When I was in the third grade I was quite the little actress. I was constantly making up short skits and convincing my best friend to do them with me. Many times my teacher would let us perform them for the class. This may have had some impact on my teacher’s choice for the Christmas program. I was thrilled when she announced our class was going to do a two act play and I was going to be the star!
I loved every minute of rehearsal, and I memorized the entire play word for word. I was a doll in the play and remember borrowing a fancy poofy dress from a girl at school.
The day came and I got all dressed up in the fancy dress and shiny shoes, much too early I’m sure. My mother had gone to a doctor’s appointment that afternoon. All decked out I waited for her to come home. I sat down and waited. I walked around the house. I checked my hair in the mirror multiple times, all the while making regular walks by our clock in the family room. Still my mom was not home. The minutes dragged by. Had my mother forgotten that it was the night of the play? We were supposed to be at school an hour before curtain call. That time came and went. With all the lights off, I sat in the back bedroom just willing the headlights from my mom’s car to appear coming up the driveway. I thought of my teacher and my friends waiting for me at school. I was going to let them all down! And then just half an hour before the play was to start I spotted the headlights. I ran out to the car. We made it to the school just when the play was supposed to begin. I still remember the look of relief on my poor teacher’s face when I came flying in the door.
In spite of that long, frustrating ordeal, performing in the play was everything I had dreamed it to be. The parents were all so complimentary, commenting that surely I would grow up and become an actress! My mom raved about the play and wished the rest of the family had come to see it. She mourned that we didn’t even have any pictures of the play. Later one of the other kids brought me one photo. So I am happy to have this one memento from my couple hours of stardom!
