Page 24 of Absolute Certainty
Amina sighed. “In a year. If she chooses.”
“You know she would. Wasn’t it hard for her to take the jobin the first place? I thought she did it because she needed the extra pay in all the training she’d be doing.”
“Yeah, but she’s got so much potential, that one. If something else with better pay opened up, no one would fault her for taking it.”
Christian peered into the room, eyes lit up. “We’re all taking a celebratory pre-show shot on the stage.”
They all stood up.
“I’m coming to take a group photo of you all,” Amina chirped excitedly.
Smack dab in the center of the stage, shot glasses were spread across a folding table. Their entire cast and crew gathered around, different conversations blurring together.
Sahar and Willa drew forward, and Ethan handed them both a plastic shot glass.
Jeffrey Henderson, their director, and his wife, Greta, stood near the edge of the stage.
After everyone had raised their drinks upward, Jeffrey spoke.
“Whatever happens tonight, I couldn’t be prouder of each of you.” He meant those words, too; no one could deny how pride painted his entire face at the moment. It was also on full display in Greta’s eyes.
“When Greta came to me with this idea. I didn’t think we could pull it off at first. It took a while to get here, and the best parts of it are because of every person standing on this stage. You all gave me the chance of a lifetime to direct this show. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Cheers to Pemberley.”
“Cheers to Pemberley!” echoed through the stage. Heads tipped back, shots gulped down. The clear liquid burned through her lungs. The sounds of joy and celebration enveloped her. This moment was the win, as Jeffrey had deemed it. No matter what happened tonight, this show was a part of her. A piece of her she’d carry forever. If she didn’t already have aPrideand Prejudicetattoo, she would’ve gotten one forMidnights.Come to think of it, she still could.
Amina bounced closer, sticking her phone in front of Sahar. “Look at this. Isn’t it gorgeous?”
Sahar let out a low gasp.
It was. Amina had captured the moment in stunning clarity, shot glasses in the air to toast, bright, beaming gazes on each of their faces. The backdrop of the stage behind them.
It was, in every way, a perfect photograph.
“Mina! This is everything.”
Pride burst from her sister, too. Sahar looked more like her mother, with olive skin, dark hair, and dark eyes. But she and her sister had the same exact smile when something thrilled them.
She looked around the room, acknowledging the chance she was given to be a Tony Award-nominated actress. She thought of the first few dozen auditions she’d gone to. The way casting directors looked at her, butchered her name, and made a decision before she could even prove her talents. And now, she was a lead in a Jane Austen musical, performing alongside one of the most gifted Black actresses in the industry. Naomi Driver was a force to be reckoned with, an unmatched voice accompanying her brilliant acting chops.
Laura Tiu, Innilla Jani, Lea Driver, Declan McNair, Willa Davidian—they were each people who had, in some way, at one point, been considered less than in this industry because of their race or ethnicity. Hollywood loved to pretend it was inclusive, but that was seldom the truth. Yet, at the Hyacinth Theatre, inMidnights at Pemberley,they were stars. All those rejections led to this moment—the joy, the sadness, the sleepless nights, and all the hard work.
It was worth it. Here and now.
But the industry’s bleakness came to her again. Andoh, shit. She had forgotten to text Jay back.
SAHAR
Thank you, thank you! & Happy Father’s Day to you.
Putting her phone in her back pocket, she willed herself fully back in the moment.
Later that night,after the celebrations, Sahar and Amina spoke to their parents.
“Happy Father’s Day, Dad!” They both belted into the phone when he accepted the FaceTime call.
He let out a small laugh. “Thank you, girls. How was today?”
“Sahar, we’re so proud of you! He spent all of yesterday gloating at dinner about you,” her mum said.
