As air flowed through the space, she looked around. The bedroom was tiny with a single bed pushed up against the wall.A simple knitted bedcover adorned the bed while two paintings of sad clowns hung on the wall. On the floor beside the bed was a pale pink woven rug and a pretty figurine of a little girl and her dog sat on the dresser.
A narrow door led to a narrow closet. Fortunately, she had not brought much with her. No doubt the space would be more than enough to accommodate the few articles of clothing she had.
The living space consisted of a two-place couch and a small dining table with two chairs. The kitchen was essentially a counter with a hot plate, a small stainless-steel sink and a mini fridge. The bathroom was barely worth mentioning; a tight fit of a shower, a toilette and a sink so small, she wondered why they bothered.
After barely fifteen minutes to get her things stored away, she headed out to explore her new neighborhood. A few houses down, she recognized the house that was used in the comedy, The Sorcerer’s Brew. A little farther still she saw the grand family home to the Peterson’s, the family featured in Better Days.
It was all so surreal.
*****
EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, Sonya headed to the studio for the very first rehearsal.
The moment she walked in the door, she heard a familiar voice call out, “Hey, big sister.”
She turned to see Yolanda running up to her.With more strength than her tiny size could predict, she gave Sonya a tight hug.
“You’re...?”
“Yolanda! You didn’t forget your little sister, did you?”
Sonya forced a smile but felt uneasy around the girl’s familiarity. “Yes. Yolanda. What are you...?”
“I got a part.”
“Oh?”
“Queen,” she said, holding her arms out in a grand manner.
“You were cast as the queen?”Sonya said, finding Yolanda a little young for the part.”
“Well, the queen’s lady-in-waiting, actually. I was hoping for the queen...you know, all the fancy gowns.”
“Right. Well, I’m very happy for you.”
“Oh!”Yolanda called out. “Connie! Connie! Over here.” She leaned closer to Sonya and whispered. “This is the one who got my coveted part.”
Connie came up to them, regal in her stance. She immediately reminded Sonya of her own time in such a noble position.
“You’re the Songbird, aren’t you?”Connie said.
Sonya nodded.
“And that guy over there,” Yolanda continued to shout. “Eddie! Eddie!”
A young man in jeans a tattered tank top glanced over, uninterested. With a sneer he turned away.
“Well, anyway,” Yolanda said. “He’s the king.”
Sonya wanted to laugh. The young king was too much like the young royal who had sold her out. This was going to be an interesting adventure.
*****
AFTER THREE HOURS OFrehearsing, Sonya headed home, songs still playing in her head. The first day of rehearsals had been rough. Eddie had his head in the clouds, and Connie seemed to think a little too highly of herself. It was hard to tell if she was simply taking the role of queen to heart, or if her haughtiness was really a part of who she was.
Humming one of the songs she’d learned, Sonya daydreamed, taking in all the sights and smells around her. In her periphery, a movement caught her attention, and she turned in time to see Mr.Zwick sneaking out of one of the cottages. He fumbled to zip up his pants, then struggled to stuff his shirt back in the waistband. Satisfied with his state of dress, he hurried to his car parked by the curb. Before he could drive off, a young buxom blonde emerged from the same little house. Her dress was only partially buttoned and askew while her hair was half up and half bedraggled. Little of her bright red lipstick remained on her lips.The rest smeared across her cheek.
Hmm, Sonya thought, keeping her head down. She would have never thought such a thing of Mr.Zwick. He seemed so serious and businesslike. He seemed like the type of man who had a lovely wife waiting at home for him.
