AUTHOR'S NOTES: For detailed notes and disclaimers, see part one.
From the back of the auditorium, Leroy smiled proudly as he watched Nicole collect her diploma from Mr Dyrenforth. He, more than anyone, knew how hard it had been for Nicole to juggle her schoolwork, rehearsals, and motherhood. Hiding the truth about him from everybody hadn't helped either, although both had figured out pretty quickly after the prom that a lot of people had seen them together, adding two and two to make four. People were looking at them differently, but no-one had come right out and said anything. Not that Leroy was complaining, or Nicole. It was simpler for all concerned that way.
After the ceremony was over, graduates, returned alumni, staff and parents alike all milled around the halls, taking photos and celebrating the day, before they finally went on their separate ways. Sarah proved to be a big attraction for most of Nicole's friends, and the baby was passed from person to person, smiling all the time. Eventually, Nicole and Sarah found their way over to Leroy.
"Congratulations Nicole," he told her. "You trying to get this one in here early?" He reached out and fingered Sarah's dark curls.
"I figure it can't hurt," Nicole smiled. She looked around her, at all her friends, now one-by-one disappearing outside the doors of the school to their own family events. "I can't believe we've finally graduated."
"You should be proud of yourself Nicole," Leroy told her. "Doin' what you did....it takes guts."
"Well, that's my daughter." They both jumped slightly as Mrs Chapman came up behind them. They both looked nervous as she stood there, taking in the family unit. Leroy hadn't seen her since she'd found out he was Sarah's father, and it wasn't a confrontation that he was looking forward to. Mrs Chapman was legendary around the school - and that wasn't a good thing.
"Mom, Dad," Nicole looked even more nervous as her father approached behind her mother. "You remember Leroy Johnson don't you?"
"Yes...you're a dancer, correct?" It was Nicole's father who answered. "Nicole was talking about your opening night a few weeks ago. She was quite impressed as I recall."
"As were the papers," Mrs Chapman put in.
Leroy looked embarrassed. "That was me," he admitted. "Although I'm not sure it was quite as good as all that."
"Don't be so modest," Nicole admonished. "You were great."
"If Nicole says it, it must be true," Mr Chapman told him. Nicole and Leroy looked at each other and grinned, knowing that this wasn't going as badly as they had feared. "We're heading out for dinner now." Mr Chapman continued, quite unnecessarily, as Mrs Chapman and Nicole both knew this. However, what he said next floored them all. "Would you care to join us Leroy?"
Nicole and Leroy looked disbelievingly at each other, then to Mrs Chapman, then to Mr Chapman again. Mrs Chapman for her part was staring at her husband, an identical look of disbelief on her face. Nicole shrugged at Leroy, indicating that it was up to him. "I'd like that," he said carefully.
"Excellent." Mr Chapman led the way to the car, leaving the others to follow him, still amazed at this unexpected offer.
The restaurant was wonderful, as Leroy had expected. Only the best for the Chapman family. If Mr Chapman had an agenda for inviting Leroy along, he never showed it. He asked about the show, and how Leroy was doing, and they all talked about Nicole, and her plans for the future. But there was nothing that indicated any unpleasantness or animosity.
"So Nicole," Mr Chapman said over dessert. "What are the rest of your friends doing tonight?"
"There's a party at Lous," Nicole answered. "He's closing down the lanes especially for us. Then they'll all probably go out dancing, or back to someone's place."
"I remember when I graduated from high school..." Mr Chapman reminisced, glancing at his wife. "...all those years ago.....we went out dancing too you know. I don't think I got home until the next morning. My parents almost died."
"Really?" Nicole laughed. She couldn't imagine her straight-laced father doing anything like that.
"Really. I was young once you know," Mr Chapman grinned, reading his daughter's thoughts. "Today is your graduation day - it should be the happiest day of your life." He looked from his daughter, to his wife, to his grand-daughter. "And I think you have a night off."
Nicole frowned. "What?"
"Today is your graduation day," Mr Chapman repeated. "And I think you should go out dancing." He looked over at Leroy. "I'm sure Leroy would be pleased to accompany you."
