The backstage was quite busy with chattering and students' confused looks. Inside there were two makeup artists, applying lipstick and powder in a hurry, setting the make up for students who were about to appear on stage after this.
"Who hasn't changed costumes? Hurry and change costumes!" There was a shrill scream in Gabby's ear.
"Oh dear, don't make that face when I put lipstick on your lips!"
"This is your costume, hurry up and change in the bathroom!"
"Oh okay, alright."
Gabby had only been paying attention to their interactions from the corner of the room. She was already wearing a typical karate uniform with a green belt on her waist, but her face hadn't been set with any makeup, so she still had to wait for her turn.
At first, Gabby sat next to Michael, but the boy was called to change his clothes and now his hair was being arranged to make it look neat. A few moments later Gabby saw a woman who was about 30 years old calling her name, "Gabby! Come on, sit here."
Gabby walked over to hwe and was ordered to sit on a stool. Not long after that, the woman stood in front of her and put lipstick on her lips. When Gabby finished she looked at herself in the mirror and felt like removing the make-up from her face.
When Gabby wanted to get down from her chair, she heard screams from all around her. The girl then turned towards the source of the sound and found Michael walking toward the chair to wait before appearing on stage.
Michael was wearing a black suit. Hair slightly gelled, exposing his small forehead. Michael's face was flat when his eyes glanced at the girls who were muffling their excited screams.
The backstage that had been noisy earlier died down quite a bit after they saw Michael finishing his makeup and hairdo. At first, Michael's face looked expressionless but as soon as he saw Gabby, a big smile crossed his face.
Michael then walked over to Gabby. The smile on his face widened even more when he saw the girl's sarcastic face, "Gosh," Gabby quipped as she closed her mouth, "Why does my husband look so handsome today?"
The backstage area slowly subsided. The high-pitched, exciting screams that had been muttering became silent when Michael appeared.
Michael's face immediately flushed when he heard the insinuation. He immediately stepped closer and whispered into Gabby's ear, "Just shut up, don't embarrass me!"
Gabby blinked and then laughed nervously as Michael looked away. Michael looked at Gabby's lips then looked back at her eyes, "Hey, where's your lipstick?"
"Eh, I have it on my lips. Can't you see it?" Gabby asked, holding her lips.
Michael nodded his head, "Yes, your lips don't look like you're wearing lipstick yet." He then grabbed Gabby's hand, "Come with me."
"Where are we going?" Gabby asked as she followed the boy.
Michael didn't answer her, turned his head for a moment and still pulled the girl's hand. They walked along the deserted school corridor. Michael only stopped walking when he felt they'd reached far enough.
The man let go of his grip then turned around and faced Gabby, "What are we doing?" The girl asked curiously.
"Shut up, don't move much." Michael replied softly and then put the woman's hair behind her ear. Gabby complied with the boy's request and stood still while looking at Michael's face in confusion.
Michael's black eyes caught Gabby's red jelly-like lips. The man was holding his own lips trying to grab the lipstick that was on his lips and then brought his hand to hers.
Seeing Michael's hand approaching her lips made Gabby close her eyes. She felt her heart was beating so fast, so fast that she was afraid it might come out of her body.
The woman opened her eyes when she felt Michael's finger pressing against her lips. When Gabby's eyes followed the man's hand, she saw Michael trying to smear her lips with the lipstick marks from his lips. Gabby felt a ridiculous sensation on her lips, then curiously pulled out her tongue and licked the boy's finger.
When Michael felt his fingers wet from Gabby's tongue, he couldn't help but tremble. He looked at Gabby's brown eyes and exhaled, "Okay that's enough."
Michael removed his finger from the woman's lips then told Gabby to look at her face on the cellphone's camera, "Wow, thanks!" She pointed her camera at her face to fit the angle then let Michael join her in one frame then took their photo.
"Come on, they must be looking for us." Michael asked as he pulled back the girl's hand.
In the front row seat, a beautiful woman was sitting gracefully. Her eyes had been glancing at the girl who was sitting next to her. The child was about five to six years old, she was wearing a white dress that fell over her knees, her black curly hair left loose.
The girl had been unable to hold back her sleepiness, her little hands couldn't stop rubbing her watery eyes. The woman next to her felt sorry and then stroked the child's hair slowly, "Caca, wait a little longer, okay, after this event is over we will be going home soon."
The little girl nodded her head slowly then yawned again.
The man who was sitting next to the woman also saw the little girl and then asked, "Ma'am, it looks like your child wants to take a nap. Do I need to call the driver?"
"No need." The woman replied with a smile, "My daughter can hold out a little longer."
As the room's lighting slowly dimmed, the woman turned her gaze to her child, "Caca! The show has started!" She exclaimed enthusiastically.
The lights on the stage that were initially bright immediately became pitch black. Then a beam of light shone vertically, flashing on the two presenters who were wearing formal attire.
"Good afternoon and welcome to our arts festival!" The presenter welcomed the audiences.
Hearing the voice of the emcee made Caca feel even more sleepy, contrasting her mother who enthusiastically clapped her hands. The little girl then yawned again when she heard applause from the entire audience.
"Everyone, line up! The one who gets the first to the fifth line on the right!" Shouted one of the teachers behind the stage.
Since she got second place for performance, Gabby joined the line on the right. The girl turned to Michael and said, "I'll meet you here after finishing my performance, okay!"
Not having time to reply to what the girl said, Michael saw her walking away from him, jumping up and down. Michael's eyes followed Gabby's back until the girl was out of sight.
"Next, let's invite a group of students to demonstrate their expertise in the martial art of karate!"
-
"Caca! Look there! They will perform martial arts!" The woman pointed to the stage while looking at her child.
Caca was finally attracted to the performance and opened her eyes which had been closed from earlier. She looked up and looked at the stage. The little girl saw a light following a woman.
After Gabby stood in the middle of the stage, there was also a loud clap. She straightened up and started to put on a stance.
"Wow, look at her Caca! She looks cool huh!" Said her mother.
"How beautiful! I want her to be my daughter!" Exclaimed one of the audience.
"Me too!" Said the other audience.
Hearing the conversation behind him made Daniel straighten his seat. He turned to the source of the voice and then glared at them. How could these people want his child? 'Step over my corpse first before you touch my daughter.' He grumbled.
"Husband! Our daughter is already on stage! Let's quickly take photos and videos!" Agnes said as she patted her husband's shoulder to distract him from the crowd.
"Ouch, yeah, yeah!" Daniel took out his SLR camera and started taking Gabby's pictures from a distance.
Not long after, there was a sound of music filling the room. Hearing the music, Gabby immediately moved to the tune. Gabby's parents felt like they were seeing someone else's child! Her movement looked firm but agile.
After Gabby finished performing, she lowered her head, saluting the audience. Gabby's parents rose from their chairs and applauded their hands excitedly. Daniel turned to the audience behind him, "That's my daughter!"
There were voices of children who wanted to practice karate after seeing Gabby's action on stage.
"Mom, I want to practice karate!"
"Wow, I want to look cool like her!"
When the stage lights were turned off, Gabby hurried down the stage. When she reached the backstage she was immediately greeted by coach Hendrik. He patted Gabby's shoulder, "Good show, little boss." The girl then rolled her eyes and smiled, "Thank you boss."
"Husband~!" Gabby called when she saw Michael standing not far from coach Hendrik. She approached the young boy with a big smile, "How was my performance?"