Big Apple Dreams

by Solomon, Kamery

  “Have a good night,” he said, his arm brushing up against mine as he headed down the hall.

  “Okay.” Chris said once Evan was out of sight.

  He pulled me to him and gently kissed me on the lips. We were both quickly lost in the moment.

  “I’m sorry,” Evan’s voice said from behind us. “I forgot my phone.”

  I jumped back from Chris in shock, and Evan wiggled between us and back into the apartment, closing the door once again.

  Chris laughed and grabbed me, again, pressing his lips against my neck when the door opened, again.

  This time Evan only cleared his throat before pressing past us, not looking near as happy this time.

  Just as Chris reached out to me once more, the door opened, again.

  “Evan, wha—” Lizzy yelled after him, stopping when she saw the two of us standing there. “Sorry!” she squeaked, quickly shutting the door again.

  “If I try to kiss you right now, is someone going to come and interrupt us?” Chris laughed.

  Instead of answering, I kissed him myself, wrapping my arms around his neck.

  “You’re still welcome to come back with me,” he flirted once our lips parted.

  “Good night,” I laughed, opening my door and crossing the threshold.

  “I’ll call you,” he said again.

  “Looking forward to it.”

  I smiled at him one more time and then closed the door, leaning against it and sighing contently once it was locked.

  “I am soooo sorry!”

  Lizzy was sitting on the couch, the most apologetic look I’d ever seen on her face.

  “You’re fine,” I laughed, sliding my shoes off.

  “Evan was acting down all night, and then when he came back to get his phone he was laughing. I have no idea what got into him.”

  “What had him so down?” I asked, knowing that the laughter was probably caused from interrupting Chris and I.

  “I have no idea,” she sighed. “He seemed so happy when he came over. The later it got the more moody he got, though. It’s like he was waiting for something and it never happened. At least he left happy, I guess.”

  “I’m sure he’s fine,” I replied. “He seemed fine when I saw him.”

  “Well, I hope so. Otherwise, he’ll probably still be all emo when we meet him tomorrow night.”

  “What for?”

  “Oh yeah! He invited us to come watch the show he’s working on. I guess we’re going to sit backstage, or something.”

  “Are you serious?” I shrieked. “What show is it?”

  “Uh . . . one of the ones on Broadway?” She shrugged apologetically before getting up to pull her bed down.

  “Oh my gosh, Lizzy! Do you understand what this could mean for me? I might make the connections I need to start getting parts!”

  “That would be awesome!” she said, stifling a yawn.

  “I can’t wait to find out what show it is,” I rushed, noticing that I had suddenly started pacing in my excitement.

  “I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, whatever it is,” she laughed.

  “Are you sure, Lizzy?”

  The sound of vomiting greeted me and I sighed. She was obviously too sick to go out tonight. I felt bad leaving her, but she was insisting that I go and see the show by myself.

  “I don’t know how hard it was for Evan to get permission,” she said from the other side of the bathroom door. “And you said yourself that this could be really important for your career. I’ll be fine, really. I need rest, that’s all.”

  “It’s not a bi—”

  “Get out of here!” she laughed sickly. “You’re going to be late. I’ll text Evan and let him know.”

  “I’ll feel like a bad friend if I go,” I continued to argue.

  There were a few shuffling sounds and the door suddenly flew open, revealing a very pale and tired Lizzy.

  “I’m telling you to get out of here,” she said seriously. “Now, you’ll be a bad friend, if you don’t do what I want.”

  “Oh, Lizzy,” I laughed, pushing through the entryway and wrapping my arms around her. “You promise me you’ll try and sip the soup I heated up and get some sleep. Then I’ll go.”

  “I promise,” she said with an eye roll as she pushed away and waved me on. “Now get out of here!”

  “Call me if you need anything,” I said as I picked up my bag and headed for the door.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she said again.

  “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” She shuffled into the kitchen and made a show of getting a bowl and pouring broth into it.

  Satisfied that she would indeed be okay without me for a while, I said goodbye once more and went on my way.

  I felt bad leaving her behind, but I couldn’t wait to get backstage at a Broadway theatre. The subway ride seemed to fly as fast as my heart, carrying me forward into my fulfilled dreams.

  I still wasn’t exactly sure how Evan’s job worked. I’d always thought that if I were lucky enough to be working on Broadway that I would do everything I could to keep the job I had. It must have worked differently from the technical side of things, though. Maybe it was just like any other job that you worked until you were bored with it.

  Once I was off the train, I punched in the address that Lizzy had texted to me. She couldn’t remember exactly which theatre we were supposed to meet at. As I walked down the street, eagerness almost overtaking me, I suddenly caught sight of the marquee rising up ahead.

  It’s the Gershwin!

  What were the odds that Evan was working on the crew of Wicked? Not only was I going to get to see it, like I wanted, but I was going to have a seat no one else in the audience would!

  I joined the crowd of people walking to the same destination, a wide grin plastered on my face. I quickly became lost in drinking in my surroundings, taking note of the acting school right on the corner. It was one that I’d looked at while I still lived at home, before I decided to skip school and just go for it.

