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Last time on Starry
Love Dream! Melanie, Hazel, and Justin’s narration: Melanie: “My name is Melanie!
I’m 9 years old and I attend Grade 5 and I’ve become a famous
idol pop singer!” Hazel: “And I’m her number one
fan, Hazel!” Justin: “And I’m Justin, her
other number one fan.” Melanie: “Hey, guess what?
Mr. Wilkins revealed the secret of his past last time.
It seems that Mr. Wilkins, when he was young, used to want to
be a rock singer and a songwriter, so he got together with a rock band
called The Juveniles a long time ago. But his parents threatened to kick him out of
the family and told him he was going to hell and purgatory because they
think weird things about rock music.” Hazel: “Is that so? That’s awful!
How could a family do that to their own son? He had a dream that he wanted to fulfill and
they crushed it?” Melanie: “That’s right. So later on, guess what The Juveniles did?
They started a company called Regal Records!” Justin: “Regal Records? That’s the record company that you’re with right
now. Mr. Wilkins and his friends
back then, an old rock band, started Regal Records? That’s pretty cool.” Melanie: “Yes, and they had help
from the friends and family of the band, too. That’s why my producer, my photographer, and
Mr. Wilkins’ contact at Regal Records, they’re related to Mr. Wilkins’
rock band friends way back then! And
the best part of it all was when Grandma told me that she understood
perfectly how I felt so she’s going to let me continue being a singer!” Hazel: “She’s letting you! Alright! Very
good, Melanie! So that means
that she’s not such an old hag after all!” Melanie: “Here we go! Starry Love Dream! I wonder what’s going to happen next! Stay tuned!” Opening theme song “Starry Love Dream”
by Starry~en~Luv (Happy dreamy love, wings like a dove) (To the starry night, in the starry light) A dream can’t just stay a dream in my mind It would just be a waste and I would be
in a bind No matter where and how far you have to
go You’ve got to chase your dream so much so Never ever lose sight of the love, of the
dream Let your dream flow like the never-ending
stream I know things are tough and it’s easy to
get sad But as long as we’re together, even if things
go bad I want to sing like a lovebird and touch
your heart (touch my heart) Please stay with me and stay close to my
heart (close to my heart) Starry love dream! I wanna be your
happy dreamy love I wanna spread
my wings like a dove Fly with me all the way to the starry night
Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light I wanna be your
happy dreamy love (happy dreamy love) I wanna spread
my wings like a dove (wings like a dove) Fly with me all the way to the starry night
(to the starry night) Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light
(in the starry light) Starry love dream Hold my hand tight and always stay by my
side Let’s hold onto the dream as we go along
the ride Stay with me, my love, and don’t try to
look back If we lose our way, we’ll always try get
back on track There are so many obstacles to fight your
way through But as long as you believe, your dream will
come true Oh, my love, even if things don’t always
go right We have our love, our dream, never lose
our sight I want to sing like a lovebird and touch
your heart (touch my heart) Please stay with me and stay close to my
heart (close to my heart) Starry love dream! I wanna be your
happy dreamy love I wanna spread
my wings like a dove Fly with me all the way to the starry night
Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light I wanna be your
happy dreamy love (happy dream love) I wanna spread
my wings like a dove (wings like a dove) Fly with me all the way to the starry night
(to the starry night) Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light
(in the starry light) Starry love dream (Happy dreamy love, wings like a dove) (To the starry night, in the starry light) Starry love dream, I love you! The Prologue It was early in the morning on Monday at
the Sarah
was waiting for the coffee pot to brew completely. When it was done, she poured some coffee into
her mug, added milk and sugar, and took a sip.
She felt like she was in heaven as she closed her eyes. After savoring the flavor, she took her mug
and she walked down the hallway to her office. Sarah
stopped by the desk of her secretary, who had just come into the office
and was putting her purse away inside one of the drawers of her desk. “Hi, Grace.
Good morning.” “Hello,
Mrs. Thompson. Good morning,”
said Grace Liu, Sarah Thompson’s secretary. “Did
you have a good weekend?” Grace
shrugged and smiled. “It was
your typical weekend, unfortunately.” “Oh,
you did chores, huh?” said Sarah. “Yes,
that’s pretty much sums it up.” The
two of them started giggling like young girls.
Then Grace remembered something.
“Oh, by the way, I picked up the daily newspaper this morning
because it seems that the paper delivery person didn’t give us enough
copies.” “Oh,
that’s good. Thank you, Grace. Could I look at it? I need to be reading this stuff.” “Sure!” Grace got the newspaper and she gave it to Sarah. “Thanks!” Sarah took her coffee and the newspaper and
she started walking to her office. She
put the coffee mug on her desk, and as she straightened up while holding
the newspaper, some of the inside sections fell out of the newspaper. Sarah bent down to pick up the individual sections
that had fallen out. She picked
up the entertainment section. But
wait! When she saw the entertainment
section, she did a double take. She
stared at the front cover of the entertainment section of the newspaper
and for a few seconds, she was perfectly still.
Then her eyes went wide open. “Melanie?” On
the very front of the entertainment news section was a lengthy news
article about a new child star pop singer named Starry~en~Luv. On the very large picture that was next to that
article was Sarah Thompson’s daughter, Melanie. She was dressed in an elaborately glittery costume
that only a pop singer would wear on stage. Melanie was singing. Sarah
stood up from the floor quickly, holding the entertainment section in
her hands. She had a very shocked
look on her face. “Mark!” she
called out. Starry Love Dream Episode 22: Mama
and Papa! They have come…but
why? There were some political advisors in the
room as well as a few administrators.
They were all in the office of Premiere Mark Thompson, his very
large office that held a great view of the downtown “Does
anyone know about this? Are we
the first persons to know that…this happened?” “Sir,”
one of the advisors started. “After
reading that news article, we saw that the concert that your daughter
Melanie was apparently involved in was done on Saturday. News is pretty slow to travel on the weekends
unless it’s in the main section of the newspaper. But now that it’s Monday, everyone will start
to find out more about this. So
you are not the only one who’s in the dark, sir.” “Somehow,
I can’t find any comfort in that,” said Mark. Sarah
looked up and shook her head. “She
wasn’t just involved in it. She
was the concert herself.” She
turned towards her husband. “We
left her under the care of my mother 6 months ago.
