Finding the hidden camera tucked under my bathtub was terrifying, and realizing my son had put it there was even worse. But his tearful explanation made me realize he was on a mission to reawaken a part of me I thought was lost forever.
The jigsaw puzzle on our kitchen table had stayed the same for weeks, and I was getting worried. My son, Drake, and I used to love them, but things were much different now.
A puzzle on a table | Source: Pexels
These days, he would rush straight to his room after school and shut the door firmly behind him. That is… after coming home later than usual.
I stirred the pasta sauce and checked my phone again: 6:45 p.m. Two hours late, just like yesterday. Through the kitchen window, I watched our neighbors walking their dogs and laughing together.
Our house used to buzz with that kind of energy. Now it felt like Drake and I were living in separate worlds, connected only by quick hellos and leftover dinners. Did this happen to all pre-teens?
A woman concerned | Source: Pexels
A few minutes later, the front door creaked open.
“Hey, Mom.” Drake’s voice floated through the hallway, followed by the thud of his backpack hitting the floor.
“Kitchen,” I called out happily. “Dinner’s almost ready.”
He poked his head around the corner. I saw his messy hair covered by a backward baseball cap. Something about his eyes made me feel like my boy was back, even for just a second.
Boy with a backwards baseball cap | Source: Pexels
But they soon darted to the floor when I looked at him. I knew something was going on, but I had no idea how to address it. My boy almost seemed older than his few years.
“Sorry I’m late. Chess club ran long.”
“Chess club?” I raised my eyebrows. “Yesterday it was math tutoring. And Tuesday was yearbook committee.”
“Oh yeah, I do all those now.” He shuffled his feet. “Can I eat in my room? Got tons of homework.”
Math book and notebook | Source: Pexels
I gripped the wooden spoon tighter, accidentally dripping tomato sauce onto the stovetop, and decided enough was enough. “Drake, what’s really going on?” I asked, turning and putting one hand on my hip.
“Nothing! I told you, just busy with school stuff,” he shrugged and moved further into the kitchen. Without meeting my gaze, he grabbed a plate, scooped up some pasta, and disappeared before I could press further.
Pasta dish | Source: Pexels
I sighed and wondered to the heavens for the millionth time if I should intervene. Maybe I wouldn’t get an answer from up above, but I could try to find some of my own.
I checked the hallway, and his door was shut as usual, but he had left his backpack in the living room. It was my chance.
Inside, crumpled between textbooks, I found a piece of paper with an address scrawled in unfamiliar handwriting: “1247 Maple Street. Don’t be late. This is it.”
Backpack on the floor | Source: Unsplash
What was going on? I wondered, horrified.
***
That night, I found myself going through his old baby photos, spread across my bedroom floor like pieces of a life I barely recognized anymore.
There he was, two years old, grinning with spaghetti sauce all over his face. That happy little boy used to tell me everything. Now he barely looked at me.
Toddler covered in spaghetti sauce | Source: Midjourney
The parent-teacher conference from last week played in my head.
“Drake seems… distracted lately,” Mrs. Peterson had said, sliding his failed math test across her desk. “He’s been falling asleep in class. When he’s awake, he’s always scribbling in his notebook, but it’s not notes from the lesson.”
How could he be getting a grade like that with math tutoring? Was it time to pull the plug on all other clubs?
A math test | Source: Pexels
Either way, I knew sleep wouldn’t come, so I decided to take a shower.
The bathroom was my sanctuary, the one place I could relax and belt out old songs without anyone hearing. Tonight’s selection was “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”
The steam rose around me as I hit the chorus, and I remembered how I used to dream of being on stage.
A woman washing her hair | Source: Pexels
“Where do we go now?” I sang, letting my voice soar like it used to at the coffee shop open mics when my future hopes were far grander than what reality allowed.
Sadly, those wishes were extinguished the moment, Tom, Drake’s father and my ex, left us for his new family in Seattle.
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on the past again. The present was much more important. I finished cleaning myself up and exited my shower. As I dried my hair, I felt the pull on my ear and heard a clink on my tiled floor.
A woman drying up | Source: Pexels
My earring! I bent down to get it and saw the crystal’s shining light reflecting from just under the bathtub. Except… something else caught my eye.
There, hidden under the edge, was an old nanny cam I used when Drake was a baby. And it was ON. I immediately went pale. But I examined the angle. It would only be recording my feet. I didn’t get it.
Still, my hands shook as I took it and carefully wrapped myself in a towel to march straight to Drake’s room. The sound of his furious typing stopped when I pounded on the door.
A woman holding a small camera | Source: Pexels
“Just a minute!” he called out, and I heard drawers being opened and shut. What in the world?
“Drake, open this door right now!”
Finally, I heard footsteps and the door swung open.
He stood there in his oversized gaming headphones, and his own face turned white as soon as I held up the nanny cam.
