The curtains open...

I in center stage, breathe in, and out deeply.

My eyes search the crowd for someone I can look at, for people who look happy or familiar, even though my family despises me.

I find a guy, tall and handsome, and I train my eyes on him.

I begin speaking. Tonight, I am not Shelby, I am not a college student, I am not ugly, I am not stupid, for tonight all I am is Mary. Mary Poppins.

I begin my lines, and I do not feel as insecure as usual. Even though I'm in front of 1,000 people. A packed house. The lines flow from my tongue by memory. I do not skip a beat, nor do I miss a line. Tonight feels perfect, until I see my parents.

They crowd in the back of the theatre, they look at me in disgrace. I finish the scene, and as the curtains close back up, I run backstage.

Intermission is good for many things. For getting drinks of water, for stretching, for practicing lines, and for getting over seeing your parents for the first time in 3 years. Ever since I started college.

See it's surprise because, they hate me. They hate I chose acting rather than nursing. They hate I'm singing rather than teaching. They hate me because rather than following the money, I followed what I love. I have five minutes, and this time when the curtains open, I'm not sure if I'll be ready.

(I want to do an entire book on this, but for the competition, I'm only doing this little bit.) :-)