Page 127 of Dear Mr. Brody

“You liked it?” I asked and leaned down to hug her.

“My favorite part was when you stabbed King Juno, the blood looked wicked.”

“It was the perfect adaptation.” Pen Aster held out his hand and I shook it. His bones felt fragile. His skin as thin as paper. “I liked the twist you had at the end.”

I stared at his white hair, the wrinkles on his face all smiling back at me. “I, uh… I…”

“Parker and I are huge fans,” Van said, and I leaned into him. “I think he’s a little starstruck.”

“Like you were,” Pen said, his voice wobbling as he laughed. “I didn’t think anyone knew who I was anymore.”

“You gave me something to hope for,” I said, and I had no idea how I found the words. “When I was a kid. Reading about someone like me. It made me feel like I wasn’t alone.”

His hand trembled as he raised it to my shoulder. I didn’t know if he was nervous, or if it was from age. He had to be over ninety years old.

“I’m glad I was a light for you.”

“For so many,” Van said.

“Tonight, you all were a light for me. You sure know how to make an old man feel special.”

I had about hundred questions for him. But instead, I said, “It was an honor to have you here.”

A younger woman I didn’t recognize looped her arm through his. “We better get going, Uncle Pen. I don’t want you to wear yourself out.”

“Don’t fuss over me, I used to change your diapers,” he grumbled, but it didn’t have much of a bite.

“Thank you for inviting him,” she said to Van. “It meant the world to him.”

He shook all of our hands again and pinched Anne’s cheek before he turned to me one last time. “Good job, son.”

My jaw pulsed as I tried to breathe through the sudden onslaught of nostalgia. Homesick for my father.

“Th… Thank you.”

“We’ll walk out with you, if that’s okay?” Ethan asked, and Pen nodded.

“Anne, sweetheart, go outside with Anders, okay? I need a minute with Parker, then we’ll go to dinner.”

She took Anders’s hand as he said, “I want to talk about the play next week. I think we could do something with it. I’ll have Kris call you.”

“Yeah, okay… that would be great,” I said stunned, and he gave me a quiet smile before he walked away.

The room was almost empty as Van cupped my cheek, his thumb passing softly over my skin. “You looked beautiful up there.” He nodded toward the stage. “I felt it in the end. It was real for you.”

“It was.”

His familiar lips were warm as they enveloped mine. He held my face, kissing me like I might break.

“When you walked out on the stage… Parker. I can’t explain it, but it didn’t surprise me. It should have been you.”

“I thought about you the whole time.” I placed my hand on the back of his neck pulling him in. “Every line…” I kissed his jaw, his chin, finding my way to the soft dip above is upper lip. “Belongs to you, to us.”

“And every night,” he said. “I’ll make sure you know how much I love you.”

Donovan

Four Months Later

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