Tory's POV

When they asked me to play at Femme Fatale, originally, I wasn't really nervous. But knowing that Mari's parents were coming was a game-changer. To add some extra pressure to the mix, my mother would also be there too. After how that meeting ended last time, I wasn't sure I was ready to see her already.

Mari had told me how our parents had ambushed her, and she told me my mom wanted to apologize. I was a bit surprised at that.

After hearing that both our mothers brought up grandchildren to Mari, this evening was starting to look a lot more like a marriage interview. As if meeting the parents of your girlfriend for the first time wasn't nerve-wracking enough From what I heard, it was pretty clear to me that for mom, this was already a done deal.

Well, it was safe to say I hadn't been so nervous about a performance in ages.

After my classes had ended, I went out to buy a little gift for Mari's parents. I had no idea if that was a custom here, but I was meeting my in-laws for the first time, so it felt like the proper thing to do. I had looked up what to give, and the most common gifts were liquor for the father and flowers or chocolates for the mother. Since I did not have time to get both, it was a bit of a dilemma really. But then I got this brilliant idea and bought a big box of liqueur chocolates for both. That should cover all bases in one go.

So, all that was left was to pick a dress. After trying a few things out, I went for my lilac dress without shoulder straps or arms and a border of cute white flowers embroidered at the top. It was a pretty and classic dress maybe a little more modest than what I would usually pick because I did not want to wear anything too racy. I needed to leave the right impression on Mari’s parents.

When I arrived at Femme Fatale. Everything had been rearranged for my performance, so more people could come in to watch. Even with all the measurements they had taken, I noticed that the place was really crowded tonight. If people kept coming in like this, the place would be sold out.

 Lisa and Frank had prepared the piano, with a single spotlight for me and Mari and Frank were helping Lisa out serving drinks. I wondered where Sam was. The kitchen was closed.  It was clear that most of the crowd was just waiting for me to arrive. While making my way to Lisa, I could hear a lot of whispers coming from behind me. I did my best not to make eye contact with anyone. I did not want to see my mother until after the show. If I did that first and it went wrong, I would be completely off balance for my show. I was nervous enough as it was. I did not need to add even more to it.

Mari had already explained our predicament to Lisa, and she had arranged for me to get ready in the apartment. I could make use of Lisa’s room.

When I arrived there, I was confronted with something I did not expect. In front of me was a cute little redhead. She put her finger in front of her lips and whispered “I am playing hide and seek with Sam.”

I could see Sam pretending to look from the hallway.

So, I whispered back to her, but loud enough for Sam to hear “I’ll help you.” I made some large gestures and said “I’ve put a Japanese spell on you. Now you are invisible until you say where you are.”

 Emma looked in awe at me and then looked at her hands. I pretended to be no longer able to see her. She got a really smug look on her face and whispered. “Thank you!”

 A second later Sam walked into the room.

“Oh, it’s you, Tory, I was worried that Emma had gone outside.” She was clearly pretending not to have noticed Emma.

Sam talked to me like Emma wasn’t in the room.

“I hoped to find Emma quickly so that we could have some ice cream, I guess the two of us will have to eat it.”

Seeing Emma’s face full of disbelief, I had trouble not laughing.

“Yes, it would be a waste if the ice cream melted,” I added.

Sam stepped into the kitchen, and when she took out two bowls and not three Emma screamed “I’m here, Sam!”

Sam turned around and put her finger on Emma’s nose and said “Gotcha!”

Emma looked like she got just betrayed but when she received a bowl with a scoop of ice cream, she turned all smiles again in an instant.

Sam made a thank you movement with her lips toward me. “Frank asked me if I could look after her tonight. She was really doing her best to befriend Emma. I couldn’t believe Lisa’s scheme to bring Emma and Frank together was working this well this fast.

I looked at Emma and thought of all that talk about grandchildren our parents had brought up to Mari. I started thinking about raising a child with Mari. Maybe not now, but someday, I could surely see that happen.

This game of hide and seek had been a welcome intermezzo since it had taken my thoughts away from the nervousness that comes with a performance and thinking about raising a child together with Mari had released some of my doubts about the meeting I would be having after my performance.

After I excused myself to Sam and Emma and went inside Lisa’s room. I laid myself on her bed and started to meditate to clear my mind. I was still doing a breath counting exercise when a knock on my door came to tell me that it was time. I took another deep breath and got up.

