Dream Song

The Song

    We drove in silence, but the radio was playing; the song was "Superboy and the Invisible Girl" from Next to Normal.  To fill the silence, I began to sing the opening lyrics, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Peter smile. "You have a stunning singing voice, Hannah," he complimented. It was as if my voice smote him. I smiled. "Thanks. I've had a lot of practice." "I can tell." the duet in the song was coming up, and we both began to sing. Our voices blended so well it was eerie.  My dream was slowly starting to become real, and our connection was getting stronger. He looked so beautiful singing, and his tenor voice was that of an angel's. Time seemed to slow down around us. I felt safe. I had never felt this way of singing with anyone.

    After the song ended, we were smiling at each other. "That was the best duet ever," he told me. "I couldn't agree more," I answered with a hint of flirting. He smiled, and then we proceeded to sing the next song that came on the radio; I had never had this much fun on a date in my life!

We got out of the car and walked into the diner, and ordered two hot chocolates. This diner was across near the Music Box Theater, my dream place to perform. I felt like more dreams were about to come true; I was a sucker for old-fashioned dates because I thought they were more romantic.

        "So Hannah, tell me about yourself." he invited politely. I couldn't get over how polite he was. "What would you like to know?" "What made you go into musical theatre?" he asked. "I grew up watching classic movies, most notably musicals. The first one that I watched was Singin' in the Rain. I saw it when I was eight years old. I loved watching singing and tap dancing. Gene Kelly became one of my heroes for music. I decided that I was going to do theatre when I got older. When I turned eleven years old, I decided that I wanted to go to NYU to study theatre, and that dream has come true. Maybe I'll be the next Idina Menzel!" I posed humorously. Peter chuckled. "I hope to be there to see it," he thought of another question. "Has it always been just you and your mother?" "Yes, my parents got divorced when I was ten. That's how music became my consolation. It took me away from the pain and sorrow that my mom and I had to endure." I wasn't planning on opening up this much to Peter, but he made me feel safe, and I felt comfortable telling him about my life. "It sounds like you've been through a lot. I hope things have been better for you." he touched my arm gently. I smiled softly, with my face turning pink. "Thank you. You've been very kind."
My hands were slightly trembling; this happened when I got nervous. Peter looked at me with beautiful green eyes that seemed to be smiling back at me. "Hannah, I know we've only known each other for a week, but I think you're an amazing person who deserves nothing but good things. I feel connected to you." I looked at him with surprise. That was a very forward thing to say on the first date, but there was no arguing with him because I felt the connection as well; maybe that was the source of the dreams that I've been having. "I feel the same way, Peter..." I couldn't believe I said that out loud; that was a phrase made for a cheesy romance movie! He smiled tenderly. "Thank you." my heart was going warm and fuzzy. I blinked to snap back to reality.

        "Tell me about yourself, Peter." "Ask me anything you want." he invited; his gaze didn't leave mine. "What made you move to New York?" I asked carefully, hoping I didn't strike a nerve. "My father became extremely abusive to my mother, and we had to get out of the house because we were no longer safe. We couldn't find anywhere to go to in England because he would always find us. I was beginning to lose hope, but my mother found a flight out of England to America, and she found a job here in New York. I knew I wanted to continue with music, so my mother had me enrolled at your school." I touched his hand softly. "My story sounds like paradise compared to yours. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that." He shrugged. "It hasn't been all bad. I found you." "We found each other." I wanted so desperately to tell him about the dreams I've been having, but something told me that I should save that for another time.
    My face was getting hot, and I laughed nervously, "I am so sorry, that was the cheesiest thing I've ever said!" I made a show of putting my face in my hands out of utter humiliation. "I always get nervous on dates." Peter laughed, "You have nothing to apologize for. You don't have to feel embarrassed with me." he was so calming and reassuring to me. I had never felt this way around anyone, even Mike. "Thank you, and I appreciate that," I adjusted the sleeves on my blouse.