Chapter Twelve
“Oh, wow, this theater is huge!” Ebony stepped into the quiet space and tucked her sheet music under her arm.
“Pretty nice,” Avila said.
Terence was hoping that his nerves would calm down by the time they arrived at the theater, but his hopes were not realized.
He really wanted Ebony to book this role. He sat in the second row, watching the other hopefuls sign in. The overhead spotlights
shone brightly on the stage.
When he had agreed to come along, Terence had tried to make it sound like a friendly outing, but he secretly wanted to spend
time with Avila too. Perhaps if they got ice cream afterward, it would count as a pseudo-date.
“I’m going to the restroom. I’ll be right back.” Avila left.
“You care for my mom, don’t you?” Ebony asked out of the blue.
Was it so obvious? Now he felt like a fool. “I’m sorry. What do you mean?”
“Um. It’s quite obvious that you like her. My mom likes you too, but she’s being weirder about it.”
This was super embarrassing.
“I have an idea,” she said. “After I audition, I can bide my time. I don’t know—ask the stage manager questions or something. And maybe that will give the two of you more time together.”
Terence liked that plan. Ebony was so sweet for doing this for him.
Now, as he watched Ebony prepare for the audition, he grew nervous. Seeing Ebony audition reminded him of the time when he
had seen Avila audition for a high school play and she had a terrible case of stage fright. She had a mini panic attack and
had to leave the stage. Afterward, he tried to encourage her to continue acting, but she didn’t seem to respond. He noticed
that after that moment she had become more insecure about her talent. Still, she persevered, until she had Ebony at least.
“Hey, everyone.” The stage manager greeted the crowd, ducking his head as he walked across the stage. “Line up here and get
your numbers.”
Everyone lined up, and Terence kept checking the door to see when Avila would return. The fact that he kept doing so only
solidified what Ebony had said. Moments later, she returned and sat next to him. Unconsciously, Terence reached over and grasped
Avila’s hand.
The relaxed smile on her face made Terence smile. She looked carefree. What he wouldn’t give to see that smile for the rest
of his life.
“After you get your number, you can line up in the front row and wait until your number is called. State your name, the role
you’re auditioning for, and then begin.”
What had happened to Avila after Ebony was born? The pressures of life led her to make some hard decisions. From what he remembered
in high school, she was a natural talent.
He looked up at Avila, sitting next to him in her khaki shorts and white top. As much as he wanted to ask her about that experience, he needed to take his time.
As the audition progressed, he and Avila talked occasionally over the chatter of the performers surrounding them. They realized
it was too hard to hear each other, so it was best to remain quiet. Avila settled back in the seat and directed her attention
to the stage.
Terence could feel his heart pounding as the time drew near for Ebony to audition. It was going to be a very long day.
He watched as Ebony crossed her arms, caught sight of Terence, glanced over at her mother, and then winked. Sitting there,
they felt like a family, so he casually placed his arm around Avila as she sat next to him. Warmth overshadowed him, and it
had nothing to do with the spotlights. Avila’s hand rested on his knee, and she shifted closer to him. This was heaven.
The stage manager called Ebony’s number.
Ebony stepped onto center stage. The floors were shiny and bright, and the spotlight was angled perfectly on her. She was
about to speak but seemed to forget her lines. Moments later, she began.
He had never seen Ebony act before, but, sitting there, he was proud. Watching her perform reminded him of Avila during her
performing days. The best of Avila was encapsulated in Ebony’s voice, in her stage movements, in her facial expressions. Avila
had definitely passed her talent down to her daughter.
When she finished, the onlookers gave Ebony a round of applause. She gave a quick bow and then stepped off the stage, shyness
in her expression. Avila and Terence got up to meet her.
“That was wonderful, darling. Truly wonderful.” Avila gave her a hug.
“If they don’t give you the role in the play, then they are the ones who lose out, not you,” Terence said. “I’m really proud
of you.”
“Thanks,” Ebony replied.
Afterward, Ebony said that she wanted to stay and watch the rest of the people who were auditioning, and so that meant that
Avila and Terence were left to wait just outside of the main theater. Avila had never revealed to him or Ebony that she had
been invited to audition for The Piano Lesson . Sitting next to Terence today while Ebony auditioned made her think of the conversation at the diner. Not that she wanted
to pursue performing or anything, but it made her think a bit more expansively about things, about her life, about her future.
“I loved seeing Ebony up there. She’s amazing onstage.”
“When Ebony was auditioning, I couldn’t help but remember that time when you were auditioning for the high school play and
you had the panic attack. Remember?”
