Christmas All Around Us ; The Perfect Time for Love ; Playing for Keeps

by Carla Kincaid

  "What would you like to hear?"

  "I don't know classical music well enough to make a choice," Stacey said. "Just play something you love."

  Megan turned to the keyboard and looked down at the keys. Something she loved, she thought. The word love made her think of her grandmother.

  "This isn't a traditional classic piece but I love it. It's called Nuvole Bianche by an Italian composer named Einaudi. The name translated means White Clouds."

  Megan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't feel nervous playing in front of Stacey but this was a very special piece to her and she wanted to get it just right so Stacey could appreciate its beauty.

  Megan let her fingers fall gently to the keys. Playing this piece was like walking into another world. A world where all her problems disappeared and she felt light, free, and loved. As she swayed to the music, her fingers danced over the keys. Megan felt herself being lifted. Transported to another place and time. She allowed herself to get lost in the music. Become one with it. It was a dance like no other. A love affair in the middle of the white clouds.

  When Megan finished it took her a moment to come back down to earth.

  "So?" she asked turning around to face Stacey.

  What she saw shocked her. Stacey was still sitting on the edge of her seat but now her eyes were closed and tears were streaming down her cheeks.

  "Megan, that was beautiful!" Stacey said softly. She opened her eyes and began wiping her tears away. "It was... transcendent."

  Megan smiled and nodded. "I played it at my grandmother's funeral," she said softly. "You'd think because of that it would make me sad but it actually has the opposite effect. Something about it reminds me that she's still with me. Soaring in the clouds and watching over me."

  Stacey got up from her seat and walked over to Megan. She sat down on the piano bench next to her and took Megan's hands.

  "Megan, you have a gift. Don't ever let anyone -- including yourself -- tell you anything different. It doesn't matter if your parents don't understand now. Someday they will and they'll be glad you didn't let them stop you from following your dream."

  Now it was Megan's turn to get teary. Stacey's words wrapped around her heart and began to squeeze out all the pain she'd been holding inside. All the doubt she felt. All the regret. All the fear that she'd missed her chance to become what she'd always dreamed of.

  "Thank you, Stacey," she whispered. "I don't know what I would have done without you tonight."

  Chapter 13

  Sitting next to Megan, all Stacey wanted to do was lean over and kiss her right there on her piano bench. She really wanted to. She'd wanted to for a long time. But it had been such an emotional evening and Stacey wanted to make sure Megan was okay before she made that kind of move. Besides, she wasn't even sure exactly how Megan felt about her. Sure they had a great time when ever they were alone together but that didn't necessarily mean that Megan was interested in something more. Only time will tell, Stacey thought to herself, hoping time didn't make her wait too long.

  Late Sunday morning, Stacey woke up to the familiar sound of Megan's piano seeping through her floor. She admired Megan's dedication to her practice. Even though Megan still had another 24 hours before she found out if she made it to the next round of auditions, she was still practicing diligently. It was the mark of a true artist. The habit of someone who was dedicated to her craft -- no matter what.

  Speaking of dedication, Stacey thought with a sigh as she looked over at the sheet music from the audition Megan helped her with. There was still no word from her agent and the adage 'no news is good news' didn't apply in this situation. But there was no need in obsessing about it now. That wasn't going to make the phone ring any sooner. Stacey might as well put it out of her mind and focus on whatever audition her agent called her about next.

  When Stacey got home from work, she started to knock on Megan's door. In addition to wanting someone to keep her from eating all of the cheesecake the caterer sent her home with, Stacey had to admit she also just wanted to see Megan. She stepped toward her neighbor's front door but the lack of sound -- or light -- bleeding from the apartment kept Stacy from knocking. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. 11:25 pm. Megan's probably asleep, Stacey thought. She turned and headed up to her apartment, knowing the cheesecake wasn't going to see the light of day.

  The next morning rapid pinging sounds from her cell phone woke Stacey from her dessert induced coma.

  I just got the email!

  I did it!

  I made it to the finals!

  Stacey smiled and hit the call button.

  "Congratulations!" she said in a voice that was still filled with sleep. "We have to celebrate. Where should we go?"

  "I don't know," Megan replied. "I haven't been anywhere other than a couple restaurants with my sister -- and to Central Park with you."

  That comment woke Stacey up a bit more. "Wait, you still haven't been anywhere else in New York? Not even the Statue of Liberty or the Brooklyn Bridge?"

