The Role of Her Lifetime Read online

  “That’s very good advice.”

  They turned as Bill walked up to them. He gave Ashley a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then smiled at Marie.

  “Hey.” He looked at Marie. “I just spoke to my wife, and it seems we have plans for tonight. Can we meet tomorrow before rehearsal?”

  “Rehearsal starts at nine, right?” asked Marie.

  “Yes. We can have a breakfast meeting, and I’ll pay.”

  “Well, when you put it that way, how can I say no?” Marie grinned at him and scratched the back of her neck.

  “I really do that?” Bill asked.

  “All the time,” Marie said, nodding.

  “What?” Ashley asked. “Scratch your neck? Yes, I’ve seen you do it a lot of times.”

  Bill sighed as he shook his head. “All right, that’s one thing.” He explained to Ashley what they were talking about.

  She laughed. “You both have things you do.”

  Bill looked bewildered. “Then I guess we really have to talk. Do you know that sandwich shop about two blocks south of here right on the corner?”

  “Yes,” Marie said. “I’ve been there once or twice.”

  “Good. How about there at, say, eight? That should give us enough time to talk this through.”

  “I’ll see you there,” Marie said.

  Bill patted them both on their shoulders. “Have a good night, ladies. This is going to be a fun show.”

  “Well, that makes your night free,” Ashley said to Marie. “Want to go get a drink?”

  “I think I need to get some food in my stomach first.”

  “Then I’ll take you out to eat. That will do both: food and drink.”

  Marie smiled. “Sounds good.”

  “I’ve never taken you to that Brazilian restaurant on the east side, have I?”

  “No,” Marie answered.

  “Then we’ll go there to celebrate. Before we get there, though, there’s one thing you need to know how to say.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Mais um, por favor. One more, please.”

  Marie smiled.

  “Remember that. It’s for in the restaurant.” Ashley smirked on her face. “And for after.”

  Marie laughed. “You haven’t changed, have you?”

  Ashley frowned. “Would you want me to?”

  “It wouldn’t do any good if I did, would it?”

  “Of course not.” Ashley took Marie’s arm and pulled her outside.

  Marie hesitated. “Let’s talk first,” she said softly. “This can’t be the restart of our romantic involvement. We don’t have time for all that. We have to focus on the show first.”

  Ashley smiled thoughtfully. “Yes, I agree. Whatever happens in the future is in the future. We won’t even think about it now. Okay?”

  “Okay. Just two friends celebrating their new show.”

  Ashley flagged a cab and gave the driver the address of the restaurant.

  “I haven’t been in a cab in months,” Marie admitted as they both settled into the back seat.

  “You’ll get used to it again.”

  “I haven’t had extra money in a long time.”

  “You’ll get used to that, too, now that you’re a star.”

  “Well, that’s still to be seen. I’m not counting my chickens,” Marie said.

  “Oh, you’ll find it easy to adapt. Were you still working for that travel agency?”

  Marie nodded. “I just quit last Thursday.”

  “Well, soon you’ll be able to walk in there and have them plan your vacation.”

  “Shoot! Why should I pay them when I know how to do it myself?”

  Both women laughed as they settled into their ride.

  It took a while to get there. They chatted and, of course, flirted. In a non-business setting, Ashley didn’t know how to talk to another woman without flirting. Finally, they were on the upper east side of Manhattan. The cab dropped them off on 94th Street, east of Second Ave. When they walked into the restaurant, they were seated right away.

  “Let me order for you. Would you like beef, chicken, or seafood?”

  “Your choice. Surprise me,” Marie answered. “But this place looks expensive.”

  “So? This is a celebration. It’s not every day you start a new show on Broadway.”

  Marie responded with a big smile. Ashley told the waiter what they wanted, and he walked away.

  “Are you still living in that apartment on the west side?” Ashley asked.

  “No. I just took over Chris Anthony’s place in Chelsea.”

  “Where did Chris move to? Is she making so much money with her cello that she upgraded to a better apartment?”