How could she forget? That was one of the worst days of her life. “Uh-huh.”
“What happened that day? You seemed changed, and after that, you became very nervous and doubtful about your abilities.”
He really had to bring this up, huh? “What does this have to do with The Piano Lesson ?”
“A whole lot.” Terence shrugged. “I just wanted to know.” The corner of his mouth quirked up into a grin.
She took a deep breath, thinking back to that day. Actually, she had tried her hardest to push that day out of her mind, but he wanted to know all about it, so here goes. “I overheard my parents arguing that morning. They were arguing about money, about my father’s gambling. I was trying my hardest to get out of the house quickly, just so I wouldn’t have to hear them. Anyway, as I was leaving, I stopped in the kitchen, where the two of them were, and I asked my father if he still planned to watch me audition after school that day. He said yes.” She looked down, her eyes blurring. “He never showed up.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It was my first clue that he was on his way out of our lives. Actually, while I was auditioning, I kept thinking that he
had, in fact, left us, and so I couldn’t even focus on my audition piece. That’s why I ran out of the theater that day. I
wanted to go home to see if he was still there.”
Terence turned and faced her. “Oh my, Avila. That’s horrible.”
“Yeah. Thankfully, he was at home. He told me that he had forgotten about the audition, but I knew better by then. He had
lost his desire to be with his family. That was the first clue.”
There was a silence between them, and she focused her attention on the half-opened door to the theater. She spotted Ebony
watching the other hopefuls with delight. No matter what, Avila would ensure that her daughter would never lose her passion
for the arts. She would protect her gifts and nurture them in the best way she could.
“So that’s the reason why you lost confidence in yourself. However, you still kept going until your college years. That’s
brave.”
“So are you saying that I’m a coward for giving up after Ebony was born?” She bit her bottom lip.
“Not at all.”
The way he looked at her made her shift. Since she had returned to Charleston, she had yet to get used to Terence’s eyes,
his smile, his laugh, and the particular way that he gazed at her, which spoke volumes without even saying a single word.
“So why don’t you audition?”
She laughed nervously. “I’m too old for this now. My time at the front of the stage is over and done with.”
“There are a lot of older actors, and you’re not even old. What are you even talking about?”
“You know what I mean! I don’t have the energy for that type of thing anymore. All of my energy is consumed in motherhood
and making ends meet.”
His expression turned heavy and weighed on Avila’s heart and mind. “It doesn’t have to be that way, Avila. I can’t bear to
see you struggling. I don’t even want to think about how you fared over the past twelve years.” He crossed his arms and sighed.
“So, you really want to go back to New Jersey, huh?”
She nodded. “Once I sell my mother’s home, things will ease up for me financially. So I won’t have to worry like I did in
the past. I know that you hate me for wanting to go back.”
“I don’t hate you, Avila.”
He didn’t hate her? “Okay, then you have a strong dislike for the plan.”
“Maybe a little.”
They glanced at one another and burst out laughing. Avila loved his laugh. She always had. It was one thing she had always loved about him. She remembered one time when they were in an algebra class in tenth grade and Avila was flipping through her textbook. She heard his laughter filter into the classroom from the hallway. She didn’t even have to look up to see who it was. She could recognize it a mile away. Terence’s laughter bubbled up from the depths of his soul.
“What would it take for me to convince you to change your mind about going back to New Jersey?”
Avila’s neck muscles tensed.
“I know. I know. I know. Hear me out first.”
Avila bit down on her thumbnail. How was she going to respond to this? She didn’t know.
“I know that you have your job. And Ebony is happy with school there and all. So I don’t want to mess with that.”
A slow recognition of where he was going with his argument settled upon her; she was already shaking her head no.
“You haven’t even heard me out yet.”
“Okay then. Go ahead.”
“What I wanted to say was that you and Ebony could spend the summers in Charleston. You could stay at my place.”
“Oh, wow.”
“Three months out of the year, you would be here, and the rest of the year you could be in New Jersey. It would be a wonderful
compromise. What do you think?”
“You really want an answer to this question today?”
“No. Not today, but it’s something to think about. I think it’s a really great idea, actually. I think Ebony would like it
too.”
“I work year-round, though. So maybe Ebony could come down for the summer, and I would just stay in Jersey and work.”
His expression flickered. He didn’t like her response; at least that was what she surmised.
“Do you like your job, Avila?”
She shifted, not liking his question. “It’s a good job.”
“But do you like it? Does your work make you happy?”
