Christmas All Around Us ; The Perfect Time for Love ; Playing for Keeps

by Carla Kincaid

  When she finished, Megan lifted her hands from the keys and turned toward the judges.

  "Thank you, Ms. Green," the witchy-looking woman said. "The results of the semi-finals will be sent via email on Monday."

  Megan got up from the piano bench and walked off the stage. This time when she passed the row of judges she didn't bother to look at their faces. She just kept the memory of Stacey's smile at the forefront of her mind.

  It took Megan all she had not to skip back up the theatre aisle to the exit. After changing back into her street clothes, Megan walked out of the building still feeling like she was on top of the world. Unable to contain her joy, she spun around in the middle of the plaza like a little girl playing on a playground. She could hear her mother's voice in her head -- disapproving of such a public display -- but Megan felt too great to hold it in! She had to let this feeling out. She had to tell someone!

  "Hi!" she said excitedly when her FaceTime call was accepted.

  "Well, someone looks happy," Stacey said with the same smile Megan had just been imagining. "I take it things went well."

  All Megan could do was nod enthusiastically. "It started kind of rough but by the second piece..." Megan spun around again.

  "Hey! Are you at Lincoln Center?" Stacey asked peering into the phone.

  "Yeah. It's beautiful here!" Megan said dreamily.

  "Let me call you right back," Stacey said.

  Megan barely had a chance to nod okay before Stacey's face disappeared from the screen. When it vanished, Megan's mood dimmed slightly but she was still brimming with energy. Too much energy to be trapped in a dark subway tunnel so she began walking around the mandala-like circles surrounding the fountain. She might as well enjoy the scenery while she waited for Stacey to call back.

  After about ten minutes, Megan decided to call Kim.

  "It went great," she said into the phone. She'd called Kim on her cell number since seeing her sister's face wasn't as interesting as seeing Stacey's.

  "I'm proud of you," Kim said.

  "Thanks, Sis. Now I just have to stay sane until I get the results on Monday."

  "Well, I'm sure there will be plenty to distract you this weekend."

  Megan rolled her eyes as she thought about her parents impending visit. She hung up the phone determined not to let those thoughts dampen her mood. Instead she put her attention back on her immediate surroundings. She stared out at the water fountain as if it was La Traviata. If she had a coin she'd throw it in for luck.

  "You're still here!" said a voice interrupting Megan's thoughts.

  She turned and was surprised to see Stacey standing in front of her.

  "Stacey! What are you doing here?"

  "I had another audition," she said waving some sheets of paper in the air. "No singing, just acting this time. When I saw the fountain on the phone I knew exactly where you were. So, how did it go?"

  Megan felt a smile spread across her face. "I think it went well. I'll find out on Monday if I get to move on to the finals next month."

  "That's great, Megan," Stacey said excitedly. "So what are you going to do now?I've got a couple of hours before I have to be at work. Do you want to grab something to eat and then walk around Central Park for a little while."

  "That sounds great to me!" Megan said enthusiastically.

  Megan hadn't realized by 'something to eat' Stacey was talking about getting food from one of the street vendor pushcarts that seemed to be on every corner in Manhattan. She was a little hesitant but Stacey assured her it was safe.

  "Consider it a part of your New York initiation," she said with a laugh.

  "So how long have you lived in New York?" Megan asked in-between bites of a mustard covered pretzel. She hadn't been bold enough to try a meat item from the outdoor cart although Stacey's food looked edible.

  "I was born here," Stacey explained as she bit into a hot dog blanketed with sauerkraut. "Not in Manhattan. I grew up in Queens. A suburb just east of the City."

  "It must have been nice growing up around all this artistic expression," Megan said enviously. "If I'd grown up here, I would have been at the Philharmonic every chance I got!"

  "Okay. Confession time," Stacey said as she stopped to tighten her shoelace. "I've never been to the New York Philharmonic."

  Megan just laughed. "Well, it looks like I'm not the only one who's fallen short on exploring all that New York has to offer."

  "Speaking of," Stacey said pointing down the Central Park path ahead of them.

  "A carousel!" Megan said excitedly. "But aren't we too old to ride it?" Megan asked noting the line of kids waiting to board the revolving ride.

  "Are you kidding? This is for everyone!" Stacey assured her. "Plus, I'm just a big kid at heart!" she said with a wink.

  She grabbed Megan's arm and pulled her over to the Carousel line. They rode around for almost twenty minutes, switching to different brightly painted horses each time the ride stopped to let on new passengers. By the time they got off, Megan felt like either the ground -- or her body -- was still moving forward.

