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“You are?”
“Of course I am! Look at you!” Gianna reached for Gia’s chin, a mothering move she’d done since Gia was a little girl. “You’re a beautiful person, Gia. And you don’t need someone else to make you whole. I admire you.”
Who was this woman? Gia couldn’t remember a time when her mom had acknowledged her like that. Without judgment. Without an ulterior motive. Wait. Did she have an ulterior motive? Was she sick?
“Are you okay, Ma?”
“I’m great! Look at this—how could you behereand not be okay? God gave us this beautiful landscape. We’re here together. It’s Christmas. I’m just glad to share this with you.”
“Me too.” Gia put an arm over her mother’s shoulder. Where had this woman been her whole life? She hadn’t yelled in Italian, hadn’t cut Gia down, hadn’t reminded her of her mistakes. She’d been supportive.
And wise.
Thatwas the Christmas miracle.
Found
They’d had a breakthrough at The Grand Canyon.A conversation she wouldn’t forget in a place she wouldn’t forget. Maybe that was what the holidays were about—seeing people in new lights. Letting go and moving on. Gianna had said a lot with what she didn’t say—and had given Gia permission to break the family tradition. She could be anything she wanted—her history didn’t have to dictate her future.
What a powerful realization.
So, that evening when her mom’s man of the moment showed up, Gia’d put on a smile and exchanged pleasantries before excusing herself. No advanced judgment, no assumptions. She gave him the benefit of the doubt, and under the guise of letting them catch up, Gia tucked away to the back bedroom, put in her earbuds, and opened the app where Roxi’s show would run. She was snuggled in bed, propped on three pillows, and ready. Months of wondering were about to be explained.
She hadn’t heard from Roxi since the going away party—expected, since Roxi said she’d be sequestered during filming. A quick debate about reaching out with well wishes resulted in a decision that it couldn’t hurt.
No sooner had she sent a brief good luck text than the show came to life.
“Live from Los Angeles, California, home to the motion picture industry and the biggest pool of theatrical talent you can imagine, welcome to ‘Make me a Holiday Star!’” The announcer boomed a welcome message as a graphic of a horse pulling a sleigh through a snowy mountain road took over her small phone screen, and headshots faded in and out on top of it. “You’ve tuned in to the most groundbreaking star search yet—the search for not just one star. Or two. Not even three. You’re about to witness the casting of an entire Broadway musical—live!”
“I’m what?” Gia said to no one. Roxi was auditioning for a musical? This was not at all what she’d imagined. Roxi was a rocker, not a theatrical crooner.
As the show’s intro played, headshots continued to fade in and out, and there she was—in the top right corner of the screen, in a black-and-white photo, a very glammed up Roxi Delgado. Flowing curled raven hair, full makeup, and a sexy closed-lip smile. A stylist had gotten hold of her, and she already looked like a star. Gia’s heart beat a little faster just seeing the headshot.
“Good evening, America! I’m your host, Jamison River, and welcome to Los Angeles. You’ve tuned in for the start of an eight-week endeavor to cast the troupe of singing actors who will comprise the new musical, “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” which will premiere right here in L.A. next summer before it goes on the road to five major cities across the country and finishes up in New York City in time for the holidays—next year. This type of production has never been done before, and you have a front-row seat to the action. So, get your theatre glasses, crack open your favorite beverage, and let’s meet our auditionees!”
One by one, hopefuls said their name and hometown. Drake from Dallas. Helene from Miami. D’Shawn from Cincinnati. And on and on. Eventually, Roxi from Palm Springs said hello, and Gia felt it in her stomach. The twinge of nervousness that she felt before speaking to the group. The twinge that kept her from following her own interests in the theatre all those years before. “Go, Roxi!” she clapped and leaned back into the pillows. Roxi had kept the secret beautifully. Gia had been sure she was off to audition to be the new lead singer of a famous band, or to win a chance at a recording contract, or to be put into a girl group. But auditioning for a travelling Broadway show? Not even on her radar.
As the show progressed, actors “tried out” for roles by singing a portion of a song of their choice from the original musical score for a table full of casting directors. But in a reality TV twist, the casting directors wouldn’t choose which actors scored the roles—that would be left to audience voting. Each week, two actors would secure roles in the musical, and the others would continue auditioning. Instead of someone being voted off each week, people were voted in.
After forty-five minutes of watching people audition, Roxi still hadn’t performed. Gia’s stomach had settled, but her mind raced. Was Roxi okay? Would there be enough time? Had she known all along she could be gone for the entire eight weeks of the show’s production? Who would drive her bus route?
“Next up, Ms. Roxi Delgado, singing ‘You Don’t Have to be Alone on Christmas.’ Take it away, Roxi!”
Roxi walked onto the set, complete with a flocked Christmas tree, and took the microphone out of its stand. She’d worn a Santa-inspired outfit—red velvet skirt and jacket with white trim, and a floppy red hat with a ball on the end. Gia noticed her hands were shaking when she grabbed the mic. Roxi could command a room. She’d settle in.
In less than a minute, it was over.
Roxi’d sung her heart out, and a text box covered the lower third of Gia’s screen. “Text 66789 with ‘Roxi’ to vote for Roxi Delgado. Limit 10 votes per phone number per day.”
Gia texted 11 times, just to be sure her vote was getting in—and received a bounce back that she’d exceeded her limit. She’d repeat the same with her mom’s phone and the new boyfriend’s—if he’d let her—and then repeat for the next week until the second episode.
All those months of waiting and wondering had culminated in the answer: Roxi was auditioning for a Broadway musical. She had a voice for theatre, and the dance moves, too. And she might be gone eight weeks.
???
Back in Palm Springs, life went on in perfect harmony: beautiful, warm days; crisp, cool nights. Birds of Paradise in bloom, citrus ripe on trees.
It was New Year’s Eve—and after her shift, Gia went home. She didn’t want to be out with the revelers—or the drivers. And she needed to talk to Jennifer. It’d been two weeks since she’d met Emily. An eternity in secret-keeping time. She couldn’t quite script the conversation—the one where she’d tell Jennifer she and Derrick had located Emily, who was alive. And very close to Palm Springs. But she may not remember their past. She probably wouldn’t, in fact. That last bit was the hard part of the message. Gia had wanted to give Jennifer a present—but what if she was giving her a problem?
