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Carlee
I can help you get another job. I’ve got a few favors to call in. So, don’t worry about it. Tonight, focus on your audition. Break a leg!
I forgot about the audition. I’m not in the right headspace.
Lexi
Thank you. Appreciate it.
Carlee
You’re still going, right? Don’t let this asshole ruin this for you!
Lexi
I won’t. I’m heading there now.
Iwait to cross the street at the edge of the sidewalk. I’m a little over two miles away, so I walk, hoping it clears my mind. Returning to Texas with my tail between my legs isn’t an option. I refuse to let the naysayers win. Right now, I desperately want something to work out for once. Maybe this audition is my shining light.
When I arrive at the small theater, I see a big, bright cancellation notice on the door. I stand in front of it, staring at the sign, and shake my head.
“This is my luck,” I whisper, take a picture, and text it to Carlee.
She immediately calls me. “When one door closes, a window opens.”
“I think I want to write a screenplay,” I say, forcing myself to walk away. It wasn’t meant to be.
“I support this amazing idea! You totally should.”
As I leave the theater and take the stairs down to the subway, she gives me a pep talk. I can tell she’s trying to pump me up, encouraging me, but I zone out. I feel lost.
“Did you hear me?” she finally asks.
I shake my head. “Sorry. No. Was lost in my head.”
“I asked if you’re quitting on life.”
“No. Absolutely not,” I confirm. “I’m just tired of being down on my luck.”
As I wait for the next train, I see an advertisement for Calloway Diamonds on the wall. I recognize the symbol that was in the center of that fucking watch. A diamond with a triangle.
I groan and turn my back toward the poster. IfonlyI’d recognized it before I shoved it into my pocket.
Carlee continues, “Chin up. This is a new beginning, baby. And maybe one day, you’ll be able to look back on this moment and realize it’s the one that changed your life.”
“Who knows?” I tell her.
Then, we say our goodbyes, and the line falls silent.
4
EASTON
Birthday countdown: 44 days
Since meeting her: 2 days
After I finish my closing remarks, the diamond convention ends without any issues. Thousands of manufacturers, miners, and other industry leaders are in attendance. I’m given a standing ovation by a room full of people, most of whom want to be me. I’m told I should run for president. I am handed so many business cards that my once-empty pocket is now full.