  "That was fun," Stacey exclaimed as they walked out of the park. "We should go out and do something else this weekend."

  "I wish I could," Megan sighed. "But my parents are coming in town this weekend and my presence is required for an early dinner on Saturday."

  "You don't sound like you're looking forward to it," Stacey said.

  "I mean, it'll be nice to see my parents I guess but I always feel like the odd duck in my family. I'm the only artist and it's like I speak a different language from everyone else. Most of the time I just let all of them talk about business or sports while I daydream about being somewhere else. When my grandmother was alive I at least had someone to talk to about music."

  The conversation fell quiet for a few minutes but then Stacey said, "What if I went to dinner with you?"

  "Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that," Megan said shaking her head.

  "Come on, it's the least I can do. After all, a slice of pizza and a pretzel hardly make up for how you helped me yesterday."

  "Are you sure?" Megan asked. She was excited about the offer but she didn't want Stacey to feel obligated to spend time with her family.

  "I'm positive!" Stacy said with a grin.

  The same grin Megan had imagined during her audition would definitely make an evening with her parents more bearable in person, Megan thought confidently.

  Chapter 11

  Stacey wasn't exactly sure what made her offer to go to dinner with Megan and her family. Maybe it was the strange feeling she had that Megan needed some extra support? Maybe it was a rapidly surfacing desire to be someone Megan knew she could count on?

  "Thank you," Megan said softly. "I'd love for you to come but there's something else you should know about my parents."

  Megan bit her lip nervously and looked down at her feet. Stacey was waiting for her to say something like her parents didn't know she was gay but that wasn't it at all.

  "My parents don't know why I'm in New York."

  Stacey felt her eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean they don't know why you're here?"

  Megan took a deep breath before she spoke. "They think I came to New York to spend time with my sister Kim before she has her baby," Megan confessed. "They don't know anything about my audition for the Sero Institute. In fact, they don't even know I got an apartment. They think I'm staying with Kim and her husband in New Jersey."

  Stacey blinked her eyes trying to make sense of what she'd just been told. "Wow. That's a lot," she admitted.

  "I know," Megan said dropping her head again. "But it was the only way I could move here for the auditions without the pressure of my mother's nay saying haunting me the whole summer."

  "But how did you manage to get the piano all the way here without them knowing?"

  "When my grandmother died she left Kim and me her house. When Kim got married and moved to New York I lived there by myself for a while and then got a roommate. M
y roommate is still there so there's no reason for my mother to go by and see that the piano is gone."

  Hearing all of this, Stacey felt even sorrier for Megan than she had before but she also felt a new level of admiration for a woman who was willing to go to such extremes just to follow her dreams.

  "I know it all sounds a little crazy," Megan said shaking her head. "If you want to pass on dinner I'll understand."

  Stacey thought about it for a moment and then said, "I'm still willing to come with you if you want me to. And I'm even willing to keep your little secret, neighbor." Stacey smiled and winked at Megan. "But, you're gonna owe me."

  Megan just stared at her. "Whatever the cost it will be worth it," she said softly.

  Stacey put on a serious face and leaned close to Megan. "The next time I book a show I might ask for quiet 'til 2 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays!"

  Stacey burst out in a laugh as Megan exhaled.

  "I can agree to that deal," she said with a smile.

  ***

  Saturday at 4:35 on the dot, a black stretch limousine pulled up to the curb outside Stacey and Megan's apartment building. Stacey had come downstairs about twenty minutes earlier to make sure she was in place -- in what was supposed to be her apartment -- when Megan's parents arrived.

  "Looks like they're here," Stacey said trying to infuse an extra amount of cheerfulness into her voice.

  "Yeah. I guess we'd better get out there," Megan replied with a sigh. She picked up her purse and headed toward the door but before she reached it she stopped, turned to Stacey and handed her a set of door keys. "So you can lock the door to your apartment," she said.

  Stacey took the keys and after they walked outside, locked the door behind them. She couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Megan as they began the evening's rouse. It just didn't make sense that Megan didn't get any support for something she was so good at. She couldn't imagine what kind of people Megan's parents must have been -- but she was about to find out.

  The uniformed driver opened the door and Megan climbed into the limo first. Stacey slid into the seat next to her and settled in for the ride to Manhattan. She hadn't been inside a limo since her high school prom night and she'd forgotten how long the cars were. From her rear front-facing seat she got a clear view of each of Megan's family members sitting several feet ahead of her.

