"You're both very handsome," I said.
"You," Evan said before Barry could get the words out. "look fantastic."
"Ditto," Barry said.
He helped get Evan into his car and we were off, my heart no longer pounding. It was more like a snail that had pulled itself into a shell, the beat so low, I had to put my hand over my breast to see if I was still alive.
The size of the audience made it impossible for me to swallow. I thought I would simply faint at the feet of all these elegantly dressed adults and my classmates. This was surely a super critical audience, rich people who had been to one professional performance after another, I thought, and nearly turned and ran from the auditorium.
Barry took charge of Evan, wheeling him to a place in front of the stage while I went backstage to meet Miss Anderson.
"I can't do this," were the first words out of my mouth.
She looked at me askance, smiled, shook her head, and put her arm around my shoulders to walk me away from the others.
"Do you think I would ask you to do something I knew you couldn't do, Rose?"
"That audience..."
"Will be blown away. You'll see," she promised. "What's the worst that can happen anyway`'"
"I'll fall on my face." I said. She shrugged.
''So you'll pick yourself up and start over while I come out and do a two-step.'
That brought a smile to my lips.
"I know you're going to do well. When it's over, I'll have a surprise for you," she said.
"What?"
"If I tell you, it won't be a surprise, now will it? Just go get into your costume and do your warm-up exercises. We're starting the show. You're number five."
She squeezed my hand and left me so she could tend to the others.
Something happened when I walked out and into the spotlight. I wouldn't think about it until much later, when I was alone and after all the applause had long died down, even its echo in my ears. Alone and quiet. I would first realize and remember how Miss Anderson had hugged me when I came off and into the stage wing, how my classmates in the show had gathered around me to congratulate me, some of them so impressed they just wanted to touch me. I would first realize and remember all the people, strangers who came up to me after the show to make a special point of complimenting me. Later I would hear. "You were fantastic. You were wonderful. You were so good you brought me to tears." It was as if all the words, all the accolades had been frozen, put on pause just outside my ears, and then later. when I had a chance to reflect, they were released to flow through my ears.
I couldn't forget Barry's and Evan's faces. however. They were both beaming so brightly. I thought they could light up the whole school. Barry kissed me and Evan reached up to take my hand. I hugged him. too.
"Your mother's a fool for not being here," Evan whispered.
When I had first stepped into the wings about to go onstage, I had thought about Mommy and wished she was out there. I had even imagined her surprising me and showing up. After the performance, she would come rushing backstage to throw her arms around me and cry with happy tears. She would say. "I woke up halfway to Hilton Head and realized I couldn't miss this and am I ever so glad I did."
It was one of those soap-bubble fantasies. Of course. it popped and was gone. She wasn't there.
As soon as I had changed and come out to meet Barn,, and Evan. Miss Anderson reappeared with a man at her side. He was tall and very elegant looking. but very slim with dark, thin lips and strong dark eyes.
"Rose. I'd like you to meet someone," Miss Anderson said. "He's an old friend of mine.'
"Not so old," the man said quickly.
"A good friend of mine." she corrected. "Edmond Senetsky."
"Hi." I said. I was looking for Barry and Evan and gazed past him. I saw him smile and glance at Miss Anderson.
"I'm not as impressive as I imagined," he told her.
"I didn't tell her anything about you," she explained to him. He raised his eyebrows.