Page 2 of Second Act at Appleton Green
In an attempt to rouse herself, she splashed more water on her face.
‘Tea’s ready!’ Nigel’s voice sang from the kitchen. ‘In ramekins, as promised!’
As Lily entered their small kitchen, she laughed at the sight of Nigel sitting on the counter, drinking from a white ramekin. With steam emerging from the makeshift mug, he gave her the other one.
‘Cheers,’ he said and placed her ramekin against his.
Laughing, she took a sip. Nigel always knew how to cheer her up and she made a little toast.
‘To your big adventure on the road to Oz. You are going to be amazing and you’re understudying the Scarecrow. That’s so great – it’s about time people saw how brilliant you are,’ she said firmly. And she believed it. Nigel was exceptional and it was a matter of time before he was playing bigger roles in bigger shows.
Nigel smiled at her. ‘And to your stardom in the future. I have no doubt that you will ace your audition tomorrow. I wish I could be here for it.’
The tour forThe Wizard of Ozstarted tomorrow and Nigel would be away for two months. She wished he could be here, mostly because she knew she would miss him and because he calmed her, but she knew she needed to stop relying on him for every emotional moment she had.
She shrugged. It had felt so hard lately. As though all the dreams she had once had didn’t seem to matter anymore. She was tired, and the hustle was hard.
‘You’re so good, Lil, please don’t underestimate yourself,’ Nigel pleaded with her.
Lily wished she had his level of assurance. Doubts were becoming more frequent of late. ‘Nige, I’m not sure. There are a ton of gifted singers out there. What makes me so special? And I’m getting older. People know who I am now and not because I’m a star but because I keep turning up, like a musical theatre masochist or something.’
With a graceful jump, Nigel stepped off the counter and placed his ramekin down. ‘What makes you special? Are you kidding me?’
He took hold of her shoulders and met her gaze directly. ‘Darling, you have a voice that could make angels cry. You look like Snow White and have a voice like Audra McDonald – that’s what’s special about you. It’s just a matter of time, I promise you. Your life is going to change with one single role.’
Lily rolled her eyes, but as he spoke, a wave of warmth went through her chest. ‘You’re biased.’
‘I am, damn it.’ Nigel winked. ‘But I’m also right.’
Lily’s phone buzzed on the counter as Nigel hurried about the kitchen gathering the rest of his packing. As she took a quick look at it, her stomach dropped.
The Stage Mothercame up on her phone screen.
Nigel shot her a pitying glance. ‘Want me to answer it and pretend to be you?’
Lily shook her head and inhaled deeply before responding. ‘Hi, Mum.’
‘Lily, darling!’ Her mother seemed super cheerful, always a dead giveaway that she was about to start asking questions.
‘Are you prepared for your big audition tomorrow? I just wanted to check in. What state are you in? Have you been working on your technique? How’s the voice sounding? Do you need some of that Chinese throat syrup? You can get it at the Asian grocer near you. I rang them to check and they said they had plenty of bottles, but I got them to put one behind the counter for you anyway, under Denise.’
‘Mum, I’m okay,’ Lily responded, trying to remain calm. No one triggered her like Denise did. As an only child with a talent, the pressure on Lily was more than she would ever admit to people. She made jokes about it to Nigel, calling Denise ‘The Stage Mother’, but underneath all the questions, Lily couldn’t help feeling that she was letting her mother down by not being a lead in a show yet. She couldn’t offer anything to her parents that other women her age were delivering: no wedding, no grandchildren, no career.
‘I’ve been practising. It’s fine. I don’t need the syrup, I promise.’
‘That’s good,’ Denise said. ‘I meant to tell you. I saw on Facebook that Sheila from the am dram group in Appleton said that her niece was down to the last three for a role inLes Mis. You might know her. She might be there tomorrow.’
The intention of her comment was obvious but Lily wasn’t going to bite today.
Lily’s throat constricted. ‘There’s more than one role being auditioned for, so I couldn’t say, but whatever it is, that’s great for her.’ Staying neutral was best with Denise, she had learned over the years.
‘You’ll be next, darling, I just know it. You are incredibly talented. All you have to do is put in the work. Maybe take the day off and practise.’
Only Denise would encourage Lily to take a day off and practise.
Lily gripped the phone more tightly. ‘I can’t, Mum, I need to pay rent; that’s how this whole adult thing works.’ She knew she was having a dig at Denise who had never worked; instead she put everything into Lily to the point it was stifling, but sometimes her lower self won over taking the high road with Denise.
‘Well, my main concern is that the jobs might be detracting from your actual objectives. Your career is what you should be putting all of your effort into. Perhaps if you practised for a couple extra hours every day…’ Denise had that tone and Lily closed her eyes and mentally counted to ten. She truly loved her mother, but there were moments when the strain became too much for her.
