Rene was trembling as he and Misha got out of their car. A valet attendant was patiently waiting nearby, and Rene was vaguely aware of handing the man his car keys. 

“Deep breaths,” Misha said, placing a hand on Rene’s back as they walked up the steps of the art center which had been transformed for this night as it hosted the Librarian of the Year award. 

“Is it too late to go home and watch a movie?” Rene asked, only half joking. Misha chuckled as they reached the top of the steps. A gentleman was standing there, dressed very sharply. He opened the door for them. Rene muttered a thank you as they headed inside. This was all way too much. Why couldn’t they have just sent him the award in the mail? There was no need for this sort of pageantry.

They stepped inside to a world of shimmering black and white. It looked like the sort of event only rich celebrities would attend. There were fancy champagne glasses being floated around on trays by waiters in dress clothes. Crystal baubles hung from the ceiling, catching dazzling lights and splashing them along the ceilings and walls. There was gorgeous art all around them from the art museum itself. Rene found himself entranced by many of the pieces. Snowy valleys and haunting auroras especially caught his eye. 

“Can we live here?” Misha asked, managing to flag down a waiter and grab two flutes of champagne. “Everything is so shiny and neat. I could stare at the wall for hours.”

“I feel like we’re in the wrong place.” Rene nervously downed his entire drink, then absently wondered where he should set the glass. “Do you think we got the address wrong? Or maybe the night?”

“Nope.” Misha gestured up at the stage where there was a giant picture of Rene from the photoshoot projected in the background. 

“Oh God.” Rene muttered. As strange as it had already been to be there, seeing himself projected almost ten feet tall was positively unnerving. He suddenly felt very flush, and was acutely aware of the speech in his pocket and how dry his mouth felt all of a sudden. 

“Breathe.” Misha reminded him, grabbing Rene’s hand and squeezing it. “You gotta remember to breathe. You’re gonna make it through this. It’s going to be a wonderful night. You deserve this.”

Rene stared into Misha’s ocean blue eyes and slowly felt the panic ebb away. It was one night. One immensely strange night. It wouldn’t last. Might as well have some fun. 

“Here’s the man of the hour!” Rene turned to see Khal walking up to them with a grin on his face. “You both look so handsome in your suits.”

“Th-thank you.” Rene muttered. “You look nice too.” Khal was wearing a tuxedo as well, and looked immaculate, as though he wore one every day. It suited him. 

“So, the food here is incredible. Imported from all over the world.” Khal said. “Your speech will be in an hour. You should mingle and enjoy yourself. Do you want some more champagne?”

Khal took the flute out of Rene’s hand and set it on the tray of a nearby waiter before grabbing another flute and handing it to Rene. 

“Anything you need, I’m your guy.”

“Do they always go all out like this?” Rene asked, taking it all in again. “Like, it’s one little award. They can’t all be this extravagant, can they? This feels like a Golden Globes party. Not that I’ve ever been to one.”

“Isn’t it great!” An excited voice exclaimed from behind him. Rene turned to see Katrina grinning at him. She looked lovely in a white gown with gold in-lay. “It’s all for you, and you absolutely deserve it! I’ll be introducing you tonight for your speech by the way! How awesome is that?”

Katrina pulled Rene into a hug, almost causing him to drop his drink. He laughed as he stepped back. 

“That’s wonderful!” Misha said. “If anyone knows how to properly introduce our boy here, it’s you, Kat.”

“Hello.” Katrina held out a hand to shake Khal’s. “You look familiar. I think we briefly met at the library?”

“That is correct.” Khal said, smiling at her. 

“I’m so chuffed,” Katrina said, turning back to Rene. “Positively giddy! I may have taken an edible before I came in, but it’s only ten milligrams, so I’ll be fine. Oh my god, did you guys hear about the serial killer?”

“The-wait what?” Rene struggled to take in everything she had just said. 

“Apparently a second body turned up today. There was one yesterday. They were found floating in the river. Can you imagine? I guess they had extensive injuries. Whoever it was really did a number on these poor guys. I can’t even fathom the horror they went through.”

“That’s horrible.” Rene said, frowning anxiously as his mind flitted to Emory and Ari. He hoped they were safe. That their doors were locked. “Do they have any leads?”

“Not yet. Not that they’re saying anyway. Such a scary thought. A serial killer in our own town. The victims are both men, I guess. You don’t see that every day.”

