Love On Broadway

Chapter 5: Lin-Manuel

I knocked on Emma's door. Well technically, it was Pippa's door, since it was her dressing room, but for today, I guess it was Emma's. I heard "Come in!" I opened the door and stepped inside. Emma was sitting on the chair and Jon was sitting on the make-up counter. They were laughing about something Jon said.

"Hey guys! What's so funny?" I asked and set the multiple water bottles I brought on the ground.

"Jon was telling me one of his Broadway rehearsals like what? Two years ago?" She broke of laughing. "Your gonna have to tell him, I can't do it without laughing." She chuckled, her face was red. Jon then launched into a story about practicing to hit on a woman that was actually playing his mother.

"Stage makeup works miracles." Jon finished. We were all catching our breaths, I picked the water bottles off the floor.

"Okay so let's get started." I opened up the binder with the lyrics and sheet music that I brought with me.

"Do we have to practice here?" Emma asked.

I smiled and played with the binder ring. "Where would you want to practice." I asked.

Emma looked and Jon and me. She smiled. I want to show you guys something." I hoped out of her chair and swung the door open and walked out, not waiting for me or Jon. I looked at Jon, he shrugged and we hurried after her. We walked with her down the hall and came us to a dressing room with no one's name on the door. Or character. "Here we are."

She pulled a key out her back pocket and wave it in front of our noses. She plugged it into the lock and opened the door. She turned on the light and walked across the room and opened the window. You could hear the New York traffic, it was sort of refreshing. Jon and I were in the center of the room. Jon was looking at the keyboard and food in the corner, eyeing it longingly. But I focused on the far wall. There were two posters, An In The Heights poster and a Hamilton poster. I understood immediately, Emma hung up posters from the plays she's worked in.

"Emma this is amazing, but how did you find this?" I asked as I walked over to her. She was looking out the window. There was a breathtaking view of Broadway theatres and tall buildings.

"When I was working on In The Heights." She smiled and turned to me. "Are you ready to start-" She was cut off by the sound of something being ripped open. Jon was opening a Lays  Classic chip bag.

"Sorry I couldn't resist." He looked at us like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"It's fine Jon, let's get started," Emma said. We gathered in the center of the room of sat in a circle on the floor. I open the book and pushed it towards Emma.

"Let's start with Alexander Hamilton. The first song. I'm assuming since it's been two months and we've been all hearing the soundtrack non-stop, you probably know the words to the whole play already." I explained. "But that doesn't mean you don't know how to properly sing it."

Jon raised his hand like he was in a classroom. "I have a question?"

I rolled my eyes and played along. "What Jon."

"Why am I here then?" Jon pushed more chips into his mouth.

"You're my motivator." Emma chimed in.

Jon seemed to like the sound of that. "Alright."

So we started to practice all of the songs that Eliza had a part in. We just finished with the first act and were working on Take A Break when Emma's phone rang. She looked at the screen and rolled her eyes. "I need to take this, give me five minutes at most."

"Yeah take your time." She stood up and put the phone to her ear.

"Hola?"

A pause.

"He dicho cinco, que es cuando se necesita para recogerme no más tarde, no antes, se trata de un segundo día de juego, necesito que volver a las siete."

I felt my mouth slack open. Was she speaking in fluent Spanish? I looked over a Jon but he was passed out on the carpet I silently shook him awake.

"Whaaa?" He asked groggily.

"Is Emma speaking Spanish?" I whispered to him, wondering if I was just imagining it.

Jon listened for a few seconds, his eyebrows furrowed. "I don't know but it doesn't sound like English." He closed his eyes and past out again. I rolled my eyes.

I looked back to Emma. She was turned away from us in the corner. I tuned my ears to see what she was saying no matter how bad I felt about eavesdropping.

"¡Lo sé! ¡No lo puedo creer! Estoy muy nerviosa por el show." I know! I can't believe it, I'm extremly nervous about the play...

 I smiled. I don't know why she was so nervous, she was going to be great.

" No te preocupes Teresa, estaré lista, sólo estaré aquí a tiempo." Don't worry Teresa, I'll be there, just come and pick me up.

Where is she going? Wait, why does it matter to you Lin. It's none of your business. I looked down when she turned back around and shoved her phone in her pocket and sat back down.  I looked at her.

"What?"

"You speak fluent Spanish?"

"Oh...that, I forgot, your Puerto Rican." She said. She paused for an explanation. "My brother's getting married and I'm going with his fiancé to go dress shopping in between shows."

"Well do you think you'll have time now that you're playing Eliza today?"

"Yeah, I'm sure, I did the math, but it'll be tight and it took us forever to get the appointment." We were quiet for a minute. I looked at Jon sleeping on the floor. His mouth was open and chip bags were piled around him. Emma and I looked at each other and started laughing.

"Let's finished up so we'll have some time to rest before we get in costume."

"Yeah, I just hope Jon can fit in his costume with all the chips he ate," Emma said and nudged him with her boot. He groaned and rolled over. We laughed harder. And Emma didn't look as nervous.