The play was so amazing. I don’t want to give away the ending, but it’s the kind of ending that makes people in the audience teary. Mom totally lost it when Via-as-Emily said:
“Good-by, Good-by world! Good-by, Grover’s Corners … Mama and Papa. Good-by to clocks ticking and Mama’s sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses and hot baths … and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realize you!”
Via was actually crying while she was saying this. Like real tears: I could see them rolling down her cheeks. It was totally awesome.
After the curtain closed, everyone in the audience started clapping. Then the actors came out one by one. Via and Justin were the last ones out, and when they appeared, the whole audience rose to their feet.
“Bravo!” I heard Dad yelling through his hands. “Why is everyone getting up?” I said.
“It’s a standing ovation,” said Mom, getting up.
So I got up and clapped and clapped. I clapped until my hands hurt. For a second, I imagined how cool it would be to be Via and Justin right then, having all these people standing up and cheering for them. I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.
Finally, after I don’t know how many minutes, the line of actors onstage stepped back and the curtain closed in front of them. The clapping stopped and the lights went up and the audience started getting up to leave.
Me and Mom and Dad made our way to the backstage. Crowds of people were congratulating the performers, surrounding them, patting them on the back. We saw Via and Justin at the center of the crowd, smiling at everyone, laughing and talking.
“Via!” shouted Dad, waving as he made his way through the crowd. When he got close enough, he hugged her and lifted her off the floor a
little. “You were amazing, sweetheart!”
“Oh my God, Via!” Mom was screaming with excitement. “Oh my God, oh my God!” She was hugging Via so hard I thought Via would suffocate, but Via was laughing.
“You were brilliant!” said Dad.
“Brilliant!” Mom said, kind of nodding and shaking her head at the same time.
“And you, Justin,” said Dad, shaking Justin’s hand and giving him a hug at the same time. “You were fantastic!”
“Fantastic!” Mom repeated. She was, honestly, so emotional she could barely talk.
“What a shock to see you up there, Via!” said Dad. “Mom didn’t even recognize you at first!” I said.
“I didn’t recognize you!” said Mom, her hand over her mouth. “Miranda got sick right before the show started,” said Via, all of out
of breath. “There wasn’t even time to make an announcement.” I have to say she looked kind of strange, because she was wearing all this makeup and I’d never seen her like this before.
“And you just stepped in there right at the last minute?” said Dad. “Wow.”
“She was amazing, wasn’t she?” said Justin, his arm around Via. “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house,” said Dad.
“Is Miranda okay?” I said, but no one heard me.
At that moment, a man who I think was their teacher came over to Justin and Via, clapping his hands.
“Bravo, bravo! Olivia and Justin!” He kissed Via on both cheeks. “I flubbed a couple of lines,” said Via, shaking her head.
“But you got through it,” said the man, smiling ear to ear. “Mr. Davenport, these are my parents,” said Via.
“You must be so proud of your girl!” he said, shaking their hands with both his hands.
“We are!”
“And this is my little brother, August,” said Via.
He looked like he was about to say something but suddenly froze when he looked at me.
“Mr. D,” said Justin, pulling him by the arm, “come meet my mom.” Via was about to say something to me, but then someone else came over and started talking to her, and before I knew it, I was kind of alone in the crowd. I mean, I knew where Mom and Dad were, but there were so many people all around us, and people kept bumping
into me, spinning me around a bit, giving me that one-two look, which made me feel kind of bad. I don’t know if it was because I was feeling hot or something, but I kind of started getting dizzy. People’s faces were blurring in my head. And their voices were so loud it was almost hurting my ears. I tried to turn the volume down on my Lobot ears, but I got confused and turned them louder at first, which kind of shocked me. And then I looked up and I didn’t see Mom or Dad or Via anywhere.
“Via?” I yelled out. I started pushing through the crowd to find Mom. “Mommy!” I really couldn’t see anything but people’s stomachs and ties all around me. “Mommy!”
Suddenly someone picked me up from behind.
“Look who’s here!” said a familiar voice, hugging me tight. I thought it was Via at first, but when I turned around, I was completely surprised. “Hey, Major Tom!” she said.
“Miranda!” I answered, and I gave her the tightest hug I could give.
