Page 11 of Everything's Coming Up Rosie

“So?” Taylor says, but they’re all looking at me now.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I ignore it for a moment.

“So...” This is the point in movies where the leading lady tells some outlandish lie that always, always comes back to bite her. Like,“I’m secretly a princess hiding my identity by living this very mundane life.”Or,“I’m talking to this big Broadway director, and it’s only a matter of time, really, before I go on for the lead inMamma Mia!”

But these are my friends.

And friends don’t lie to each other.

Which is why I’ve been distant.

Because if I’m not texting or calling, I’m not lying. They all still believe I’m living the shiny life I set out to live.

The waitress appears at the table, along with a man who is carrying two trays. They arrange our meals in front of us, and when they walk away, we all have to switch plates because they mixed up each of our orders. I glance up. My friends are now occupied with their food, and something inside me squeezes at the sight of them.

I have to come clean. I have to tell them what life has been like for me.

I need one of them to tell me it’s okay to quit. Because I think that’s what I need to hear.

I say a silent prayer.Lord, please. Give me the strength to give up on this dream. And look, if You’ve got something out there for me, give me a si—

My phone buzzes again. I pull it out and see a new email notification.

“How does everything look?” The waitress is back.

“Actually, I ordered thefiestapotato platter,” Taylor says. “I think this might be thesiestapotato platter.”

“She’s here to party, not to nap,” Maya quips as she shakes an insane amount of salt onto her avocado toast.

The waitress laughs, and they all start chatting, diverting everyone’s attention away from me long enough that I can skim the email:

Dear Miss Waterman,

We received your application for employment for our summer theatre program at Sunset Players. After careful consideration, we feel like you would be an excellent fit to join the creative team for our upcoming production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’sCinderella. Attached, you’ll find the payment package, which does include room and board. Please look it over, and let us know as soon as possible if you’re still interested in the job.

Auditions are next week, so we’ll need to get you here this Friday for a tour of the grounds and to get you all settled into your living quarters right away.

We have a vibrant theatre arts program in Door County, Wisconsin, and we’re thrilled to welcome you to the family!

Because of the quick turnaround and preparation required, we will need your answer by this Tuesday. We apologize for the last-minute request. We had some staffing changes, and here we are. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Connie Spencer

Human Resources Director

I reread the email, more carefully this time, trying to remember whether I applied for this job during one of my panicked root-beer-float benders. It seems like this would be one of the many jobs I clicked on, even though I have no memory of doing so.

I click the attachment and open the payment package details.

Um. It pays.

Whoa.

Really,reallywell.

Not only does this job include room and board for the entire summer, but it also pays better than any acting job I’ve had in my entire career. While it’s a little unnerving that this is all happening so quickly—plus being on the creative team rather than on the stage, which suggests someone bailed on the job at the last minute—I just have to wonder.

---