  The phone was silent on the other end.

  "The Empire State Building?" Stacey asked hopefully.

  'Nope."

  "Okay, please tell me you've at least been to Times Square."

  "I've been practicing!" Megan said in a playfully defensive tone.

  Stacey lifted her palm and smacked her forehead. "Look, I get it but all work and no play makes Megan a boring neighbor. And I cannot have a boring neighbor!" Stacey declared with a laugh. "Put on something comfortable and some shoes you can walk around in." She instructed. "I'll be downstairs in twenty minutes."

  "Coney Island!" Megan exclaimed as they exited the subway less than two hours later.

  Stacey smiled, hoping Megan liked amusement parks as much as she did.

  "Even if you don't want to ride the rides, there's a lot to do here," Stacey said as they approached Luna Park the part of Coney Island where the rides were.

  She watched as Megan's eyes followed a rollercoaster car up one side of Thunder Bolt's 90 degree incline. She could tell Megan was holding her breath as the riders sat suspended in mid-air. When the rollercoaster started it's free-fall, Megan turned away.

  "Maybe we can start out slow on something like the go-carts?" Megan said sheepishly.

  "Coney Island Raceway here we come," Stacey replied with a wink.

  For the next three hours, the two women bounced from one ride to another --gradually taking on higher and faster rollercoasters. Stacey especially liked the rides where the two of them were squeezed into a car next to each other. As the rollercoasters dipped and swerved, they slid into one another. The closeness was more exhilarating than the rollercoaster itself. On one particularly scary ride, Megan even reached out and grabbed Stacey's hand before the car they were in went careening toward the ground.

  In between rides, they stuffed their faces with amusement park treats.

  "I can't remember the last time I ate cotton candy," Megan said as she pulled off a piece of the fluffy pink cloud she was holding.

  She stuck out her tongue and swirled it around in the candy until her lips were pink and sticky. Stacey wasn't quite prepared for the sexual imagery that flooded her mind as she watched Megan's tongue lap up the soft candy.

  "Uh, what's next?" she said turning away from the enticing sight.

  They rode a few more amusement park rides and then grabbed something to eat along the Boardwalk. By the time they got back to Brooklyn they had definitely celebrated the good news of the day.

  "You want to come in for a drink?" Megan asked as they stepped through the patio gate.

  "Sure," Stacey said, happy that the day now turned to evening wasn't over yet.

  While Megan went into the kitchen to get the wine, Stacey slid onto the piano bench and started pecking out the only song she knew how to play -- albeit with one finger.

  "Open your door. I'll be your tenant. Don't got much baggage to lay at your feet. But sweet kisses I've got to spare. I'll be
there. I'll cover you." Stacey sang I'll Cover You a song from the musical Rent softly to herself. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn't even realize Megan had come back into the room until she sat down on the piano bench beside her and began playing the song full out.

  Stacey was surprised to find out that Megan knew the Broadway hit -- well.

  "Sing it," she coaxed Stacey with a smile.

  "I think they meant it when they said you can't buy love. Now I know you can rent it. A new lease you are on life. My love. Be my life," Stacey sang along as Megan played.

  When they reached the end of the song -- the part in the show where the two characters kiss -- the two women moved toward each other. The minute Megan's lips touched hers a jolt of electricity ran through Stacey's body. She reached forward and wrapped her hands around Megan's waist, pulling her even closer on the piano bench. Stacey could feel the pace of Megan's breathing increase and she was relieved to feel Megan respond passionately to their kiss.

  When Stacey shifted her body to get even closer to Megan, her elbow accidentally hit the piano keys and a dissonant sound filled the room. It reminded Stacey of the first notes she heard coming through the floor of her apartment a month ago.

  "That's how we started," Stacey said giggling. "I'm glad you make more pleasant noise now."

  Megan looked at her with a smile. "Speaking of more pleasant. Would you like to move to someplace more comfortable than a piano bench?"

  Stacey nodded yes and the two women scurried down the hall to the bedroom.

  From that night on Stacey and Megan began spending as much of their free time together as possible. On most nights, Stacey would come home from a catering gig -- often carrying enough leftover treats for the two of them to share -- and they would either stay up talking -- or getting equally close without using words. It was all so easy. Like a puzzle that just fell into place creating a beautiful picture.

  One morning while Megan was in the front room practicing, the call Stacey had been waiting for finally came through.

  "Hey Marty," she said trying to keep her voice calm.

