Angela woke anxious, fearing the worst. Was this the start of another bout of depression or mere anxiety over the part she was reading for today? Sometimes it was hard to tell, but this time she was more nervous than anxious. Small distinction, but huge for her. She could not be going into that black hole again. It had taken a year and a boatload of medication for her to feel normal. Sometimes she wondered what normal really was. This "disease" had been such a part of her life for so many years, she feared when it would rear its ugly head again, usually without warning.
She slipped on her robe and grabbed her script, padding into the kitchen to make some coffee. She had to nail this one. She hadn't had a decent role since before her last "bout" and she needed this. The theatre was all she knew, imbedding itself in her subconscious when she was a little girl putting on plays for her family. She was a performer—she always knew it. Being on stage was the only way she could function in life. She couldn't be herself; she needed a persona.
Angel, as she was called, grew up in a comfortable home, surrounded by loving parents. She was an only child and often escaped into her own little world with her dolls and stuffed animals and her imaginary friends. Often her mom could be heard saying, "Who are you talking to, little girl," with a smile on her face delighting in her child's wonderful imagination. Everyone said she was destined to become an actress. Her closet was bulging with dress-up clothes. As an only child, hers could be a lonely world and she often imagined she was someone else entirely. She could be a princess, a cowgirl, or a famous actress at the drop of a hat. It took away the loneliness and isolation she sometimes felt.
She opened her closet and pulled out a bright sweater and pair of slacks. She was glad the role was an easy one—at least for her—so she could ease her way back in. Her stomach was twisted, making breakfast a useless effort, so she finished her coffee, which only added to her stomach acid, popped some Tums and headed down to the garage of her apartment building, script in hand.
YOU ARE READING
The Final Act
Short StoryA chance meeting at an audition brings Rory and Angel together and the magic between them on stage carries over into their personal lives. But Angel is keeping a dark secret which threatens to ruin her relationship with Rory. Will he find out and...
