“Wow, Mom. This backstage pass is so cool. Who else is going to be there?”

“All his other vocalists, Pearl, Tamara, and Lynette.” Candace bristles at the mention of her arch nemesis’s name. Bitter rivalries are part of the cost she paid for everyone believing she was Luther’s favorite. Lynette Berry shot nasty daggers at her when she announced she was leaving the tour. The rage she saw in her arch nemesis’s eyes is unforgettable. A million questions flash through her mind: Does Lynette still hold a grudge? What about the others? And more importantly, what will happen when they find out her secret? 

“Go,” he says sounding like Luther all those years ago, as he drapes the all-access concert lament over his head. “Do it for me. I won’t go.”

“Wouldn’t you rather have me stay here with you? New York is pretty far away if anything happens …”

“I’ll be fine. Just promise me before you go –“

 “Anything.” She knows she can’t deny him when he looks at her that way.

“There will be no more secrets. Okay?” 

The fact that Father’s Day falls on the same day as the Luther Vandross Tribute concert this year hasn’t escaped Candace’s attention. If anything, it’s been at the forefront of her thoughts every day since Chris Naples’s package arrived. She wakes up questioning herself about her decision to keep Mark’s father’s identity from him and doesn’t stop until she is asleep. The promise she made to herself long ago, not to look back, has vanished. If the strong, independent woman she claims to be couldn’t protect her student from tragedy, then maybe she is still just the naive girl who once loved a man more than she loved herself. The truth scares her to death. Why doesn’t she just confirm her son’s theory and tell him his father is Luther Vandross? She turns to face her son. 

“I should have told you this before…” she stops. Mark looks at her with the same expression he had when he was five years old and asked about Santa Claus. His eyes are as big as saucers. She couldn’t break his heart then; she won’t do it now. 

“I’m going to make a fool of myself on the Radio City Music Hall stage. It’s been more than a decade since I performed on anything bigger than my high school auditorium stage.” After a deep breath, she fiddles with the suitcase to make sure it’s closed properly. His disappointment crashes into her like waves hitting rocks in an ocean. She buckles. 

“I promise to tell you. No more secrets. But remember, illusions are harder to let go of than reality.” 

“Yes!!!” He yells it out before she can finish her thoughts. Mark is so excited he hugs her with all his might. Candace is relieved and nervous at the same time. 

“You know I love you. I always protect you.”

She kisses her son goodnight, and he leaves her room.

When he’s gone, she sits down on her bed and hugs herself. She is terrified of what the not-so-distant future holds. The ghosts of her past aren’t the only thing that worries her. There is also the genuine fear of performing on the big stage again. 

As a single mother, she preferred remaining in the background to standing in the spotlight. She is not fully prepared for the challenge in front of her. Candace hasn’t performed professionally since her abrupt departure from Luther’s Secret Love Tour twenty years earlier. Back then, singing and dancing for two solid hours was hard, even though she was at the top of her game. 

Suddenly, she feels like a fool for allowing her son’s desire and nostalgia for the past make her believe she could represent Luther’s legacy. Sure, she has a long history of taking voice and dance classes religiously from the tender age of five. But aside from her church choir, the car, and her shower, she has not performed in an actual show. She studies herself in the mirror. Her Saturday morning yoga class is her only form of exercise, and admittedly she skips months at a time. Can she perform on stage without embarrassing herself or the other performers? What did she think when she agreed to participate? She remembers how much it hurt her inside to make the slightest mistake on stage. Luther noticed everything, including the wrong shade of lipstick after a costume change. Will she disappoint Luther or his fans as soon as she goes on stage?  

She can’t do it. She picks up the phone and starts dialing Luther’s business manager, Chris Naples’s phone number. She stops herself before she dials the last number. 

Mark’s face pops into her mind. He is only four years older than the boy who was killed in the shooting. He has the right to know about the man who is his father; she has the right to move on with her life and stop questioning the decision she made to follow Luther’s orders.

“All these clothes. I must own something sexy!” 

She pulls out a red, flashy 80’s dress and scans its deep plunging neckline and short skirt. 

“It worked once before. Hopefully, it will work again.” She holds the dress next to her body and sways before opening up her suitcase and tenderly packing it inside. 

Luther Vandross taught her about life, loyalty, courage, and dignity. She applies his principles to her daily life. Candace has to keep her promise even though the consequences could prove to be disastrous. What will happen when she gets back? Will their life be the same, or will everything change?  

Maybe her son had the right idea. She should run away just like she did almost twenty years ago. It would make things a lot easier. 

“Mom?”

Candace jumps again at the son of her son’s voice. Mark is standing in her doorway. 

“I wanted to tell something. Destiny’s pregnant. I’m going to be a father.”

TO BE CONTINUED …

Read Last Dance With My Father Part 1

Read Last Dance With My Father Part 2