Two faces found the same glow.
Two Ways to Wait
Nora was waiting for the light.
Leonie was waiting for a reply.
Neither expected to find the other on the table.
Nora had climbed onto one end with a length of white fabric across her knees. From there, she could see the hem she had repaired for the evening’s performance. The old lamp above the table had been replaced that afternoon, and she wanted to check the stitching under its new light.
At the other end, Leonie settled with her phone in her hand. She had sent a message to her friend Amara ten minutes earlier, asking if she could take a small role in the performance.
Amara had not answered yet.
The table was long, and a stack of folded curtains stood between them. When Leonie leaned back, the curtains shifted. Nora leaned back too, and their shoulders met.
Both sat up.
“Did the table move?” Nora asked.
“I think the curtains did,” Leonie replied.
Back to Back
They moved the stack to the floor and settled again, this time knowing who was on the other side.
“What are you waiting for?” Leonie asked.
“The electrician is checking the lamp. I need to see whether this thread matches the dress.”
Nora held up the hem. In the last of the daylight, the thread looked almost the same shade as the cloth. Under the old lamp it had looked distinctly yellow.
“And you?”
“Amara’s reply. One of our performers is unwell, and I asked if she might take the part.”
Leonie checked her phone again. No message had arrived.
“I should have asked sooner,” she said. “Perhaps I should tell her there’s no pressure. Or explain that it’s only a short part.”
“Have you already told her that?”
“In the message. Twice.”
Nora turned her head, though she could only see a curl of Leonie’s hair. “Perhaps that’s enough for her to read at once.”
Leonie placed the phone face down beside her.
When the Lamp Came On
The new lamp flickered, went dark, then glowed steadily above them. Both women looked up.
Nora spread the hem over her knees. The thread blended into the cloth. As she turned it, however, a long loose end appeared near the last stitch.
“That wasn’t there before,” she said.
“It was,” Leonie replied. “The light has just introduced you.”
Nora searched for her scissors. They were in the little sewing basket on the floor, directly beneath the table.
“I can reach them,” Leonie said.
She slid down, retrieved the basket, and handed Nora the scissors. Then she held the fabric while Nora trimmed the loose thread.
Leonie’s phone gave a small chime. She picked it up and read Amara’s message.
“She can do it, but she needs to arrive later than the others.”
“Can the rehearsal begin without her?”
“The first part can.” Leonie typed a reply, suggesting a time for Amara to join them. This time she read it once before sending.
One Minute More
Nora folded the hem neatly and returned the scissors to the basket. The light warmed the white fabric and made the tabletop shine on both sides of them.
“We should take this to the dressing room,” she said.
“We should,” Leonie agreed.
Neither moved.
“Was it worth waiting for?” Leonie asked.
Nora held up the end of thread between two fingers.
“That depends. Was this supposed to be part of the costume?”
Leonie examined it. “It could have played the missing role.”
Nora tucked the thread into her basket. “Amara may be relieved she answered first.”
Livora Gracely ♥
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