  Finally, I walked into what I thought was going to be a parking garage, only to find that it was a driveway that went right in front of the waiting room doors. With an excited breath and same smile, I walked through the doors and into Oz.

  Immediately, my eyes were drawn to the one thing in the room that didn’t have to do with Wicked—the Theatre Hall of Fame plaques on the wall. I’d forgotten that this was where all of the awards were on display. My attention then became divided between that and the decorative items from the show.

  The room was buzzing with people waiting to walk up the stairs that must have led to the actual theatre.

  It must be like The Majestic, I thought to myself. A waiting room downstairs, bars and waiting areas upstairs, and the actual theatre sitting in the middle of it.

  I didn’t know that Evan was behind me until his hand was on my shoulder, his laugh in my ear.

  “Having fun?”

  I turned to look at his black clad form and noticed that he looked exactly the same as the last time I’d seen him. It hadn’t even occurred to me that he was coming from work before.

  “I’ve never been here before,” I said, blushing slightly. “It’s beautiful.”

  “It’s a lot nicer than backstage, that’s for sure,” he said with a chuckle. “Are you ready to go back there?”

  “Totally!” My face hurt from all the beaming I’d been doing.

  “Follow me,” he said, flashing another smile at me before turning and walking back outside.

  I hurried after him, feeling as if everything inside me had stopped in anticipation of this moment.

  “The door’s on the backside of the building,” he said as he lead the way forward. “Are you excited?”

  “You have no idea,” I laughed. “It would only be better if Lizzy hadn’t been too sick to come.”

  “Yeah, that’s a shame,” he said with another grin. “We’ll have to go see her when we’re done.”

&nbs
p; “I live there,” I chuckled. “I have to see her either way.”

  “True.”

  He stopped in front of a door and grabbed the handle, holding it open for me.

  I stood there, looking into the hall that was bustling with activity as the performers got ready for the show.

  “You okay?” he laughed.

  “I’ve never been backstage at a professional show before,” I said breathlessly. “I’m just taking in the moment.”

  I waited a second longer before finally picking up my feet and crossing the threshold.

  “Hey, Evan!” a girl wearing a student’s costume said warmly.

  “Hey,” he said nonchalantly. “This is my friend Mara.”

  “How are you?” I said, shaking her hand, while he signed in on the paper posted on the wall.

  “Good!”

  “Mara is an actress that moved to the city a little while ago,” Evan said, turning back to us.

  “Awesome!” the girl said. “I’m April. I’m in the chorus.”

  “Not for much longer!” Evan encouraged her.

  “I just found out that I’ll be understudying a couple roles, starting next month,” She said with a smile.

  “That means they like you, right?” I asked.

  “I’ll probably get moved up to a full lead if they like me enough,” she affirmed. “The understudy is usually the person they’re training to go full time.”

  “Congratulations!” I said enthusiastically.

  “Aw, thanks! You’re so sweet.”

  “We have to go get some stuff ready,” Evan said, nodding me forward. “It was nice to see you, April. Break a leg tonight.”

  “You, too,” she giggled.

  “How about that,” he chuckled as we walked further down the hall. “Not even three feet in the building and you’ve already met your first up and coming.”

  “It was great!” I said with too much excitement.

  He’d been right when he said the front house was much prettier to look at than back stage, but to me the brick walls and paper marked doors were heaven. Everywhere I looked was some place I’d been dreaming of standing, or sitting, for the vast majority of my life.

  We walked through a few doors and up a couple flights of stairs when suddenly I was standing on the stage of The Gershwin Theatre.

  My heart practically stopped as I looked out at the house, frozen in the wings.

  “Come on,” Evan laughed, grabbing my arm. “You can walk out on it after the show. We don’t want to be in anyone’s way, right now.”

  “Right,” I said breathlessly, tearing my eyes away from a long sought after sight.

  I followed him through another door and we walked up more stairs until we were finally in one of the side alcoves. There were two seats and a green tinged spotlight pointed towards center stage.

  “This is where the magic happens,” he said with a flourish. “I’m working the spectacular green light, tonight.”

  “You get to make Elphaba the greenest witch she can be,” I said with another grin.

  “I’m assuming you’ve seen the show?” he asked as he fiddled with the light and made sure it was in the correct first position.

  “The touring version,” I said with a nod.

  “There’s nothing like the Broadway version,” he said, turning to look at me again. “And you’ve got one of the best seats in the house. We’re out over the audience, so you’ll be able to see everything, like if you’d been in a balcony seat.”

  “Thank you so much for inviting me,” I gushed. “This is so amazing.”

  “Just you wait,” he chuckled. “The show hasn’t even started, yet.”

  Chapter Ten

  I sat quietly in my seat, eyeing the green spot on the massive map of Oz that had scrolled down to hide the stage before the audience was let in.

  Evan had set his light in place what felt like hours before the audience had started filing in. He had also donned a headset, ready to do whatever he needed to make the show run smoothly.

