Chapter 60

We got back to Caesars about twenty-five minutes before things started. The same gentleman we’d spoken to before helped us to our seats. The lights dimmed.

As part of her show, she does many of her most popular musical selections, including practically all of her music that we had.

After her first couple of songs, she took her microphone and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, last fall I was lucky enough to be part of a very special wedding event. It was at a football stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The young people who got married that day are in our audience tonight, the fantastically talented young adult dancers known as ‘Charles & Claire, and the Sparkling Kalista.’ Would you please give them some applause so we can get them up to dance for all of us tonight?”

We all stood up, and a couple of spotlights immediately found us, and lead us up to the stage, as the audience stood up for us and applauded the whole time we were walking up to Ms. Dion.

I whispered to Ms. Dion, ‘How about, ‘Because You Love Me?’ I turned to my girls and said, “Every verse I’ll switch between the two of you, OK?”

She sent a signal and the orchestra started up, she immediately started singing this most beautiful song.

Claire and I started to dance our Tango Routine, as the crowd started to applaud and cheer.

K did her run towards me on pointe then flew and I caught her, as Claire spot spinned off stage. We did our portion to yells of ‘Kallie’ from the crowd. It felt magical.

I switched back to my wife, as our routine got to the good stuff, the ballet moves, which got some folks up on their feet.

At this point, I was switching between the girls with every phrase she sang, ending with our one-armed spins.

We all pulled out of the dance to let Celine finish the song alone. The crowd made a lot of noise when it was over. She pointed off stage and we came out to bow to her.

She applauded, with the audience rising and cheering for us. I was so overwhelmed by the love of these people. I looked over and saw Ms. Dion putting up one finger, and I went to her and asked, ‘I’ve Had the Time of My Life?’ and she grinned at me. Kalista went off stage, leaving my wife and I to dance this number.

I gave her a spin as the orchestra was starting, and we performed the number as we had many many times before, getting in sync with each other and the orchestra, as the moment was coming and I headed downstage, getting ready for Claire.

The music sounded a little different, but counting is counting and she made a run and I got her, the crowd was holding its collective breath as Claire stuck it.

As I pulled her down and we finished the number and the crowd never sat down, as we finished in our now trademark move, as the backup singers were singing – and it was over.

Kalista came back out and we all bowed to the audience as we all quickly hugged Celine and went back to our seats. Mom and Sarah were applauding and sobbing so hard; I gave each of them a hug as we all sat down.

Celine took back over her evening, and the music and her five octave vocals were astonishing all night. Two hours later, she thanked the crowd, she thanked us and she said, ‘Good night’ and “Bonne Nuit.’

We were mobbed as we got up to leave. As always, Sarah inconspicuously handed us all pens and we signed autographs for a while. I remember the first time we had a group of autograph seekers; after about thirty or so, my hand was hurting, now I can last a lot longer, maybe 200 now.

After the place was mostly empty, we started to leave, and Celine came out to us, having changed into a comfortable blouse and slacks, with her hair down, and thanked us all again. At 48 years old, she is in extremely good physical condition, not looking her age at all.

Her husband of 22 years, Rene Angelil, had passed away in early 2016. Her older brother Daniel died only two days later. What a trouper!

We all said our good byes, as we were let out the back to avoid a crush of additional autograph seekers.

We got back to the hotel and we’d all gotten the same email from Ken. The subject line said, ‘Bad News,’ so I told everyone to close their computers and gather ‘round.

I had my wife on one side of me and my mother on the other, while Sarah and Special K huddled together.

I opened the email and both Annie and Claire instantly broke into tears.

I held them both for a moment, and then turned back to the computer. “Mom, you and K change places please?” They accommodated my request as I started to read the body of the email.

“Everybody: This is a newspaper story from Columbus Ohio”

“Two days ago, a Columbus, Ohio insurance man was found dead in his apartment on the east side of Columbus Ohio. His name was John Matthew McArthur, former husband of Sarah Rollins McArthur. His death appears to be self-inflicted. He was 44. There was no suicide note found on the scene. He was found by his eldest son Kenneth, at approximately nine pm.”

I looked over and saw the two ladies holding each other and crying in each other’s arms. Kalista grabbed my arm, crying as well. Claire and I looked at each other, then she laid her head on my shoulder and it was quiet for a while. The only sounds were of us all crying.

After a couple of moments, I looked down and saw a note from Ken after the newspaper story.

“There’s more – from Ken.”

“I am sorry you all had to find out this way, I’d been checking in on John from time to time to see how he was doing. Nobody needs to come home, unless Mom wants to. William and Sammi, Sarah’s living siblings, are having a very small graveside service the day after tomorrow. I was asked to attend the Disposition of Assets tomorrow. I will email or call you with what I found out. Talk to you then.”

Love Ken and Sarah Jane.”

The tears started again, as Mom and I exchanged places, letting me hold my grieving Mother-in-law. She laid her head on my shoulder as I rubbed her back.

