Parents,
The kindergarten class will be performing "The Seasons" for the annual spring concert. Your child has been given a role. Costumes will be provided. Please mark your calendars for Friday, June 9th, at 7:00 PM.
Lina read the letter three times.
"Lily, what's your role?" she asked.
Lily beamed. "I'm Spring! I get to wear flowers in my hair and dance across the stage."
"Leo, what's your role?"
Leo sighed. "I'm Winter. I have to stand in the background and look cold."
Lina bit back a smile. "That sounds important."
"It's not important. It's Winter."
"Winter is very important. Without Winter, Spring wouldn't feel as special."
Leo considered this. Then he nodded slowly. "That's true."
"See? You're essential."
Leo sighed again. "I'm an essential Winter."
Lina hugged him.
"The most essential Winter," she said.
---
The weeks leading up to the concert were chaotic.
Lily practiced her dance constantly, twirling through the living room, humming the music under her breath. She had flowers in her hair and joy in her heart and a determination to be the best Spring the world had ever seen.
Leo practiced looking cold.
"I don't need to practice looking cold," he said. "I already look cold."
"You can always look colder," Lina said.
Leo looked at her like she had lost her mind.
But he practiced anyway.
---
The night of the concert arrived cold and clear.
Lina and Ethan sat in the front row, Victoria beside them, Victor and Katherine in the row behind. The auditorium was packed with parents and grandparents and siblings and friends.
Lina's hands were shaking.
"Are you nervous?" Ethan asked.
"Terrified."
"They're going to be fine."
"What if Lily falls? What if Leo forgets to look cold?"
"He's Winter. Winters don't forget to look cold."
"Winters can forget anything."
Ethan took her hand. "They're going to be fine. And even if they're not, they're going to be adorable. And even if they're not adorable, they're going to be ours."
Lina leaned into him.
"Ours," she said.
"Ours," he agreed.
---
The lights dimmed.
The curtain rose.
The concert began.
Lily was magnificent.
She danced across the stage, flowers in her hair, joy on her face, her movements light and free. She was Spring personified—hopeful and bright and full of promise.
The audience clapped. The audience cheered. The audience fell in love.
Leo was Winter.
He stood in the background, perfectly still, his face expressionless, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked cold. He looked distant. He looked exactly like Winter should look.
Lina watched him with tears in her eyes.
He was the most essential Winter she had ever seen.
---
The concert ended with all the seasons dancing together.
Spring and Summer and Fall and Winter, moving across the stage in a celebration of the year. Lily twirled. Leo stood still. The audience erupted in applause.
Lina clapped until her hands hurt.
Ethan whistled.
Victoria cried.
Victor and Katherine cheered.
And Leo, the essential Winter, stood in the background and allowed himself a small, satisfied smile.
---
After the concert, the families gathered in the auditorium.
Lily was surrounded by admirers, accepting compliments with the grace of a seasoned performer.
"Thank you. Thank you. Yes, I practiced for weeks. Yes, the flowers were real. Yes, I am the best Spring ever."
Leo stood to the side, holding Ellie the elephant, waiting.
Lina walked over to him.
"You were wonderful," she said.
"I was Winter."
"You were the best Winter."
Leo looked up at her. "Lily was the star."
"Lily was Spring. You were Winter. Every story needs both."
Leo considered this.
"I guess," he said.
Lina knelt down and hugged him.
"I'm proud of you," she whispered. "For being still. For being patient. For being you."
Leo hugged her back.
"I love you, Mama," he said.
Lina's heart burst.
"I love you too, baby. More than anything."
---
The celebration continued at the penthouse.
Pizza and cake and ice cream and the particular chaos of a family that had something to celebrate. Lily told the story of the concert again and again, adding new details each time. Leo sat on the couch with Victor, looking at photographs of the stars.
Victoria found Lina in the kitchen.
"She's a natural," Victoria said, nodding toward Lily.
"She's a ham."
"Same thing, sometimes."
Lina smiled. "That's what Ethan says."
Victoria leaned against the counter. "You're doing a good job, Lina. With both of them."
Lina's eyes stung. "Thank you."
"I mean it. They're confident. They're kind. They're exactly who they're supposed to be."
Lina looked at her children—Lily, holding court in the living room; Leo, studying stars with his grandfather.
"We're trying," Lina said. "That's all any of us can do."
Victoria nodded.
"That's all any of us can do," she agreed.
---
Later, after the guests had gone home and the twins were asleep, Lina sat on the couch with Ethan.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Full," Lina said. "Not from the food. From... everything. From watching them. From seeing them shine."
Ethan put his arm around her. "They get it from you."
"Get what?"
"The shining. The confidence. The ability to stand in front of a room full of people and not be afraid."
Lina leaned into him. "They get it from you too."
"Maybe. Or maybe they get it from themselves. Maybe they're just who they're supposed to be."
Lina thought about that.
She thought about Lily, born to perform. Leo, born to observe. Both of them perfect, just as they were.
"I can't wait to see who they become," Lina said.
Ethan kissed her forehead.
"Neither can I," he said.
---
The Next Morning
Lina found Leo in his room, sitting on his bed, holding Ellie.
"Are you okay, baby?" she asked.
Leo nodded. "I was thinking about the concert."
"What about it?"
"About being Winter. About not being the star."
Lina sat beside him. "And?"
Leo was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "I think I'm okay with it. Being Winter. Being in the background. Not everyone has to be the star."
Lina pulled him into her arms.
"That's very wise," she said. "For a five-year-old."
Leo shrugged. "I read a lot."
Lina laughed.
She held her son, her essential Winter, and felt grateful for every part of him.
Not the parts that shone. Not the parts that stood out.
All of him.
---
End of Chapter Forty-Five