When I got to the piano, I could recognize a lot of people in the crowd. Many of the regulars had shown up, but I could also see Narcy and Thea next to Cas Ting and Rita R. Dando. If they were here, it meant I was playing for keeps. Then I noticed mom together with who had to be Mari’s parents. I was getting nervous again. It was like going from 0 to 100 km/h in 5 seconds. I focused on my breathing but it wasn’t helping. But then I noticed my blue-haired angel watching me proudly. That was all I needed to get it back together. I wouldn’t know what I would have done without her.

I sat down in front of the piano, closed my eyes, pictured Mari’s face in my mind, and opened with “My baby just cares for me” a song originally by Nina Simone.

After I finished, I received loud applause and I immediately set in a second song. I played and sang more old jazzy love songs while thinking of my blue-haired angel and did my best to think of all the fluffy feelings she created inside of me, and I did my best to project them in my music. I felt like I was floating and walking down a sunny boulevard with Mari while holding hands. The smile on my face must have been ridiculous, but I didn’t care. I felt happy overwhelming myself in these feelings I felt for my muse.

Before I knew it, I was at the end of my setlist, and after the last song finished, I was met with shouts for an encore, so I had no choice but to play a few more songs before ending with the old-time classic “Blue moon.”

I received another round of applause, and made my way off the stage, straight to the person that had gotten me through tonight. I embraced and kissed her and said “Thank you. You saved me there.”

Mari clearly not knowing what she had done looked a little befuddled. I could hear a shutter close behind us, so I got a little coquettish and posed for that photographer with Mari.

“Perfect,” Rita said. “I did not know you were such a good singer too. I think your performance warranted another article in Collegium Musicum!”

She asked Mari and me a few questions, but we were quickly interrupted by Cas, who wanted me to do a jazz show at Bozar too, to which I of course agreed. I would grab any chance to play at Bozar.

After the commotion had calmed down and the crowd had mostly gone. I realized I had no more excuses and had to face my demons. I went back to Mari and told her to introduce me to her parents. I could hardly go up to them by myself.

So Mari walked me over to their table and said “Mom, dad, meet Tory, my girlfriend who I am going to be living with.”

“Call me Tom,” her dad said, and he gave me a kiss on my cheek. “And I am Marta. I hope we will get along fine.” Her mom said before giving me a kiss.

“Your performance was truly marvelous.” Tom then said. Clearly to break the ice. I smiled and thanked him, but first things had to come first. I turned to my mom, who had stayed silent.

When she noticed I had placed my attention on her she said in Japanese “I wanted to apologize for last time. I said hurtful things about things I did not understand. Tom, Marta, and Mari made me see reason.” Then my mother bowed to me deeper than I had ever seen her bow to anyone. I was a little embarrassing to see her bow like that. Luckily the people around us seem to think it was just a Japanese custom to bow like that.

Relief washed over me. I was surprised by how much of a load those words and that gesture took off of me. So, I replied, also in Japanese, with a little smug smile on my face. “I heard about that reason. You do realize you turned tonight into a marriage interview with the parents of the girl I am dating for only a few weeks with your talk about grandchildren.”

Mom looked at me embarrassed. She clearly had not thought that far ahead. “Wasn’t this country progressive about this stuff?” She answered. “Let’s have some fun with them,” I answered and gave her a little wink. Mom looked at me with big eyes full of disbelief.

Tom, Marta, and Mari were looking curiously at us. I must have been clear that we were no longer fighting but of course, they could not understand a word of what was said.

I shook my head, took out the liquor chocolates I got, bowed, and said to Tom and Marta “Please accept this gift. I’ll be in your care.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t have, if anyone should have brought a gift it was us. To celebrate your big day here.”

“It’s a tradition in Japan, to bring a gift for your future in-laws for a marriage interview. I thought that was what this was about with all this talk about wanting grandchildren.”

Suddenly there was a dead silence around the table. I noticed several jaws dropped. Mom had her palm on her face. Mari looked at me with wide eyes, asking me what I was doing. I couldn’t hold it in anymore and started laughing. I got up hugged and kissed Mari and whispered

“Consider this the payback for springing this on me behind my back.”

Mari looked at me with those eyes that said, “I’ll make you pay for this later,” and I couldn’t wait for her to put me in my place.

Yati

I hope you all enjoyed the ending of the Mari and Tory arc.

The Y-files will continue on Monday!

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