Limelight

It was a Friday. Like any other Friday Jon Supper was late. In fact
when the drama company's car dropped him home it was past midnight. He
knocked on the door. Mrs Supper opened and helped him to carry his
things in. And then it started. Little Midge was fast asleep. She was
soon awakened by her mother's shouting. Mrs Supper was abusing her
husband in the filthiest language possible. Her complaint was this. Mr
Supper had no job. He made a little money by working in a drama
company. He had started with small roles but was being offered the
hero's part these days. The remuneration was nothing to rave about but
film offers were coming in trickles. Jon Supper was thirty years old
and was looked upon as an actor of great promise. But his wife was not
willing to believe all this. Her brother had told her that the drama
company was a bad place where men and women did shameless things in
public. She had never attended any of her husband's shows probably
because she was jealous. But she was always reminding her husband that
they lived in a house that was owned by her. And that he never earned
enough for the three of them. But Midge did not understand all this.
She thought that her Papa was very handsome. He often played with her
during daytime and this made her friends very jealous. And she hated
Mama for being rude to him.
A few days later the drama company was going to rehearse in Jon
Supper's house. The rehearsals were to begin at ten am. It was now ten
thirty and only Jill Brown had come. Jon and Jill were enacting a
romantic scene when Mrs Supper entered without warning. She was furious
on finding the two in each other's arms. Jill was asked to leave
immediately. Midge will never forget what happened in the next one
hour. Her Papa, her dear Papa was called a cheat, an adulterer and a
vagabond. He was threatened with divorce and exorbitant alimony
demands. But he remained unmoved. This enraged Mrs Supper even more and
she finally asked her husband to leave. She stated that it was her
house and only she could decide who would stay. Jon Supper stared
blankly at her at first. Then he picked up his things and left. Fifteen
minutes later he died after being run over by a car.
Mrs Supper took lodgers, four ladies in all. With the rent collected
from them and money obtained from her brothers she struggled to make
ends meet. Midge turned out to be a good student. She took up science
and qualified for medical studies. It was at Medical College that she
met Ricky. Ricky was a year senior to her academically. He was well
known for his involvement in cultural activity. One day Midge was
passing the college auditorium when she felt a tap on the back. It was
Ricky. Ricky said, "Why don't you come and watch our rehearsals." "What
rehearsals?" said Midge. Midge was informed that Ricky and his friends
were going to stage 'Romeo and Juliet' very soon. Midge felt
interested. But her words communicated otherwise "Good girls don't do
theatre." There was a twinkle in Ricky's eyes. "So you think you are a
good girl!" This conversation would have developed further but Midge
was called to her class. Ten days later Ricky called her up at home.
Midge felt very nervous. Ricky said that the girl playing Juliet was
not keeping well. They needed someone who could be her understudy. Just
in case?Midge put the phone down. The next day Ricky asked his
girlfriend Dolly to tell Midge that another understudy had been found.
Well, Midge was at the rehearsals that evening. And she was the only
back-up for Juliet.
Midge loved the rehearsals. The stage itself seemed so grand. It
reminded her of her father whom she missed greatly. Everyone present
seemed to be busy. And tense too. Everything had to be perfect and
imposing. And when the play began the thrill could not be described in
words. It was like living a different life, breathing different air. It
consumed her being, drained her life-force. Yet, at the end she felt
great. But she felt bad too. Her mother had made many sacrifices to get
her into medical college. For the past one month she had lied to her to
attend rehearsals. She reasoned with herself that it was part of the
college activities and her mother would never find out. On the eve of
the actual performance the girl playing Juliet was diagnosed with
typhoid. Midge was asked to step in.
The day was 24th August. Medical College was founded on this day. Midge
told her mother that it was compulsory for all students to be present.
When Midge reached the greenroom at three pm she was mad with
excitement. All kinds of doubts were clouding her mind. Would she
remember her lines. Would the audience laugh at her. Would her mother
find out. Then, what? Would she get her expressions right. At exactly
four pm the commencement of the performance of 'Romeo and Juliet' was
announced. It was now time for Midge to take stage. Suddenly she
remembered her father and his many great performances. She found a
strength within herself that she had not known. She felt confident. As
Midge Supper moved to the middle of the stage and began saying her
lines she saw the three hundred people present in the hall. A sense of
relief ran through her body. Finally she was her father's daughter.