Goodbye

18

The musical was titled and everything was falling more and more into place. Lin was going to be playing the leading role, if all went well of course, Dave another character, and Pippa another. Each of them leading their character with only quotes.

"The more you praise life and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." Lin quoted Oprah in his monologue.

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." Dave smiled as he quoted Oscar Wilde in his.

"A mother's love is selfless." Pippa whispered as she read through her monologue. Her opening line was quoting another show, Miss Saigon, and she had a bit of a smile as she read through it.

"I'll have all the sheet music ready by next week. By then we can pitch it and everything will be determined from there." Alex said while shutting his laptop.

"I'll help too. Just drop it in the folder and I'll work with what you have." Lin smiled.

"Same here." Dave laughed.

"I'll sing it if you need me to." Pippa added on. All of them went home with their drafts of the monologues, each of them getting to create their own. Telling their stories in this musical was risky, but it was something that was going to have a lot of raw emotion in it. And something, literally anyone can play.

No requirements, no certain way to look.

Just anyone.

===

"Let's see!" Steve smiled while holding out his hand.

"I'm not done yet. It's the one thing we can freelance into the script." Pippa smirked while reluctantly handing her notebook over. Steven smiled while sitting at his vanity and reading it over. Pippa watched him in the mirror, his lips slightly moving as he read her perfect cursive handwriting.

"Wow." He said while covering his mouth. "This.." he blinked a few times in awe at how powerful her monologue was.

"It's still a work in progress." Pippa frowned.

"No. I love it. It's so... Raw. I can't... I'm speechless about how amazing it is." He said while looking back at her.

"Really?" Pippa smiled. "The last time I wrote anything like that I was still in college." She said while getting up.

"What did you choose your topic on then?" He asked.

"It's dumb." She said while shutting her notebook. Steven took her hand in his and pulled her down to his lap. The look on his face urged her to not shoot herself down like that. "It... Was on insecurities and anxiety." She answered.

"Do you remember it?" He asked.

"Bits and pieces. But I have it in this book from when I wrote it." She said while pulling her notebook closer to her. She flipped it open, skipping a few pages until she found the writings of a twenty-one year old Pippa. "It's awful... So bare with me." She laughed nervously.

"Nothing is awful." He smiled at her.

She took a breath, letting her mind go back to when she had first done the monologue in front of her class and teacher.

"Again. It was fine during rehearsal; you always had someone to help you then. But during a show? No one could help you. Expected to know the ins and outs by then. Especially on your third performance. The entire audience, just staring at you, waiting for your next line... Your eyes darting from person to person that you can see from your spot on stage... You can hear the small chatter from backstage... Trying to catch the little line in your mind as it runs from you. Playing a game of tag with your memory. You don't remember the first word of the next line. But six words down you remember that one word... crying. Crying on stage. Not planned...I ran of stage... People shouting 'Pippa come back!' 'Pipsy it's okay!'

It's never okay...

I had made a fool of myself. Forcing myself into a dark corner and reacting to it. Time was standing still I couldn't think. Couldn't even breathe. I wanted to die inside. Then it hit me. It hit me like a train filled with the entire scrip. My eyes darting back and forth, trying to find my place. I open my eyes, seeing myself still on stage. I never left... It was all in my head..."

She frowned as she shut her notebook. Steve still smiling at her.

"When did you write that?" He asked.

"I was young and stupid. Let's not talk about it anymore." She said while trying to brush the topic aside.

"Has it happened to you?" He smirked, knowing the answer.

"Besides Hamilton, Yes." She laughed. "In high school I couldn't remember one line on my third performance of the week. It was awful." She said while burying her head in his neck.

"Hey, it's okay. Look at where you are right now. You've come along way from some Illinois theatre stage." He chuckled. "You're here. Broadway!"

"I should go looking for work again." She said while sitting up.

"You did? You'll be in Lin's play. Again." Steven laughed.

"Right. Forgot." She admitted.

"It's fine." He smiled. He looked into her eyes and couldn't help but fall deeper in love with her. She was exposing herself to this character she was able to mold and it was going to be on stage. Now that took guts. And he loved her for it. "I love you so much." He whispered.

"I love you too." She smiled.