Page 83 of Everything's Coming Up Rosie

I glance back as he drains his water bottle and puts it back in the cup holder. Then, seemingly with all the time in the world, he kicks his feet up on the dash of the cart, puts his hands behind his head, and says, “So, Rosie Waterman, tell me something no one knows about you.”

I press my lips together and pull in as much oxygen as I can in a single breath. This is it. If we’re doing this, now is the time.

Nonfiction Friday.

“Okay... something no one knows...” There are so many things that no one knows about me, but I start with the simplest.

I look up, straight into his eyes, and I say, “The truth is that I am a failure.”

And without explanation, context, or another word, I grab my things and head into the theatre, not believing I just said that.

Chapter 21

Saturday morning, before our first rehearsal gets underway in a few hours, I hop in my golf cart and drive toward the dining hall. The staff Commons is only open in the evenings for family dinner, something I can see becoming a fun tradition, even for me.

The few times I’ve gone, I’ve already loved the upbeat atmosphere. It’s one of my favorite sounds—the murmur of a crowd, sprinkled with intermittent rises and falls, snippets of conversations and stories, bursts of reactions and laughter.

Everyone on staff seems to be here because they love it. And because it’s a great place to work. I mean, the perks are next level. For the first time since I graduated college, I’ve started to wonder if there’s more to this life than what I originally thought or planned.

Could I be happy doing anything other than what I’ve been doing?

Two weeks ago, it was a hard no.

Today, though?

When I was in school, I read an interview with a popular television actor who’d started a theatre company in a small town on the West Coast. I remember the interviewer asked if he had any advice for aspiring actors, and his reply surprised me. He said, in a nutshell, “If you can be happy doing anything else, do it. This life is hard.”

I remember thinking,Well, life is hard for everyone.But being here now, I think I get what he was trying to say.

I’m so deep in thought as I stand in the buffet line that I don’t notice Booker is standing next to me until he bumps my shoulder with his.

I startle, then look up, and at the sight of him, everything inside me settles.

He’s like a walking reminder that I don’t need to have everything figured out in this moment. I can just be here, waiting for eggs, next to a guy who now knows I’m a failure—but doesn’t know why—and still seems to want to be my friend.

“Oh, hey, I almost forgot.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a penny, holding it out to me. “Here. For your thoughts.”

“That’s the line you’re leading with?”

He winces. “It went better in my head.”

“You brought a prop and everything,” I tease.

“I’m trying to learn from themaster.” He lays it on mock thick.

“There are a few things I could teach you,” I say, giving it right back.

He turns to me full-on. “Oh, I’ll bet there are.” He steps forward, leaving me speechless for what seems like the eighteenth time in the last few days.

I gather myself and hold out my hand. “Fine. Give it.”

He presses the penny into my palm. “As an actor, you probably need it, huh?”

I tuck the penny into my pocket and sock him on the arm. “I’ll remind you that I’m gainfully employed.”

We step forward as the line moves.

“I never understood that phrase,” he says. “Gainfully? What does that even mean?”

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