page 4 - setting the stage

"The music in the second act was a bit campy" the words slid off his tongue with little regard for how callous they sounded. He knew that she had poured all her efforts into this one production over the last three years.

She choked on her breath, holding back the venomous retort she had practiced in the mirror only hours before. She wanted to let it all out, to tell him once and for all what she really thought of him and lash out - but now that the moment of opportunity had presented itself, she was too tired.

He normally wouldn't have seen the whole thing - most critics don't bore themselves with staying through till the end. But he had endured for the sake of his daughter so he felt the need to take a few shots.

She always was seeking his approval and though he wouldn't dare say it out loud he was proud of her earlier achievements, and her latest works had him breathless. She had kept her mother's name and that was a sore spot with him, yet the largest advantage. He would critique her work and write it up and she would use her mother's moniker and the connection wouldn't be visible except to the handful of people who knew the relation.

Families seem to drift apart.

He always felt closest to his daughter when he watched her productions. The scores for the stage plays had always had a catchy ring he never found anywhere else.