The directors put a lot of time and effort into making sure the film promotion would be a success. There were more than three thousand people in the building, which included reporters from the mainstream media, film critics, and fans of the actors and actresses.
Edieās body was present, but her soul was absent. She hardly spoke a word throughout the course of getting ready. Queenie could tell there was something wrong with her, but because there were so many people in the dressing room, Queenie never said a word. As soon as they were finished, they prepared to go out on the stage. As they walked towards the stage, the entire audience welcomed them with a warm and big round of applause.
The spotlights were shining, and Edie looked at the people in front of her, her mind flashed back to the video. The harsh images of Marina were now flooding her mind. Edie never imagined that she could feel so frightened. She jolted at first in panic, then froze all movement.
One by one, they began to introduce themselves to the audience. Queenie stepped forward, and the spotlight hit her as she walked across the stage and stopped at the microphone. "I would like to thank everyone for coming. For those who donāt know me, Iām Queenie Fox." Everyone whistled, cheered, and clapped for her. She was a natural-born star.
It was Edieās turn, and Queenie turned to pass Edie the microphone. Edie stopped in front of it, adrenaline making her heart quicken. Her body burned with emotions she couldnāt control. āI canāt do this!ā For a moment, Edie couldnāt speak. With her hands clasped tightly together, she kept focusing on trying to force herself the breathe.
The audience sensed there was something wrong. "Whatās wrong with her? Why isnāt she talking," they said, whispering amongst themselves.
"Sorry, everyone! Weāve made a mistake! Miss. Lara isnāt going to make a speech! Here is..." the host said anxiously.
"Yes, she is!" Queenie abruptly interrupted.
The host gave Queenie a surprised look. "She is?"
Queenie smiled and started to explain. "As you all may know, Edie plays the part of Susan. Sheās acting the role right now!"
Sounding confused, the host said, "Oh, I wasnāt prepared...However, I am impressed. Miss. Lara, would you like to tell us if you had any difficulties in taking on this role?"
All eyes were focused on Edie, and there wasnāt anything Queenie could do to help her now. By this time, Edie regained control of her thoughts. She shook her head, stepped forward, and reached for the microphone. "It was an honor to be offered this role as Susan. Yes, I had some difficulties. Learning sign language was challenging, but I was able to overcome them very quickly." The reporters asked Edie many questions, and she answered, calmly. Finally, it was over, and the film promotion was a hit. As Edie was getting ready to go back to the car, she heard the director calling out her name.
"Edie, are you coming? We are taking all of the cast members out for dinner," said one of the directors.
"Thank you, but I must be getting home," Edie replied and started to leave.
"Wait!" Queenie shouted.
"Queenie, what are you doing? Go with them," Edie said.
"Iām worried about you! What happened to you on the stage? You havenāt been the same since I first arrived!" Queenie asked.
Edie froze. "Um....." She trusted Queenie, but she did not want to involve her. Edie didnāt know what to do.
"I know thereās something wrong, but Iām not going to push you to tell me. I just want you to know that if you want someone to talk to, I will always be here for you." She reached over and gave Edie a hug. "Whatever it is! I know in my heart, itāll be okay."
Edie nodded and smiled. "Thank you for asking. Would you like to have a cup of coffee with me? I do need to talk to someone!" Edie asked.
They chose a cafe house close by. Edie took a sip and looked around. "You know about Stuart and me? I mean that we are married?" she whispered.
"What? You two got married? Youāre such a lucky woman. At first, I thought Stuart might not have been the right man for you." Queenie said, sounding surprised.
Edie sighed and continued, "Am I lucky? Itās so complicated. More complicated than I could have ever imagined. I donāt know what to do or who to trust!"
"Does this mean you plan on leaving Stuart?ā Queenie asked.
"No! I would never leave Stuart. I love him with all of my heart, but Iām afraid!" Edie explained.
"Afraid of what? May those people find out? Youāre a lucky woman. Luckier than I was with...I mean that you found love. Do you know how rare that is? True love, I mean!"
Edie remembered how Todd looked at Queenie the last time he saw her. It was obvious Todd still had feelings for Queenie. "Are you talking about Todd?" Queenie replied.
At first, Queenie was silent, but the look in her eyes gave it away. "Yes, we were together, but he never loved me. I loved him very much, but..." Queenie hesitated. "I will never forget the day he broke my heart. He didnāt know I was there, and when I opened the door, I overheard him talking to someone. They were talking about other women and then....." She tried to hold back the tears, but one by one, they started to flow. "Todd started to talk about me. His exact words were, āIām only having fun with her! No, of course, I would never marry her.ā I loved him so much, and I guess I never really got over it!"
"Queenie, Iām sorry!" Edie said. Her voice is full of sympathy.
"I fell in love with the wrong guy. Unlike you! You deserve to be happy. Cherish every minute you have with Stuart. Itās hard to find someone to love and, most importantly, someone you can trust. Always remember that you can ask for help and I will come! Okay?"