We haven’t seen her since then and we’ve only exchanged a few
phone calls and a few letters. But something this big happened without anyone
knowing about it until now?” “I’ll
bet that old woman had something to do with it,” said Mark. “Mark,
I told you never to say things like that,” said Sarah. Everyone
in the room fell silent. It was
not unknown to some of the staff who worked closest to the Premiere
and his wife that there was some trouble between the Premiere and the
mother of his wife. But exactly what kind of trouble it was, they
did not know. “Sir,”
said another advisor. “What was
the original purpose as to why you sent Miss Thompson to live with her
grandmother? It was to protect
her from the press, first and foremost, isn’t that right?” Mark
looked more serious as he took a deep breath.
“That’s exactly right. Ladies
and gentleman, the allegations against me continue.
They have even grown the last few months, although not as much
as we had feared before, thanks to all your help.
However, my daughter turning into…turning into an idol pop singer? This could draw even more attention to me, Sarah,
all of us in the administration, and the allegations against me, not
to mention that she has also drawn a lot of unnecessary attention to
herself. The press will have a feast on her and all of
us.” “I
think we should have a formal meeting with everyone who is involved
in the case against us. Then
we come up with a plan to try to solve the problems that might arise
from this,” said Grace Liu. Mark
and Sarah were silent for a while. Mark
shook his head and put his head down as he stared at picture of Melanie
on the front cover. Sarah took
the hint and she addressed everyone. “Everyone,
Mark and I will have a talk about this for now.
Could you all please clear the office so that we can do that?” All of them began to leave the office. They closed the door. Once they were gone, Sarah sat down on a chair
in front of Mark’s desk. “What
are we going to do, Mark?” she asked, after a long moment of silence. Mark
looked up and he stood up from his chair and he walked over to one of
the large windows. He looked
at the city that surrounded him, at the very tall skyscrapers to the
south and the very large lake that he could see farther away. “I
think we might have to pay Melanie a visit, Sarah. I think she needs to see us.” Sarah
nodded. “I agree. Our calendars are clear on Wednesday night,
so let’s go see her. I really
miss her and I know that you do, too.” “I
miss her very much, Sarah. Yes,
let’s do that.” Two days later, on Wednesday morning, Melanie
had already dressed up in her school uniform, ate her breakfast, and
was getting ready to step out of the house.
Grandma Annabelle was in the kitchen and she was just finishing
with the washing of the dishes when the telephone rang. “I’ll
get it, Grandma!” said Melanie, and she seemed to be in a very happy
mood, because it was only yesterday that Grandma had completely accepted
her dream of becoming a singer. Melanie
went over to the telephone and she answered it.
“Hello?” she said pleasantly. “Melanie?”
said the voice at the other end of the line.
“Is that you?” That
voice! Melanie gasped and she
seemed even happier as she let out a very bright smile. “Mama!” Grandma
in the kitchen suddenly stopped what she was doing. “Mama,
you called!” Melanie exclaimed. “Thank
you so much. I really missed
you and Papa.” “We
missed you, too, dear,” said Sarah.
“How are you doing? Are
you doing well?” “I’m
fine, Mama. What about you? I hope you’re okay and Papa, too.” “We’re
fine, Melanie, we’re fine.” There
was a pause, as Sarah thought about what she was going to say next. “Listen, Melanie. There’s something that me and your father want
to talk to you about. It’s very
important. You know what it is. It was on the entertainment news section of
Monday’s newspaper.” Melanie
gasped, her smile glowing brightly.
“That was me, Mama! I’ve
become a singer! You know I’ve
always wanted to be a singer, right?
I’m doing it! I’m doing my best to follow my dreams and become
a singer!” “That’s
exactly what it is, dear,” said Sarah.
“You’ve become an idol pop singer that everyone loves. You became very popular very quickly, my dear.” Melanie
noticed that there was something not quite right with the way her mother’s
voice sounded. “Mama, are you
okay? You don’t sound too excited.” “If
the times were different, I would be very excited. I would be more than excited, in fact. I’m glad that you followed your dream, sweetie,
but I don’t think this is the best time to be doing that.” Melanie
was puzzled. Grandma came into
the living room and she stood beside Melanie, and she looked up. “What do you mean, Mama?” she asked. “Your
father and I don’t approve of you being an idol pop singer.” Melanie
lost her smile completely but she seemed even more puzzled than before. Then she thought about what Grandma had said
the day before about the reason why her parents had sent her away. “You
don’t approve of it,” Melanie whispered. “No,
we don’t, my dear. I’m sorry,”
said Sarah. There was a long
silence. Melanie didn’t know what to say and for a while,
neither did Sarah. Then Sarah
remembered that she and her husband wanted to see her daughter. “Listen, Melanie, me and your father are coming
over tonight. We really want
to see you because we’ve missed you.
We want to see if you’ve grown a bit and we’re sure you have.” “Oh,
I see.” Melanie smiled slightly,
but she didn’t raise her voice. “What
time are you coming?” Grandma
heard that and she quickly spoke up.
“Give me the phone, Melanie,” she said. Melanie
was startled. “Oh, Mama, Grandma
wants to speak with you.” She
gave the phone to Grandma. “Sarah. Are you coming over here tonight?” said Grandma. “Hi,
Mom,” said Sarah. “Yes, we’re
coming over tonight. I hope it’s
not a bad time or anything. But
we really do need to see Melanie. It’s
been a long time.” Grandma
spoke with no expression in her voice or her face. “That’s good, Sarah. Melanie could use a visit from her mother every
once in a while, especially when she’s been sent to live here. I’m sure any daughter would appreciate a visit
from her mother.” “Mom,
I’m really sorry. We’ve been
really busy here for a while. I
hope that you’ll understand.” Grandma
sighed. “What time are you coming
here? I need to make the proper
preparations.” “Is
“That
sounds like a good time. I will
start preparing dinner by then. You
and Melanie, I’m sure, will need to spend a long time with each other.” “Mom,
you haven’t said anything about Mark yet.
Don’t you think he would be happy to see his daughter, too? He misses her just as much as I do.” Grandma
paused for a while. She, of course,
never did like Mark. “He can
do as he wishes. He is the Premiere
of Ontario. I look forward to seeing you, Sarah. Melanie needs to go to school now.” “Oh,
alright, Mom, I’ll see you later.” “Goodbye.” Grandma hung up the phone quickly. She looked down at Melanie, who was listening
in. “It’s time to go to school,
Melanie. What are you waiting for? You wouldn’t want to be late.” Melanie
thought about asking Grandma why she sounded rather harsh when the subject
of her father came up while she was talking to her mother, but it seemed
like Grandma didn’t want to talk about it right now, and she did have
to go to school. “Okay,
Grandma. I’ll see you later,”
she said. She went over to the
door and put on her shoes and carried her schoolbag.
