Like a Star, page 29
Over the years, he has thought several times about that little girl. He imagined she would have grown into a beautiful young woman, that she was clever and adventurous, her smile as bright as the sun.
That little girl had become that wonderful woman on the stage. The one who’d brought life to a wolf girl. The one who would rise as the Daughter of Fire next year with him. The Rising Star that was certain to become the Moon.
The girl who, even before knowing how intertwined their fates were, had already taken over his time, his dreams, and maybe even his heart.
ACT 32
Frank took Summer and Mr. Brown to spend Christmas with his family. They were already invited to the Constellations Christmas party. A night where all of the staff was praised by a Frank dressed as Santa Claus. Hilarious, Summer thought. Frank knew how to make his employees feel special.
It was a very fun party. But Joe didn’t go.
Summer was starting to think she would not see him until January for the shooting of The Son of Ice and the Daughter of Fire. She was still disappointed she couldn’t talk to him after her last performance of Jane. But, somehow, she wasn’t surprised when he was the one who opened the door to Frank’s house. Actually, she was secretly hoping he would. And when he did, she froze.
Joe had Jazz on his shoulders, and the little girl jumped into Summer’s arms. They were spending Christmas Eve in Frank’s chalet in upstate New Los Angeles. The wooden mansion looked like a prop out of a family movie and the white winter landscape gave it that Christmas feeling.
Tinker Bell, Joe’s yellow lab, was there too. And so was Lionel, Gael, Miguel, Gabriel, Abel, and Daniel. Summer noticed they were somehow Frank’s sons and Jazz was their little princess— always close to her Prince Charming, Joe.
It was a beautiful gathering. When they entered the house, everybody cheered for the Rising Star and congratulated her for her nomination. Summer blushed. Gabriel was cooking with Frank and Lenin. Joe was playing Christmas carols on the piano while Abel accompanied him with the guitar and Jazz sang ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ with Miguel and Daniel.
Lionel was getting the table ready with Gael. Summer really didn’t know what to do so she went to help them. He told her they’d spent Christmas with Frank for a long time now. And he told her a little about the man known as the Devil of Starland. How he lost his wife to cancer, and years later his daughter died in a car accident with her husband, leaving baby Jazz an orphan. Summer looked at Frank with renewed admiration. His bright smile and peculiar character seemed even more appealing now.
Frank was the one who gave her a chance, for that she would always be thankful to him.
At dinner time, she sat next to Jazz. The little girl wanted to be in the middle of Joe and Summer, her two favorite storytellers. The meal was so delicious that almost nobody talked, and the food disappeared little by little until there was nothing left.
“You are as good a cook as Summer here,” pointed out Mr. Brown and Summer blushed.
“Wow, next time you cook then,” said Gabriel and the boys agreed.
“We’ll have her cook for New Year,” said Daniel.
It was funny how at ease she could feel with these people.
After dinner, the whole table gathered to see the Moon’s concert. For the last ten Christmases, she’d appeared as a guest on the Tonight Show to perform the one song that brought her to stardom.
‘Ave Maria’.
The Moon’s performance never failed to renew hope for the holiday season. ‘Ave Maria’ was not a Christmas song, but it was certainly a song about love. And when Shonny Faith sings it, something otherworldly happens every single time. A magic that never lost its power, on the contrary—it only grew stronger.
Summer noticed that a tear ran down Frank’s cheek. It wasn’t only him; the eyes of everybody present watered, including hers. Nothing could be done about it. It was inevitable. When Shonny Faith performed this song, no matter what she was wearing, no matter where she stood, she would always become an angel. Summer had never seen the play, or even read it. But she knew that song very well. Matt’s family always put it on Christmas day. A favorite of the Carter family, for it was composed after one of her father’s books.
They were all happy when she finished her song. They all commented about it, praising her more and more. Summer was curious about why the Moon disliked Frank so much; she was secretly hoping they would talk a little about it, but the conversation turned when Jazz asked Summer to tell a story. The little girl wanted to show Summer’s storytelling abilities to her family.
