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Ribbons in the Sky
Phyllisia Gant
Indianapolis, Indiana - Legal Communications
Oh so long for this night I’ve prayed
Finally her day had come. They said
this performance would win Raquel a Tony Award for sure. This play has
been proclaimed her best work yet. Everything seemed to be falling
perfectly into place. Raquel had purposely arrived two hours earlier
than the director required in order to soak in the atmosphere of the
famed Schubert Theatre. She wanted to wander backstage, meddle through
the balcony, and sit in the front row. The weeks preceding the play,
Raquel had been so busy with rehearsal and choreography and costumes
that she had not taken the time to simply enjoy the theatre. She had not
taken the time to relax. As she sat alone in her huge dressing room she
reflected on how far she had come. When Raquel first started singing,
she starred in black gospel plays such as, “God Don’t Like Ugly” and
“Ruth Led the Heathen”. She also shared a small changing room with
twenty other chorus girls. Now she had her very own carpeted dressing
room. She looked around the spacious room; slowly taking in everything
her hard work had earned her. Raquel had an elegant vanity table, a
customized fruit basket, a sparkling mirror that ran the length of the
whole wall, a private bathroom with shower, and hundreds of flowers.
That a star would guide you my way
Success. The producer had sent a
limousine to her house to pick her up. She no longer had to take the A-
Train to the theatre. There were plans for her to star in her own movie
with Denzel Washington, record labels were begging to sign her, and of
course there would be more plays. If she won the award for best actress
in a musical, it would be the first time an all black cast, director,
writer, producer, and crew had swept the Tony’s. Raquel looked at
herself in the mirror and smiled. Not bad for a girl who used to write
songs with Luther Vandross, talk about houses and homes now.
To share with me this special day
Everyone she knew would be here, her
friends, her family, and most importantly her fans. Her hero Julie
Andrews had even sent a small card expressing her enjoyment of Raquel’s
performance. Debbie Allen, Gregory Hines, Savion Glover, and Ada
Mitchell among others had promised to be at her party tonight at Zora’s.
She could not help but continue to think about how far she had come. No
one called her Raisin now. She wasn’t that round little girl with
out-of-control hair from Chicago.
We’ll find strength in each tear we cry
Raquel was now a beautiful woman,
with a career and a family. She remembered her first husband, David.
This time she thought about him without animosity. He used to look like
Brad Pitt, but his eyes, not his physique was what first attracted her
to him. Truth be told, Raquel would have never come to Broadway if he
didn’t have aspirations of making it as a playwright. They had once made
a great team, his plays, her acting. Their relationship also allowed
Raquel to grow towards the mature woman she was now. Raquel had bagged
groceries during the day and sang back up with Roberta Flack at night to
support them. She had learned the value of self and working hard to
achieve your goals. For that, she would forever be grateful. Those
O’Neillesque afternoons had been lovely, but they were young then, only
20 and 22. With age came the realization that they just weren’t meant to
be.
From now on it will be you and I
Later Raquel met and married not only
a talented musician and an amazing teacher, but also the most wonderful,
caring, thoughtful, intelligent, and considerate man in the whole wide
world. Together they had a son. His solid, down-to-earth attitude
grounded Raquel and motivated her. He had encouraged her to go back to
school to get her degree, in Chemistry, of all things. He inspired her
to be anything and everything she ever desired to be. She gave him
laughter, the ability to look at all things with a smile, and a finally
a fifth for his jazz quintet. They complimented and completed each
other.
And far more than a lucky chance, but what is that was always meant
Soon the make-up artist, Jill, would
be there accompanied by Amy, the woman who sews the hairpieces in with
the special microphones, and undoubtedly her stylist, Bob, would come to
stuff, lift, tape and grease her into that sculpted black dress. He
would add the perfect touches to not only her ensemble, but also to her
well being. In a little while the audience would crowd into their seats
and the director would give his final pep talk before the cast would
dive whole-heartedly into their work. Each took his job seriously and
with pride. But now was Raquel’s moment. Now was the time for her,
Ribbon in the sky.
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