“It’s good to hear your voice. So, you know what I’m going to ask. Have you booked a flight back to Miami yet?”
“I’ve decided to stay in Philly indefinitely, Aunt Kat.”
“Really?”
“I’ve got a girl.”
“You always have a girl.”
“No, this is the girl. She’s Uncle Camden’s daughter.”
“Camden and Jade’s girl?”
“Yeah.”
“And they’re okay with you sleeping with their daughter?”
“I’m not sleeping with her.”
“Well, excuse the hell out of me– making love then.”
“They weren’t happy at first but they’ll come around.”
“I’m just saying, those two are some of the most intense people I’ve ever met. I think you’ve got your work cut out for you. Is a relationship with her really worth all the trouble you might be bringing on yourself?”
“She’s worth it.”
“So why does falling in love mean you can’t come back down here and handle clients? Your father used to do it all the time.”
“Gigi’s got a new job here that she loves and I can’t leave her for weeks on end. I just wouldn’t feel comfortable with that, so this is where I’m going to have to say that I resign, Aunt Kat.”
“Wow, I hate to hear it but I guess I knew there was always a chance that you’d end up back home with your family and maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
“Yeah, I think it is.”
“I’ll miss you, Knox. You’re a really good kid. Just remember what you’ve learned here and you will be fine.”
“I will and thank you for taking me in when no one else would have me, Auntie. You saved me. You really did.”
“Eh, I think we saved each other.”
I order two slices of pizza and two lemonades and head back to my seat at the amphitheater. Gigi and I are here for a sold-out opening night of Wicked but more importantly, she wants to introduce me to some of the actors she’s working with in the new show she’s a part of.
I’m introduced to each one, but I couldn’t tell you their names if you put a gun to my head. They all seem like cool people and they appear to adore Gigi, which is all that matters to me. I’m relieved that none of them gives me bad vibes, and I’m happy that she’s finally found her tribe.
“Dang, you’re tall,” one of the girls I met observes. She’s ogling my tats with her eyes, but I’m used to it now. Sometimes I think women are worse than men when it comes to leering at the opposite sex. “And your ink is sexy.”
“Thanks.”
I raise an eyebrow toward Gigi, but all she cares about are the snacks I bought.
“You got me pizza?” she complains.
“Oh, damn, they didn’t have carrot sticks and Kombucha for sale at the snack bar.”
“Very funny.”
While we’ve seen the musical already, I can tell that they’ve polished their performances since we were last here. Each scene is pitch perfect. During intermission, Gigi can’t stop talking about it.
