Trust Falls

When the Curtain Falls, Rise

I took a deep breath and straightened my headscarf one last time before turning to leave the restroom.

"Relax Iqra." Zeenath smiled at me. "You'll do great. It's not like you're gonna be up on stage."
"Yeah... but I'll feel bad if I mess anything up. What if I give them the wrong prop or call the wrong person up?"
Zeenath shrugged. "You won't. And even if you do, the world doesn't end."
I bit my lip. It'd been two week since my dramatic fainting spell in the park. Romeo and Juliet was finally taking the stage in our little community center and my nerves were everywhere.

"I'll go take my seat. Good luck out there." She winked and started to leave.

"It's 'break a leg!' not 'good luck!'" I called after her. Great. Now I'll fail.

Squaring my shoulders, I left the restroom and made my way back to the dressing room. Tommy was struggling with his costume as Tybalt, tripping over his sword and landing on his face. I bit my lip and looked around. Claudia was going over some last minute details with another kid in the corner, and she looked worried. Turning around and spotting me, she beckoned me over.

"Kendra got stuck behind a car accident and won't be here for at least another half an hour, at the earliest. How well do you know Juliet?"
I choked. "Me? I can't play Juliet. She's..."

Yousuf came up behind Claudia, brandishing his sword. "Iqra as Juliet? She'll kill someone."

"Oh yeah? Watch!" I turned to Claudia, a surge of energy swelling in my chest. "Yeah, I know most of her lines."

"Most?" Yousuf snorted.

"He has a point, dear." Claudia frowned. "I can handle everything behind the scenes, for a while. I'll get someone to write out the Juliet's lines for the first half...you can read them off.." She rubbed her forehead and turned away. "It'll have to be Kevin..he doesn't come in until.."

"Naw, I got this." I jutted out my chin. "Juliet is easy."

She stared at me, and Yousuf shook his head, turning to leave when someone called him over for a final once over on his makeup.

"You sure Iqra?"
I nodded. "No one will forget this play for a long time. I got this down pat."
She gave me a long look. "...Only until Kendra arrives."

I nodded again, and left before she could rethink this.

A horrible decision really. What was I talking about. I knew half the lines. Maybe less. But that wouldn't stop me from showing Yousuf.

One of the makeup people, Gracie, grabbed me and sat me down, handing me my clothes. "Here. Put these on. They won't fit perfectly but it'll be okay." She sighed and muttered under her breath. "Kendra better get her ass over here quick."

"You don't want my butt to play Juliet?" I asked, innocently. "What have I ever done wrong?"
She frowned. People like doing that towards me, apparently. "No. We've practiced with Kendra for too long. You might mess it up." She jerked her head towards the back. "Go get dressed quickly. I need to work on your makeup for a bit."

Five minutes later, I walked back out.

"It doesn't fit."

"What? It doesn't have to fit perfectly."

I nodded. "I know. But the front is too big and deep, and the bottom is too short. I'm not...blessed enough in the front to keep the dress up."
Her jaw dropped and she looked upwards. "Lord help us."
I bit my lip, trying to keep my next sentence inside.

"And I didn't even shave my legs for this."

She pursed her lips, and her chin started to tremble. This gal wasn't about to cry was she? I came over and patted her shoulder. "I can take care of myself. I know how to sew and stuff. Go worry about something else. I'll take care of myself."