  Kim and her husband James were sitting in the seat on the right side of the car and Dr. And Mrs. Collins, Megan's mom and step-father, were on the left. Stacey couldn't shake the feeling that she was at the observation end of a long tunnel. One that was going to lead her into an abyss if she wasn't careful.

  "Stacey, it's such a pleasure to meet you," Mrs. Collins said after Megan made the introductions. "Megan didn't tell us she'd been out in the city making friends. We thought she'd be spending her time with her sister on this trip."

  Stacey felt like a bullet had been fired in her direction but she didn't know exactly how to respond so she just stayed quiet.

  A moment later, Mrs. Collins continued her assault.

  "Brooklyn seems like such a colorful place, Stacey. How long have you lived here?"

  It was clear the woman was trying to be friendly but Stacey could hear the judgement in her voice.

  "I was actually born in Queens, Ma'am. I moved here to Brooklyn right after I graduated from college," Stacey answered.

  "That's lovely," Mrs. Collins continued as she peered out the window opposite her. "But is it safe for a young woman to live here by herself?"

  "Oh, I'm not by myself," Stacey said with a smile. "My upstairs neighbor and I watch out for each other." Stacey discreetly elbowed Megan. "We get along really well even though she is a little loud at times."

  Stacey laughed trying to get Megan to do the same but her face was set like stone. She was beginning to understand why Megan hadn't been looking forward to this dinner. Being in Mrs. Collins' presence was like being in an interrogation room with a seemingly nice cop who secretly wanted to lock you up for life.

  "So, I hear your an actress," Dr. Collins said jumping into the conversation. "Are you able to make a living with your chosen career?"

  Sheesh, Stacey thought. These two make quite a pair.

  "I still have to supplement my income working for a catering company occasionally. But that's just how it is when you're first breaking into the business."

  "Hmm," the Collins' mumbled simultaneously and then abruptly changed the subject to inquiries about Kim's plans for the baby and James' successful law practice.

  "Here we are!" James announced as the limo pulled up to the infamous Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle. "Mom. Dad. I really think you're going to like this place. Per Se is a three Michelin star restaurant," the young attorney said beaming. "And of course, dinner is my treat."

  He's really going all out to impress his in-laws, Stacey thought as she followed the family into the building. She had a friend who used to work at the posh restaurant as a waiter, so Stacey knew the tasting menu started at $350 per person.

  "Good afternoon," the sleekly dressed, blonde hostess greeted them. "May I have the name of your party?"

  "Wilson, party of six," James answered.

  "Right this way," the hostess said with a friendly smile.

  She escorted the family to a window table with a breathtaking view of Central Park.

  "This is incredible," Mrs. Collins said as they took their seats. "Now this is a part of New York I could live in."

  Stacey ignored the not so subtle dig at her Brooklyn neighborhood and focused her eyes on the menu the hostess handed her. Sadly, she was aware that the nine course meal ahead of them could take almost four hours to complete. Stacey glanced over at Megan, who didn't look like she was going to last past course number two.

  "And then we took a helicopter out to Alec Baldwin's in the Hamptons," James said as the waitress cleared the plates from the first course.

  Mrs. Collins leaned in riveted to the first of many name-dropping stories her son-in-law would tell throughout the evening, while both Kim and Dr. Collins sat quietly as if they were accustomed to being the silent partners in their relationships. Stacey glanced over at Megan, who was picking at a piece of bread on her plate -- seemingly glad not to be the focus of the conversation. Stacey knew her own family was far from perfect but this group was too much.

  "Megan, have you spoken to Mrs. Warren?" Mrs. Collins asked Megan as she finished the lobster in course number five. "When I bumped into her at the Summer Bazar she said she still hadn't received your signed contract for the upcoming school year. I told her I was going to see you this weekend and I'd remind you to get it to her."

  Stacey watched as Megan's bottom lip curled inward. At first it seemed like Megan wasn't going to say anything but suddenly she blurted out, "I don't know if I'm going back to teaching at St. Phillips next year."

  Mrs. Collins' right eyebrow drew up to her hairline and for the first time since the meal started she put her fork down and stopped eating.

  "What do you mean by that?" she said.

  By this time Megan was twisting the napkin in her lap into knots. Stacey reached under the table and gently laid her hand on top of Megan's fidgeting fingers. Megan turned toward Stacey. At first the look in her eyes was one of a trapped animal but the longer they held each other's gaze the calmer Megan seemed to get.