ALEX WAS PLEASED with her performance in Biology lab and told her mom about it at dinner. The somewhat gruesome topic did not seem to bother her mother in the least. Alex was surprised to learn that her mother’s favorite subject had been biology.
“I always wanted to be a scientist,” Patricia said.
“Like what kind of scientist?”
Patricia sighed. “Research actually. I wanted to be one of those people that discovered some new drug or cured cancer or something.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Patricia hesitated. “Well, Lexi, college takes a lot of dedication and to do the kind of work I wanted it would have meant me getting a Bachelors degree and then a PhD. The nearest colleges were either in Fort Collins or Denver and that was too long a drive. Not to mention the cost.”
“Was I the reason you never went to school?” Alex was surprised at the guilt washing over her.
“Not at all! I don’t want you to even think anything like that. I don’t regret my choices. I wanted to be with you and watch you grow up. Going to college meant too much time away from you and I didn’t want a research career badly enough.”
“You could always go back. People do it all the time.”
“It’s been an awfully long time since I’ve been in school or had to study. I’m not sure I want to learn how to do that all over again.”
“It’s not like you would have to go full time or anything. Just a class here and there to get back into it.”
Patricia sighed. “Maybe someday, Lexi. I have to get things straightened out so we can get our own place. I don’t want to be living in Karen’s guesthouse forever.”
Alex decided to let the subject drop for now. But she made the decision to check out tuition rates and classes and print off some information about scholarships and grants.
“So have you thought about what part you want to try out for?” Patricia asked, changing the subject.
“Not yet. I’m going to look up the play on the internet and figure it out.”
“Do you need a ride to the college? I can take you in on the way to the store.”
“That’d be great.” Alex cleared the dishes and sat down at the table to use the computer. She found the characters of the play and after reading their descriptions, she narrowed it down to three possibilities: Nor, Yackle, and Nanny. They were not lead roles but they offered more character development than the part she had played in Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Her fantastic memory for historical facts helped her to quickly memorize some lines for each character. She tried to pick lines that would help her stand out, although there was a small part of her that hoped she wouldn’t be chosen. If she got one of these parts it would mean more stage time.
And singing.
This aspect petrified her. She knew Mr. Reardon planned to do this as a musical, just like on Broadway. She was not even sure she could sing. Alex did not have much faith in her abilities, although she liked to sing along to her favorite music from time to time.
Alex practiced her lines on Karen, C.C., and her mother. She had to really try to push them from her thoughts in order to even begin to get into character. There were a few times when she had to start over because she either laughed at the wrong time, stumbled over her lines, or completely lost focus. When she needed to sing her throat closed so tightly she couldn’t even speak.
“Relax, Lexi! It’s just us. Now try again,” Patricia said.
Alex managed to blurt out a few lines, shouting rather than singing. She finally decided she needed everyone in the room to leave and go listen from the kitchen. “I might be able to do it without anyone actually in here watching me.”
Alex took a deep breath when the three left. When she was sure they were out of the room, she started with the first character. She got to the part where she had to sing her lines, and she simply did it without pausing. Alex closed her eyes and tried to pretend she was on a large stage and that her voice needed to reach all the way to the back.
“Well done!” Karen said as she came back into the living room.
All three of them clapped, assuring her that she sounded fine. Alex wondered if they were just humoring her.
After a few nights of practicing, she managed to give a decent rendition of all three characters and thought she might even stand a fairly good chance of landing one of the parts. I hope I get the one with the least amount of singing.