Chapter 10: The Blame She Kept

Sadie took her glasses off and placed them between our water bottles.

"I should have told you," she said.

"I should have asked," I answered.

The empty room smelled of warm lights and somebody's cheap hand cream.

Below us, a dog barked at the shop window.

Sadie looked toward the stairs.

"Even he has notes," she said.

I smiled, then waited.

She told me the producer had called after the rehearsal.

Ruth wanted to know whether that joke would be in the show.

Sadie said it was her line and that she'd remove it.

"Why?" I asked.

She took the cap off her water bottle and put it back.

"I thought I could absorb one bad joke," she said.

"You were about to get something important."

"I got that role the next week," I said.

"I bought the cake," she answered.

"It was my mistake," I said.

"I know that now," she answered.

"I knew it then too, but I wanted to be useful."

She didn't look proud of the sacrifice.

That made it harder to hide behind gratitude.

She lost the next booking with that producer.

Then a second invitation stopped coming.

"You joked about your free calendar," I said.

"And you laughed and offered me a ticket to your premiere," she answered.

"I thought you wanted a good night out," I told her.

"I did," she said.

"I also wanted work that was mine."

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