  Marie laughed. “She moved upstate with her lover, just south of Yonkers by the river.”

  “That sounds pretty expensive. Are they right on the river?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t been up there yet.”

  Their drinks were delivered, and they each took a sip.

  “Oh, this is good. What is it?” Marie asked.

  Ashley grinned. “It’s called a Caipirinha cocktail. It’s the most famous drink in Brazil.”

  “What’s it made with?”

  “It’s called Cachaca,”

  “It tastes a bit like rum.”

  “It’s made from the sugar cane plant, the same as rum, but it’s brewed before anything gets taken out of it to make rum.”

  “I’d become a drinker if I could have this all the time.”

  She and Ashley both laughed.

  “If Chris has a house near the river, she must be doing very well,” Ashley said as they sipped the drinks. “I heard she was on tour as a soloist with several orchestras.”

  Marie nodded. “Yes. She’s getting to be quite well-known. After those perfume ads she made, everybody wants to see her.

  “I can imagine! I was quite jealous when I saw them, but I’ll never be able to play a musical instrument.”

  Chris’s career started when she was hired to play her cello in some perfume ads. She and a man who played guitar for the men’s companion cologne had both been tapped for several more concerts and ads.

  “Why did she move out of the city?” Ashley asked. “I’d have thought it would have been easier for her to stay closer.”

  “This place was owned by her lover, Car, long before they got together.”

  “Car? Not Car Weldon?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “I know of her. She’s extremely rich. Someone I know dated her once and couldn’t stop talking about all she had. Do you know she has a cook and a chauffeur?”

  Marie nodded. “And a housekeeper and a gardener.”

  Ashley shook her head in wonder. “How did Chris meet her?”

  “Chris used to work at that boutique on the west side, near Zabar’s. Car was a customer.”

  “Lucky ladies, both of them. Who are you dating now?”

  “No one in the last couple months.”

  “Hmmm,” Ashley uttered.

  “And you? I don’t imagine you’re single.”

  “There’s no one serious. But now we have that show to rehearse. That always interrupts relationships. Women outside the industry just don’t understand what we go through. Everyone is geared to the nine-to-five routine. They don’t understand rehearsals and performances.”

  “Oh, I know,” Marie agreed.

  “Most will understand a once-a-week rehearsal with a group that performs once every three or four months, like a chorus or community orchestra, but five days of rehearsals every week and performances that last three or four nights a week for months? Think what will happen with a six-nights-a-week gig for an unspecified length of time?”

  Their food arrived then.

  “You might not like that grainy stuff,” Ashley warned her. “It’s an acquired taste. It’s called farofa. It’s grain roasted in butter. If you’re watching your weight, be careful how much of it you eat.”

  “If I was watchi
ng my weight, it’d be too late.”

  “Good, cause you’ve got to try Brazilian flan.”

  They settled in to eat…and flirt.

  * * * *

  Marie finally set her coffee cup down on the table. “That is dynamite coffee,” she said. “If fact, the whole meal was fantastic. Thank you.”

  Ashley grinned. “I’m glad you liked it. This is one of my favorite restaurants. My parents would bring us here for special occasions.”

  “My folks would love it, too, if they ever got to New York.”

  “Aren’t they coming to the show?”

  Marie shook her head. “Mom wants to, but my dad won’t fly. So it means driving all the way or taking a train.”

  “They’re in Seattle, right?” Ashley asked.

  Marie nodded.

  “I’m sure you’ll find some way to get them here.”

  “The production would have to run five years before we could convince my dad to make the trip.”

  “Well, I’m counting on at least six.”

  They both laughed.

  Then Ashley took a deep breath. “I’m not going to ask you to come back to my place,” she said softly. “I don’t want you to think I only invited you to dinner so you’d sleep with me.”

  Marie grinned. “Didn’t you?”

  Ashley looked down, not quite embarrassed. “I can’t say it didn’t cross my mind.”

  Marie nodded. “We’ve already done that, but it’s nice to sit and chat with you.”