Grandma went upstairs before Melanie could say goodbye to her,
so she opened the door and left the house for school. “Well, look at who comes crying back to
me,” said Hazel, her arms folded across her chest and a rather serious
expression on her face. In front
of her were Hazel’s friends from before she had met Melanie. They were Dinah, Tara, Anita, and Karen. The four of them looked rather guilty as they
stood there with their heads slightly bowed.
Melanie was beside Hazel. They
were outside at the school park during lunch period at their school. “Hazel! Please forgive us because we were very mean
to you and to Melanie!” all four of them cried out at the same time
as they bowed their heads and then they straightened up again to face
Hazel. “We
were saying that she was a bad person because our parents said that
she was. But they don’t know
anything about her, so what they said before didn’t make any sense at
all,” said “We
were wrong to say those things about Melanie,” said Dinah. “We’re
so sorry. We won’t do anything
like that again, Hazel!” said Anita. “Please
do forgive us!” said Karen. All
four of them clasped together their hands in front of them like they
were pleading to Hazel with worried looks on their faces. Hazel stared back at them with a serious face
and Melanie looked up at Hazel and was getting worried herself. “Um,
Hazel---“ “All
four of you, bow down in front of me and kiss my feet!” shouted Hazel. All
four of the apologetic girls exclaimed in great surprise and shock,
but Hazel looked so serious that they were kind of afraid of what she
might do to them if they refused. She
was actually serious! After a
long hesitation, “Um,
Hazel?” said Melanie, who was tugging at Hazel’s sleeve. Hazel
turned to Melanie. “What?” “Um,
they don’t really have to do that. They
apologized to me already,” said Melanie. Hazel
stared at Melanie and then at her old friends again. “Oh, I see,” she said. And then, she started laughing hysterically.
Tara and the other girls were all looking at her, totally confused. “Do
you think we’re supposed to do anything now?” whispered Anita. “I
don’t know. With Hazel, you never
know,” Karen said softly. “Well,
that’s great!” Hazel said very loudly.
She suddenly put her arm around “Yes,
that’s right!” said all of the four apologetic girls. “And
that means that you’re friends with Melanie now, too, right?” “Yes,
that’s right!” Hazel
looked at them with eyes that almost seemed to flash with a sinister
intent and she started to laugh softly like someone who had just become
evil. “That’s very good,” she said softly. Then, she seemed to transform back to normal
in an instant. The four girls
sighed with relief. Melanie
smiled at all of them. “I’m glad
you’re all together again. I
never wanted to come between your friendships.” “Oh,
not a problem, Melanie,” said Hazel.
“Say, what about your parents?
You said they’re coming over to visit you tonight, right? You haven’t seen them in a while. How does that make you feel?” Melanie
sighed and her smile was not that bright, as if she was happy and unhappy
about something at the same time. “I
guess I’m happy. Actually, I
am happy, because they’re coming. I
haven’t seen them in a long time and I really miss them.” “That’s
good. Then it’s going to be a
good visit, right?” said Karen, with a smile. “It
should be. But I’m also kind
of sad at the same time.” “Why’s
that?” asked Anita. “When
Mama called earlier, she said that she and Papa didn’t approve of me
singing like this.” “What? Why? Why
would they say that?” asked Melanie
sighed and looked up at everyone. “I’m
a mixture of different feelings right now.
To be honest, I don’t really know what I’m supposed to feel. Part of me is happy and part of me is sad at
the same time and other parts are feeling other things. It’s kind of hard to sort out my feelings right
now.” Hazel
looked a little worried about Melanie and let go of Melanie
smiled at her and she nodded. “I
am happy. That’s what I wanted
to feel.” Melanie wore a pretty light-colored dress
as she sat on the large couch in the living room of the house. She sat quietly with her hands clasped together
on her lap. Grandma was wearing
the usual house clothes, however. She
was in the kitchen stirring a pot of boiling soup and when it was done,
she turned off the heat. Mama
and Papa would be here any minute. It
was already past Outside
the house, a very expensive limousine stopped in front of Grandma Annabelle’s
house. At the driver’s seat was
Mr. Harold Peters, who was the chauffeur.
He always drove around Mark and Sarah Thompson and used to drive
around Melanie, until she was forced to live at Grandma’s house. In the back of the limousine were Mark and Sarah,
dressed very professionally as always. Mr. Peters came out of the car
and opened the door for his passengers and they stepped out of the vehicle. There
was a couple walking their dog on the sidewalk.
They were the infamous “Gossip Couple”.
As they were passing by, they saw the limousine stop in front
of the house they knew belonged to Grandma Annabelle. “That
car is a little out of place, don’t you think?” said the man, whose
name was Mr. Dobson. “That’s
for sure. Who do you think it
could be?” said the woman, whose name was Mrs. Dobson.
“And why are they stopped in front of Miss Hartford’s house?” When
Mark and Sarah Thompson came out of the car, the couple recognized them
instantly. “Oh,
my Lord…” whispered Mrs. Dobson, looking very surprised. “Well,
well, well, I wonder what he’s doing here,” said Mr. Dobson. “The guy who cheated the entire “In
that case, something tells me that there’s going to be a major battle
in there.” “I
see. But, you know, no matter
what he’s here for, he shouldn’t be here.
He’s not welcomed. Don’t
you think so, dear?” said Mr. Dobson. Mrs.
Dobson nodded to that. “You’re
absolutely right. He is not welcomed
here.” They
watched as Premiere Thompson and Mrs. Thompson walked to Grandma Annabelle’s
house and stood at the front door. They
rang the doorbell. “Well,
here we are,” said Mark, taking a deep breath. “Now,
please promise me that you’re not going to get into another one of those
pointless heated arguments with my mother,” said Sarah. “The two of you really do need to learn to get
along with each other, you know.” Inside
the house, when she heard the doorbell, Melanie quickly went over to
the front door and she opened it. Mama
and Papa were standing outside and she looked up at them with a very
bright and delightful smile. “Mama,
Papa, you came!” she exclaimed. “Hey,
Melanie,” said Sarah in a very cheerful voice. “Melanie,
it’s so good to see you again!” said Mark.
He bent down and picked up Melanie and embraced her. Melanie embraced him back as she giggled. Mark kissed her on the forehead and Melanie
held on tight as he twirled her around with gladness. When he put her down, Sarah knelt down and she
and Melanie embraced for a very long time. “Oh,
thank God we’re here,” Sarah said softly.
