Born to Perform

Chapter 18

Onstage, Sam and I are curled up in each other’s arms on the bed. Wait, I’ll try that again. Sam and I are about to sing ‘Somewhere’ and we embrace each other before we are inevitably ripped apart. That sounds a lot better. 

“There’s a place for us…” Sam starts singing. I keep breathing steadily and thinking about the words and all the meaning behind them. Then I launch into the song with all my heart. 

“There’s a time for us, some day a time for us…” My voice is shaking with nerves but it fits with the emotion of the song so I don’t try to stop it. All the way through, I just think about a safe happy place where Sam and I could be together without having to worry about what other people might think. A world with no high school, no popularity, no Elisha… 

Sam holds my hands and I realise that his hands are shaking too. I never considered that he would be nervous as well. He always looks so calm and natural onstage. I then notice that we are approaching the high notes so I take in as much breath as I can and belt them out. 

“Someday! Somehow! Somewhere!” We sing together in perfect tune, holding the note until the whole audience are standing on their feet applauding. Tears roll down my face and I quickly wipe them away. This is the perfect moment. This is the best moment of my life. Here I am, onstage in the arms of the boy I love, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd. Life does not get much better. Sam brushes the tears off my cheeks as Elisha mimes knocking on the door. Of course, even when she’s acting Elisha can find a way to pull us apart. 

“Maria? Maria, it’s Anita! Why are you locked in?” Elisha calls with an edge to her voice that the audience don’t notice but I know means she hates seeing us together. Sam hugs me as rehearsed, then to my surprise, improvises a kiss. I almost start crying again as I am taken back to our date. Elisha tries to suppress her fury but bangs on the door much harder than she should have and shouts “Maria! Why are you locked in?” a little too forcefully. 

“I didn’t know it was locked,” I finally manage to say, after being rendered speechless by the kiss. 

“Open the door. I need you,” Elisha whines. If I were Maria, I wouldn’t open that door in a million years and ruin this moment. I get up and reach for the door knob but Sam stops me. 

“Now you are afraid, too,” I whisper to him. 

“What?” Elisha calls, right next to me and nearly deafening me. 

“One moment!” I call just as loud back to her. I spin round to Sam who grips my shoulders with urgency. 

“Doc’ll help. I’ll get money from him. You meet me at his drugstore,” he commands. I agree, then he kisses me again and climbs down the scaffolding and out of the scene. I am worried that I will faint but I hold the bed frame for support and continue the lines. 

“Did you see Chino? He was here before but he left so angry. I think maybe he-” I open the door and see Elisha’s cold stare. A shiver of fear runs down my spine but I remind myself that this is only a play. She can’t hurt me onstage. I hope…

She shoves me out of the way, examines the bed and window, then glares at me again. 

“All right. Now you know,” I confess. 

“And you still don’t know! Tony is one of them!” she screams back at me. “A boy like that who’d kill your brother…” she starts singing bitterly. I imagine her singing these lines about Sam and how upset that would make me. I want to defend him from her. 

“Oh no, Anita, no! Anita, no!” I sing with all the feeling I can muster. Then we duet: she sings her disapproval of Sam and I sing about my love for him. “I have a love, and it’s all that I have. Right or wrong, what else can I do?” I sing. These words come right from my heart and I turn to the audience so they can see this. Sam is my love. I don’t care if he loves me back or not. I love him with all my heart and I always will.