By Emily Gonzalez
There is a sea of bodies.
All moving and shuffling around to find their seats.
Sounds of chatter seem to resound in a place like this.
I too begin to chatter with a friend as I find my seat.
The room is as soothing as a warm embrace.
Musicians stand on the stage, playing to our content.
A pianist leads the orchestra with swift hand movements.
The pianist tickles the ivories of the piano.
With it comes a melodic sound.
And soon following came the delightful sounds coming from those playing the trumpet, fluent, and an array of instruments.
Some people look down at their playbill, constantly flipping pages.
And some keep their eyes on the stage.
But I couldn’t wait.
I had excitement bubbling over me, threatening to spill at any moment.
She watches the performance, breathing in everything around her.
She takes a breath and smells different aromas of perfume in the room.
Yet to her, the room smells like a theater.
Her mind drifts to the time, sweat, and tears the actors had put into the production.
She pulls herself away from her thoughts about the performance.
Afraid to miss more.
Evertyime, A new act performs or a new song comes on.
She flips her playbill
Curious to see who is singing
She smiles
She is filled with pride as she sees her friend leave it all on the stage.
When her friend stops performing, she cheers and yells for her.
Moving pieces form a narrative.
Furniture is moved in and out of the stage.
And with this movement comes the sound of rolling and shuffling.
The shuffling is soon replaced with a string of melodies.
Regardless of whether they are sad or happy, they seem to mesmerize the crowd.
She once again watches closely but at this time it’s different.
A song that talks about home causes all the emotions she has locked away to bubble.
Her emotions pour out.
Silent tears fall down her face.
At this point, she doesn’t know why she’s crying.
Actually, she does know why she’s crying.
She misses home, and the week has been hard for her.
She wipes her tears in a swift motion.
She hopes no one notices.
The performance ends with a huge showstopper number.
In which the last note is magical.
The crowd erupts with applause and cheers.
Standing ovations fill the room.
She remembers how much she misses singing.
She makes it a daily reminder to make time to sing.
The entryway is filled with chatter and commotion.
She and a group wait for their friend.
When the said friend appears, different noises of happiness fill the room.
She congratulates her friend with praise and a hug.
She walks to her dorm with a pep in her step, humming music.
All she can think about is singing and being happy.
