What We See, What We Forget

Part 11

"ALL CREW STAND BY!"

"AUDIO STAND BY!"

"LIGHTING STAND BY!

"ALL TALENTS READY!"

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The curtains swung open as the blinding lights pointed in our direction, and the crowd's roars deafened our ears, with our intercoms barely guiding us through the number of songs we would be going through on this night's performance. The theater was packed as it should be; before we knew it, it was time to start.

The lights, the sounds, the action! That was what accompanied shows. That is what filled the shows with life! You would never feel estranged from it! You are a part of it, after all!

Words that I lived by, words that I held close to my heart. My name is Shasfa Hashifa, and I am part of it!

With the closing of the curtains and the audience's applause, I finally could conclude this night. I must say that today's vibe was more outstanding than usual, and with that, I'm sweating more than I used to; this entire outfit needs to be switched before the meet and greet. The theater's backstage is now jam-packed with people resetting the stage as I make my way through the dressing room; every trot I make resonates with the room's rhythm. I love how we are interconnected in this web of entertainment. All the girls were still chatting about today's performance backstage, Mdm. Evie had us perform an extra two songs since it's our last theatrical performance for another two weeks! I don't know how they could withstand this much sweat; however, I barely had the strength to remove my gloves when I reached my locker because of their stickiness. The girls followed suit to the dressing room now with their joints, finally realizing that they had been through ninety minutes worth of dancing; it's hilarious seeing them behave like old ladies when shows are over.

"Beer me!"

Ah, that's Lyca right there. She's the most expressive one of us and can't stop. She won't stop quoting 'the office' whenever she has the chance. The rest of the girls soon followed, and not all of us were performing together, then again, I think the stage wouldn't fit all thirty of us. Today, only sixteen of us were performing, which included Reissa, our captain, and sweet little Lila! The freshest member of our team graduated from being a trainee just a little over a month ago. She has the face of an angel and the mannerisms of a kitten; I love her! We all collectively acted like we were all her older sisters, but I think she thought of me as one since she always ran into my arms after a show. It made me feel like I was genuinely her older sister standing proud of her sister's achievements. I had no siblings growing up, so these girls are the closest thing I have to siblings. Just as usual, Lila came running to my hands as I lifted her off the ground, giving her a spin before putting her on the ground; I told her to change quickly.

"Isn't she adorable?"

That's Reissa, our captain. Indeed, she's the most mature of us; I'm more than joyful to be her vice; she's like a life coach with a three-year head-start in life and a two-year head-start in idol life. Listening to her stories and advice are among the top things I long for after every performance. She asked me about the upcoming meet and greet while handing me a towel; the performance pushed me to the limit. I locked my locker with a wipe of the towel.

"Hey, you left your gloves there."

Ah, the right part of my glove fell out of my locker. I might as well stuff it inside my pocket for the moment. These pockets are not meant for storing anything, so they were pretty sticking out. Nevertheless, I left the dressing room with the girls for the meet and greet. From what we saw on the stage, the crowd was humongous! I could only imagine how many hands I had to shake later on. The crew staffer then signaled for us to line up for the meet and greet. A long table was prepared for us. The table was long enough to fit all sixteen of us present. The crowd had already shifted from the theater back outside to be rerouted to the meet-and-greet room. Once the door opened, they all marched in an orderly fashion, reaching for the girl they had registered to meet and greet. I could remember the tense feeling I sensed during the seconds leading to the meet and greet. Although I had expected and had experienced before the meet and greets activity, you'd never know of the surprises that awaited once that door opened. A line then formed in front of the girls. The handshakes, taking pictures from Polaroid cameras, and my signing my signature had already become muscle memory. We first started with the 'Golden Pass' members, who love us so much that they watch our shows twenty times non-stop!