Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Five: The School Play
The announcement came home in Grace's backpack on a Monday afternoon.
Dear Parents,
The fourth grade will be performing "The Solar System" for the annual spring concert. Your child has been given a role. Costumes will be provided. Please mark your calendars for Friday, May 19th, at 7:00 PM.
Lina read the letter three times.
A school play. Grace was going to be in a school play.
She thought about the twins' first school play, so many years ago. Lily had been the caterpillar. Leo had been a leaf. She had cried then, watching them shine.
She would probably cry now too.
---
Grace was thrilled.
"I'm going to be the sun!" she shouted, running around the living room.
Lina smiled. "The sun?"
"The sun. I'm the center of the solar system. Everyone revolves around me."
Lina laughed. "That sounds about right."
Grace stopped running. "Will you come, Grandma? Will you watch me?"
Lina pulled her granddaughter into her arms.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she said.
---
The weeks leading up to the play were chaos.
Grace practiced her lines constantly, reciting them at breakfast, in the car, before bed. "I am the sun. I give light and life to the solar system. Without me, nothing would grow."
Stella helped her practice. Clara cheered her on. Samuel slept through most of it.
Lina watched and felt her heart swell.
---
The night of the play arrived cold and clear.
Lina sat in the front row, Ethan beside her. Victoria and Victor and Katherine sat behind them. Lily and Jake sat with Samuel. Leo and Maya sat with Stella. The auditorium was packed with parents and grandparents and siblings and friends.
Lina's hands were shaking.
"Are you nervous?" Ethan asked.
"Terrified."
"She's going to be fine."
"What if she forgets her lines? What if she falls off the stage?"
Ethan took her hand. "Then she'll be adorable. And even if she's not adorable, she'll be ours."
Lina leaned into him.
"Ours," she said.
"Ours," he agreed.
---
The lights dimmed.
The curtain rose.
The play began.
Grace was magnificent.
She stood in the center of the stage, her costume bright yellow, her arms outstretched. She delivered her lines with confidence and flair. The audience clapped. The audience cheered. The audience fell in love.
Lina watched her granddaughter and cried.
"She's a natural," Ethan said.
"She's a ham," Lina replied.
"Same thing, sometimes."
Lina laughed. "That's what I used to say about Lily."
---
The play ended with the sun shining brightly over the solar system.
Grace spread her arms wide and declared, "The sun will always shine."
The audience erupted in applause.
Lina clapped until her hands hurt.
Ethan whistled.
The family cheered.
Grace took a bow.
---
After the play, the families gathered in the auditorium.
Grace was surrounded by admirers, accepting compliments with the grace of a seasoned performer.
"Thank you. Thank you. Yes, I practiced for weeks. Yes, the costume was hot. Yes, I am the best sun in fourth grade."
Lina walked over to her.
"You were wonderful," she said.
Grace beamed. "I was the sun."
"You were the best sun."
Grace hugged her. "I love you, Grandma."
Lina held her granddaughter.
"I love you too, sweetheart. More than anything."
---
The celebration continued at the penthouse.
Pizza and cake and ice cream and the particular chaos of a family that had something to celebrate. Grace told the story of the play again and again, adding new details each time.
Stella asked questions about the solar system. Clara danced around the living room. Samuel slept through it all.
Lina watched them and felt her heart swell.
---
Later, after the guests had gone home and the grandchildren were asleep, Lina sat on the couch with Ethan.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Full," Lina said. "Not from the cake. From... everything. From watching her. From seeing her shine."
Ethan put his arm around her. "She gets it from you."
"Get what?"
"The shining. The confidence. The ability to stand in front of a room full of people and not be afraid."
Lina leaned into him. "She gets it from you too."
"Maybe. Or maybe she gets it from herself. Maybe she's just who she's supposed to be."
Lina thought about that.
She thought about Grace, the sun. Stella, the scientist. Clara, the dancer. Samuel, the baby. All of them perfect, just as they were.
"I can't wait to see who they become," Lina said.
Ethan kissed her forehead.
"Neither can I," he said.
---
End of Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Five