The Glow of the Spotlight: My Journey with Rebecca

We race up the stairs and burst into the apartment, both of us flushed and out of breath. Dinner hasn’t started yet, but Sadie and Sophie have already set the table, and Mrs. Rubin’s sharp look makes me feel terrible for cutting things so close. Rebecca apologizes, admitting she lost track of time, though I suspect the contest is still on her mind, too.

Mrs. Rubin has no patience for excuses. There’s no time for a bath, she tells Rebecca, just a quick wash and change of clothes. And she should find me something plainer to wear. I can guess the flashy purple skirt from tonight’s audition won’t do for Shabbos dinner.

Just then, Victor bursts through the front door, gasping as if he’s sprinted home. Mr. Rubin asks where he’s been. He smirks at Rebecca and me, and just shrugs and says he lost track of time.

Dinner passes in a blur of candles, blessings, and braided bread. Once the dishes are cleared, Rebecca and I slip toward her bedroom, hoping for a few private minutes. But before we can talk, Victor opens the door and leans on the doorframe.

Victor claims he knows why we were late. Rebecca shrugs and says we were at the park. Victor scoffs and says maybe for thirty seconds. He followed us to Times Square and watched our whole performance at the theater.

Rebecca whispers not to let Mama hear. Victor tells her not to have a conniption. He’s not going to tell on us.

In fact, he heard the contest results. The Ruby Sisters won second place! Too bad we left before collecting the prize, since the lady with the trained dogs came in third and claimed it instead. Rebecca lets out a delighted shriek, declaring she’d love to keep performing our sister act.

I feel that same thrill bubbling up in me. Rebecca showed me I can hold a stage without losing my nerve. Maybe I can even do it without her right beside me. Suddenly, I can’t wait to go home to try to keep the courage flowing.

The Rubin family is up early the next morning. I change into my own clothes, hang up the borrowed dress in the wardrobe, and fold the borrowed pinafore neatly on Rebecca’s bed. I thank the Rubins for everything, then explain it’s time to get home to my family and my next performance.

Rebecca hugs me tightly and whispers that maybe the Ruby Sisters will perform again one day. I tell her just as quietly that she helped me more than she knows. A few nervous butterflies won’t hold me back now.

When the trolley pulls up, Rebecca waves and calls that she’ll watch for my name on a marquee someday. I wave back. But as the trolley stops, I don’t get on. Instead, I duck into a gap between two buildings and pull the nesting dolls from my purse. I pull the larger doll apart, and then line up the hands again and press the pieces together.

The bricks around me blur into a swirl of red, and I shut my eyes tight against the spinning sidewalk. I’m on my way home, carrying something more valuable than any prize money: the courage to step into the spotlight and stay there.