You and Me (Perhaps, Book 2)

ACT I - Scene 1

Daniel and Gloria's Apartment

    "I have some exciting news, Gloria."

    I turned around from the wok that I was currently frying rice and vegetables in to see Daniel approaching me. He held the day's mail in his hand, and his face was shining with an excitement that I found contagious: I couldn't stop myself from smiling back at him.

    "What kind of news do you have, Daniel?" I asked, watching as he dropped everything save for a thick, white envelope on our breakfast bar. He came closer to me, and wrapped his arms around my waist. I smiled as he rested his chin on my shoulder, peering down at the meal I was preparing.

    "Mmm, is that our lunch? It smells delicious," he whispered, giving my shoulder a soft kiss. I giggled.

    "Don't change the subject to lunch," I playfully scolded. "What's this 'exciting news' that you're just bursting to tell me?"

    "Well, if you're just that excited to know," he paused, and I tried to suppress my smile as I shot him as stern a look as I could muster, "yours truly has been offered a spot in PAC's summer production this year." I felt my eyes widen.    

    "Really?! That's amazing, Daniel!" I turned my head more so that I could give him a kiss. "Did you audition for a part, or did they call you and say they wanted you to perform for them?"

    "They asked me to perform for them," he replied, burying his chin back in my shoulder. I could feel his lips smiling. "They've been asking me for the last couple of years to perform for them—Clark has. He's the main producer-director for Division 12's PAC unit. I've told them that I was too focused on teaching at Accent to really focus or commit to any quarterly performances; but, since I don't have any summer classes to teach this semester, my schedule is quite free. So, I accepted his offer. Clark was quite pleased."

    Why wouldn't he be? Daniel was an extraordinary actor. I'd never seen him in an official, live performance (at least, not yet), but I had experienced his coaching during Accent Academy's own productions. And I had watched recordings of some of his older plays and musicals. He came alive on the stage: there was this shine and fire in his eyes that stunned me. It filled me with this breathlessness and this high that I couldn't put words to, and I wanted nothing more than to finally see him perform live so that I could experience that high in-person. Now, I'd have that chance!

    "What kind of piece are they doing this summer?" I asked as I removed the wok from the stove, gently scooping the vegetables into a bowl to cool. I checked on the chicken I had grilling on our griddle, flipping them—they were almost done—before pulling down some plates and sitting them on the bar. This past spring, the quarterly production had been Mamma Mia!, which was ironic because that was also the piece Accent Academy had chosen. Layla and I had starred in it—as Donna and Sophie, respectfully.

    My mind began to spin: what kind of role would I get to see my Daniel in? Would it be a serious role? What about a comedic one? A melancholy one? Which version of him did I want to see the most?

    "Ah, before I get to that, I have something else that I would like to share. This news is specifically for you, Gloria."

    "For me?" I turned around and tilted my head at him. He smiled and nodded, and then began to open the envelope he was still carrying. I turned away only to silence the timer that said it was time to remove the chicken from the griddle. Quickly grabbing the tongs and dropping them on a plate to cool next to the fried rice, I glanced back at him as he unfolded a letter and began to read.

    "'Ms. Gloria Anderson. On behalf of the president of the Performing Arts Community, Division 12, our committee would like to offer you a role in our summer production this year.'" I almost dropped the bowl of rice that I had just fried. Whipping around to face Daniel, I was met with a bright, excited smile.