Chemistry - A Sander's Sides Fanfiction

- 40 -

Is it too late to upload a chapter?

Nah...

It was Wednesday afternoon when Roman found out. He eagerly checked his email as soon as he got home and just about had a heart attack. There it was, sitting in his inbox.

"I got the part..." he muttered to himself, leaning over his desk in shock, reading and rereading faster that he ever had in his life. "I got the part!" Roman let out a laugh of hysteria. "Oh my God! Yes!" He squealed in delight and danced around his room, fists balled, smile shining, eventually tiring himself out enough to collapse on his bed. "I can't believe I'm gonna be Jean Valjean." He let out a sigh of contentment, already beginning to imagine himself on stage, lights shining on his face...

It was a wonderful sight.

"So... how was school today?" Roman's mother drawled, chopping lettuce on the cherry wood cutting board. Her short rusty-dark hair was pulled back into a tiny, tight ponytail, bangs framing her long face. She had her lips painted ruby red and wore giant, flat earrings cut from sheets of metal.

Roman's mom had an interesting shift with often sporadic work hours. Sometimes she would get home before dinner time and wake up at five a.m. the next day; other times, she wouldn't come home until very late -- like ten or eleven -- and leave for work at eight. She was a costume designer who worked in the neighboring city on various film and theater projects. She was well known at the age of forty-two and had worked for nearly two decades to earn her reputation. It was always a treat when Roman and his mom were home at the same time because it meant she could tell him about her latest projects or unusual clients -- it also meant that she could ask him about his day. Because of her busy schedule, it often took her longer to learn about new things going on in Roman's life -- an example being the fact that it took her two days before she learned of Roman's black eye from his father.

"School was alright," Roman replied, smiling at himself; he was excited to drop the news that his audition had been successful in winning him the part in Les Misérables. He propped his chin up on his hand, resting his elbow on the marble tabletop, watching from the center island as his mom continued cutting at the counter. "After school was even better though," he added.

"Really?" she prompted. "And why is that?" Her eyes did not leave the cutting board. Roman's mom was interesting in that way. She was sensible and candid -- warm too, of course, but often straight to the point and honest; it was a quality that Roman respected in her, even if it led to some uncomfortably strict conversations sometimes -- especially after his first "secret" girlfriend and after getting himself punched in the face. She cared though, and that was why she was the way she was. It made her not only a good mother, but also an ambitious employee and a successful leader; Roman sometimes envied her confidence.

"Well," Roman began, grinning obviously now, "I got my email back from Mrs. B... and she said I got the part!"

His mom stopped cutting lettuce now, and turned around to face him with wide eyes. "Roman!" she called, disbelieving. "That's wonderful, honey!" She placed two hands on the hips of her black bell bottom jeans, scrunching her quatrefoil turquoise blouse accidently with a smile on her face. "I'm so proud of you! -- I knew you'd get it; you're so talented."

Roman's smile widened at the validation, shrugging.

"Well you're going to hug me, aren't you?" his mom demanded, opening her arms.

Roman rolled his eyes and got up from the chair, walking over to her with light feet to do as she asked. Her hugs always reminded him of when he was a little boy, cuddling up with her on the couch or hugging her goodnight. It was nice.