Isabella 'Bella' Marie Rickman: This is Me

Part Six

"Welcome to your first rehearsal for this year's pantomime. As you may have been told, our main lead had to drop out at the last minute, so may introduce to you your new Cinderella. Isabella Marie Rickman." The producer announced to the rest of the cast.

Bella looked around at her cast mates to see a good bunch. She was happy that she was living her dream even though she left her family in a bad way last night. Bella was going to make the best of it.

Rehearsals started. Bella was loving every minute of it. The choreographer was fab for Bella as she was a dancer, so she added the dancers to Bella's musical numbers.

Later on, that night, she had gone out with her cast mates to the pub across from the theatre. She wasn't 18 yet, so she just ordered a cherry coke. Bella sat down on a comfy sofa that she shared with the guy who was playing Buttons.

It was then when she got up to go back to the bar that she noticed someone dressed in blacks with blonde hair and a scruffy beard. She headed to stand next to him.

"Hey there." Bella greeted the man.

"Oh hi." The man just paid for his drink.

"Busy day?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, been putting in the set for the Christmas show over the road." The man told her.

"Oh, right so you work in the theatre?"

"Yeah, I'm one of the casuals. I will be working the panto this year. My very first Pro Panto. My background is from the amateur theatre." The guy told her.

"Oh ok. You want to come and sit down with me?" Bella asked.

"Sure thing. Let me just message the wife to tell her that I will be late home." He pulled his phone out and WhatsApped his wife to say that he would be on the last bus home.

They both chatted about their lives and what they did.

"My wife would be jealous of me working the panto. She's a big fan of yours and your father's. She used to be a dancer when she was younger and wished that she took it up fully and not have a year off from college." He mentioned.

"That's why she loves watching dancer's dance. She's coming to the panto the day after her birthday."

"I would love to meet your wife. Sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

"Louis. It's lovely to meet you, Miss Rickman." Louis held his hand out to her.

"Please, everyone calls me Bella."

Bella's phone started to ring. It was Tom calling her to find out where she was. She rejected him and continued her conversation with the man she had just met after her first rehearsal.

"It's getting late, I need to run and catch the last bus home. The wife will be mad if not, plus I have another busy day putting in the set for the show. Here let me quickly put my number in your phone. If you want to ever have a chat, then you can call or text me. Plus, we can arrange for you to meet my wife."

"Thank you so much Louis. I will see you around." Bella got up and hugged Louis and then grabbed her bag and headed back to her new home for the next couple of months.