If he had surprised them by inviting Leroy along to dinner, it's fair to say that this caused nothing more than a sensation at the dinner table. Nicole and Leroy looked at each other, then back to her father. "Oh, I mean it," he assured them. "Your mother and I can take care of Sarah for one night. We did raise three children after all. So I want you to go out, and have a good time. Don't worry about what time you get home - curfew is suspended." He reached into his pocket, and pulled out some bills, which he inspected briefly and passed across the table to Leroy. "There's cab fare, to get you there and back safely, and a little extra, to make sure you have a good time."
Mrs Chapman was smiling at her husband, and seeing Nicole and Leroy hesistate, she reached over to her daughter and squeezed her hand. "Your father is right Nicole. Go out and have a good time." She nodded almost imperceptibly, letting Nicole know that it really was all right.
"If you're sure...." Nicole said hesitantly.
"But we don't need this," Leroy protested, trying to hand the money back.
"I insist." Looking at Mr Chapman's face, Leroy could see where Nicole got her stubborn streak from. Adopted or not, this was definitely something that she shared with her father.
"You really don't mind?" Nicole said again, smiling around the table.
"We're sure," Mrs Chapman said, seeing Nicole was already halfway to standing up, and Leroy was following suit.
"Go out and have a great time sweetheart" Mr Chapman smiled. Nicole kissed both her parents, then Sarah, before she and Leroy exited the restaurant.
When they were gone, Mrs Chapman stared at her husband. "Do you want to explain that to me?" she asked, but there was a smile on her face when she said it.
Mr Chapman chuckled, more to himself than anything. "Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" He echoed Maxie Sharp's statements on prom night. "I think our daughter is crazy about Leroy Johnson. And that he is crazy about her. And they both adore this little girl here - their daughter. I just think they need a little help in doing something about it."
Mrs Chapman chuckled too, and shook her head. "How long have you known?"
"Not as long as you, I gather," came the response. "But we can talk about that later. I figured it out when I saw them standing together today. He looked proud of her - and I think Sarah even looks a little like him." He finished off his coffee. "It's pretty obvious that there's a lot of feeling there. I just think they should have a chance to do something about it."
Mrs Chapman gathered Sarah in her arms as her husband paid the bill. "They certainly do," she thought to herself. "They certainly do."
True to her instructions, Nicole didn't obey her usual curfew, and proved that she was her father's daughter by not arriving home until eight o'clock the next morning. She found her father already gone to work, and her mother in the kitchen, reading the morning paper.
"Aren't you going into work today?" she asked, grabbing a Danish off the table.
"Not until later. I was waiting for you." Mrs Chapman folded up her paper and looked expectantly at her daughter. "Did you have a nice time last night?"
Nicole, it must be noted, was neither acting nor feeling like a person who had not yet gone to bed. She beamed broadly at her mother. "Wonderful. How was Sarah?"
"Fine, fine. Not a peep. But I want to hear about you. What did you do?"
"Well, we went to Lous, then we went to this club that Chris Donlon knows...he does bouncer there sometimes, and he got us all in. And when we were finished there, we rode the Statten Island ferry..."
"Weren't you cold?" Mrs Chapman laughed.
"Freezing! But that's part of the fun," her daughter told her. "And then we just walked, and talked...." Noticing her mother's raised eyebrows, she qualified the statement. "Just talked Mom. Nothing like that."
"Well, I don't think Sarah's ready for a brother or sister just yet, do you?" Seeing Nicole blush, she let her off the hook, if only slightly. "He loves you, you know. You only have to look at him."
"I know." Nicole's voice was quiet. "It's just complicated."
"No it's not. He's not your teacher anymore. And if you're worried about me and your father, you shouldn't be." Nicole's face brightened at that. "We only want you to be happy. And Leroy's a nice man."
"He is, isn't he?" For a moment, she was the Nicole of old, the Nicole that they had rarely seen since her self-imposed exile in Florida.
"It's rare that life gives you a second chance Nicole," her mother told her, unaware that she was repeating almost verbatim Leroy's words from earlier that morning. "When it does, you should grab onto it."
Standing, she left her daughter alone with those words.