Chapter 8 - The Chicago Opportunity
On Friday morning, Marcus Vance invited Lily and me to his studio at the Goodman Theatre in downtown Chicago.
The workshop was a paradise of fabrics, vintage mannequins, stage sketches, and rolls of gold lamé and velvet. Marcus had laid out a lavish afternoon tea on his drafting table.
"Emily," Marcus said as he poured Earl Grey into vintage porcelain cups. "The buzz from that elementary contest has reached the board of the Chicago Children’s Theater Alliance."
He slid a glossy contract across the mahogany desk toward me.
"They are mounting a major summer production of *The Secret Garden*," Marcus explained, a wide smile spreading across his face. "They need a lead designer for the children's ensemble. I was offered the role, but I told them I would only accept under one condition: that you serve as co-lead designer, with Lily officially credited as youth design consultant."
Lily dropped her scone. "Me? On a real theater program?"
"You, young lady," Marcus said, tapping her nose with a colored pencil. "Your understanding of texture and dramatic contrast under stage lights is completely natural. And your mother’s technical drafting skills have been gathering dust behind a suburban desk for far too long."
The stipend offered for the summer production was more than my entire annual salary as a remote corporate graphic editor. It included full studio access, professional guild membership, and a designated educational trust fund for Lily's future college tuition.
Tears sprang to my eyes. For years, my parents had told me that my artistic dreams were selfish, that I needed to stay small, quiet, and subservient to family expectations.
"We accept," I said, my voice thick with emotion.
May you like
Lily threw her arms around my neck, whispering, "We won, Mommy. We really won."
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