  The lights began to dim automatically, controlled by the technician in the light booth, and a voice came over the speakers. It welcomed everyone and instructed them to turn off their phones, among other things.

  I felt the rush of being at another show flow through my body as the lights dimmed even further. My heart wasn’t going to be able to take the anticipation anymore, if we had to wait any longer for it to start.

  With a loud crash, the dragon that framed the stage jumped to life, its head swinging back and forth as smoke spewed from its mouth. The map rose up into the fly space and out of sight as winged monkeys danced across the stage. In mere seconds, I was sucked into one of my favorite stories.

  I hardly noticed Evan working the spotlight next to me, I was so enthralled with what was happening on the stage. The witty humor had me laughing at every turn. The casting had been done to perfection and I couldn’t wait to see what else they had in store for us.

  As the magnificent end to the first act neared, I felt another renewal of strength and purpose in following my dreams.

  I will do whatever it takes, I thought as the climax built. I will perform on a Broadway stage.

  As the final notes played and the lights shined brilliantly, I felt goose bumps crawl down my arms and tears prick at my eyes. The theatre went dark for a few seconds, and then the house lights rose, ready to sit through the intermission.

  “What did I tell you?” Evan chuckled as he took a seat next to me. “There is nothing like Broadway.”

  “You don’t need to tell me again,” I laughed. “That was amazing. I would give anything to do this every night.”

  “Nah. You’d get tired of sitting here looking at my butt every night,” he teased.

  “You know what I mean,” I said, blushing.

  “I do,” he said, suddenly serious. “I’m not an actor by any means, but I could watch these shows every night for the rest of my life. That’s why I got into the business. It wasn’t for the money, or the travel opportunities. I wanted to see the magic every night.”

  He laughed and cleared his throat, embarrassed by what he’d just said.

  “People think I’m crazy when I call it magic,” he explained.

  “No, I totally understand!” I rushed. “Everything else melts away. There’s only the show. You don’t have to worry about how you’re going to pay your bills, or who’s mad at you. In this room, those problems cease to exist. You can breathe and relax.”

  “Exactly,” he said, excitement lighting his eyes. “Another time and a different place. It’s awesome to just let go and be absorbed by what’s happening.”

  “You see places in the world that you normally wouldn’t,” I continued dreamily. “Listen to beautiful music . . . fall in love.”

  “What?” Evan squeaked out, looking at me in shock.

  “With the characters,” I laughed. “What did you think I meant?”

  “Nothing,” he rushed, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks. “I thought you were . . . uh . . . Chris? I mean—I didn’t think you were talking about m—”

  “Oh, of course you thought I was talking about me and Chris,” I laughed, cutting his babbling off.

  “Yeah,” he said, blushing deeper.

  “We’ve never been to a show together,” I laughed.

  “I guess it’d be pretty hard to fall in love with someone who wasn’t around,” he said sheepishly.

  “Exactly,” I said with a grin.

  Evan cleared his throat and went back to his light, arranging it for the start of the second act.

  “So have you had any luck with your play?”

  “Not really,” he sighed. “At this point, I’m thinking it might be better to try and write it myself. Then Steph won’t be able to say I stole anything from her. Besides, then I can have the story the way I wanted it to be.”

  “It wasn’t before?”

  “No,” he laughed humorlessly. “She added in this character that I hat
ed. Apparently, my version lacked real meaning and hers was what would make it big.”

  “How terrible!” I said. “If it was your idea she should have gone with what you wanted.”

  “Yeah, well Steph did a lot of things I didn’t want her to.”

  He stopped short and turned to look at me, the same odd look from the night he’d brought ice cream over on his face.

  “You really like Chris?” he asked suddenly.

  “Yes.” I was shocked by the sudden turn of conversation.

  “Don’t let him do anything stupid. And if he does, don’t give him another chance.”

  I stared at him for a moment, trying to decipher the grim tone in his voice.

  “I’m sorry for whatever happened to you,” I said softly. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but you don’t seem like the type of guy who deserves bad things.”

  “Thanks,” he said gruffly, turning back towards the stage and watching the audience filter back in.

  I felt like I needed to say something to him to make him feel better. Even more surprising was the inclination to go to him and wrap my arms around him. Something told me that wouldn’t be a great idea at the moment, though, so I opted for my first thought.

  “Evan, I—”

  He turned to me, a finger held at his lips as the lights flashed to signal the beginning of the next half of the show.

  I fell silent, wishing I’d somehow been able to help. He seemed a little put off, but I didn’t think it was by me. Steph had obviously done something to hurt him. Lizzy said they’d dated . . . even then it was clear that they hadn’t ended on good terms.

  Why did he agree to do the play with her? I wondered. Maybe it was something they started when they were still together. I hope it wasn’t what drove them apart.

  The music started up again and everything slipped away as I was sucked back into the story. The second act went much like the first as I watched in wonder. As the performers came out for bows when it was all said and done, I stood in my own little spot, joining in on the applause.

  Evan was still working his spotlight, amplifying the trademark green of the show. I looked from the stage to him for a brief second and felt butterflies fill my stomach as I looked at him.