“We missed you so much, Melanie.” They
all let go of each other and Melanie held both of their hands with a
delightful smile on her face. “I
missed you both, too,” she said. “Please
come. Have a seat right here.” That’s
when Grandma came out of the kitchen and into the living room. Melanie stood near the big couch while Mark
and Sarah just stopped as they both looked at Grandma for a long time. Grandma didn’t say a word. “Mom,”
said Sarah, as she went over to her and both she and Grandma hugged
each other and Grandma gave her a kiss on the cheek and patted her on
the head. “You
look well, Sarah,” said Grandma. Sarah
giggled. “You look great, Mom. But please don’t pat my head like that. I’ve been telling you not to do that to me since
I was 16 years old.” “Force
of habit, my dear.” And then,
Grandma looked up at Mark. Mark
hesitated. “Good evening,” he
said. Grandma stared at him for a while, making him
feel a little bit uncomfortable, but he would not give in to that. “Why
don’t you have a seat, Mark?” said Grandma.
Mark sat down on one of the two small couches. Melanie smiled at him sweetly. Grandma walked over to Melanie and Mark. “I’m preparing dinner so stay here for a while. Melanie, you and your mother probably have much
to talk about.” Mark
interrupted. “I also have much
to talk about with Melanie.” Grandma
shot a glare at Mark that would have made anyone’s blood run cold. Mark probably felt it, but he’s had too many
arguments with Grandma from a long time ago to let that happen. He was used to it by now and he was not going
to be intimidated by her. Of
course, Grandma knew that and she would not back down to him either. “I’m
very glad to see you, Sarah. I’ve
missed you,” said Grandma. “As
for you, Mark, you’re here only because you’re my granddaughter’s father. Imprint that within your mind very well.” “That’s
fine with me,” Mark said coldly. Sarah
and Melanie looked at each other. Sarah
just sighed and shook her head. Melanie
could sense the tension between her father and her grandmother, so she
smiled at the two of them. “I’m
really happy everyone’s here. I’m
really happy that our family’s together like this,” Melanie said softly
and with a delightfully cheerful tone. Grandma
looked at Melanie for a while and she nodded after a long hesitation. Melanie was right about that, even though she
didn’t really want to admit something like that right now. There was no question that she did not like
Mark one bit and never has. “You
should be a gentleman and ask Mr. Peters to come in here and have dinner
with us, Mark, instead of letting him stew inside the limousine the
whole time you’re going to be here,” Grandma said. Mark
looked frustrated and sighed loudly.
He stood up and went to the front door.
He opened it rather quickly and walked outside towards the limousine. As he was walking towards the limousine, he
noticed a small group of people outside, at the opposite side of the
street and standing on the sidewalk that was there.
He was puzzled as he looked at them for a while. They were all staring at him. One
of the men shouted out already. It
was Mr. Dobson, but Mark would not have known that.
“Premiere Thompson, what are you doing in our humble neighborhood? I think this place is probably too lowly for
you to be visiting. I don’t think
anyone wants to welcome you here tonight, sir!” Mark
felt slightly uneasy as he went to the limousine and knocked on the
window. He did not say anything
back as the car window began to open. “What
can I do for you, sir?” said Mr. Peters, who was in the driver’s seat. “Why
don’t you come inside? We’d like
you to have dinner with us. Don’t
worry. Treat this like home, Mr. Peters, even though
we might not feel welcomed here.” Mr.
Peters sighed, and then he nodded. A
part of him didn’t really want to go in that house because of the woman
that lived there. “Even though
Miss Hartford is a very strict and condescending woman, sir, I will
do as you ask. I’m just stating my opinion though.” “I’m
glad you did because I totally agree with you on that, believe me.” The
two of them began to walk to the front door of the house again. Before going inside, they turned and took one
more puzzled look at the small crowd of people that were talking to
each other and looking at Premiere Mark Thompson. “A
friendly crowd, aren’t they?” said Mr. Peters. “Unfortunately,
not as friendly as you might think, Mr. Peters,” said Mark. It was dinner time. Grandma was seated at the head of the table.
Sarah and Mark were seated together and Melanie was across them
and Mr. Peters was beside her as they all ate dinner.
Much of the conversation was about miscellaneous things between
Grandma and Sarah and sometimes Melanie. “I
hope that you’re getting enough sleep with the kind of work that you
do, Sarah,” said Grandma. “I’m
fine, Mom. I know it’s a stressful
job but I do my best to keep my stress level down.
I do get enough sleep hours.
In fact, I probably get more than most people my age,” said Sarah. “That’s
good.” Sarah
turned to Melanie. “Melanie,
how’s school going for you? Have
you made a lot of friends yet?” Melanie
smiled and she nodded. “Yes,
I have. My best friends are Hazel
and Justin and they’re in my class.
I have a few other friends, but since that concert on Saturday
night, it looks like I have a lot more friends now than ever before.” Sarah
smiled at that. “That’s great,
Melanie. I’m really happy for
you.” “Yes,”
said Grandma. “Before, she didn’t
have a friend in that school and I must admit that was quite worrisome
to me. I’m glad that she has met a couple of close
friends. She has shown kindness to everyone and that
has made her rather popular in a positive way.
And it seems that concert has made her even more popular in that
way as well.” Melanie
seemed very happy, of course. “I
wish you all saw it. My first
public concert as Starry~en~Luv! I
hope that I’ll release CD’s one day so that you could all listen to
my music as much as you want. And,
you, too, Mr. Peters, I’d love it if you could listen to my songs, too.” Mr.
Peters laughed. “Oh, of course,
Miss Melanie, I’m sure that I would enjoy listening to your songs very
much,” he said to her. Mark
sighed and turned to Melanie. “Now,
let’s talk about that, Melanie,” he said. Everyone
fell silent very quickly and they all had their eyes on Mark, except
Grandma, who continued eating. Melanie
waited for the next thing that he was going to say and she was starting
to get a little worried again, just like this morning. “Why,
Melanie?” asked Mark. “Why did
you do all this? That’s what
I’d really like to know.” Melanie
was puzzled, blinking a couple of times with innocent eyes. “Huh? Papa,
you know the reason why. It’s
always been my dream to become a singer and sing songs that would show
my feelings and touch the hearts of people. I’ve been dreaming of that for so long, ever
since I was very small.” “Yes,
I know about that…” said Mark. “Huh? Is something wrong, Papa?” Melanie asked with
a very soft voice. Mark
sighed and started to explain what was on his mind. “This hasn’t reached the news yet, but you’re
my daughter so I have to tell you. You
know already that people are accusing me of taking money away from the
taxes that people paid to the government.
