rooftops

life after

***

George and I wait in the reception area for all the kids to be let out from the hall. I'm deadly tired, my feet ache and I'm more then ready to fall into bed, but George is all smiles and can't stop beaming about how well Jane did.

"Did you see her turns towards the end? She's been worrying about them for weeks, oh, she's going to be delighted, she did so well," he smiles to me, his hand perched on my arm as he talks to nobody in particular. I nod along, smiling at the brightness of his smile.

When the doors finally open and a bunch of kids come running out, she stands in the crowd of them, her eyes searching the mix of parents until she finally spots us. She's still in her leotard and tutu.

When her eyes find George and I, she comes running. George takes his hand off of my arm to open his arms, which she jumps right into once she's close enough, her smile wide and laughs tumbling from her throat.

"Jane!" George erupts, letting her go from his arms just so he can get a proper look at her. She's still smiling, looking glad that she's made us proud. "You were amazing, sweetheart, you were so, so good!"

She looks away, up at me, clearly embarrassed and happy due to the rush of attention. I smile down at her, and reach a hand out to ruffle the hair she's already taken out of the neat plaits George had did before she went on stage. "Really?" she asks.

"He's right, you were great," I grin, as George nods along to my words and takes Janes backpack from her shoulder. "What do you say we get some food on the way home, instead of dad cooking?"

"Yes!" she smiles, her tutu bouncing a little when she jumps. "Can we get chocolate waffles after, too?" she asks, walking alongside me and George as we turn and head down the hall and out of the building.

In the time we've spent inside, it's begun to snow. This isn't surprising, it's pretty late in the year and we've already had a few snowfalls already. The snow is coming down pretty heavily, and the car is parked a little bit away, so I usher the other two along so as to prevent anyone getting sick from the cold.

"Only because you did so well," George beams, which is a total lie, both Jane and I know he would get her ice cream whether or not she did good. He would get her ice cream on no special occasion, all she'd have to do was ask.

We walk the five minutes to Georges parked car, and Jane climbs into the back happily, clearly not caring about anything else now that she has the promise of takeout and dessert.

"Where's Nate?" she asks from the backseat of the car, only now realizing the seats beside her are empty, and that they were never with us in the first place. "And Ethan— did they not come too?"

I indicate out onto the busy road, and George turns around to face Jane slightly in the back of the car. "They're at Tom's, it was a parents only event tonight," he tells her, "but they really, really wanted to come. They'll be there next time."

She pouts, but lets it go pretty quickly, bursting into question about how she really did, asking if she was on time for her turns, and a million other questions that I leave for George to answer because we both know he'll answer them better than me.

They talk all the way to Tommy's house, which is on the outskirts of town. George and Jane stay put, whilst I climb from the parked car, the two of them still deep in discussion when I do.