Adrienne's Duet Pt. 02

"They're down in the cafe. I told them I wanted some privacy with you, which really pissed her off. She doesn't like you, 'A'. I think she's jealous."

"Jealous of me? Why?"

"Don't you know?" Juliet said gently into the phone. "She sees how we are together, and hates the idea that I would prefer to be with you, instead of her. It means she can't control me."

Adrienne didn't know what to say. There was too much to process. Juliet then said, "Adrienne, maybe we could get an apartment together? Just the two of us. Would you like that?"

Adrienne felt her chest swell. Of course, she'd like it. But she couldn't afford it. Not even a run-down efficiency would be doable, and then what would be the point of living in a dump? "I can't afford an apartment. Believe me, there's nothing I'd like more than to share a space with you. But..."

"I bet my dad would pay for it."

"I can't do that, Juliet. We can't take money from him. My mom would never agree to that."

A despondency settled over them, when suddenly, the mention of Adrienne's mom helped her see a way clear. "Wait a minute," Adrienne cried out. "I bet you could move in with us. There's lots of room at our house. It's comfy, and even has two full bathrooms. We can drive into school together, cook meals together, watch movies, and you can even have your own bedroom, if you want."

"Or we can share," Juliet added with a giggle.

"Or we can share," Adrienne echoed. "Juliet, it's perfect. What do you think?"

"I'm liking it, 'A'. But is your mom going to be okay with this?" Juliet asked. "Shouldn't you ask her first?"

"I'm going to call her as soon as we get off the phone, but I'm sure she'll be okay with it. In fact, I know she will. She really likes you, Juliet. Not as much as I do, of course, but she did say that we were good together. You can't beat that."

"I sure can't. So, should I tell my parents about this?"

"Yeah, go ahead and tell them. And there's no lease, so you can move in whenever. Come straight from the hospital, if you want. Have dinner with us tonight. Oh, Juliet, this is going to work, I can feel it." Adrienne's excitement was pretty high, right then.

"You're good, Sokol. I'm going to tell my parents to come up, and give them the news. Ooooh, I'm so excited," she squealed. "You're my hero, you know that, don't you?"

"And you're my lady," Adrienne answered in the softest of voices.

~*~*~*~*

As Adrienne suspected, her mother was okay with the plan, as long as she got approval, first-hand, from Juliet's parents. That didn't turn out to be so easy. The girls were well into the second and final week of the show, and still, there hadn't been any definitive answer from Juliet's parents. Adrienne never got the full story about all that went down at the Langford home, but Clarissa Langford had not taken well to the idea of Juliet moving in with the Sokols. She also had a terrible row with her husband over the fate of Randall Harrison, and her ongoing attempts to control Juliet.

To her credit, Juliet, who was now living at home, kept clear of it, not wishing to further anger her mother, and trusting that her father was at least on her side, in this matter.

Adrienne knew from the little Juliet told her that things were tense at home and therefore, wisely didn't press her on their living together. She trusted Juliet to be forthcoming about it, when she could. Until then, it was all about staying positive, being supportive, practicing for her upcoming recital and studying for upcoming exams.

For Adrienne's creative writing class, she decided to write a story about a girl coming to terms with her feelings for another girl. The characters were fictional, and the plot changed somewhat, but all of it was drawn from her recent experiences. Not only did Adrienne like her story, she found the process extremely therapeutic.

As for the musical, Juliet was able to perform that Thursday, though her energy was definitely low. And the swelling and pain on Adrienne's face had decreased thanks to a steady regimen of anti-inflammatories and pain killers. She also visited the clinic and had it confirmed that there were no bone fractures or deeper tissue problems. And as promised, Juliet worked her magic, covering up the purplish area on Adrienne's cheek with just the right amount of liquid foundation.

To both girls' relief, word about what happened was kept under wraps, and they were able to show up at the theatre without being pestered by those wanting to hear the whole rotten saga. Thankfully, there were no wild tales of drugs and rape. Though Adrienne did explain to a few of the other musicians that the swelling on her face was due to a run-in with a cabinet.