Some people say it’s true, other say that it’s not true. There’s no direct evidence that I did that,
but there are people trying to find that evidence. I know they won’t find any because I never took
money from the people. I would
never do something like that. But,
still, people will find ways of making accusations seem like they are
true. They’ll do almost anything. It’s possible that I may be thrown out of the
office by my own government.” Melanie
was surprised. Mr. Peters was
also surprised. Sarah just looked
down at her plate, and it was obvious that she already knew about that. Grandma, however, kept on eating her dinner.
There seemed to be no reaction coming from her. “What
does that mean, Papa? Does that
mean that you’ll go to jail or something?” asked Melanie. “That’s
not going to happen,” Mark said firmly and Melanie drew a quick breath
as if she had just been startled. “I’m
not going to let that happen. We
are doing our best to disprove what some of these accusers are saying. We’re going to succeed. But, Melanie…” Melanie
was quiet for a while as she listened to her father intently. “Okay,
first of all, I would like to say that…I’m happy for you. You’ve dreamed of becoming a singer. I don’t know how on earth you were able to pull
it off, but you did it. You’re
only 9 years old and you’ve done something that most other kids could
only dream of doing. For that,
I’m very proud of you. One of
these days, I would really like to know how you did it.” Melanie
smiled at him. “Of course, Papa,
I’ll tell you everything.” “Thank
you, sweetheart. I’m very proud
of you. Both your mother and
I are very proud of you. Please
keep that in mind,” said Mark. With
that, he smiled at her slightly and Sarah did the same. “Thank
you so much…” she said even more softly. “Other
than that, we’re also happy that you’re doing so well in everything. Not just in this newfound professional singing
career that you suddenly found yourself in, but also in all other aspects.
We’re glad that you’ve found some really good friends to be with
at school. We’re glad that you’re
doing very well with your studies and that you’re working very hard
and getting high marks as always. We’re also very glad that you’re healthy and
happy.” Melanie
felt very happy about what Papa was saying to her, but there was something
that he was trying to say and he was having trouble saying it. She could feel it. It’s something that made her worry at the same
time. “But
there is something that your mother and I want, Melanie, and I know
that you’re not going to like it,” he said to her. Grandma
stopped suddenly and stared at Mark and Sarah.
Melanie stared at them as well with a very puzzled expression. “We’re
asking you…we’re asking you to please put your singing career on hold
for now. In fact, we want you
to stop completely for now. There
is plenty of time to become a singer later on.
Now is not the time for this.” “Papa…”
Melanie started, but she stopped herself.
She was quite shocked. She
felt like the temperature in the room was cooling down very quickly,
even though that was just her imagination. Sarah
put a hand on Mark’s hand and he stopped himself. She began to speak as well. “We’re not trying to be mean to you. In fact, we’re not even telling you or scolding
you to do this or to do that or to stop doing this or stop doing that.
If we did that, it probably wouldn’t do any good right now,”
said Melanie’s mother. “We need you to understand, Melanie, that the
whole world is watching us. It’s
not just the entire country of “And
because you’ve become a pop singer loved by so many, this entire world
will be watching every single move you make as well.
They’re going to assume all kinds of things about you and about
us,” said Mark. “It’s not just
us who might get into trouble, it’s also you.” “Because
of that, we’re asking you to stop. If
you don’t want to stop, and I have a feeling that you won’t want to
stop, at least put your career on hold for now,” said her mother. “Put it on hold until things have settled down.
That’s what we’re asking you to do.” Those
words made Melanie feel an ache in her heart.
She was so glad about her father and mother finally coming to
see her, and it was the perfect time as well, because she has made her
dreams come true. They had told
her that they were proud of her, but now they’re saying this? “Papa…Mama…”
Melanie whispered. Everyone looked
at her. She hesitated before
she spoke, and she spoke very softly.
“You said that you were proud of me.
I became a singer, and you said that you were proud of me.” “We
are, Melanie. But it’s not the
right time,” said Mark. Melanie
was silent for a while, trying to sort out the mixed feelings in her
heart. She took a deep breath and looked up at her
mother and father. “I’ve always
been dreaming that dream…of becoming a singer.
Now that I’ve done it…you’re asking me to stop because of the
politics behind it. I don’t really
understand politics. The reason
why I became a singer is because it’s been my dream to sing songs that
would show my feelings and touch people’s hearts, but that’s not the
only reason why. There’s another reason why.” “What
is it, Melanie?” asked Sarah. “The
other reason is…because I want to make things better for us. There’s so much bad talk about you, Papa!
It’s like darkness completely covered our family up and it’s
trying to eat us alive! I’m trying to do my best to stop it. I want to make light where there’s darkness.
If they just keep thinking bad things about us, I’m going to
make them think good things about us and I’m going to give them a reason
to do just that. And to do that,
you have to reach their hearts! That’s what I want to do!” Mark
and Sarah were totally surprised by that.
“Melanie…” Mark whispered. Sarah
covered her mouth with her hands. The
two of them were very surprised by what Melanie had said. “I
can’t stop now. I have to keep
going. I’m the child pop singer,
Starry~en~Luv.” There
was a long silence in the kitchen for a while.
Melanie looked down at her glass of water and she kept her eyes
on it for a while. Sarah touched
Mark’s hand again and he quickly regained his composure.
He was in total shock because of what Melanie had said. He took a sip of his glass of water. “I
see, Melanie,” said Mark. “I
guess I have no choice now then.” Sarah
was puzzled by that and so was Melanie.
Everyone except Grandma looked at him and they were anxious as
to what was going to be said next. Grandma
picked up her glass and was about to drink. “As
your father, Melanie, I’m ordering you to put your singing career on
hold.” Melanie
gasped softly, her eyes wide open. “Papa?”
she said softly. “Mark?” Sarah looked a little confused as well. Even Mr. Peters was confused but he said nothing. There
was the sudden sound of the bottom of a glass hitting the table very
hard. Everyone was startled and looked towards Grandma,
who was holding her empty glass tight with her right hand. She was glaring at Mark with piercing eyes that
looked like they were about to shoot fire. “So
this is the real reason why you are here, isn’t it? Are you here to destroy a little girl’s dreams?”
Grandma said loudly and very strictly. Mark
cleared his throat and took a deep breath and faced Grandma. “That is not what I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to do what’s best for my daughter.” “What’s
best for her? Do you even know
what you’re talking about? This
is the first time you’ve seen Melanie in 6 months!” said Grandma, very
angrily. “If you had taken some breaks from your so-called work and
visited her at least once or twice a month, I might be able to believe
that! How do you know what’s
best for her when you don’t even see her?!” “It
doesn’t matter how long I don’t see her.
There is a bond between parent and child that doesn’t know distance.