Ack. Why did he have to ask hard questions like that? “Doesn’t matter if it makes me happy or not. Like I said, it pays the
bills and keeps food on the table. Liking or not liking doesn’t really matter for adults.”
He stared at her for a good minute, or at least it felt like a good minute. Avila looked away.
“I don’t think that our meeting again is by chance, Avila. You don’t have to stay on this same track in life. You can make
another choice.”
Make another choice. Ha. That was rich. He really thought life was as easy as making another choice. “Well, that might be
the case for you, especially since you have always had two supportive parents who only wanted the best for their son. That
wasn’t the case for me.”
An awkward silence fell between them. She probably shouldn’t have said that as bluntly, but it was certainly true.
“I didn’t mean to sound dismissive of your experience.”
“I never said that you were being dismissive. I just wanted you to know the full context. That’s all.”
There was the sound of chatter and laughter from the theater, and Avila’s gaze shifted downward, burdened.
Regret took hold of her. If she had her choice, she wouldn’t be a receptionist at an emergency room. She would be doing something
more fun, something that she truly and really loved. Acting. Singing. Performing. Or even working behind the scenes. “You’re
right. I know that you’re right,” she said. “It’s hard to admit it out loud though.”
There was a sense of empathy that emanated from him. She could feel it buzzing from him even now.
“Why don’t you try?” he said.
“Try what?”
“Admitting it out loud. What would you do if you didn’t have to worry about all of that adulting stuff?”
She bit her lip and looked away. Was she really going to say out loud all that she had been keeping inside? “I would work
onstage or as part of the production crew. I love being in the theater, wherever that may be.”
“I never knew that you wanted to be on the production side of things.”
“I didn’t think so either, but I thought about it a while back. And the idea didn’t repulse me.” She chuckled. “If an idea
doesn’t repulse me, then I know that I’m on the right track.”
“Do I repulse you?”
The question threw her. Did he? She glanced up at him, and she studied the sharp angles of his face. He was handsome, and
she loved spending time with him. He certainly didn’t repulse her, that was for certain. “Not at all,” she said.
He smiled. “That’s a start, I guess. A very good start. What would it take for you to try to work in theater again?”
She twisted her mouth. “Nothing. Nothing at all. Like I said, that was in my past. I’m not really looking to go hard at that.
Anything that has to do with that world, I’ll leave to my daughter.”
Even as she said the words, a sense of sadness welled up inside of her. She had so many aspirations back in the day, but she
let go of most of them after high school. “All of this talk is an exercise in futility, really.”
Avila adjusted her purse on her shoulder and crossed her arms. She wrinkled her nose. Her left foot tapped on the car peted floor, and her front teeth tugged at her lower lip. Talking about all this stressed her out.
“You didn’t like my questions, did you?”
“No,” she said. “I mean, yes. I mean... Ugh.” Why was this so hard? “I’m just trying to make it. And here you are, asking
me all of these deep questions about my life.”
“That’s what friends are for,” he said.
She paused, considering his statement. “You’re right.”
Terence had always been a good friend. And he always knew just what to say to make her feel better.
“Us getting to know one another again, it’s a process. I understand that,” he added.
“Yeah. A hard process. Not one that I was expecting to experience when I came down here.” She smiled. “But I appreciate your
being here. And all of the help that you’ve given to me thus far.”
“I’m glad to be here for you. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Her heart revved, and she took two deep breaths to steady her feelings. She really could’ve given in to the sensation and
reached out and held his hand, or said, “Likewise,” but that wouldn’t be right.
“But if that’s too much,” Terence said, “then I can give you your space too. Sometimes we just need that time, that space
to simply be.”
“When did you become a philosopher?” she said jokingly.
“I never thought of myself as one, but I’ll gladly accept your compliment.” He shifted closer to her.
Avila’s pulse revved again, and a flit of nervousness pulsed through her. She needed to lighten the mood. “Well, all that
extra space could cause me to overthink. That wouldn’t be good.”
“Are you sure about that?” he said. “Actually, I think you’re very cute when you’re deep in thought. I’ve always admired that about you. Your self-reflective nature. Your strength of mind.”
This was too much. “My strength of mind?” She leaned against the wall. “I want to know more about this. I mean, since I do
brain push-ups in my spare time and all.”
He laughed. “And you’re witty.”
She gave him a smile. Being around him was refreshing. “We better check on Ebony. She might want to leave now.”
“Sure thing.”
They headed inside the theater, and her arm brushed against his. A tiny jolt of electricity flitted through her. Gah. Just
being near him caused her to react. What would she do with this feeling?