Chapter 47
Zoe slumped into the wall of their favorite booth inside Hazel’s Kitchen. She’d been on her feet most of the day as they finalized
the costumes for tomorrow’s tech run. Now that she’d eaten Andre’s delicious gumbo, all her achy body wanted to do was curl
up in bed and sleep for three days straight.
“Want a drink?” Keisha stopped by the booth on the way to the kitchen with dirty dishes she’d bussed from the tables. “He’s
already closed the bar, but I know he’ll be happy to make you something.”
“Coffee with lots of sugar, please.” Zoe forced herself to sit up straight. “We have a long night ahead of us.”
The rest of the Boss Babes exchanged worried looks.
“I saw that.” Zoe pointed her finger at them.
“Zoe, it’s been five days and you haven’t talked about Derek,” Reina said gently.
“It’s over between us. There’s nothing to discuss.” Zoe groaned. “Can I at least have my caffeine before you grill me about
my failed love life?”
Keisha ran into the kitchen and returned with the entire pot of coffee plus a restaurant-size squeeze bottle of sweetened
condensed milk.
Zoe grabbed the bottle and kissed it. Sugar was a sad substitute for her beloved sweetener.
“Okay, now I’m really worried,” Josie said as she carefully pried the bottle from Zoe. She flipped the cap open to squeeze the sweetener into Zoe’s coffee. “Tell me when.”
“Keep going.” Zoe waited until the mug threatened to overflow before shouting, “When!”
“Wow,” exclaimed Keisha as Zoe tried to stir her coffee without spilling a single drop. “Does that mean you don’t want any
leftover bread pudding?”
“We never turn down Andre’s bread pudding,” Trixie answered for the table. “Thanks for letting us hold the meeting here after
hours.”
“Anything for my babe,” Andre called from the kitchen door. He held a large tray of dessert. “I’ll set up a spread and y’all
can help yourselves.”
“Thanks, sweetie.” Trixie wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and pulled him in for a deep kiss.
Zoe looked away. It wasn’t their fault they were so stinking cute, but their public display of affection only reminded her
of Derek. Or rather, how she’d probably never kiss anyone like that ever again.
“I love— loved him.” Zoe’s voice cracked. But none of that mattered now.
“Aha! She finally admits it.”
“Reina, you’re not helping,” Josie chastised the redhead before turning to Zoe. “She’s right. You can’t bottle your feelings
like that.”
“He’s not the person I thought I loved,” Zoe replied before taking a sip. She let the sugary coffee coat her tongue before
swallowing.
“I’m sorry.” Her roommate hugged her. “You’re allowed to be mad and talk about your feelings.”
Zoe had said awful things to him and she couldn’t take them back. She’d replayed that evening in her head over and over, trying to figure out how she could’ve handled it better. But the ending was always the same. She couldn’t be someone who was afraid to do the right thing. Someone who wasn’t strong enough to stand up for their values.
The bell over the door dinged.
“We’re here!” TJ announced as he held the front door open for the cast of The Brocaded Slipper and Th ? o.
“Please, come in and help yourselves.” Keisha welcomed them and guided everyone to the huge buffet that Andre had set up.
“Wow, it smells amazing in here.” Katie Mai grabbed a plate and filled it with a scoop of everything.
The others agreed and followed suit.
“How did rehearsal go today?” asked Zoe after everyone had filled their bellies. She sat on a barstool so everyone could see
her clearly.
“The lyrics are still in English,” Danny said dejectedly.
“And the dialogue, too,” added Katie Mai.
The two had given Zoe daily updates on all the changes Derek had made to the musical. For four nights, she’d hoped with all
her heart that he’d come to his senses, but he’d remained steadfast.
“He pulled rank on me, so my opinion doesn’t matter anymore.” Th ? o was uncharacteristically subdued. “I had to stop asking him to revert the lyrics because I couldn’t take the rejection anymore.”
“Your original lyrics are beautiful, darling. Maybe you can use them for something else.” Katie Mai slipped her hand into
Th ? o’s, and Th ? o kissed her in return.
“Yeah, it’s way better with them,” added Danny. The others murmured in agreement.
“You know what pisses me off?” Th ? o grumbled. “If this had been Derek’s idea, I would’ve kept an open mind, but Greg wants to change things for all the wrong
reasons.”
“We can’t let him win,” declared TJ. “We can’t have white men dictating how we tell our stories.”
A chorus of “Hell, no!” filled the restaurant.
“It’s clear that Derek won’t stand up to Greg. We have to do something about it before it’s too late,” declared Zoe. If she
didn’t prioritize standing up for her people, then what was the point of everything she’d fought for since college?
“What are you proposing?” Th ? o asked.
“A walkout. Tomorrow.” Zoe’s voice rang into the restaurant.
Several of the actors’ eyes widened. Others had worried expressions.
“We all signed union-approved contracts.” Katie Mai stood up and waved at her fellow cast mates. They nodded. “What if we
get in trouble with Actors’ Equity? Unauthorized strikes have serious consequences.”
“I’m asking a lot from you. This can’t be a strike because we want the show to open as planned.” Zoe bit her lip as she explored
options.
“What if we walked out for an hour?” Th ? o suggested. “Union rules dictate that we’re allowed two hours for a dinner break on tech days.”
“Yes!” Danny clapped his hands. “Derek and Greg don’t have to know that it’s not a strike.”
“Genius. They’ll be terrified for sixty glorious minutes.” Katie Mai laughed. “We’ll return to rehearsal after an hour and
Heather can deduct it from our dinner break.”
“So we’re in agreement?” Zoe asked.
The rest of the actors nodded yes even though a few were still worried.
