Tree of Life Book III

Part I - Chapter 03

TREE OF LIFE BOOK III – PART I

CHAPTER 03

Nicole stepped into her daughter's room. Wendy was in her bed, under the covers.

When her mother walked in, she sat up. "Mama!" She held up her hands.

Nicole sat down beside her and gave her a hug. "What's the matter, baby?"

Wendy pouted with her full lips. "Mama, I can't sleep."

Nicole smiled. "I don't believe you." She tweaked her nose.

"No, really…!"

"I don't believe you. You just want me to come in here because you want to listen to it again."

Caught red-handed, Wendy flushed in the face for a second. "Aw…! Just once? Just once? Please?" She grinned and scrunched up her eyes.

Nicole shook her head. She crossed her arms. "I thought we had talked this over and decided it might be better if we listened to it a little less…"

"But Mama…"

"…maybe every other night perhaps and not every single night…" She tugged on her daughter's ear. "…like for the last year and a half…"

"Aw…but I can't sleep without it…"

"No…"

"But Mamamamamamamamam...!"

Nicole reached up and covered both ears. "All right!"

Wendy stopped. She smiled.

Nicole harrumphed. "All right already…I knew you'd be this way…" She got up. Going outside, she retrieved her phone from the kitchen counter and brought it back into the bedroom.

On the way back in, she happened to notice that Brian was hovered over Ella, as she was showing something to him at the dinner table in the sunroom.

Nicole sat back down beside her daughter in the bed. She took her phone and unlocked it. No password. She never bothered. She clicked into the proper playlist.

"Oo…! Can I press 'play'?" Wendy clapped her hands together.

Nicole smirked. She passed her phone to the toddler.

Wendy knew just what to do. Picking out the right track, she pressed down extra hard on the screen and left a big, fat baby print on it. Meanwhile, the file began to play and a voice spoke out of the phone:

"Hey Honey, it's me…" It was Julian.

Wendy threw her hands in the air and mouthed 'Yay!' though she made no noise.

Julian's voice went on. "…I'm just so, so sorry I missed you. I tried calling you all afternoon, but I guess you must be in surgery or something. Now…I know what you're going to say, so maybe it's better that it turned out this way after all. I just called to say that…well, I called the crew. They're ready. They're leaving. Tonight. Now, actually. So…I'm going to go with them. I…well…"

He took a breath in.

"Nicole, honey—I know you'll understand. You always do. You always have. And you know how this is so important to me. And I will call you as soon as…the second that I get back Stateside, I will call you. I really mean it this time. I do.

"But until then, until I see you again. I know you'll remember me. And you'll remember our song. And whenever you're feeling blue or happy or whatever, you'll remember me singing our song because I'm…I'm going to sing it for you right now!"