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Chapter 33

Chapter 33

       It was the night of the play and Mom was making me go. I wasn't going to since Destiny wasn't in it, but Mom kept saying how it was a big deal for her and how proud she was of it, and because I wanted to try mending my relationship with her, I decided to go.

       Destiny wanted to come to, even if she was kicked out. The Wizard of Oz was still her favorite play and even if she wasn't in it, she still wanted to watch it.

       When Destiny and I got to the theatre, we chose two seats and she sat down in one while I put my jacket on the other once. I told her I was going to get some water and candy from the concession stand. I then kissed her cheek before heading back out of the theatre where the concession stand was set up.

       After I bought two bottles of water and a large back of mixed sour gummy candy, I was about to walk back into the theatre when Courtney and Mom walked out. "Dan, have you seen Ariella?" Mom asked.

       "Nope," I said. "Why? She's not backstage?"

       "No, she isn't, and the play starts in fifteen minutes," Mom said. "All the actors were supposed to already be backstage getting ready half an hour ago and she never showed up."

       "So call her," I said. "She's Courtney's sister, after all. I don't know why you think I would know where she is."

       "We tried calling her," Courtney said. "She's not answering, and we asked you because you know her and we just so happened to run into you while we were going to go looking for her."

       "She'll show up," I said. "Probably."

       Ariella did, in fact, show up. She walked over to us and both Mom and Courtney released a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness," Mom said. "We were getting ready. You need to get backstage and get into costume and make-up."

       Ariella didn't move. Instead, she handed Mom a piece of paper. Mom furrowed her eyebrows as both she and Courtney looked at it, then their eyes went wide. "You have laryngitis?!" Mom asked.

       "No way, she's lying to get out of the play," Courtney said. "She's always forging Mom's signature." Ariella handed Courtney another piece of paper and Courtney read it aloud. "'I'm not lying and you can ask Mom to confirm it'. Great, now what are we going to do without a Dorothy?"

       "We have no choice," Mom said. "We have to cancel the play. Dorothy was the only role who wasn't double-cast."

        "No way are we going to cancel it," Courtney said. "The show must go on. The audience will understand if someone has a script because the real actress can't perform. Alex is an amazing actress and singer. She can do it."

       "That is true," Mom said. "We had done something like that a few years ago when we did Grease and one of the actors had the stomach flu. The audience was understanding. Okay, get Alex."

       "What? No," I said. "Get someone who actually knows that lines and the song and the blocking so the lead won't have a script on stage with them."

       "Nobody else does, Daniel," Mom said.

       "Uh, yeah, someone does," I said. "Need I remind you that you had an understudy a few weeks ago that learned every single line and song? Destiny knows all of Dorothy's lines and the songs, as well as the blocking. She should do it."

       Courtney snorted. "No way."

       "Yes, I agree with Courtney," Mom said. Of course she did. "Sorry, Daniel, but I do not want someone who is pregnant being Dorothy."