CHAPTER SIX
(chapter title – Joanne – Maybe This Time)
Seventeen-year-old Joanne Jefferson took a deep breath and stepped into the audition room. Not only was the director there, but everyone else involved with the new musical was. She was auditioning for the role of Sally Bowels in the musical of Cabaret.
"What's your name, love?" the director asked in a British accent. Joanne couldn't tell if his accent was real or fake.
"Joanne Jefferson." Joanne said with as much confidence as she could. She could feel six pairs of eyes watching her every move, which only made her more nervous than she already was.
"What are you going to sing for us, Joanne?" the assistant director inquired, not looking up from studying Joanne's headshot.
"I'm going to sing Maybe This Time." Joanne told the people watching her.
"Whenever you're ready, love." The director told Joanne. She nodded and went to the middle of the room. The pianist played the introduction to the song and Joanne looked up at everyone. Joanne saw her girlfriend, Laci, smile at her from out in the hallway. Suddenly, Joanne wasn't so nervous.
"Maybe this time, I'll be lucky
Maybe this time, he'll stay
Maybe this time
For the first time
Love won't hurry away." Joanne sang, trying to think of a guy she knew that she could possibly be singing this song to. She had come out to her parents a couple years ago and they accepted her for who she was.
"He will hold me fast
I'll be home at last
Not a loser anymore
Like the last time
And the time before." Joanne crooned, thinking of her brother who passed away a couple years ago. He was in a hit-and-run accident and died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
"Everybody loves a winner
So nobody loved me;
'Lady Peaceful', 'Lady Happy'
That's what I long to be
All the odds are in my favor
Something's bound to begin
It's gotta happen, happen sometime
Maybe this time I'll win
Maybe this time I'll win." Joanne finished, gathering her music and exited the audition room without another word.
"How'd it go?" Laci asked, taking Joanne's hand in hers.
"I think it went okay." Joanne answered, squeezing Laci's hand.
"How long before you hear if you got it or not?" Laci inquired.
"I don't know – they'll set up a time for me to come in to do a callback, if I even get the part. There were at least fifteen other girls auditioning for the part." Joanne said.
"You're gonna get it – you were the best." Laci told Joanne, kissing her cheek. Joanne looked at Laci's watch.
"Honey, I need to go to work and so do you." Joanne told her girlfriend, kissing her cheek. Joanne went to her father's law firm while Laci went to The Coffee Bean – the coffee shop where she worked.
Two weeks later, Joanne got a call from the director while she was at work.
"Hi, is this Joanne Jefferson?" the director's voice was on the other line.
"This is she." Joanne said, her voice quivering.
"This is Max, the director of Cabaret."
"I know – it came up on the caller ID."
"I'm calling to say congratulations – you got the callback. I'll see you in a couple days."
"Okay. Thank you."
Joanne hung up the phone and went to her dad's office and knocked on the door.
"Come in." Harold said, not looking up from the stack of papers on his desk.
"Daddy, I got a phone call from Max, the director of Cabaret. I got a callback!" Joanne squealed. Mr. Jefferson smiled and got up from his desk so that he could hug his daughter.
"Congrats, Joanne. I'm so proud of you." Mr. Jefferson told his daughter.
Joanne smiled and exited her father's office so that she could pack up her things. He had given her the rest of the day off so that she could see Laci and tell her the good news.
The bell above the door to The Coffee Bean jingled as Joanne entered. She smiled when she saw Laci standing behind the counter, ready with Joanne's order.
"Hey beautiful." Laci greeted Joanne.
"Hey there." Joanne greeted Laci, a big grin on her face.
"Oh my God! You have something to tell me, don't you?" Laci asked, her green eyes wide.
"I got a callback! My dreams are finally coming true!" Joanne told her girlfriend.
"I'm really happy for you, Joanne." Laci told Joanne, a small frown on her face. Joanne pulled Laci to a quiet table and had her sit on her lap.
"Baby doll, what's bothering you?" Joanne inquired, running a hand through Laci's dark brown – almost black – shoulder-length hair.
"You won't cheat on me, will you?" Laci asked. Laci and Joanne both had their hearts broken by cheating and didn't trust the other alone with another girl. Joanne didn't like flirting, whereas Laci did, and that's what got her in trouble with her previous girlfriend. With Joanne, Laci learned how to calm her flirting down.
"Of course not, sweetie." Joanne promised, kissing Laci's cheek.
A short while later, Joanne was back at the studio with the other girl that had also gotten the callback for Sally. In the end, the other girl ended up getting the part of Sally. Joanne was disappointed, but she didn't let it show.
"Congrats." Joanne told the other girl.
"Thanks." The other girl told Joanne. Joanne smiled at her and exited the studio. Laci was right there and embraced Joanne as she sobbed into her tank top.
"It's okay, sweetie. There's a part out there that's perfect for you." Laci soothed Joanne.
Joanne knew that Laci was right and decided not to give up on her dreams. Whatever auditions would come, Joanne was the first to accept them.
She was never going to give up on her dreams, no matter what anyone told her.