  Her agent never called her before noon unless he had news about a job.

  "Hey Stacey."

  Marty's voice didn't sound the way it usually did when he had bad news to share but he didn't sound super excited either.

  "I'll cut to the chase," her agent said. "They loved your audition."

  Stacey let out a deflated breath sensing where this conversation was headed. "But I didn't get the part," she said finishing her agent's sentence.

  "Sorry, Kid. But there is some good news?"

  Stacey couldn't imagine what that could be. "Okay. Tell me," she said with barely any enthusiasm.

  "Like I said, the producers really loved your audition. They happen to be the same team that produced The Open Window."

  Stacey's eyebrow raised. Now Marty had her attention. The Open Window was the summer's surprise Broadway hit. It had only been open for a month but there was already talk of multiple Tony Award nominations especially for the show's star Trish Warner.

  "And?" Stacey asked expectantly.

  "Well, there's a standby for the show who's had a family emergency and has to go out of town for a few weeks. The producers don't want to replace her permanently but if you're interested in taking her spot while she's gone..."

  It was good news, Stacey thought. It was a Broadway gig. But one with a million to one shot that she'd ever see any stage time. All in all, standby gigs were kind of thankless jobs. You had to learn an entire show, show up at the theatre for every performance and then wait for tragedy to strike. Standby's didn't even get much time to rehearse with the cast, so if they did have to go on it was like walking a tightrope without a net.

  "Who would I be the standby for?" Stacey asked.

  "Trish Warner."

  Stacey almost dropped the phone. "Are you serious, Marty? Trish Warner? As in four time Tony nominee, Trish Warner?"

  Trish was only a few years older than Stacey but she'd been starring in Broadway shows since she was a teenager. She was a genuine triple threat. Singer. Dancer. Actress and anyone would be crazy to turn down an opportunity to work with her -- even if it meant not exactly working with her.

  "I'll do it," Stacey said. "And Marty, talk about burying the lead! Trish Warner. You could have started with that!"

  Marty chuckled on the other end of the line. "I know, but wasn't it more exciting this way?"

  Stacey just rolled her eyes.

  "Oh, by the way. Who booked the role I did audition for?"

  There was silence on the phone for a moment and Stacey thought they might have been disconnected.

  "Marty? Are you there?"

  Something about the wordless dead air said everything.

  "Don't tell me..."

  "I'm afraid so, Kid. They cast Karen Grigsby."

  Stacey let out a growl.

  "Let's not focus on that," Marty encouraged. "Just remember the producers requested you for this standby gig. It means they were impressed enough with your audition to put their whole show on your shoulders if anything happens to Trish."

  That reality sobered Stacey and drove all thoughts of Karen Grigsby from her mind.

  "Your contract starts a week from Tuesday, Marty continued. "And you'll have two weeks to learn the show. There won't be any full rehearsals with the cast until the put-in but you'll be able to see the show as many times as you'd like and participate in the off stage understudy rehearsals. I'll email you all the info and you can stop by my office tomorrow to sign the contract."

  Stacey hung up the phone and flopped back on the bed. Two weeks to learn an entire show? On her own? A wave of panic washed over her. Most musicals rehearsed for at least four weeks. And that was on your feet with the support of a director and cast.

  Stacey was so caught up in her thoughts about how all of this was going to work, that she didn't even notice that the piano had fallen silent in the other room.

  "Hey, are you okay?" Megan asked from the doorway.

  Stacey looked up and forced a smile bigger than what she felt inside. "Yeah. I just got off the phone with Marty."

  Megan hurried over to the bed and sat down next to Stacey. She must have mistaken the anxiety on Stacey's face for disappointment because she reached out with a comforting hand.

  "You didn't get the part?" Megan asked sadly.

  "No, I didn't. But I did get a job as a standby on another show."

  "A standby?" Megan asked. "Is that like an understudy?"

  "Kind of," Stacey explained. "An understudy usually has a role in the ensemble of a show but is also paid to learn one of the lead roles incase a performer can't go on. A standby isn't in the show at all. They literally just stand by. They learn the whole part and have to show up at the theatre every night just incase the actor they're covering gets sick or can't perform for some reason. Then they step in."

  "You mean you'll do all the work learning the role but aren't guaranteed to ever perform?"

  "That's it," Stacey said a little glumly. "But on the upside. I get paid whether I go on or not. And the show they want me for is on Broadway."