The downside was that Juliet's parents kept a tight rein on their daughter, insisting that she come straight home after school. They then drove her to performances. That meant, she and Adrienne were not able to find any time outside of the show to catch up.

So, it was a shock to Adrienne and her mother when that Friday evening, after the show closed, they received a call from Juliet's father.

"Ms. Sokol?"

"Yes, this is Caroline Sokol," her mother replied. "Who is this?"

"This is Ted Langford, Juliet's father."

"Ahhhh, Mr. Langford," Caroline answered quite loudly so that it caught her daughter's attention. "How is Juliet?"

Adrienne could only hear one side of the conversation, but as soon as she heard Juliet's name, she was ready to provide her input when necessary.

"Much better, thank you. I want to apologize to you for not calling sooner and letting you know just how grateful we were for all your daughter did on behalf of Juliet."

"That's good to hear, Mr. Langford. I know I'm biased, but Adrienne is a fine young woman, and I know she cares for your daughter very much," Caroline Sokol replied, looking over at her daughter with pride, though Adrienne had never fully disclosed to her all that had happened that night, other than Juliet had been given drugs.

"Adrienne is an exceptional young woman," he concurred. "And please call me, Ted."

"Very well, Ted. I know that the girls had talked about Juliet moving in with us, but I take it that she's going to stay there with you? Am I correct in that assumption?" she pressed.

Adrienne made a face that expressed her disapproval.

"Not entirely, no," Ted began. "Actually, I'm calling to see if your offer is still up for consideration? You see, the fact of the matter is, my wife and I are in the process of getting a divorce."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." A concerned Adrienne stepped closer to her mom.

"It's been a long time coming. Anyway, Juliet's mother will retain ownership of our current home, and I've an apartment in town that I will use when I'm not on the road, which tends to be quite often. The problem is, Juliet does not want to live with her mother, and I respect her position on that. But I don't feel comfortable having her lodge at my apartment, living on her own in what is basically a bachelor's pad. I'd feel much better if she was living with people that she could rely on to provide her with all the support that comes from being with a loving family."

"Well, she'd certainly get that here," Caroline added, proudly. She then gave Adrienne a look that let her know a move was possible. Adrienne's hopeful eyes widened.

"I suspect as much, and from what Juliet tells me, this does seem like something that would be agreeable to them. The question is whether it's something you wish to take on."

"They do seem to get along as well as any two girls can." Caroline had to stifle a laugh due to her daughter's antics in the background. "As for me, I am more than happy to open my home to your daughter. We've plenty of room. It's clean and wholesome, and we enjoy lots of home cooked meals. There's television, and a yard, and two full bathrooms to cover the chaotic needs of three females. And of course, she'd have her own bedroom along with more than enough closet space. The home is fully furnished, but if Juliet has a few furniture pieces that she'd like to bring with her, I'm sure we can work something out."

By this time, Adrienne was on her knees giving thanks to the heavens.

Theodore Langford was thankful as well. "That all sounds perfect. Now I thought $8,000 dollars would be adequate, to start. I'm basing that on one thousand per month to cover Juliet's rent and basic expenses through to the fall, with a little thrown in for any other issues that might arise."

"Eight thousand!? Mr. Langford!"

"If that's not enough, please, say so. I'm quite willing to increase the amount."

"Increase it? My goodness, there's no need for that, Ted. Eight thousand is more than enough, in fact, it's too much, I think."

"Sorry, I won't accept a penny less. I can't begin to put a price on how valuable you and your daughter's support for Juliet is to us. My daughter has been through a difficult and stressful year, and knowing she can finally relax and enjoy the remainder of her school year, is worth any amount of money to me."

"Alright then, Ted. Set a date for when you'd like Juliet to move in with us, and I'll make sure we're ready. And if I have enough advance notice, I'll plan a nice dinner for the four of us. I'm assuming her mother won't be joining us?"

"No, she won't." His response was subdued.

"Adrienne and I look forward to having Juliet come live with us, and getting to know her better. And, I hope you know you are always welcome."

"Thank you so much, Caroline. I'll let Juliet know, and get back to you with a date for the move."

Caroline hung up the phone, and covered her ears as Adrienne cut loose with a triumphal scream of happiness.

End of Part 2