Adopted by a Queen

Aria Operetta Jenkins

So basically, we are moving on to another month. It is now November, not in real life but when I’m telling this story. So It is the 17th of November and the show has been open for like a month now. I am like 3 months pregnant and I am on my way to the theatre with Leslie Krtizer. We walk in and obviously I go directly to Kerry’s dressing room. I knock on the door cause the do not disturb sign is up and nobody answers. The door is slightly open and so I just walkin in assuming she just forgot to take the sign down. I walk in and then as I’m about to say hi to her I see a girl lying down on the couch asleep. “Who the fuck is she?” I say out loud. This girl instantly wakes up and is shocked to see me. “Who are you? Where am I?” she asks “I’m Athena you’re in the Winter Garden Theatre, who are you?” “Uh I’m Aria, do you know where that blonde woman went? She was just a bit taller than you and looked about like between 25-35 or something. I saw her outside and then I must have blacked out cause next thing I know I’m in here.” I obviously knew she was talking about Kerry, there was nobody else in the building that matched that description so perfectly. Well except for maybe Sophia. “That would be Kerry. I was looking for her too. You happen to be in her dressing room right now” the girl, Aria, just smiled. She looked very pale and weak and I noticed that her bag was wriggling.

I was curious so I just had to ask “What’s in the bag?” I said pointing at the huge leather duffle bag that was on the floor. “Oh it’s my two dogs, don’t ask. I was bringing them with me and they got tired so I put them into the bag and carried them around” I nodded and then pointed at the bag, silently asking her if I could open it. She agreed and when I opened the zipper two little black dogs popped out. “The littlest one is called Elphaba and the bigger one is called Phantom” she smiled. Elphaba jumped up onto the couch and over to Aria. “What breeds are they?” “Uh they are both Pembrokeshire Welsh Corgis. Elphaba is a little younger than Phantom but they get on like sisters”, I had previously acknowledged the fact that Aria was British but when I heard her say Pembrokeshire I knew she was Welsh. It had that twang on it that only Welsh speakers had. Like that woman who I met last week. That Aimiee Gray she’s an Argentinian actress but can speak Welsh and she has that twang as well.

“So I can tell you are Welsh” I said and she laughed “And you would be correct” Aria said. I was now playing with Phantom. Someone knocked on the door and then walked in. I turned around, it was Kerry. “I see you’ve met. But where in the world did these dogs come from?” she asked “They were in her bag, they are hers” I said pointing at Aria “She has a name you know. Are you ok, Aria?” “Yes, thanks. Did you bring me in here?” Aria asked “Yes, well I got Alex to carry you in here. I didn’t really get a chance to introduce myself. I’m..” “Kerry. I know, Athena told me” she smiled at us. Well I’m glad you are getting along.” Kerry then went to sit down at her dressing table “What time is it Ker?” I asked “It’s 6:30, why?” “You have a show now, right?” “In the next half an hour or so”. “Can I go for a walk around with Aria?” I asked. Kerry nodded but then said “Only if Aria wants to”. Aria did want to so we got the leashes for the dogs and left the theatre to go for a walk around.

“So, Aria. How old are you exactly?” She smiled and then looked at me “I’m 14 and you?” “I’m 16” “And by that accent I’m guessing you were born here” I nodded at her. We were on our way to get food as Kerry had told me that Aria hadn’t eaten in like over a week. “I was born here. But my parents are alcoholics and they kicked me out like just over a month ago” It made me sad to think about that but I trusted Aria enough with the information “Why did they kick you out? Them being alcoholics is no reason to kick out their teenage daughter” “I was kicked out because I’m pregnant” She paused and stopped walking “You are pregnant?” I nodded “Wow, not judging but wow” “Yeah I know. What about you, why did you move here and end up outside the theatre having not eaten for over a week?” “Uh, I originally lived on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales. Me, my mum and my dad were in a car crash on the 28th of December last year and uh they both died. I moved to live here with my only other living family member, my cousin, Elvira. She had been depressed for a while because of her mum’s death a while back and she was being sent death threats because she was lesbian. As you can guess by me saying ‘she was’ every five seconds that she is no longer with us. She had committed suicide at the begining of this month”.
It took a while to process what Aria had just said. From what I’d gathered she had no family and was in a country she had only lived in for a few months. “Aria, that’s a lot” I knew saying that wouldn’t help but It felt like it was needed “Yeah it is” she answered “But it’s my life and I can’t change that sadly”. We made our way to a McDonald’s that was nearby and got some food from there. We sat on one of the benches outside the Broadway theatres and just admired all of the lights that were shining down upon us. It was glorious. “It’s beautiful in the dark isn’t it?” I said. I had noticed that Aria was just staring, not saying a word. The dogs were both eating their own food that we had picked up from a store. “It is. My mum was an actress you know. West End and Off-West End. Her dream was to be on Broadway.” Aria paused for a second to take a bite of her burger that she had got. After she finished it she continued with her story “The night that we were in the car crash, we were actually going home earlier than we were supposed to as the next morning we were supposed to be catching a flight to America. Mum was going to be in a Broadway show. It was Kiss Me, Kate as she had been in it on the West End in 2018. She was gonna be playing the main role but she couldn’t because of the car crash. Don’t get me wrong Kelli O’Hara did a great job but it would have been nice to see my Mum up on that stage” Aria said with a tear in her eye. I hugged her telling her it would be fine. She was one of the first friends I had made where I felt like I could talk to her about anything and listen to her talk forever.