From above the thunderous ovation, I could hear a faint chanting of “BrAvery! BrAvery!” from Charlie, who was pumping his fist in the air like he was trying to lobby for everyone to join him. And then Gabe, who had come home for the holidays to see Marisol, front row center for opening night. By the look of delight on his face as pure pride washed over him, I could see he finally understood why I didn’t say yes.
The applause faded out as we backed behind the falling curtain. I had told my friends to meet me at the cast party at Sardi’s and grab a drink or two without me, that I’d be there as soon as I could. I headed back to my dressing room, the aroma of fresh flowers elevating my mood even higher. A gorgeous oversize frosted poinsettia from my costar, Aaron Tveit, who’d nabbed the role of Scrooge. The show was a bona fide hit. Whatever came, I’d done it. I’d accomplished my dream, and the fact I was able to help my parents get theirs in the form of an RV they’d be driving to Destin in the morning was just icing on the cake.
Smaller posies and vases filled the space, tokens from fellow cast members, fans, celebrities, and other well-wishers. I just about died when delivered to my dressing room were gifts from both Lin-Manuel Miranda and Sutton-freakin’-Foster! I had an absolute fit, screaming and jigging about, clearly fangirling so hard! My （almost） six hundred thousand TikTok followers got such a kick out of the whole thing （thank you, Lyla and @AntiquesJoeShow for the reposts!）。
I plopped myself down in front of my vanity and took it all in. The tangle of Christmas lights I’d taken as a token of the phone booth were strung from the top of the mirror, still broken and unlit, but an essential reminder of all that it took to get me here. Next to Elphabear hung pictures of special moments that paved my road to Marley, photos of celebrity visits, and newspaper clippings of the rave reviews that had been pouring in throughout the workshop and previews. One of my favorites was a large cast photo—big smiles, center stage, arms slung around one another, me laughing in the middle. I swear I’ve never looked so happy.
I made my way to the stage door, bracing myself for what lay beyond it. As soon as it swung open, I was met by a wall of sound, fans screaming my name, sticking pens and notebooks in my direction as the security team kept them at bay. My heart swelled, graciously, and I took about fifteen minutes to sign as many autographs and take as many selfies with them as I could. I thanked them all for coming and encouraged them to come back soon. I wiggled through the crowd, scrawling out a last few signatures as I went, and finally gained a clear passage to make my way to Sardi’s.
As soon as I arrived, I was greeted with a whole new round of cheers—the sound just as loud by a crowd a fraction of the size. My closest family and friends welcomed me with a glass of champagne as they raised theirs high. Twinkling strings of soft-white lights paired with oversize glittery snowflakes elegantly strung from the ceiling with thick satin ribbons at different lengths created a supremely festive atmosphere for the cast party. The restaurant even had its own tree set right inside its entrance; a tall New York City–themed spruce glittered with baubles and trinkets that represented notable city landmarks, with most of the Broadway shows having ornaments of their own. Instead of a star at the top, obviously a large Yankees tree topper.
I circled around the room greeting everyone—friends, family, castmates—and spotted my roommates taking full advantage of the open bar.
“Oh my God, Avery, you were fantastic,” Lyla gushed.
“Unbelievable,” Oak echoed.
“You were good,” Sevyn deadpanned as Lyla shot her a nasty look. “What? I don’t love live theater. People just like breaking into song like that? It’s unnatural.”
Before I could respond, I was bum-rushed by a short girl with bright-red hair. “Avery, you were magical and the show was magical. I was completely blown away. A tour de force. Seriously.”
“Wow, thank you so much . . . I’m sorry, and you aaarrre?” I managed, still squeezed tight in her arms.
She pulled away. “Oh, em, gee, that’s right?! We’ve never met. I’m Ass!”
“You’re Ass?” I turned to Lyla and Oak for confirmation. “That’s Ass?”
“That’s Ass,” they said in perfect unison.
I erupted in a burst of laughter and couldn’t keep myself from shouting, “TO ASS!” as I raised my glass in the air. My roommates, Ass included, joined me in the toast and took a sip of their drinks.
Charlie came up behind me, and I stepped away from the girls to speak with him. “Wait, whose Ass are we toasting to?”
“I’ll fill you in later.”
“You better.”
I laughed. “Anyway, thank you for the support and your unwavering friendship. It has meant more than you could know.” I kissed him softly on the cheek and squeezed his arm. “I hope you’ll still let me drop by Mimi’s to give a little cameo performance every once in a while?”
“My God, if people got wind that you’d be there, we’d be mobbed! Just let me know when you’re coming so that I can properly staff,” he joked. “But seriously, Dorothy, you know that Mimi’s will always be here with open arms to welcome you back.”
“Well, you know what they say? There’s no place like home.” I winked, hoping he’d see that I too was mirroring our conversation from when I’d first been hired back at the diner.
I refilled my glass from a bottle resting in an ice bucket that had been decorated to look like the bottom half of Santa’s red suit. “Excuse me—hey—up here!” I directed everyone’s attention to the front as I climbed up on a chair, backlit by the luminous tree that sparkled behind me. “Before we all get carried away celebrating, I just wanted to say thank you—all of you—from the bottom of my heart. Just when I thought my life had hit the very, very bottom, somehow, someway, each and every one of you helped me crawl out of that hole and then start to climb, higher than I ever thought possible. This whole time you have supported me and loved me, and I am so damn grateful I could burst.”
Tears of unadulterated happiness were leaking freely from my eyes. Hardly able to control the wave of emotions racing through me, I wiped at my cheeks with the back of my hand. I straightened my posture, sniffed hard, and cleared my throat. “I’m so excited about my future with Marley Is Dead, and with Manhattan, and mostly, with all of you. So, I guess there’s only one thing left to say.” I raised my glass high in the air. “In the wise words of Charles Dickens, ‘God bless us every one!’”
Clink.
AUTHORS’ NOTE
On May 23, 2022, the last phone booth in New York City was removed from its post on Seventh Avenue and West Fiftieth Street, just south of Times Square, and moved to the Museum of the City of New York.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To Maria Gomez, for your unabashed enthusiasm and for making us part of the Montlake family. We shared a vision for this book and knew as soon as we met that this partnership was a match made in heaven. We couldn’t be more ecstatic to have you in our corner.
Thank you to Angela James, our encouraging developmental editor, who saw all the potential in this story and pushed us to make sure it was on the page. Our agent, Jill Marsal, whose feedback and advice helped make this book what it became, thank you for steering us in the right direction and having faith in this tenacious duo.