“Sarah, I know you still cared for him – it’s all right, I did too,” I said. “Do you want to go back to Columbus for anything?”

“N-n-n-No Charles, there’s only grief there, just hold me – you are the only man ... who has never left me. I still remember that morning you first walked into the kitchen. I thought how cute you were and I h-h-hoped that you could be the young man that Claire and I both needed in our lives. Just hold me, please?”

She took a deep breath, and broke into quiet tears.

I looked over to Claire and she mouthed, ‘Tell her how you feel,’ as I got Sarah up and we walked together.

I had Sarah kick off her heels, as we left the room together.

“Charles, you feel so good, you have always been so good to me, even when I was worried about Kalista and you and Claire. I never really worried, but I knew you expected me to be worried, so I continued to be on your case, at the same time you and I took flirting to new heights.”

“And a few lows, as well?” I said. We both laughed.

“There is something I have been saying all along to you Sarah, that I find it necessary to say right now – I love you, yes – I am in love with my Babe-in-law and what you make me feel when you are around me is easy to explain – Lust - pure, absolute, un-adulterated lustfulness. I am in a constant state of arousal, due to your daughter, my wife – but all along, I have had in the back on my mind the possibility of us having wild and crazy sex. I have dreamed of it, many times. I know that’s impossible, but it doesn’t keep me from thinking about you all of the time.”

By sheer coincidence, or was it really ... we found ourselves in front of Annie and Sarah’s room. She handed me the key and the two of us walked in together, still with our arms around each other’s waist.

I sat down on the bed as Sarah walked into the restroom, to freshen up. I looked at my watch, noticing how late it was, three am. I laid back resting my eyes a little. A few moments later I felt Sarah get on the bed. I opened my eyes and she was only in her panties. She moved her mouth to mine as we started the most sensual probing of each other’s mouths. Her breasts felt wonderful on my chest as I felt her hand go inside my pants and she grabbed me and got me instantly and completely hard. I unbuckled my pants and she pulled them off.

I reached inside her panties feeling an amazing amount of moisture. She pulled her panties down, as I rolled over getting on top of her...

She was sleeping restfully, as I got up and put my pants back on and straightened myself up, heading to the bathroom. As I was about to leave the room I heard, “Was it as good as you had dreamed about, Charles?”

“Five hundred percent better than my best dream, get a good rest my dear?” I said as I slipped out the door into the hallway.

Annie and Claire were waiting for me, as I turned around, startling me a great deal.

“She’s resting, sleeping,” I said to them.

Claire asked, “Did you two...”

“Yes, we did ... and I am not ashamed of it even for a moment. I love her as much as I love each and every one of you, and I would have done the same exact thing for any of you, to make you happy and to keep the sorrow at bay. Hit me, slap me, yell at me – I don’t care! I helped her get through the most difficult moment in her life.”

I saw Claire’s eyes fill as I embraced her. We both sobbed as Mom got past me into the room, quietly saying, “Thank you honey, you are so empathic, I can’t be upset at you.”

Claire and I walked silently back to our room, finding Kallie asleep. I picked her up ‘bride-style’ and Claire led us to her room, where I lay her down on her bed, first giving her a kiss on the lips.

“I love you Daddy,” K said as we walked back to our room.

Claire and I were still barely talking to each other, as we quietly got undressed for bed. I watched her getting undressed, doing a quick comparison in my head, between her and her mother.

She saw me watching and she asked, “So - you finally saw my mother completely naked, Lover. What do you have to say for yourself - and no taking the fifth either?”

“My dear beautiful and delicious wife, how do I tell you that she’s the most voluptuous arousing woman I have ever known – I can’t and won’t compare you two – you are my wife, she’s ... not? I want babies with you – she needed me just now, if you want to be mad at me – then be mad at me, but please don’t tell me that what we just did was wrong. It was the only thing that could have eased her pain from the news.”

We both got into bed as she came over to me and grabbed me, as we made love to each other all night long...

********

I found a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu place in North Las Vegas, and took my girls with me as I spent about ninety minutes learning some more advanced techniques from the owner of the hall. He worked on my ‘getaway’ skills, and told me that I was a natural at it, and to come back anytime. We shook hands and the girls and I left.

On the way back, Kalista said, “I hope you didn’t learn those ‘getaway’ moves on my account, Daddy; if you ever had me wrapped up like that, I’d want you to hold me like that forever.”

“Kalista, that is so amazingly hot, to hear that from you, but I am learning those skills for in case any of you gets attacked, but not by me,” I responded, generating giggles throughout the vehicle.

Claire grabbed my hand for the rest of the trip back to our Hotel.

We stayed and lounged about for the next couple of days, getting rested for the first of our California legs.

Doing something of a deadhead run, we drove due south from Las Vegas, going through first, Bullhead City, then Yuma, Arizona, driving straight thru down to San Diego, an eleven-hour drive. We stopped for gas and snacks, and changing drivers.