A boy with headphones | Source: Pexels
“Drake, what is this? Why was this hidden in the bathroom?!” I asked, as my anger and bravado turned to extreme worry.
When he remained silent, I gulped and asked, “Have you been… recording me in the bathroom?”
His eyes widened at that. His expression was terrified. “Oh no… Mom, you weren’t supposed to find that. IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK. I can explain!”
“Then start explaining.” I pushed past him into his room and looked at his computer. The screen showed some kind of video editing software. Oh, no! What is he doing?
A laptop on a desk | Source: Pexels
But before I could panic more, Drake spoke. “I…” He slumped onto his bed. “You weren’t supposed to find out yet.”
“Find out what? That my son is making videos of…” I couldn’t even say it.
“No! Mom, listen,” he pleaded as tears welled up in his eyes. “Remember when you used to sing at the coffee shop open mics? Before Dad left?”
The question caught me off guard. “What does that have to do with anything?”
A woman looking confused | Source: Pexels
“You were so happy then. Now you only sing in the shower, when you think no one can hear you.” He wiped his nose with his sleeve. “But you’re still amazing, Mom. I wanted to show you that.”
He reached for his laptop and turned it toward me. His fingers pressed play, and suddenly, the screen showed me… well, a music video.
I saw a sunset over the city and streets filled with people chasing their dreams. But the main part was the soundtrack with my voice, clear and strong. It was playing “My Way.”
A sunset over New York | Source: Pexels
“I met an old man, Mr. Arthur. I’ve been going to his studio after school,” Drake continued. “He’s been teaching me video editing. I wanted to surprise you for your birthday, show you that you shouldn’t give up on your dreams just because…”
“Because your father left?” The words stuck in my throat.
“He owns all these old instruments, and he lets me practice drums while he teaches me about making videos.” Drake’s words tumbled out faster now. “I’ve been doing extra chores for neighbors to pay for studio time. Mr. Arthur says I have a good eye for it.”
A drum set | Source: Pexels
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you worry about everything now.” His voice cracked. “Ever since Dad left, it’s like you stopped believing in good surprises. I thought if I could just finish the video, show you how amazing you still are…”
Tears welled and fell before I could stop them. All this time, I’d been so worried about what he was hiding. Never once did I consider he might be worried about me too.
A woman crying | Source: Pexels
“You could have just talked to me,” I said softly, wrapping my arms around him.
“Would you have listened?” He looked up at me, suddenly seeming older than 11. “You always say you’re fine, but I hear you crying sometimes. And you never sing anymore, except in the shower.”
I pulled him close, feeling his thin shoulders shake. “I’m sorry, baby. I guess we’ve both been keeping too many things inside.”
We stayed in silence for a few minutes before I remembered something. “Oh! Is Mr. Arthur’s studio on 1247 Maple Street?”
A music studio | Source: Midjourney
“Yes!” Drake said, but then frowned. “How did you know?”
“In the interest of honesty…” I began and confessed to rummaging through his backpack. Shockingly, we just laughed at each other.
***
The next day, we visited Mr. Arthur’s studio together. He turned out to be a gentle giant with calloused hands and kind eyes, surrounded by dusty guitars and vintage recording equipment.
Music equipment | Source: Pexels
“Your boy’s got talent,” he told me and showed me more of Drake’s videos. “And so do you.”
And now that the secrets were out, Drake and I finally finished the jigsaw puzzle together. I also sang outside the shower for the first time in years.
What’s more, next week, I’m singing at the coffee shop again. My son will be there, recording every moment. This time, I won’t be afraid of a little camera.
A woman singing a microphone | Source: Pexels
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
Pierce Brosnan always has his wife’s back…she helped him through this pain
Numerous Hollywood couples experience their romance failing miserably over time.
It must be difficult to spend your life in the public eye when everyone and his spouse are recording everything you do, not to mention the unfavorable comments on social media.
Pierce Brosnan is frequently depicted as quite the Casanova, despite his reputation for being the ideal charmer on screen and acting opposite numerous stunning leading ladies. But in private, he is a loving husband and the epitome of a family man.
We may all aspire to the kind of connection that James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan shares with his wife Keely Shaye Smith, a journalist, author, and television host.
The ardent couple has been together for more than 25 years, and they still exclusively see each other. Their union demonstrates that real love never fades, even in the face of celebrity, aging, and all the accompanying bodily changes.
For nearly three decades, Pierce and Keely have been each other’s closest friends, lovers, and companions. Seven years after meeting at a Mexican bar, the pair got married and started dating in 1994.
Keely was assigned to interview Ted Danson, but she ended up interacting with Pierce instead. This is how she met Pierce.
Their first date seems like something from a love film. They “sat down under the stars and he held my hand,” according to Keely. Overhead, we could see fireworks and hear Kenny Loggins singing. We conversed till three in the morning.