I will always know what’s best for her.” “Interestingly,
you haven’t done very much lately for that bond! You still have no idea what you’re talking about!
I don’t care if you are her father.
That does not give you the right to be telling her to stop following
her dreams!” Grandma shouted. “Following her dreams is what this girl wants
to do and that’s what makes her happier than anything else, so forcing
her to stop following her dreams is quite a cruel thing to do, but being
the cruel man that you are, I can imagine you doing just that!” Mark
was very angry now. “And you
are a cruel old woman for being so stern and strict all the time! You are probably the most miserable creature
on this earth!” “Stop
it already, both of you!” Sarah shouted, standing up from her chair. “I think we’re forgetting the reason why we
came here!” “I
know the reason why we came here and I haven’t lost sight of that,”
said Mark, as he wiped his mouth with a napkin and threw it against
his plate. He stood up from his chair. “It’s this woman who has forgotten the reason
why we came here.” Grandma
stood up from her seat as well. “You’re
saying that I have forgotten? You
are the one who is ordering your daughter to stop following her dreams
because you are afraid that some political mess might be started! The only political mess right now is the one
that you started!” Mark
stormed out of the kitchen and into the living room. Melanie covered her ears and she shook her head
and closed her eyes. Grandma
took her finished plate and went to the kitchen sink and dropped it
in. The plate broke to pieces, making both Sarah
and Melanie gasp, because they were startled. “You
shouldn’t even be seeing this…” said Sarah, as she turned to Melanie. Melanie
looked very sad. “I…I can’t stop
now…I just can’t…” she said very softly. “Never
stop, Melanie,” Grandma said sternly as she turned around. “Do not let your clueless, foolish father stop
you from achieving your happiness. If
he was a good father to you, he would be happier for you because your
happiness should be more than enough to make him happy.” “That’s
enough, Mom!” said Sarah, in a voice that was very strict in itself,
almost like her mother’s. “I’m
sick of this! The two of you have never gotten along!” Sarah went over to Melanie and held her by the
shoulders. “Come on, Melanie. I think you should go upstairs in your room
for a while.” Melanie
didn’t say anything. She got
off her chair and Sarah took her out of the kitchen and through the
living room. Mark was at the window and he was looking outside.
He saw that the small crowd from earlier has become a group of
about 15 people, and some of them were holding picket signs and bright
flashlights. “Premiere
Thompson, you are not welcomed here!”
“Get out of our peaceful neighborhood!”
“Keep your corruption away from us!”
That’s what the picket signs were saying. He
glanced over at Melanie and when he saw the sad look on her face, he
felt very compassionate immediately.
“Melanie…” “Not
now, Mark,” said Sarah, as she took Melanie up the stairs and to her
room. Melanie was lying down in her bed a couple
of hours later. Every so often,
she would hear arguing between Grandma and her Papa. Every single time she heard it, she would put
one of her pillows over her head so that she would not hear it, but
she could still feel it in her heart and it hurt her very much. “I
won’t stop singing, Papa…but…why do you and Grandma have to fight so
much?” she whispered. She
heard them again, screaming at each other from the kitchen. Mama would try to stop them every single time.
Melanie sat up in her bed and put her hands on her face and she
started to cry. “Why
do they have to fight so much? I
love them, but why can’t they feel that for each other?” It
was hurting her, the fact that her grandmother and her father were always
at each other’s throats. It’s
like they were born to fight with each other and will probably be that
way until the day that one of them died.
They were family. She
loved them both very much. There
was so much hatred between the two of them and she could not stand it. Melanie
got out of her bed and she changed from her nightgown into pants, socks,
t-shirt, and a hooded cardigan that were all dark in color. She came out of her room and she slowly walked
down the hallway as quietly as she could. She stood at the top of the stairs and could
see that there was no one in the living room.
Mama, Papa, Grandma, and Mr. Peters were all in the kitchen. She went down the stairs, went to the front
door, put on her shoes and a light jacket, and she left the house. There
were 20 people outside the house, some of them holding picket signs. They all started talking and pointing at Melanie
as she left the house. Melanie
felt a little frightened as she put a hood over her head and she quickly
left and started walking down the street as fast as she could. “Melanie,
where are you going?” someone asked, but she did not turn around and
look at them. She kept on going. She thought about Hazel. Hazel was always there for her when she needed
help with anything. She decided
that she would go to Hazel’s house. Isabelle Callaway was watching television
in the living room with a cup of hot chocolate when the doorbell rang. She was puzzled by that and she looked at the
time. “Who
could that be?” she whispered as she got up and put down her hot chocolate
and walked over to the front door. When
she looked through the window at the side, she saw Melanie and she was
even more puzzled. She opened
the door. “Melanie? What
are you doing here?” Then she
was puzzled even more. Melanie
looked up at Mrs. Callaway, Hazel’s mother, and there were tears in
her eyes. “What’s
wrong, Melanie? Come inside,
please.” “Melanie?”
said a familiar voice. As Mrs.
Callaway held Melanie’s hand and led her inside the house, Hazel was
coming down the stairs. Mrs.
Callaway closed the door. Melanie
looked up at Hazel and more tears came down.
“Hazel!” Hazel
quickly went to her and embraced her.
Melanie buried her face into Hazel’s shoulder as she cried. “What’s going on? Mom?” asked Hazel. “I
don’t know…” said Hazel’s mom, who looked quite confused. “How long have we been at this?” Sarah asked.
“The two of you haven’t resolved anything at all.
I don’t know what to say anymore.”
She was sitting down on one of the seats at the kitchen table. “If
that woman apologizes to me for everything that she has said and done,
then maybe we might come to a small resolution,” said Mark, just as
the telephone in the living room rang. Grandma
stood up from her seat as well and was about to go to the living room,
but not without saying something back at Mark.
“Of course, any apology from me would be futile to someone who
keeps making the same mistakes over and over again and never seems to
learn anything valuable. Excuse
me while I get the telephone.” Grandma
left the kitchen. Mark
turned around to try to say something back but Grandma had already left
the kitchen. He took a deep breath
as he leaned on the kitchen counter.
“This is ridiculous.” “Mark,
we’re trying to do what’s best for Melanie.
Can we please keep the conversation focused on that somehow?”
Sarah asked. “That’s
what I’m trying to do, but every single time, she has to say something
to antagonize me. This is insane,
Sarah! I don’t think I can get
through that stubborn head of hers!
I don’t believe that anyone can!
