Thanksgiving week, one year later
The lights dimmed and Maggie listened to her band play. Several bars into the opening number, the platform on which she stood slowly moved up, smoke and colored lights announcing her entrance. The crowd was wild. At last she was on stage. She sang and danced, happier than she had ever been.
“Thank you for being here tonight. Orlando always has such a great audience, and”—she looked down into the first row—“Orlando is my home because a certain woman in this town holds my heart.” The crowd roared. Not long after the Orlando concert, Maggie and Derek held a press conference to talk about their private lives and to publicly come out. It had been such a freeing experience Maggie could no longer remember why she hadn’t done it sooner. Derek, Paul, Maggie, and Susan were often seen together at a variety of events. All three children were happy in Florida, and Maggie and Susan were talking about more children.
The last year had been about growth…and love. For Maggie, the best part was the deepening love and strength she had found with Susan.
Looking out into the dark arena, she spoke. “One of the many things I learned from Susan is that part of loving someone is finding magic and holding on to it, believing in it. She was also the one to help me believe in magic. That magic is deep inside each of us, if we’re just lucky enough to find it.”
Susan sat where she did at every concert. She smiled. Maggie was her partner in every part of her life. She knew she had magic in her heart.