After school ends, I bolt home. I throw my bags on the floor, homework can wait. I am just too excited. I glide to the kitchen with auspiciousness forming a halo around my head. “MOM,” echoes through the house as I look at the mail. My mom walks downstairs and looks at me as if I am a hitchhiker begging for a ride. “Yes, what do you want,” she sighs. I grin and say, “Can I go to the Regal Theater tonight with my friends? Lily’s mom will be there and Alisa, she’s 14, and”–she cuts me off with a quirky smile and asks, “Did you do your homework?” I play with my fingers and before I open my mouth, she says, “as long as you are back by five and pick me up a pastry from one of the restaurants.” I hug her and start skipping down the block.
I see Alisa and as soon as I turn the corner she runs and screams, “OMG, I am so freaking excited for this, you ready?” “Yes,” I chuckle, “but be quiet, we don’t want the entire 46th street to hear us.” We walk to Lily’s house and see her and her mom waiting for us on their porch. “Ready to dance like you have never danced before,” Lily’s mom says. As we walk, we converse about homework, our crushes, and what songs we think they’ll play. We turn on to 47th street and it all hits me. The flashing lights twinkle in my eyes. The music dances in my ears. The smell of food climbs up my nose. The words bounce off my tongue. The air brushes against my skin. Everyone has a welcoming atmosphere. The music makes me feel like dancing in a field of flowers. I am so excited I could run around the earth, floating over the oceans, flying to the peaks of even the highest mountains. I am home.
“What are you girls waiting for? Let’s go in,” Lily’s mom says as she stares in awe. We all slowly step forward to the magnificent building. When we walk inside, we see the band up on stage. They are so focused on the music and making sure the audience is joyous when dancing. We join the mob of people, standing, dancing, singing, and laughing. A waitress brings over a menu with a “what-can-I-get-you” smile. I kindly ask for water to start and continue this resplendent dream come true. Once she’s gone, I look carefully over each item. “What should I get,” I think to myself. When she comes back, she asks, “what’ll it be?” “I’ll have the sliders with fries,” I say. As we wait, we watch several bands and singers, each one with a different hope and dream, bow and blush as they come off the stage.
The stage is red with wood accents on the edge. It is about one and a half feet tall. In the center, there is a mic, silver, and gold, just waiting for the next bright soul to pick it up and give a breathtaking performance. In that mic, thousands of voices had been spoken softly and loudly, depending on the person. Now, I think peculiarly, I might not know who will walk on this stage next, but I know thousands more will sing and perform at the Regal Theater.
Juliana Gometz is in the 6th grade at The Ancona School