It’s impossible!” “You’ve
always known that my mother has a very strong personality, so you really
need to get used to it, learn from it, and get along with her.” “That’s
impossible!” Mark exclaimed. Sarah
just sighed and looked up at the ceiling out of sheer frustration. After a minute, Grandma came back into the kitchen. “Thank
Mark for causing another problem,” said Grandma. “What
are you talking about?” said Mark. “Probably
because you told her to stop fulfilling her dreams, Melanie ran away
to her friend Hazel’s house.” Sarah
stood up quickly, totally surprised.
“What!” Mark
was totally shocked as well. “Well,
we have to get her back, don’t you think?” he said. “That’s
the first smart thing you’ve said all night, Mark,” said Grandma. Melanie had stopped crying while she was
sitting on the rocking chair that was in Hazel’s room. She was telling Hazel everything that happened
earlier at home and how she was feeling about it. Hazel was hugging her pillow as she listened
while she was sitting on the bed. “That’s
awful,” said Hazel. “I can understand
if you want to get away from them right now.
I wouldn’t want to be near them if they’re always arguing like
that. And I can’t believe that
your father is telling you to stop singing! That’s probably worse than when your Grandma
said it!” Melanie
was silent for a while as she looked down.
“I wish they would stop fighting.
Grandma is with me, I can tell.
She was really mad when Papa told me to stop. I can tell…she really understands me now, not
like before, when I first came to her house.” “Yeah,
she’s really become a better person, or maybe she was always like that. It’s just that nobody else got to see it.” “That’s
what I think. Papa understands,
too, but I can’t do what he asked me to do.
I know why he wants me to stop, but I can’t do that. After that story from Mr. Wilkins and my Grandma
telling me that she’ll support me, I can’t stop anymore.” “Then,
don’t stop, Melanie. I don’t
care what anyone says. You should
stay with your dream,” said Hazel, with much determination.
Then she paused for a moment and was about to tell Melanie what
her mother had told her to tell her.
“Oh, you know what, my Mom called your house, so I’ll bet they’ll
be coming here to look for you very soon.” “I
want them, too. Maybe Grandma
and Papa will actually stop arguing just for once because I ran away
from the house.” They
heard the doorbell ring. Melanie
and Hazel looked up at each other. “I
guess that must be them,” said Hazel, and Melanie nodded slowly. Downstairs,
Isabelle opened the door and she was surprised by the people who were
standing outside. It was Premiere
Thompson and Mrs. Thompson, Melanie’s parents.
Grandma Annabelle was also with them.
Behind them, parked on the street, was the limousine they were
traveling in. “Oh,
my goodness,” she said softly. “Premiere
Thompson, please do come in. You
must be here for Melanie.” Mark
came into the house, almost as if he was barging in and that prompted
a quick word from Grandma Annabelle.
“Have you no manners, Mark? This
is not your house,” she said. “I
don’t have time for this. I’m
sorry to intrude. Where’s Melanie?”
said Mark. “Upstairs
with Hazel,” said Isabelle. “I’ll
go get them both. Please do make
yourself comfortable.” Isabelle
was about to climb the stairs to the second floor but she saw Melanie
and Hazel already standing at the top of the stairs. “I’m
here, Papa…” Melanie whispered. Mark
sighed with relief. “Melanie,
thank God you’re safe! How can
you run off like that without letting anyone know?” he said in a rather
disciplinary way. Sarah
looked relieved as well. “Melanie,
I want you to come down here now. Let’s
go back to your Grandma’s house. We
were really worried about you,” she said. Grandma
seemed to have no expression on her face, but Melanie could tell that
she was relieved, too. “It’s
time to come home now, Melanie. I
understand that you were very upset because your father was telling
you to stop singing, but I can’t have you running away like that.
Running away from problems will not solve anything,” said Grandma,
her voice a little strict. She
turned to Isabelle, Hazel’s mother.
“I am sorry for the intrusion, Mrs. Callaway.” “Oh,
it’s nothing. Please don’t worry
about it,” said Isabelle. She
could tell there was quite a tension with everyone right now.
“Um…would anyone like a drink?
Maybe we could all sit down together?” “I’m
sorry, but we need to take Melanie home,” said Mark. He looked up at Melanie. “Melanie, please come down here now. We’re going home.” Melanie
hesitated. She took one look
at Hazel, who smiled slightly and held her shoulders for a second as
if to support her and they held hands for a short time.
Melanie started to come down the stairs slowly with her head
down. Once Melanie came down, Sarah knelt down and
embraced her. “Thank
God you’re safe. Of course, being
at a friend’s house, you would be safe,” said Sarah, and then she looked
at her straight in the eyes. “Don’t
ever do that again, you hear me?” Melanie’s
eyes were beginning to tear. “I’m
sorry, Mama. I just…I just didn’t
want to hear Papa and Grandma arguing anymore!
They’re supposed to be family but they’re acting like they’re
not!” she said softly. “And…because
Papa wanted me to stop singing. I
can’t do that anymore. It’s too
late to stop your dreams from coming true when you’re this far into
it.” Mark
sighed and was speechless. Grandma
could not say anything either. Sarah
stood up and took Melanie by hand. Melanie
turned to look at Hazel and she waved her hand slightly, and Hazel did
the same back as she started coming down the stairs, too.
Grandma and Sarah were about to exit the house and Melanie was
with them, while Mark stayed behind for a few more seconds. “Again,
Mrs. Callaway, I’m very sorry for the intrusion. If there’s anything I can do for you, I would
be glad to do it. And I’m very
grateful to you for taking care of my daughter,” said Mark. Isabelle
smiled and she nodded. “Oh, it’s
not a problem. She’s always welcomed
here.” “Thank
you,” said Mark, and he started to leave as well, just as Hazel joined
her mother and Isabelle held onto her. But
Hazel and Isabelle were suddenly puzzled.
Mark, Sarah, Grandma, and Melanie were just standing there as
if they were watching something. Hazel
and Isabelle went outside to join them and that’s when they saw what
they were seeing. There were
about 30 people outside, some of them holding picket signs, demanding
that Premiere Thompson leave the neighborhood. “Oh,
my,” said Isabelle, looking quite shocked. “We
don’t want you here! Get out
of our neighborhood!” the people were chanting.
They were the same people who were outside Grandma’s house. They had followed the limousine as Mark, Sarah,
and Grandma traveled to Hazel’s house. Mark
and Sarah were made to feel uncomfortable.
Grandma just sighed and closed her eyes.
Isabelle and Hazel just looked on with surprise on their faces. Melanie just looked down, feeling sad for what
was happening in front of her. They
were all telling her father to leave. Back at Grandma’s house, Melanie was very
sad again. “The
people want me to leave,” said Mark, as he and Sarah were standing near
the front door. They were all
ready to leave. “And my being
here will just cause you sadness, Melanie.