“You don’t see serial killers every day.” Misha pointed out. “That would be absolutely horrible.”

“I hope they find them soon.” Khal spoke up. “A beautiful town like this doesn’t deserve to suffer like that. Hope your authorities are up to the job.”

“Eh, we’ll see.” Katrina said. 

“Well, if everyone hasn’t completely lost their appetite, I know of some divine Spanakopita triangles with our names on them. I even saw some Brazilian Coxinhas over there.” Khal said. 

“That sounds amazing!” Misha exclaimed. “Lead the way!”

Half an hour later, Rene was stuffed and buzzed and chattering away with a myriad of people, mostly strangers, who came to congratulate him. He even ended up with a couple five digit checks in his pocket, generous donations to his library. His boss would be excited. 

“I think you should just get up to the microphone and start singing your heart out.” Misha said. “Treat it like America’s Got Talent. Who knows, maybe this is how you become a world famous singer.”

Rene laughed, “I don’t want to be a world famous singer. Far too much pressure there.”

“Fine then, but you can sing for us at least.” Misha gestured to himself, Khal, Katrina, and a small group of people standing around them. 

Rene almost instinctively said no, but paused. He was feeling pretty good, and some of his inhibitions were lifted with the three glasses of champagne. He licked his lips, then swallowed, and quietly began to sing one of his favorite songs. 

“It’s a little bit funny, this feeling inside.” The words flowed out of him as he relished in the high of the moment. His eyes were on Misha as he crooned Elton and Bernie’s song. He felt nothing but love and gratitude as he sang to his spouse, as though no one else was in the room. It was easy to sing to Misha. Easy because Misha was his heart walking around outside his body, just like Emory. 

“I know it’s not much, but it’s the best I can do. My gift is my song and this one’s for you.”

He took Misha’s hand. He wasn’t embarrassed. He wasn’t shy or worried about others judging him. He was only there, present, happily content with Misha. The rest of the room was a million miles away. Those blue eyes were the ocean of happiness he was swimming in.

He finished the song, holding onto the last note for a moment. He was startled back to reality by the sudden clapping around him. 

“You have the voice of an angel!” Someone exclaimed in his small audience.

Rene blushed, all the self consciousness rushing back. He happened to glance at Khal, who was looking at him very intensely, an expression on his face that Rene couldn’t quite read. 

“That was beautiful.” Khal finally said, his voice quiet. 

Rene grinned down at the floor as Misha happily talked him up. 

“You should hear him in the shower!” Misha said. “With the acoustics just right, you’ll melt, I swear.”

Rene waved a hand dismissively. 

“How come you never sing like that at the library?” Katrina asked. “I had no idea you sounded like that.”

“Probably because they don’t serve champagne at the library.” Rene said. 

There was a murmur of chuckles.

“Excuse me.” Rene said. “I need to use the restroom. Be right back.”

“It’s just that way.” Khal indicated behind a wall with a painting of geese landing in water. Rene nodded his thanks and headed for the bathroom. 

He used a stall to relieve himself, as he was a little shy when it came to using a public restroom. When he stepped out, he walked to the shimmering porcelain sink to wash his hands. He looked up at his face in the mirror. He was a little bit flush. That was to be expected with the alcohol and singing. The color kind of suited him. He examined his tux to make sure he hadn’t tucked in anything incorrectly. 

He had to admit that it was a lovely night. Even the fact that he’d be on stage soon to read his speech out in front of a number of strangers didn’t really bother him at the moment. Apart from the strange news about a serial killer, the evening was going swimmingly, and was honestly one of the best nights of his life so far, which was saying something. 

He kind of felt like Cinderella at the ball. As awkward as it was to realize they were all there for him, it was also gratifying. Exciting even. He was relishing the attention in a way that he didn’t usually. Tonight was his night, and he was going to enjoy it. 

As a child, he couldn’t have fathomed having something like this happen. Having all these people show up to celebrate him. When he was sleeping on stained mattresses because his foster family was too stingy to buy new sheets, the idea of being the honored guest of an awards ceremony with champagne and tuxedos might as well have been as within reach as flying to the moon with his arms. 

This was his night. The thought finally came to him that he deserved it. Life had slowly given him so many wonderful things that he was so very thankful for, and now this was one of them. He grinned at his reflection in the mirror, then headed back out to meet up with everyone. 

