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It seemed like every Broadway actress had a ritual before her curtain call Breathing exercises, a poses; all perfectly acceptable rituals to ready the actress for her ht

This was hardly Broadway, however, and Alamorous Nor was she the lead In fact, she was merely the understudy, and lately, her pre-theater routine o Tribune while sipping back copious areen room coffee

It’d already been two years since she’d ditched her life as a waitress in Indiana to pursue acting in Chicago At the tiht a The reality, however, was far fro in Illinois, she’d landed a couple of s home about She’d nearly fainted when she received the lead role in Carolina and the Bridge—that is, until she found out she’d been cast as the understudy Thus far she hadn’t even stepped on stage once, and tonight was the last show

She’d chosen her starter apart an ad online and deciding that particular choice would be low-budget enough that she wouldn’t be li into the city She’d been in her ‘starter’ for two years now and desperately needed an upgrade Still, with ht, she’d taken tothe want ads in the paper and obsessively checking her phone for acting gigs and waitressing jobs

Boy, would her parents be proud

Though divorced, A: her career, or lack thereof So it came as no surprise to her when, on separate occasions, both her , especially when she decided toever since she was a child, and she knew she was good, she just neededcity, she’d foolishly thought, the roles would co

Like s backstage at the local theater to watch another rendition of a fantastic play she had seely learned all the lines in vain for She sat atop an old speaker near the stage, outfitted in sweatpants and a T-shirt; her long hazelnut hair scrunched up in a lazy bun

She absent-ainst her coffee cup as her eyes skie that , but there was still over an hour to go before curtain call Before she had a chance to s her coffee and ask a stagehand for the scoop, the director ca up to her

In standard drahly on the speaker, causing it to spill slightly over the surface

“Thanks for that,” she said with a grin

“You’re honestly just sitting there?”

Amie blinked emphatically “I have become one with this speaker She understands me and I, her”

“No time, no time!” he shouted

“For what?”

“For that thing you do when you get sarcastic! Wardrobe!” he yelped across the green rooerated fashion “This isn’t happening This isn’t happening!”

“Michael!” she said fir her director; the two had for hiood job of breaking down the walls between them “Words Use them Breathe, then speak”

“Sharon called in sick,” he said, referring to the lead actress He placed his hand on his forehead and gave a woeful sigh “It’s all up to you now, honey, so get into wardrobe immediately, if not sooner”