Chapter 159 - The Late Late Show

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

Monday night I was sitting in the studio at The Late Late Show, a makeup artist was sitting in front of my little couch, fixing my hair, and touching up the concealer on the pimples on my forehead.

"I feel like I just need to let your bangs out to cover these." She said, "you don't mind, do you?" She asked.

"Not at all, if it's not an issue." I laughed a little.

"Well kiddo, it's my job." She adjusted my hair, so that my bangs swooped over my forehead. "There you go." She stepped back a little to admire her work, "you look so precious." She squealed a little.

"Oh. Thanks." I wrung my hands together, and she disappeared into the mass of people getting ready for the show.

"Peanut, you look great." Lin said, coming to sit next to me.

"Thanks..." I started, but James Corden cut me off.

"You call your child Peanut, I'm in love that's the cutest my gosh." He laughed a little, and I looked up at him.

"Hi." Lin smiled at him, "it's great to see you again."

"You as well, thank you so much for coming out. All the way across the country." He shook Lins hand, then turned to me. "Abigail!" He bent down and gave me a hug, "you look adorable."

"Thanks." I smiled a little.

"I cannot believe I'm the first one to have you in for an interview." He said, sitting at his seat.

"Oh. Um, yeah, I've turned down, like, 3 people." Lin admitted, and I spun towards him.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, darling you weren't ready."

"Oh." I sighed.

"Anyways." James snuck into our conversation, "how are you..." He was cut off by preparations to start the show, the director started counting down, then pointed at James for his cue. "Hello!" He gave a big smile to the camera, "so, I have questions for my two guests tonight, so we're just gonna hop right in here. I have with me tonight, the creator and star of Broadways Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and, for the first time on TV, I'm so excited, I have his daughter, Abigail Miranda." I smiled a little as the camera moved onto me, I gave a little wave to the camera and the studio audience. "Isn't she adorable, look at her dress! Oh sweetie! Stand up for us!" He motioned for me to get out of my seat, and I smoothed out my pink dress. It was pretty cute, it was a 50's dress, came down mid to lower thigh, strapless, full skirt, I was in love with it. "Precious child." He said, and I sat back down, "so, kiddo, how are you doing?"

"Um, I'm doing great, a little tired, but, it's to be expected."

"Ah yes, not only is it midnight, but, you flew out from New York, so..."

"My time it's 3:00 a.m." I finished for him.

"Ew sorry. Now, you're originally from the West Coast, aren't you?"

"Yes, I lived in Oregon, until I was 14." I nodded.

"Why did you move?" He asked, propping his head up on his hands.

"Foster care." I shrugged.

"Ah, yes, so," he turned towards the audience, "Abigail is not Lin's biological daughter,"

"Yeah. We're not even the same race." I joked.

"She's adopted, when exactly did that happen?" He asked.

"March 7th." Lin responded for me, "we actually got her this," he had me turn towards him, "this necklace for her birthday, it has the date engraved on the back." He turned the necklace over and James leaned in to look at it.

"Ugh, that's so adorable, so, Lin, I need to let you know, in this interview, we're gonna be talking a lot about your kid, so, get ready."

"Finally. Like, my gosh, I like bring her up in every interview, but they always steer me back around to Hamilton, and there's just that part of me that wants to yell 'Hamilton wasn't even the best thing to happen to me in the last year!'." My eyes widened, I turned to look at him, shocked.

"Me?"

"Yes Peanut, you, you're the most important thing to happen to me in the last year. I'd take you over the show any day." He looked at me, his face totally serious.

"Oh." I managed to get out, and I felt his arm slip around my shoulders.

"So, are you happy to be back on the West Coast Abigail?" James asked me, and I returned to attention.

"Yes, I'm really excited, we're actually going to Oregon tomorrow, to see like, my old neighborhood and such." I smiled.

"That sounds fun." He added.

"Yeah," Lin piped up, "and we're going to see a play at her old high school, um, The Play That Goes Wrong."

"Mmhm." I nodded, "so, if you're near Southshore, go see The Play That Goes Wrong at Lincoln High School!" I said to the camera.

"Now, Abigail, do you, do you participate in theatre in your school?" He asked.

"I don't, I'd love to, but I didn't last year." I shrugged.

"Now, we know you've got the talent for it, last week, Lin, you posted this video, let's watch." He turned towards a screen, which was displaying the iPhone recorded version of me singing What I Did For Love. After the clip finished, the audience applauded, thanks to the large, applause sign. "That was amazing, that was at school?" He asked, and I nodded, "now, I don't know if you'd be up for it, but, I have a mic here, and, I mean, you have a voice, mind singing for us? Just a bit?" He asked, and I blushed.

"Sure, um, what, what do you want me to sing?" I asked, taking the mic.

"I don't know, what's stuck in your head?" He asked.

"Always Starting Over? From If/Then?" I shrugged.

"Nice, go for it cutie pie." He motioned to me.

"Thank you for finding me, and thank you for the care, and screw you for making me think that this life might be fair." I sang the first lyric, and Lin laughed when I changed the F word to screw you, "you promised to love me, a promise you kept, and I won't be sorry that you said to leap and I leapt! I won't regret, what I did then though it hurts more than I could imagine back when, all the same even so, I would love you all over again!" I drew the last note out, and set the mic in my lap, signifying I was done singing.

"Dang." James smiled at me, and once again, the applause sign came to my aid. "Where did you learn to sing like that?" He asked.

"I was in voice lessons for 7 straight years. I had to drop it because we didn't have the money. I think that people don't really understand singing. I mean, it's not just, you can or you can't, it really takes a lot of effort and training."

"Amen." Lin said, putting his hand on my knee.

We were nearing the end of the interview, she James finally steered us into the Tonys.

"So, next weekend is The Tony Awards!" He said excitedly, "I will most definitely be seeing you there," he motioned to Lin, "the question is, is the little one going to be in attendance." He asked, leaning forward towards us.

"Oh yes." Lin said, "of course, she'll be sitting with me and V, we already bought her dress, she looks fantastic in it, she's so excited, you're excited right?" He nudged me.

"Of course I am!" I smiled.

"Atta girl." He kissed my temple.

•••

After the show, Lin and I were back in our hotel room, I was already in my bed, scrolling through Twitter, when I heard Lin start talking.

"You know I was serious right?" He asked. "About what's important to me." He turned to look at me from his bed, "you're way more important to me than some musical okay?"

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Yes. If I had to choose between Hamilton and you, I'd choose you in a heartbeat. Really Mijita, you mean so much to me. I'd rather live with you, V and Seb in a crappy apartment in the Bronx, then without you in our current house. When I say I love you, I mean it."

The room was dark, I couldn't see him, but I'm sure he was looking at me, a serious expression on his face.

"I love you Dad."

"I love you too Peanut, now get some rest."

•••

Love you guys!

Thanks for reading!

- Abi

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net