Page 93 of First Impressions of You

My body temperature plumets. My blood has turned into ice. I try to swallow the lump that has lodged itself in my throat, but my mouth has gone dry.

“Luiza, Anne Marie wants to talk to you.” My eyes widen, but there’s nothing in Emily’s expression giving away what this conversation is about. “Do you have a minute now? I’ll walk with you.”

The walk through the tunnel takes ten times longer than normal. The silence sits heavy between us, and I have to keep myself from asking Emily what’s going on. If she could tell me, she would’ve.

Emily’s the one who knocks on Anne Marie’s door when we get to the sixth floor of the 441 building. She doesn’t wait for an answer before she opens it, waiting for me to walk in before her.

The theater manager watches us approach her desk, her lips flat, her eyes giving nothing away.

“Take a seat, please, Luiza.”

In the seconds it takes me to pull the chair and sit down, I go over every single thing that’s happened in the last few months. I try to think of what I could’ve done that would land me here. Or maybe it was something I said? I want to crawl out of my skin with how nervous I am right now.

“Luiza,” Anne Marie begins, “we knew from the beginning what your status was, with your visa.”

I want to interrupt her. To assure her that I never tried to hide my situation, that I’m not doing anything wrong. But she raises a hand, stopping me before I say anything.

“We took a chance on you.” She turns to look at Emily. “Emily did. She saw something in you, and she asked me to give you this opportunity. She fought for you.”

I look at my director sitting next to me. She gives me a proud smile.

“It would’ve been easier to hire another actress. Someone who’s not on a temporary visa. I told her that when she said she wanted you. But she said it wouldn’t be the right decision. I know now that she was right. I watched the dress rehearsal today,” she tells me, and I gawk at her in surprise. I didn’t know she was in the audience. “And I’m more certain than ever that no one else could’ve played Melina like you. Emily had to fight to get you hired, but after watching you today, I could finally see what she saw in you.”

My bottom lip is quivering as I try to hold my emotions in.

She looks at me intently and takes a deep breath before continuing, “Movieland wants to sponsor your P-1B visa if you want to stay in our cast for more productions. Do you want to become a full-time member of Movieland’s cast?”

I blink at her. My ears have captured her words, but my brain seems to have trouble processing them.

“What?” My eyes go from Anne Marie to Emily, then back to the theater manager.

She smiles at me. “We want to hire you. We can’t give you a permanent status, but this is a start. The P-1B visa is specifically for the entertainment industry, and we can ask for an extension after your one-year period is over.”

“I can stay?” I still can’t make sense of what she’s saying.

“You can stay.” It’s Emily who confirms, placing her hand on top of mine on the arm of the chair. I hadn’t realized I was gripping it so strongly.

“Oh my God,” I squeal.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Anne Marie says. She and Emily share a satisfied smile.

“Yes, of course.” My heart has expended like a balloon in my chest, and I feel like I will float right out of here if I let go of this chair.

“Good. Welcome to the cast of Movieland, Luiza. We’ll start the paperwork on Monday.” Anne Marie stands up from her chest and reaches a hand across the table. I take it in the most satisfying handshake I’ve ever shared.

“Thank you,” I tell her. Then, I turn to Emily. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” she answers. “You earned this. Your talent got you this.”

Not one for sappy moments, Anne Marie waves, dismissing us. “Now, go. You two still have a show to put on tomorrow and every weekend for the next three months.”

Chapter 27

The show runs for three months, but when the end of January comes, it feels like the first weekend was just yesterday. It’s the second-to-last day of shows, and I already miss Melina.

Since the beginning of November, I’ve been playing her three times a day every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday without fail.

Rehearsals for the summer production will start soon after, and I’m excited about it, but I’m still sad to be saying goodbye to my first character.

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