“But the question is, can she act?” Eddie asked, making Laura pale a bit. “It’s not just about singing up on a stage like that.” He chuckled, and pointed his finger at her. “Don’t be a stage mom. She’ll do what she can do, and she’ll do her best.”
“I know. I just hope her best is good enough to get a standing ovation.”
I grinned. I had to admit I was a little jealous. I loved and was extremely proud of my girl, but I would never see her up on stage. Then again I don’t know that anything could be better than the time I saw her execute a round kick to a demon’s head, knock it flat on his back, and impale him through the eye in one single fluid motion. Honestly, it made a mother proud.
Speaking of the devil, my daughter pounded down the stairs in a casual summer dress and bare feet. I raised my brows, and she rolled her eyes in response. “My shoes are in the hall closet,” she said. “I’m not going to go without them.” I eyed Laura who grinned back at me.
“You look very nice. Mindy’s thrilled you’re coming.”
“I was hoping Jared could come too,” she said pointedly looking at me.
I held up my hands. “I did nothing to discourage him,” I said. What I didn’t add was that I was relieved when he had declined Allie’s invitation, saying that there were things he had to take care of that night, but that he would happily join her Saturday for the public premiere.
Allie checked her watch and started to bounce. “We need to go. Where’s Stuart?”
Soon enough the man in question appeared on the stairs, looking very dapper in one of his casual suits. He hurried down as well, checked his watch, and looked at all of us. “We really need to go.”
Laura and I looked at each other, both fighting smiles. I shook my head, a signal not to say anything to him. Then weall bundled into the van and headed to the community center. Fortunately it was a short drive, and parking was easy since this was a preview night. And, as a bonus, because Mindy was playing one of the leads, we’d been given front row seats.
I sat between Laura and Allie with Stuart on the other side of our daughter. He leaned over her and looked at me, grinning as the curtain rose. I squeezed Laura’s hand, then sat back to watch the show.
Into the Woodshas always been one of my favorite musicals, but as I watched the fairy tale beginning followed by the story about what happens after happily ever after, I couldn’t help but think about the parallels to my own life. To what Allie was going through, especially. She’d learned that her mother had a secret life, a special life. And she’d wanted desperately to be part of that.
She got that wish, but what came after was more difficult than she could have imagined. My baby girl was truly going into the woods herself, and I could only hope that at the end of the day, she would come out unscathed.
My deep, philosophical thoughts flittered away as the show really got underway. Mindy’s voice filled the theater, clear and strong and beautiful. She and the boy who played the baker were perfect together, singing and dancing and looking so professional I almost forgot she was only fifteen.
More than once I leaned over to Laura and whispered how impressed I was, and Allie squealed and clapped at the end of every one of Mindy’s songs. When the curtain fell, we jumped to our feet applauding the entire cast for their incredible performance, though I knew the four of us were mostly applauding Mindy.
When the curtain closed again, Allie turned to me enthusiastically throwing her arms around me and giving me a tight hug. “She was amazing. I had no idea she could do that. Ohmy God, I would be mortified up there. And I would sound like a strangled hamster.”
“But a cute strangled hamster.”
“Yeah. Not sure that would be good enough. Oh my God, I can’t believe how good she was.”
“You need to go tell her,” I said. “That’s what previews are for.”
As if to underscore my words, the curtain rose again and the cast came onstage, with the director stepping out and telling the audience that we could come up and talk to the cast. Allie literally leaped onto the stage, making me cringe, since that really wasn’t the designated route to get up there. But since she pulled Mindy into a huge hug, I decided to let it go.
At first, Mindy looked completely freaked out by this massive show of attention, then she burst into laughter herself. Even from where I sat, I could tell that Allie was gushing and gushing.
They went through another round of hugs, then another and another. Finally, I saw my daughter’s expression change, going darker, her brow furrowing. I went cold inside, then leaned over to Laura. “Right now, I really wish we had that voice amplifier.”
“Right there with you.” But this wasn’t a moment that we could navigate for our girls, and as Mindy cocked her head and led Allie off into the wings where we couldn’t see them. I could only sit, my stomach churning, as I wondered about their conversation, and about how their friendship would survive it.
CHAPTER 20
“My party, my party, my party!”
Fresh from his bath, a naked Timmy raced around his room, waving his hands above his head like the kid fromHome Aloneand giggling like a fiend.
“Not quite your party yet, kiddo,” I said. “Just a few more hours. How old are you today?”
He held up three fingers. “Three! I’m three, Momma!”
“That's right, little man. You’ve grown up so fast. How did that happen?” I held the towel open and he raced into it. I finished drying him with the soft terrycloth, then wrapped his little body in the towel and held him close. “Promise me you won’t grow up too fast, okay?”
“Okay, Momma. I'm big enough today,” he said, then tilted his head back and grinned at me. I pulled him close, then bent my head to his, breathing in that clean baby scent, wishing I could store memories in boxes the way I stored old photographs.
