Page 33 of Sensing Selma
“Oh, you must be playing Eleonor. You truly embody her,” I said.
“Thank you,” the actress said.
In my excitement, I’d lost sight of my mother who quietly came up to join us.
“Mrs.Selma...I mean Maggie,” Ayra said. “Are you able to get around all right?”
“Everything is perfect, dear. Everyone is so kind and considerate. I even had a young man push me to that lovely buffet table set up at the back. Hope you don’t mind, but I grabbed myself a little wedge of sandwich.”
“You grab all the wedges you want,” Ayra said.“That’s why it’s there.We provide the most delicious craft services/catering table for our cast and crew.”
“Oh, how exciting to be here among such beautiful young people. So, so exciting.” She looked past me. “Oh, here’s the handsome young man now.”
“Mrs.Selma,” the man said to her. “I turned and you were gone. You let me know now if you need to be wheeled anywhere.”
“Oh, but you are such a dear.”
I looked at him and my heart stopped. Had a man ever been so lovely? Standing tall, he smiled at all of us, and I was instantly disappointed when his gaze didn’t linger on me as much as I would have hoped. He was so incredibly handsome, with such wicked bedroom eyes. Surely every girl in the place wanted to get closer to him.
And the only one who’d managed to catch his attention was my invalid mother.
“Holly,” Keely said. “I’d like you to meet the hero of our movie. Our Sense and Sensibilities’Willoughby.”
“Willoughby,” I repeated, enchanted like I’d never been enchanted before. I held my hand out to him.
He took my hand as any fine gentleman would. “However, when I’m not on set, I’m simply Damen. Damen Dominic.”
“Damen,” I repeated his name with the same enchanted tone.
He released my hand and turned to Mother. “Well, Maggie. I told you that simple wedge wouldn’t be enough. How about I wheel you back to the buffet table for another piece?”
“Oh,” Mother said. “That really would be nice.”
And the pair took off.
Great. My mother had hit it off with the best-looking guy in the place...and the star of the movie!
*****
THE DINNER WAS PLEASANTenough, but as dessert was brought out, I slipped away from the ballroom and quietly found my way to the piano room a few doors down.
The piano was set in the center of the modest room, with a dozen chairs or so placed around it.
It’d been a while since I’d played. Since Father’s death, I’d only touched our piano a time or two. And when we learned we would have to move, it was one of the first things to be put up for sale.Oh how I missed our piano.
I walked up to the piano and tapped a few keys. It sounded wonderful. I pulled the bench back and sat down. After a moment of stretching my fingers, of wiggling them about to awaken them, and of contemplating what to play, I finally set my fingers on the keys and played.
It was an old song my mother had taught me so long ago, and while it was an easy enough tune to play, I’d added more to the song to enhance the melody. I played the song through twice before finally finding my voice.
I can dream of the little things
I can always stay awake to make it happen
I can want what the world has to bring
Or I might realize it’s not what I’ve been wanting
But then I’ll fly