I would just get in your way.
There is nothing wrong with following your dreams, but my political
situation will only get in the way of your dreams.
Because of those reasons, your mother and I must go now.” “You’re
going to leave because of them?!” Melanie exclaimed, as a few tears
came down her cheeks. “Unfortunately,
we must. Things will only get
worse if we stay here another minute.”
Mark sighed with great regret and he looked quite depressed. It was something that Melanie usually did not
see. “I am sorry, my dear. But we have to go.” Sarah
knelt down and embraced Melanie very tightly.
“Melanie, please be good and do your best in everything that
you’re doing. I want you to promise
me that you’ll do that.” “I
promise, Mama!” said Melanie as she drew back after the hug. After that, Mark knelt down in front of Melanie
and gave her a big hug as well. “I
don’t know when we’ll see each other again.
We’re going to miss you so much, sweetheart. Your grandmother will take care of you. One thing I can say for her is that she also
always does her best. She will
do her best for you,” said Mark. Melanie
drew back and she tried to wipe away her tears with her sleeve. “Mama…Papa…”
There was a long silence between them.
Melanie looked up at her parents and she tried her very best
to show a slight smile through her tears.
“Mama…Papa…please do your best, too,” she said softly. Mark
put a hand on her head and he nodded and smiled. “That’s a promise. We love you.” “We
love you, Melanie,” said Sarah. “I
love you, too…” Melanie whispered as tears came down her cheeks again. Mark
opened the front door. He took
one last look at her and gave her a small smile, and then he looked
up at Grandma, who was standing in the living room watching the family
drama unfold. There seemed to be no expression on her face. Mark left the house. Sarah
was about to leave as well. She
looked rather sad and looked like she was about to cry but she was holding
back the tears. She took one
look at Grandma. “See you next
time, Mom,” she said softly. “Take
care, Sarah,” said Grandma. Sarah
left the house. Melanie stood
at the door and watched her parents walk towards the limousine that
was parked in front of the house. Mr.
Peters opened the door for them and they all went inside, but not without
taking one more look at the people who were holding picket signs, telling
them to leave. “We’re
leaving,” Mark told the people as he stepped inside the car. When
they were ready, the car began to drive away and the people began to
cheer. But at the front door
of Grandma’s house, Melanie watched as her mother and father were once
again leaving her, just like 6 months ago.
This time, however, it was far more painful. Grandma
stood behind Melanie and Melanie turned around to look at her for a
while. Then, she put her arms around Grandma and put
her face against her side and started to cry.
Grandma placed one of her hands on her head to comfort her and
used her other hand to close the front door of the house. The End (to be
continued) Ending theme song “Family Love” by
Starry~en~Luv The love of family (the love of family) Always be in your heart (in your heart) Forever and ever (family love forever) Good memories of fun little things Bedtime stories read while in your bed They come tuck you in with a goodnight kiss Sweet dream wishes always said If you get hurt, they will always take care Make you feel better, always be at your
side Staying with you when things get unfair Stories of wisdom from generations’ wise Old times and good times, nobody else will
know Telling the little ones unforgettable stories To be loving to you and to be caring for Times of family love, those are real treats Children who live in a very happy home (very
happy home) But for some, it’s something they can’t
have (they can’t have) If I had the power to make people happy
(make people happy) I’d show them there’s always family love
(always family love) Even if you might have done something bad They’re always going to love you Even if they think you’re bothering them They’re always going to love you Even if they say things you don’t like They’re always going to love you You can have all the friends that you want But you’ll always have one family Always be together and support each other Because you’ll always have one family For the love of family (for the love of
family) We shall always be together (we shall always
be together) Forever and ever (forever and ever) Living so far away from each other now I haven’t seen my parents for a long time They’re busy with lots of things and lots
of work I wonder how they’re doing, if they are
fine I don’t have a sister, I don’t have a brother I wish I did so I could play with them I have friends who care for me and love
me But family is different and it’s just not
the same I don’t know my grandparents because they’re
gone All that I have left is one grandmother Even if she gets mad at me for so many things That’s okay, no matter what, I’ll always
love her I must never forget them no matter what
happens (no matter what happens) Memories of togetherness that we’ll always
have (we’ll always have) If I had the power to make things better
again (make things better again) We could be together again with our family
love (with our family love) Even if you might have done something bad They’re always going to love you Even if they think you’re bothering them They’re always going to love you Even if they say things you don’t like They’re always going to love you You can have all the friends that you want But you’ll always have one family Always be together and support each other Because you’ll always have one family For the love of family (for the love of
family) We shall always be together (we shall always
be together) Forever and ever (forever and ever) (The love of family) The love of family (Always be in your heart) In your heart (Forever and ever) Family love forever Oh, we’ll always have our family love For the love of family (for the love of
family) We shall always be together (we shall always
be together) Forever and ever (forever and ever) For the love of family We shall always be together Forever and ever Preview for Next
Episode Melanie, Hazel, and Justin’s narration: Melanie: “That’s another episode
done, and a pretty dramatic one, too!” Hazel: “Oh, yeah, that one almost
made me cry, you know!” Justin: “Hazel, you were crying.” Hazel: “Oh, I was? I didn’t realize it.” Justin: “But anyways, what’s
with that guy who was trying to take pictures of you back then before
everyone found out that you were the idol pop singer Starry~en~Luv?” Melanie: “Oh, yeah, his name
was Alex Rowe. Christina and
I almost got into a car accident because of him.
He’s really a creepy character.
I’d like to stay away from him as much as possible. He’s pretty scary.” Hazel: “All those tabloid photographers
are scary! What kind of stuff
do they do again?” Melanie: “They look for juicy
stuff on celebrities, like actresses and actors and singers, and then
take pictures of them and sell them to the tabloid magazines. They really try to destroy the reputations of
celebrities who look like they’re perfect.” Justin: “I see. You better watch out, Melanie. This guy might come after you again and this
time, he might be even more persistent.” Melanie: “Don’t worry. Christina and I will watch out and we won’t
let him do anything to us. And
besides, I’m Starry~en~Luv! I
can’t let someone like that make me scared and make me feel down.
I don’t have time for that. I have to continue following my dream,
you know!” Justin: “Oh, good, Melanie.
That’s a good attitude.” Hazel: “Yeah, don’t let him do
anything to you and Christina. A
lot of people think you’re an awesome singer so don’t let him change
that.” Hazel and Justin: “Next time
on Starry Love Dream!” Melanie: “Episode 23: Gossip photographer? The
reality of showbiz” |
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