They were happily chattering away when the music changed and a man stood up at the podium and asked everyone to take their seats. Khal led Rene and Misha over to the table that had been set up for Rene in the front. Khal then guided Katrina up the steps to the podium, holding her hand so she wouldn’t slip on her heels. 

Katrina stepped up to the microphone, and audibly cleared her throat. 

“Good evening everyone.” She said, beaming nervously out at the audience. “I have the great honor tonight of introducing a very wonderful man. A wonderful librarian. A doting father and husband. And a local hero. I have gotten to know Rene Bloom over the years working for our little library, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to be amongst his friends and colleagues. I only learned tonight that he can also sing, apparently. Guess he’d been hiding that little detail.”

The crowd chittered with laughter. Khal had taken a seat next to Rene at the table. 

“If you happen to go to our sweet little library, you’ll easily find Rene happily explaining old stories of ancient Egypt to enraptured children. He’s such an amazing storyteller that there’s hardly any crying at children’s story time.”

More laughter. 

“For his dedication to our library alone, I would have nominated him for this award. He never misses a day. He’s happy to help anyone and everyone who needs it. He’ll never force someone else to do a job he isn’t willing to do. He even started a program to help get unhoused individuals updated resumes, clean clothes, and haircuts. A program which has led to more than 80 successful job interviews and a number of individuals getting back on their feet.”

There was clapping. 

“But Rene went above and beyond on one fateful winter day. He saved an entire family from a burning car wreck, and gave three very lucky children their mother back. He continues to far and away exceed my expectations and those of his family and his community. And I’m very very happy to introduce tonight my wonderful colleague, Rene Bloom!”

Rene’s heart leapt as he realized it was now his turn to talk. Misha patted him reassuringly on the arm as Khal gave him a friendly tap on the shoulder. With a deep breath, he stood up and walked up to the stage, where Katrina hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She stood off to the side as Rene turned to the crowd, his heart thrumming in his throat. His mouth was suddenly parched.

“He-hello.” He said, fumbling for the cards in his pocket. “Thank you for having me tonight. This has been absolutely incredible, and I could not have asked for a more perfect evening.”

He glanced down at the cards, which suddenly all seemed to be scribbled in cuneiform. Rene looked back up at the crowd, almost all eyes on him. He could see Misha grinning proudly at him. Khal was looking on with that intense gaze of his. All these people were here for him. 

“I think…I think we’re only really as special as the people we surround ourselves with. I don’t know that I’d be half the man I am today without my husband, my partner, and the love of my life, Misha.” Rene gestured to Misha, and the crowd applauded. 

“And I’m also blessed with my amazing daughter, who teaches me every day to find something special and wonderful in the world. Children really do teach us so much more than we can ever teach them. I could tell my little girl all about the Ancient Pyramids of Giza, and she could teach me just how important it is to stop and look at the sunrise on a busy morning. Knowing these wonderful people, these wonderful minds, has kept me going when dark thoughts were trying to creep in. Because let’s face it, the world is a dark place. I’ve known darkness all of my life, and I’ve managed to survive it by first diving into books. Into far off worlds where my problems suddenly don’t seem so grand, and the adventures touch that sweet spot down in my soul thirsting for an escape.”

Rene looked down at the podium, “And then I found my escape in the love of the people I let into my life. And I found strength. Strength, I never knew I had to just exist happily in the real world. A world I had begun to absolutely love. A world that I wanted to make better for others. I never helped anybody to be a hero. I never started programs or saved lives to win awards. I did it because I was at a place in my life where I could help and it was the right thing to do. I hope that everyone can find that special place, because I’ve got to tell you, it’s incredible.”

Rene looked up nervously at the room. He wondered if his jumble of words had made sense, and was suddenly terrified they hadn’t. All eyes appeared to be looking at him expectantly. He leaned toward the microphone.

“Thank you so much for this incredible privilege.” 

He stepped back from the podium, and the crowd began to applaud. Rene turned to Katrina and gave her another hug in thanks, then he helped her down the stairs to the table where they were greeted by an ecstatic Misha, and were soon served their main course for dinner. 

Chapter 7 https://storiesfrommontana.com/2023/02/26/writing-challenge-2023-part-7-untitled/