According to PopSugar, Keely told People in 2001 that “he was captivating.”
Tall, black, and attractive—everything that would make people want to be around you. There was a playful twinkle in his eyes. I was like, “Whoa!” Whoa!
Pierce recognized Keely’s exceptional nature right away.
“I adore her vigor and fire. She possesses a strength that I could not survive without. I become faint when Keely looks at me,” he remarked.
In 2001, Pierce and Keely got married in a dreamy ceremony in Ireland.
It was originally planned for the pair to get married in 2000, but Pierce’s 16-year-old son got into a car accident in the United States. His father decided to put off the wedding, and he ended up with a spinal injury as a result.
But in the end, Ashford Castle—a magnificent Irish fortification from the 13th century—was the venue of Pierce and Keely’s ideal wedding. In addition to inviting 120 intimate friends and family members to the fairytale hotel, Pierce also covered the cost of a robust security operation to keep the public and media at bay.
raising sons in tandem
The couple, who are passionate about protecting the environment and opposing whaling and the extinction of marine life, has two sons.
Given that their two sons were born not long after they began dating, Pierce and Keely were undoubtedly a marriage made in heaven.
Since then, Keely has kept up her impressive work ethic in her own business and has done a fantastic job raising the children. In addition, Keely has done a wonderful job raising Pierce’s children from his first marriage, which ended in 1991 when Cassandra Harris passed away from cancer.
Weight of Keely Shaye Smith
Prior to her relationship with Pierce, Keely worked as a model and was an actress. Keely’s weight has been a hot topic of conversation in the past few years, particularly in gossip publications.
She gained some weight, which is undoubtedly visible to everyone, but who doesn’t as they get older? Keely may have had thyroid issues, according to some media accounts, but I still think she is stunningly gorgeous.
Sadly, because of her shape-shifting, Keely is frequently the victim of vicious trolls. The OO7 actress, meanwhile, claims he still adores his “passionate” wife and that she makes him “weak at the knees.”
He declared, “I’ve found a wonderful woman in Keely Shaye.” “Even after a million searches, I couldn’t find one as good.”
Following her marriage to Pierce, Kelly reportedly put on almost 70 pounds, according to certain tabloids. People in the media have begun to assume that Pierce would divorce his wife as a result of these rumors. Despite this, the couple has never been the subject of cheating accusations and is frequently spotted holding hands and kissing in public.
Naturally, it’s difficult to deal with trolls who criticize Keely’s appearance and try to make her feel inferior. However, Pierce has always supported his wife and frequently declares his love for her in public, which is evidence of how much he cares for Keely.
Furthermore, seeing a Hollywood woman who doesn’t undergo plastic surgery to look younger is quite refreshing. Pierce adores her wife for who she is, and Keely exudes self-assurance.
The love, respect, and devotion the two have for one another has not changed despite the passage of time and their physical changes.
They have no qualms about expressing their affection for one another. Being involved on social media, Pierce and Kelly express their love on Instagram.
For instance, in 2021, Brosnan celebrated his wife’s 58th birthday by posting a heartfelt message on Instagram:
These days, a lot of discussion centers on the tangible and material world. Because of this, it’s consoling to see that Pierce and Keely’s love is genuine and lasting.
Throughout his illustrious career, Brosnan favored to fly his wife to his filming sites in order to spend even more time with her, even though he starred alongside some of the most attractive ladies in Hollywood.
“I would give her tickets to come so we could be together because I missed her no matter where I went in the globe. We simply seemed to click,” he remembers.
Pierce Brosnan has wrapped up his role as Dr. Fate in the action-sci sci-fi film Black Adam. The actor portrays a superhero and sorcerer from the DC Universe in this role.
The 69-year-old actor did, however, take care to maintain certain aspects of his private life consistent with his job. He wore a watch that his late wife Keely Shaye Smith had given him as well as his wedding ring.
“This is our wedding ring and this is a watch that Keely bought me many years ago with an inscription that [reads], ‘Time flies on love’s wings,’” he said in an interview, providing clarification. “I decided to wear it for this character,” he continued. It appeared fitting.
He clarified that Brosnan’s decision to wear these sentimental objects while filming was justified by the fact that it fit his character, who also had a wife. “The man [has] traveled through the ages of time,” he declared. He is among the strongest sorcerers in the DC comic book universe. He did have a wife, Enza, and rumor has it that she was even more powerful than he was.
His wife was clearly overjoyed by the understated but heartfelt homage her cherished husband paid to her in his most recent motion picture endeavor. “I adore those emblems, that he brought those with him into the superpower, superhero realm,” the woman exclaimed.
These two are such a great example to us all; I love to watch them together and wish them many more happy years and memorable experiences.
Please distribute to any fan of Pierce Brosnan you are aware of.
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