  “Yes, we never did that when we were dating, did we?”

  Marie grinned. “We never took time to talk.”

  “I’m hoping we can have a good friendship,” Ashley explained. “We’ll be working together for a while, I hope.”

  “Yes, I’d like that, too

  “I may still flirt with you, though.”

  Marie smiled. “I can’t imagine you talking to a woman without flirting.”

  “Well, there is that,” Ashley admitted. “We’ll see what happens as the days go by. I have missed you.”

  Marie was surprised. “Oh, Ashley, we had a hot and heavy affair. We never could have kept it up.”

  “Maybe not, but it was sure a lot of fun while it lasted. I wouldn’t mind trying again, maybe.”

  “We’ll have to see what happens. Let’s get the show on the boards before we tackle anything else.”

  Ashley nodded.

  Chapter 6

  That Thursday afternoon, several leads went to a photo studio to get ad shots taken. Patricia and her crew put the wigs on their heads, and her assistants applied the makeup. Marie looked into the mirror. She hardly recognized herself. She looked like a young man.

  “These costumes are barely done. Don’t get too rambunctious with them, or they’ll fall apart,” Eunice warned them. “These are just for the photos.”

  Marie slid into the black trousers, which seemed a little baggy.

  “We’ll have to get those taken in,” Eunice said, more to herself, than to anyone else. Her assistant added a note to the clipboard she was holding. “Patty, pin her pants in.”

  The order to one of the seamstresses sounded silly, and there were snickers around the room. The seamstress came over to Marie and added pins to hold in the extra material.

  One of the costumers helped Marie wrap a large canvas band around her chest to hide her breasts, and then she got into the prince’s jacket. It was the wedding outfit, the material royal purple with gold epilates on the shoulders and two rows of buttons down the front. The gold crown on her head added just the right look.

  She could see through the mirror that Jackie had just come into the room. Marie turned around to look at her. Her wig and makeup were gorgeous, and the dress, a white gown that set off Marie’s purple uniform, was stunning. There were layers and layers of petticoats under it, but the waist was still small. She also had on a pair of white heels.

  “These are beautiful,” Kent told Eunice and Patricia. “Yes, our prince and princess are going to look wonderful.”

  “What about us?” someone asked, and everyone turned to look.

  Rod and Andy stood there in long dresses and high wigs. There were ruffles and bows over their hips, and they wore high heels that fastened around their ankles. They looked like two ugly spinsters; one in rose, the other in pink. Their makeup was perfect. Andy even had a beauty mark just above his left lip.

  Mike looked regal in his king’s uniform with the cape down his back. It was black with lots of gold trim. His crown tilted to the left ever so slightly and gave him a commanding presence.

  They looked at each other in awe.

  “We look great,” Andy exclaimed.

  “We look more than great,” Rod corrected him.

  “Yes. This will work,” Kent said with a satisfied nod. “Eunice and Patricia and their crews have created magic here.”

  “Yes,” Mike expounded, his deep voice exuding command. “We will be successful. We look perfect.

  “Everyone ready?” the photographer asked. “Who do you want first?” He looked at Kent.

  “Let’s do the prince and princess first. Jackie has to change to drab for the later photos.”

  The photographer waved Marie and Jackie into the next room, which was bright with lights and a white backdrop against the back wall.

  “Let’s start with the kiss,” Kent said, looking at the photographer for agreement.

  “Okay. Do either of you get nauseous easily?” the photographer asked.

  “From a kiss?” Marie asked in surprise.

  The photographer laughed. “No, we’ll shoot on that platform.” He pointed to a round stand in the middle of the floor. “It rotates so I don’t have to worry about the backdrop but can still get all sides.”

  Both Marie and Jackie nodded.

  “I’m okay on it,” Marie answered.

  “Me, too,” Jackie added.

  “Good. All right, get onto that platform,” he directed them, “and get used to it. It will turn slowly. Try to stay as close to the middle as you can. Get into place and don’t pay attention to what I’m doing.”