“Tell us Peter Pan!” shouted Jazz. “You see, guys, Summer is a friend of Peter Pan too!”
For a moment, Joe felt an impulse to stop her. To change the subject, maybe even perform it himself. But as the girl from his past stood up, he let her be. For the magic of her voice transported him to that magical theater from long ago.
Her Peter Pan version was so disturbingly familiar to Joe’s crew that they looked at each other with disbelief. It was not your usual Peter Pan tale. No, that was exactly the kind of adventure they used to hear from Joe when they were kids.
Gael was the first to notice. Joe wondered if he already knew. Gael was the sharpest; he was Nibs after all. And what about Lionel? Had he predicted that too? He was the one holding her personal information.
The others were more discrete. If they’d noticed Summer was the Tinker Bell of their past, they didn’t show it on their faces. But Joe knew them better. He saw the gleam in their eyes asking, “Is this for real?”
So he gave them a faint nod, secret code for “don’t ask, we’ll talk about it later.”
After opening the gifts, most of which were for Jazz and Summer, to her surprise; it started snowing. They all went outside to appreciate the white winter scenery.
Summer alone stayed inside. She walked to the balcony as the others were playing in the snow. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Between breaks in the clouds, the starry night sky was so surreal that she felt part of a fairy tale. She could even see glimpses of constellations and when she believed it couldn’t get more beautiful, a shooting star passed her way. She felt like a hopeful child, full of awe and joy.
“Getting used to them?” Joe asked, moving closer to her. Summer was so lost in the distant lights that she didn’t notice he’d been standing next to her for quite some time.
She smiled at him from the bottom of her heart. Bathed by the starlight, she was unaware of the emotions she was stirring inside him. Even more than her, he’d been waiting for a chance to be alone together.
“Congratulations for your Tony Award nomination,” he said. “A Tony was also my first award.”
“I know.” She smiled again, causing another storm inside of him. “How does it feel?” she asked. “How does it feel to be among them?” She looked at the stars above them.
Joe looked at the winter sky. It’d been a while since he appreciated the beauty of the night.
“You tell me,” he replied.
“I am not a star.” She giggled, a little flattered. There was something about his eyes that made her heart skip a beat. Suddenly, they became even more mesmerizing than all the stars above them. They shone as if they held a whole galaxy inside them, and Summer got lost inside that universe.
He finally spoke. “You are, Summer.”
He was looking intensely at her. As if nothing else existed in that moment. His tender gaze broke every existing wall guarding her heart. His metallic gray eyes found the only path leading into the deepest part of her soul. He saw his own reflection in the sparkling brown eyes of his sweet protégé.
For the first time, he was really seeing her, Tinker Bell, the little girl he’d found ten years ago. And the realization filled his heart with a feeling that was yet to be known to him. A sensation that gave birth to the warmest and sweetest of his smiles.
And then, just like he did on that far away winter night, with an expression void of any doubt, he said, “you are… like a star.”
TO BE CONTINUED IN
Like the Sun
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Wow! This is my dear debut novel and I really want to thank you for reading it. Like a Star is a very special story because it was inspired by many people in my life. I would like to credit my amazing brother Frank Joel Montes Ossio for the inspiration of Joe Starlex’s character. Also, I want to honor some people: Frank Montes, Shonny Faith, Suray, Jazz, Antonio (Manu), Carol Marie, Rafael Leon, they are all real artists in my life. I love you all.
I want to thank my little sister Celeste for investing in my book and believing in me. At last but not least, I want to thank my beautiful mother Maytte for always being the light of my world.
I wrote this book in 3 different cities: Lima, New Jersey and Barcelona. My heart belongs to those cities. Thank you.
With this book I want to show my love for the performing arts that I love so much. If you are a singer, dancer, actress, part of a film crew or belong to the wonderful world of theater… I want to tell you, I admire you. You are the best!
You inspire me.
Proverbs 16:3
Ocean D. N, Like a Star