“If you’re only walking out for a short period of time, you need to make a splash,” Josie piped up from their booth. “A cannonball-size
one.”
“We need to alert the media!” cried Reina. “This is a big story: Asian American actors stage a walkout to protest their production’s
whitewashing.”
“How can we get media to show up at Prestige tomorrow morning? That’s only thirteen hours from now,” Trixie pointed out.
“I have a list of bloggers and content creators who owe me favors.” Reina’s wicked grin hinted at secrets she’d gleaned at
her burlesque club. “Not to mention some mainstream media.”
“I can put out an SOS to the food content creators we work with,” added Reina. “They have no problem covering social justice
issues like this.”
“Hot damn, this is really happening.” Th ? o hugged her girlfriend. “Do you think it’ll change anything?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll regret it if I don’t try,” Zoe said as her chest swelled with hope.
“Someone needs to make a speech if we convince these people to show up and cover our walkout,” said Reina. “And it won’t be
this white lady.”
Everyone laughed but Reina had a point.
“I nominate Zoe!” cried out one of the chorus members.
“No, I like staying behind the scenes. They don’t want to hear from me,” Zoe protested.
“You’ve stood up against Greg since you joined this production. We’d be honored for you to lead us.” Th ? o turned to the actors. “Zoe! Zoe!”
“Zoe! Zoe! Zoe!” they chanted.
“Okay! I’ll do it!” Zoe cried out and was met with cheers. She had the least to lose. It was her idea so her responsibility
to lead them tomorrow.
They might be able to pull it off, unlike her college protest. Back then no one in Syracuse cared about whitewashing or a
tenured professor bullying his students. She’d had no power in that situation.
Tomorrow would be different from college. She had an army behind her.
“Now, let’s make a plan for tomorrow so we’re all on the same page.” Josie pulled out her notebook and fountain pen to make one of her famous lists.
After another round of bread pudding and coffee, they’d agreed on a timeline for tomorrow’s walkout along with roles for everyone.
They were in good hands. Josie’s planning skills rivaled Heather’s.
Heather. Their stage manager would not be happy with this set of plans. Zoe caught Th ? o’s attention and waved her to an empty booth.
“What about Heather?” Zoe asked.
Th ? o sucked her teeth and cringed. “She’s either going to be pissed or she’ll join us.”
“I don’t want her to get in trouble because she works full time at Prestige. The rest of us are contract workers.”
Th ? o bit her lip as she considered Zoe’s words.
“What if I tell her right before we walk out. Like, five minutes. So she can at least be mentally prepared,” Th ? o suggested.
“You’re the best person to tell her. I’ll be downstairs in the costume shop.” It also meant she didn’t have to come upstairs
and run into Derek. He’d know immediately that she was hiding something from him.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t give him a heads-up, too?” Th ? o’s forehead wrinkled in worry.
She didn’t need to say Derek’s name for Zoe to know who she meant.
“No. He’s part of Greg’s old boys’ club now. All he cares about is selling tickets so they can take the show to New York.”
Zoe crossed her arms. They probably drank scotch together in Greg’s office after rehearsals now.
“If you’re sure...” Th ? o trailed off, clearly torn.
Zoe had spent almost a week trying to forget about Derek, which had been slightly easier due to the long hours in the costume
shop. But Th ? o saw him every day at rehearsal and had to listen to new versions of the songs she’d written. Derek was Th ? o’s best friend, too.
“You’re mad at him, too. He undid all your work!” Zoe reminded her.
“He’s trying to hide it, but he misses me. And you.”
“I don’t miss him at all,” lied Zoe.
Th ? o raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Zoe focused on folding and smoothing out the napkin in front of her.
“Every night this week he asked if I wanted to have a drink and work together. Tonight was harder to turn him down because
the rest of us were going out together—and he wasn’t invited.” Th ? o sighed. “I wish things hadn’t come to this.”
“He chose Greg over us.” Zoe shook her head. “As long as he’s on Greg’s side, I can’t be with him. This isn’t some fundraising
gala in small-town central New York. Prestige is the biggest theater in the DMV.”
“I know you were best friends in college and became more than friends, but I’ve known him almost his entire adult life. There’s
something he’s not telling us.” Th ? o traced outlines around the silverware on the table.
“If he can’t tell either of his best friends, then we have to do what’s right. For all of us.” Zoe’s eyes softened. “For Derek,
too, even if he won’t.”
Zoe had lost her fight in college and she refused to give in so easily this time. Not when they were going to make even bigger
waves about the racism in the DC theater scene. Hopefully their walkout would grab the attention of those in New York, too.
“Th ? o, babe, you ready to head home?” Katie Mai called over to their booth. “It’s almost midnight and we have an early day tomorrow.”
“We’re almost done. Can you get a rideshare?” Th ? o turned back to Zoe. “I hope this is the right thing to do. If we fail, we will all have a mark against us as troublemakers.”
“I believe in what we stand for and my Boss Babes are here for us,” Zoe reassured her.
Th ? o hugged Zoe and left with the actors.
Zoe’s chest tightened. Is this how Derek felt when he spoke of the cast depending on him? She had her boutique to fall back
on but what about the actors and Th ? o? If they failed to change anything, Greg would gleefully punish everyone involved, including Derek.
No, she couldn’t give up now. Reina was lining up media while Trixie had commandeered a karaoke machine to use for the speech
tomorrow. They needed as many people there as possible to rock the boat.
They’d voted for her to be their spokesperson and she would make sure their voices were heard by as many people as possible.
Zoe pulled out her phone and texted her brother for backup.
Whatever happened after, she’d have her best friends and family with her. Everyone except for Derek.