  Jackie stepped into Marie’s arms as Eunice adjusted the gown to look right.

  “All right. You really have to kiss,” the photographer told them. “You can’t fool the camera. If it’s just a stage kiss, it will come through as fake.”

  “Well, if we have to…” Marie said softly.

  “Then we have to,” Jackie agreed.

  “Any time you’re ready.”

  Marie took Jackie into her arms and planted a kiss on her lips. She pulled Jackie close as their lips met. She could feel the platform moving, but she held onto Jackie tightly enough so neither was off balance. They felt the photographer creeping around them and heard the constant snapping of the camera lens.

  “All right,” he finally said. “Let’s get you looking at each other, right from where you are now. Stay close. Let’s see that look of love.”

  It wasn’t hard for Marie, and she was amazed when she looked into Jackie’s eyes. It definitely looked like love there. They were such good actors. It didn’t take long before the photographer had as many pictures as he needed.

  “Let’s take a look at these,” the photographer said, taking the card from his camera and inserting it into the computer. The pictures immediately filled the screen.

  “Come look at these,” Kent called to Marie and Jackie

  They hopped off the platform, walked over, and looked at the screen in awe.

  “Oh, my!” exclaimed Jackie. “We do look good together.”

  Marie was so astounded, she could only nod. She and Jackie did indeed look in love. The kiss seemed so real, and the look in their eyes so intense, there was no doubt they were in love.

  At least I am, thought Marie. How could she have looked like this without the sincere emotion behind it? Good God. How could this show through like this?

  Kent beamed. “Yes. Definitely. I know the ad group is going to have a f
ield day with these. Let’s get the King in here.”

  The rest of the afternoon was busy, busy, busy. There were photos of the stepsisters by themselves, with Ella and with both Jackie and Marie. The king was with the happy couple and then they were all together. Every combination was pictured.

  When completed, Jackie’s clothes and makeup were changed. Bill was there with a very pregnant-looking Ashley, as well as the four-year-old prince and a doll wrapped in a blanket. Pictures of Jackie with the boy and baby, with Bill standing behind them, another with Ashley looking on, and another with Bill on his knees before Jackie. There were all sorts of combinations. One even had Andy sitting on Marie’s lap in a very sexy pose.

  “Those look very good,” Kent said. “I’m sure they’ll have a lot to work with.”

  “We all look so good!” Jackie cried. “Eunice and Patricia, you and your crews have done phenomenal work.”

  The cast applauded them.

  “Just be careful taking them off,” Eunice scolded them. “There are all sorts of adjustments to be made. Don’t lose any of the pins, or your clothes will look baggy.”‘

  “What a day,” Jackie said to Marie as she finished buttoning her real shirt. “After seeing us in costume, I’m getting excited about this.”

  “Seeing us in these outfits adds so much to the show. I can see where we’re going now.”

  “Me, too. I can’t wait to see the entire cast in costume.”

  Marie nodded. Seeing Jackie in costume made her heart sing louder than the opera could ever be even with chorus and orchestra added. How was she going to get through this without losing her mind over Jackie? Her kiss had to look real? To Marie, it was real. She knew she wasn’t a good enough actor to fake it like that.

  Chapter 7

  On Saturday, there was an announcement in the Entertainment section of the New York Times:

  The Windsor Opera Company takes a new version of Cinderella to the Lindon Theatre on Broadway next month as Ella’s Charming Prince.

  Almost everyone knows the Cinderella story, about the gala ball and the glass slipper, but what led up to that night? And what happened afterwards? Is this what “happily-ever-after” really feels like?

  Two new voices have been cast in the lead roles. Jacqueline Allenson, soprano, has been cast as Ella, and Marie Jacolby, contralto, will play the young Prince Charming. William Simmons, baritone, is cast as the grown prince. Michael Benedetti, bass, is the King, Ashley Sheppard, soprano, will play Lady Evangeline. In a charming new twist, Andrew Freeberg, tenor, and Rodney Luchis, tenor, will play the wicked stepsisters.