Stealing Second: Sam's Story by Barbara L. Clanton

Author:Barbara L. Clanton [Clanton, Barbara L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: YA Books by RCE
Published: 2013-07-08T00:00:00+00:00

SAM SAT AT her desk in the living room of her suite, her precalculus book opened in front of her. She had a third of her mind on the math, a third on the Fiddler on the Roof meeting earlier that afternoon, and the final third on her watch. She had six agonizingly long minutes to go until it was eight o’clock and she could call Lisa. Her mind wandered back to the meeting after school in the theater. All those kids, they were so free. Some were singing, others were reciting lines from the play, and a few were dancing in the aisles. Ronnie made her sit with him and his friends. Alivia especially beamed when Sam sat down next to her. It was exciting, kind of like softball, but different.

Mrs. Dickens outlined the play for the assembled crowd. She talked about auditioning times and rehearsal schedules, but Sam’s ears perked up when Mrs. Dickens spoke about the fiddler. “The role of the fiddler,” she looked at Sam, “is metaphorical. Picture the fiddler straddling a pitched roof, left foot on one slope, right foot on the other. A precarious position, indeed. He is a metaphor for life which constantly pulls us back and forth, first one way and then another.” She glanced around at the assembled students. “Tevye, the male lead in the play,” she looked at Ronnie who was the shoo-in for the role according to Alivia, “tries hard to cling to the traditions of his people, but the world is changing so fast that he struggles to keep his balance—just like our fiddler. Every time the fiddler appears on stage, it is because Tevye is facing conflict.” Mrs. Dickens looked back at Sam. “The play opens with this symbol of struggle, the fiddler perched high on the roof.” She pointed toward the stage, high in the air.

Sam’s eyes widened at the implication. She would be the first one on the stage—the first one everyone saw.

After the brief meeting, Mrs. Dickens handed out scripts to those auditioning for acting parts and sheet music to the musicians. Sam thumbed through the sheet music and then later when she got home, showed the sheet music to Helene. Helene said a couple of the fiddler pieces looked challenging, but Sam had always been able to master difficult music in the past, why would this be any different? Sam had agreed. She could do it, but did she want to? That was the big question. Did she want to be up on the stage in front of everybody? Perched high on top of the set? Would her parents even let her do it? She didn’t mention a word to either of them at dinner. She’d tell them the next day. Maybe.

With firm resolve, Sam went back to her homework. She finished another problem and checked the time. She had one more minute until she could call Lisa. Ah, what the hell, it was close enough. She slammed her math book shut and picked up her cell phone.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.