Up In The Air

I found myself sitting in the lobby of the airport with my five year old twin daughters Harmony and Marley sitting on my lap, watching Doc McStuffin on the tablet as we wait to board our plane for New York after some time in LA with one of my best friend Mercedes who happens to my children's godmother. I needed to get my head and heart straight after everything that's happened over the years because it's been a grueling few years cause I lost someone who I considered the love of my life died wanting to change the dishonorable discharge of his father to an honorable by enlisting in the army. He died serving his country and protecting our way of freedom and it took me awhile to come to terms with his death, I thought that I would find love again and believed that I had found it in the form the handsome and suave yet deceiving ex boyfriend/father of my children.

At first, I had thought found something real with Brody but he was a very manipulative and beguiling smooth talker who wanted nothing more than someone filling his bed as I fell for his lies time and time again and it wasn't long before I found myself pregnant with my now ten year old son Bailey who's the splitting image of his father. Unlike him, Bailey's on the shy side but more often not, it's hard to tell what's going in his head because he and Brody were very close at one point as the curly haired boy wanted to be like his daddy but since he left, he's drew into himself. He won't talk to me about what's going on with him and I wish that he would but I know that he just needs his space as I am trying to be understanding to his needs but it's hard although Harmony on the other hand, is just like me in almost every way which is good and bad.

Her love of singing and dancing comes both from of us as Brody and I were performers long ago and she's always dancing around the apartment with one of my many bedazzled microphones as it makes me missing performing on the stage but my kids mean so much more. Harmony is a very outspoken little girl border-lining being brash at times while Marley on the other, is much like her older brother is more quiet but loving performing as much as her twin sister does and writing her own songs which I had enrolled her in song writing classes for kids. I want her to be able to develop her talents just like her siblings although Bailey hadn't taken to performing like his sisters but I haven't pushed him towards it but he seems to be quite taken with drawing the anime shows that he likes watching so much as I brought him art supplies as well as drawing guides to improve his talents.

I just want my children to be happy even through we're trying to put our lives back together after Brody deciding that he no longer wants to be apart of a family anymore but he's always been in and out of the children's lives as the twin don't seem to notice his missing presence one way or another as he's practically a stranger to them. I used to be an aspiring Broadway actress and I used to think that I would be the next Barbra Streisand but I let Brody make decisions concerning my career as it was the biggest mistake of my life as I dropped out of the school of my dreams to help my ex boyfriend further his career so once his took off than I would begin my own but when I found out that I was pregnant with my son, I had to put my dreams on hold to take of the child that we created together.

I had to work two jobs that I didn't like to put food on the table as well as pay the rent while the bastard goes to audition after audition as it was frustrating to say the least although I didn't say anything and I wish that I had. As the years gone by, the arguing and bickering between us as well as our family grew until Brody started staying longer and longer periods of time, leaving me to raise our children practically on my own until he decided to leave a note stating that he can't take it anymore, no longer wanting to have to deal with someone's that's not his wife and kids anymore. It hurt me more than I thought that it would have because I shouldn't have fallen for someone like him and now that he's no longer around as I lost my way as well as my own identity since I've been known as Brody's girlfriend or Brody's baby mama for so long but I knew that I had to stay strong for my children because they needed me.

I continued working until I got contacted by Mercedes who was at the birth of all my children and the only person that I stayed in contact with after high school who's now a big recording artist out here in LA offering to fly us out to see her perform for one of her concerts but I had to work to support my family but she was insisted having us come out there. That was two and a half years ago and Mercedes have visited us in New York as the kids love seeing her as much as she loves seeing them, seeing how often she calls and video chats with them on a regular bases and it's nice having another girl to talk but I wish that she would give up on trying to get me to date again. I have given up on trying to find someone because my choice in romantic partners aren't very good although I have found out from a few clubs that the singer has taken me to that I'm rather attracted to women but being the child of two gay men, often believing that sexuality is fluid but I'm just not ready to put myself out there again especially since I have three children to think about.

I don't want them around just anyone to get attached to them, only to get disappointed when they don't stick around or not want to play parents to children that aren't even theirs so I rather stay single to figure things out that I want to do from here because I'm thirty years old with three kids, working two jobs that I don't like, with no direction on what I want to do with my life or any prospects in the love area. I'm pulled out of my daydream as someone taps me on the shoulder to see the most strikingly beautiful woman that I have ever seen in my life as she's maybe two or three inches taller than me but she has this confidence about her that would make her appear taller than what she was, intense dark brown eyes, naturally tanned skin, long raven hair in loose curls and this sexy smirk on her face.

The woman's wearing ripped jeans that stops mid thigh hugging her hips, a simple white tank top that I practically see the black lacy bra through the shirt, a open red short sleeved flannel shirt and a pair of Maybach sunglass that might be worth more than my apartment. The woman's lips were moving but I was too distract to realize that she was talking to me as I shake myself out of my stupor to see her giggling at me before bending in front of me, redirecting her attention to the twins who are still in my lap.

"What are your names, cuties?" She inquires.

"M-Marley" Marley said shyly.

"I'm Harmony. You're really pretty. How old are you? What's your name? Are you a model? Are you a actress? Mommy used to be an actress but she had us and now she says that we're her dream now? Do you have a dream? I have dreams all the time. I dreamed that I could fly with wings like a bird but not like pigeons because my brother Bailey says that they're rats with wings but they look like birds but he's usually right about stuff like that" Harmony rambles.

"Harmony" I said putting a stop to her rambling.

