Monday Evening, December 7
The kids sat waiting in the Community Room when Norman and Rita arrived at the Children's Home.
Rita waved. "Hi, everyone. Ready to try out for the Christmas Pageant?"
"Yes!" the children yelled, followed by wild applause.
Norman gave a script to each child. When he tried to hand one to Sammy, Sammy shook his head and wouldn't take it. Norman smiled and laid the pages on the table in front of him. "Read it. You might change your mind." Sammy left it laying on the table, but he didn't push it aside.
"There are two speaking parts for girls. Mary and the angel," Rita said.
"Don't the other girls get to be in the pageant?" Laura asked.
"All of you will be in it. If you don't get the role of Mary or the angel, you'll be in the angel chorus. They have a song just for them."
Laura smiled and clapped her hands softly. "I like to sing."
"Boys' parts - Inn Keeper, Joseph, Shepherds, Wise Men and Narrator," Norman said.
"Can we try out for all the parts?" Matthew asked.
"Yes," Norman said.
"Do we have to stand in front of everyone?" Sarah asked.
"Not today. You can stay in your seats."
"Who decides which parts we get?" Danny said.
Drew came into the room. "Mr. and Mrs. Dorman will let me know their choices. If they don't agree, I will decide." Drew looked at each of the children. His eyes held Matthew's the longest. "Before we begin. When we tell you who gets each role, there will be no hissing, booing, laughing, or any verbal remarks regarding our decision. Failure to abide by this rule will result in your removal from the pageant." He went to the back of the room and sat down next to Sammy.
We'll start with Mary," Rita said. "Carrie, you can be first."
One by one, the boys and girls read the parts. All the while, Norman kept a discreet eye on Sammy. The little boy watched and listened. Every so often, he wrote something on his script.
"Well done," Rita told the kids an hour later. "Mr. Drew, Norman and I will compare notes and let you know in a little while."
"What about Sammy?" Mary said. "He didn't try out."
"How can he have a part when he won't talk?" Matthew said.
Drew saw Sammy flinch. He put his arm around Sammy's shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want to?" Drew said. "I think you would be a very good narrator."
"I can't," Sammy whispered.
Drew squeezed Sammy's shoulder. "All right."
"Go to the kitchen and have your snack," Drew told the children. "I'll come to get you when we've made our decisions."
Sammy ran across the room and was the first one out the door. Drew picked up the script Sammy left behind and read what Sammy had written.
"Rita. Norman. Look at this," Drew said. He handed Norman the pages. Rita looked over Norman's shoulder and they read the words.
"It's a poem," Norman said.
"A good poem," Rita said. "Sammy is very talented."
"Sammy should be the narrator," Norman said. "He can read this at the end of the program."
"The words complement the last song perfectly," Rita said.
"Rita and I agreed on all the other parts," Norman said. He handed Drew the script. "Here are our choices."
"It's unanimous," Drew said a minute later. "Would you mind waiting in the hallway for a minute? I'll be right back."
Drew returned with Sammy. He took Sammy into the Community Room. Rita and Norman stood outside, just out of sight.
Drew knelt in front of Sammy. "Rita, Norman, and I all agree that you should be our narrator." He gave Sammy the script. "We want you to read this."
"No!" Sammy said. "I - I - I w - w - will j-j- just m -m-mess it up."
"Sammy, read it to me," Drew said. "No one else is here to listen."
Sammy faltered over the first few words, but his voice became clearer the more he read. When he finished, Drew put his arms around Sammy and gave him a big hug.
"You can do this," Drew said. "I know you can."
Rita and Norman came into the room, applauding. "You've got the part," Norman told Sammy.
"I'll get the kids," Drew said.
Less than a minute later, pounding feet sounded in the hallway. The children burst into the room and sat at the tables.
Drew went to the front of the room. "All of you did very well," he said. "The parts are assigned as follows - Mary - Carrie. Angel - Sarah. Angel Choir - Michelle, Laura, and Josie. Joseph - Danny. Shepherds - Matthew and George. Wise Men - Adam, Mark, and Robby. Narrator - Sammy."
The kids' eyes opened wide and they stared at Sammy. Matthew opened his mouth, looked at Drew, and closed it quickly.
"What about the animals?" George asked.
"I'm sorry, we won't be able to have real animals," Drew said.
"Not even a sheep?" Matthew said.
"No," Drew said.
Matthew stuck out his lower lip.
"I could bring my dog," Drew said. "She's a Maltese. All white. Curly hair. Floppy ears. She could be a 'substitute' lamb. Would that be ok?"
"I guess. It's better than nothing."
"Before we leave tonight, I need to take measurements of all of you so I can make your costumes," Rita said. "Matthew, let's start with you."
After Rita finished with Matthew, she gave him her pad and pen. "Would you help me?" she asked him. Matthew smiled and nodded.
"This is going to be a great pageant," Norman said to the children when Rita had finished. "Please practice your lines every day. We'll be back on Friday. We'll do a read through then."
Rita waved. "Bye, everyone."
"I'll see you out," Drew said. He walked to the door with Rita and Norman.
"I'll work with Sammy," Drew said while Norman and Rita put on their coats. "He will need to have his script with him at the pageant. He might be able to memorize the lines, but if he gets nervous or scared, he will forget."
"No problem," Norman said. "He'll be behind the podium. No one will know."
"See you Friday," Drew said.