* * *
"Leather and Lace?" Paula asked as she scrutinized one of the karaoke
CDs that Danielle had given her with the unit.
"Stevie Nicks and Don Henley? It's a great duet from the 80's. Guess
I wanted to relive my high school days!" Danielle laughed. "But it's a
really good song, Mom. In fact, everything on this CD is fantastic!"
"I told her to go with Sinatra but my wife wouldn't listen to me,"
Patrick joked. "But there's another one with various ballads. You might
like something on that better, Mom."
"Your mother likes everything," Carl commented. "And I'm sure
whatever Madeline performs will be wonderful."
"Uh-oh, I did agree to that didn't I? Maddy teased. Then with a
revelation, she poked Kenny playfully in the ribs and said, "You know,
Leather and Lace is a duet, Kenny!"
"Yeah, so?" he joked, pretending to miss her meaning.
"So I think you and I should do a little entertaining together," she
winked.
"Ah, no! I don't think so," he protested. "My job today was cooking
dinner, Miss Rose. Your job is entertainment."
"Ok, I'll make you a deal," she bargained. "I will sing a solo first if
you promise to sing a duet with me afterwards. Please, Kenny?" She
implored him with her big, brown eyes and he thought he might crumble
to the floor.
"Oh, ok sweetheart," he promised, stroking her cheek. "Just don't
expect me to sound good."
"Don't worry, I'll back you up," she said softly.
"Maddy!" Danielle interrupted. "Can you sing this one?" She pointed
to a beautiful Chantal Kreviazuk ballad that had been featured in a
romantic comedy.
"Oh yes! That's one of my favorites, too," Madeline remarked. And a
few minutes later, she found herself on a makeshift stage, performing Feels
Like Home to Me for a captive audience.
Afterwards, the entire group sat in utter silence for a moment,
completely spellbound by Madeline's powerful rendition of an already
emotionally moving song. She sang with heartbreaking authenticity, as if
she herself had written and experienced the lyrics personally. And though
she couldn't actually take credit for the words, they exquisitely portrayed
her experience in the same profound way that only a handful of other
ballads did.
Not surprisingly, the most affected audience member had been Ken,
whose eyes teared up through the whole piece while they remained frozen
upon her. Only the sound of robust clapping a minute later roused him
from his reverie. Maddy blushed as she accepted their sincere
compliments, feeling as if she was about to wake up to a blaring alarm
clock to discover that this joyous occasion had simply been a product of
her subconscious mind. That is, until Ken ran up and threw his strong
arms around her. All of the sudden the rest of the room disappeared-at
least until Mrs. Lockheart spoke up.
"Madeline, that was absolutely breathtaking!"
"Aw, thanks," she repeated. As much as she appreciated the positive
feedback, she'd never quite gotten comfortable with being the object of
attention; it certainly defied the stereotype of "youngest child syndrome"
with its need to be the center of the Universe.
"Ok, then!" she added brightly, "I think it's time for Ken to entertain
us!"
"Whoa, you expect me to follow that? He protested.
"Hey, a deal's a deal," she teased. "And as we all know, you are a man
of your word!" And though he frowned at her in mock exasperation, he
gladly took the microphone and joined her in a duet-a phenomenon that
would soon define their lives in more ways than one.