"I don't mind answering her questions. My name's Santana and it's twenty seven years old and no I'm not a model or an actress but I am a singer. It's good that you're your Mommy's dreams because I'm sure that she loves you very much" Santana said looking up at me for a second then back at the twins. "You know what? I dreamed about flying a lot when I was your age and I get to fly wherever I want, not cause I have wings or anything but I get to ride on planes a lot"

"C-Cool, our Auntie M-Mercedes is a s-singer too" Marley said smiling.

"You know Mercedes? As in Mercedes Jones?" Santana asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, she's a good singer but not as good as Mommy but good" Harmony said with a nod.

"How do you know Mercedes?" I asked curious.

"She's the whole reason that I even have a career, she came to one of the shows that I was doing at this night bar that I was working at in Lima. She send a video of my performance and the guys like it, sending me a contract and I've been performing for almost five years now. I owe her a lot" Santana said smiling.

"You're from Lima too so I am" I said surprised.

"What school did you go to?"

"McKinley"

"Awww I went to Carmel or I would've notice a babe like you in the halls" Santana said winking at me.

"I-I don't think that you would've liked me too much since I was a bit of the fact of a diva in my youth" I said blushing.

"Mommy, your face turning red" Marley said innocently. "Are you getting sick?"

"N-No baby, I'm f-fine"

"Yes, yes you are" Santana said flirtatiously.

Bailey finally looks up from his sketchbook to notice what's going on around him only to have his eyes widen to comical proportions and his mouth dropping to the ground as he looks at Santana with a surprised look on his face.

"Y-Y-You're Santana Lopez" Bailey said pointing at Santana.

"You know her, Bailey?" I asked raising an eyebrow

"Know her? She's my favorite R&B singer. She's blowing up on the charts and I'm her biggest fan. C-Can I have your autograph?" Bailey asked nervously.

"Of course but I'll do you something better" Santana said smiling.

She pulls out her phone, sitting next to Bailey as she wraps her arm around his shoulders, angling the iPhone upwards so she could get the both of them in the shoot before snapping a few more pictures then turning to me, holding out her hand expectantly. I raise an eyebrow at her when I see a hand moving around to see Marley digging in my carryon bag, fishing out my phone before unlocking the device then handing it to the Latina as she taps a few buttons on it then giving it back to my daughter as the singer and my children take more pictures on her phone. After what seems like an unofficial photo shoot, I feel my phone blowing up with pictures them from an unknown number as I turned to look at Santana who's listening to Harmony ramble on and on while having Marley who had somehow made her way into her lap with Bailey looking up at her dreamily like the world revolved around her. In a short bit of time, my kids had fallen in love with the singer and I don't know who comfortable I am with that as I told my curly haired son to watch his sisters before pulling her off to the side not far enough that I couldn't see them then turning my attention towards her with a fierce glare on my face.

"Is something wrong?" Santana asked raising eyebrow.

"What's your angle? Why are you trying to get so close to me and my children?" I asked suspicious. "Did Mercedes send you up to this? Because I told her I wasn't ready to date anyone?

"I thought that you were beautiful and you seem so lost your own thoughts that I thought you could use a distraction. As for your children, they're really unique and cool especially that Harmony, she's something else" Santana said giggling but then her expression morphed into confusion. "As for Mercedes, she didn't send me anywhere, I'm just on my way to Dallas for promoting and a concert then another one in New York but I don't have any idea about your love life"

It dawned on me that I just blabbed part of my love life to a complete stranger, thinking that it was something that Mercedes was trying to pull and I never felt more embarrassed than how I feel right now as I have had plenty of embarrassing moments in the past. I can't believe i just did that. What's the matter with me? Oh God, now she thinks that I'm some bitter woman with three children. I tried to walk away from Santana but it seems that she wasn't having any of it as she gently grab my wrist, stopping me in my tracks as I turn to look at her over my shoulder to see a gentle smile on her face before pulling me into her, wrapping her arms around my body as her perfume of ocean breeze fills my nostrils relaxing me. She doesn't say anything which I was grateful because I'm afraid of what might come out of my mouth and sticking my foot in it again once again as I'm sure that everyone moving around us are staring at us oddly but I couldn't bring myself to care because Santana filling my every sense but I pulled out of her embrace but this isn't something that I can do, not again because I've been down this road and I just can't.

"I'm sorry but I just can't do this. Not again after everything that happen" I said shaking my head

"Do what?" Santana asked confused.

"I… I'm sorry but I just can't" I said the people started to board our flgiht.

I gather the kids and our things when Harmony and Marley run to hug Santana before coming to hold either one of my hands as the singer kisses Bailey on the cheek who trips over his own feet trying to get to me as I refused to look back at her. I set the kids in their seats before taking my own in the other side of the aisle as leaning back into the seat, resting my chin on the palm of my hand waiting for the airplane to take off when I feel my phone buzzing in my pocket and I pull it out to see that there's a text message from Santana. I know that I shouldn't open it cause it'll be like opening Pandora's box but my curiosity got the better of me as I open the text, reading and my cheeks reddening as it's a picture of the singer from the waist up with a very sexy determined look on her face.

Santana: Don't think that this is over because I don't give up that easily because I feel a connection with you and I want to see where it goes. See ya soon mi amore and tell the kiddies that I'll see them too. Xoxo

This girl is something else. She couldn't possibly be serious, right? Right? Right, she's not serious… I hope.

~Nicole The Dragon Rider signing off

The End