Once the presentation ended, Ceres and the musicians exited the stage through a door nearby. I just knew that I had to go after her. But as I was about to leave, Haru asked me to take care of her drink, while she went to the bathroom. I simply couldn't say no. But the longer I waited for her to return, the more nervous I got. I kept thinking that Ceres could have gone away and I had no idea if I would ever see her again. Dramatic, maybe? Just a little bit.
Haru was taking a while. When I couldn't sit still anymore, I decided to go look for her. I found her near the bathroom door, kissing — surprisingly — my friend David.
“Fancy meeting you here, kid,” said David. “You owe me for that orange juice.”
“So you two know each other?” Haru asked, surprised.
I didn't feel like getting sidetracked with this conversation, just not right now. “We do,” I said. “Anyway, Haru, here's your drink. And I'll pay you later, Bowie.”
David laughed heartily. I left the two lovebirds alone and went back upstairs to look for Ceres.
The door near the stage led to a smaller room full of props, which was probably what they used in place of a backstage. It was also full of people — the guitar player and the percussionist from before were there, along with a couple of other musicians. And I saw two more people: and older lady, near her thirties, and a small girl of about five or so. They both wore colorful clothes, at least as vibrant as Ceres' had been. The group was gathered in the center of the room, sitting on chairs or pillows on the floor. They were raising glasses at the exact moment I walked inside.
All eyes were on me.
“Hello, child,” said one of the musicians, a bearded one with a hat. “Are you looking for someone?”
That pissed me off. I wasn't a child anymore.
“Yeah,” I said, boldly now that my embarrassment had been replaced with annoyance. “Is Ceres here?”
The bearded guy pointed his finger to the wall behind me. I turned around.
Ceres was passed out on the couch.
“She's always like that,” said the older woman, the one with the colored clothes. “Works herself to the bone, then faints onto the nearest couch. I'm her sister, Zoe.” I shook Zoe's hand. “Come drink with us. Don't worry, our Cherry will wake up soon.”
Zoe got me a chair and handed me a glass of white wine.
“But I'm a...”
I was going to say I was a minor, but something held me just then. Perhaps the atmosphere, or all the new things I had seen that day, had given me the push I need to be a little more daring. Maybe, I thought, it wouldn't hurt to do the wrong thing just this once in my life.
I took the glass.
“Thank you.”
Zoe did a very gracious curtsy, which looked quite grand with how she was dressed, then sat down again by my side.
“Cheers,” said everyone, raising their glasses a second time. I raised my glass of wine along with them, then took a sip to mimic what everyone else was doing.
It tasted awful. Honestly, how can anyone enjoy drinking this thing?
As the conversation in the room resumed, I glanced back at the sleeping Ceres on the couch. She looked so unguarded and innocent. It was a completely different image from the Ceres I had seen on the stage just some minutes before. The aura of mystery that had surrounded her was gone. While my first impression of her had been of a charming foreign adult woman, now she looked a lot more like a tired teenager wearing stage clothes. That made her look more human, though. It was nice.
“Do you like her?” I heard Zoe ask me, while the others were engaged in a conversation of their own.
That surprised me. I stared back at Zoe.
“I... er... what?”
“Her performance, silly. What did you think of it?”
“Oh, right...” Have I misheard her the first time, maybe? “It... was very good. Really. I have never seen anything like that.”
“So even though you're her guest, this is still your first time seeing her perform?”
“How do you know that?” I asked. Zoe already looked like a mystic on those clothes, don't tell me she was an actual seer of some sort?
“We met at the entrance.”
Huh? Have I actually met that woman before? At first I had just no idea what she was talking about, but as I paid closer attention to her facial features, the memory of our first meeting came back to me. No wonder I didn't recognize her, she hadn't been wearing those colorful clothes before.
“You're the lady who were collecting tickets. The one who let me in.”
“That I am,” she confirmed, sipping wine. “And, to be honest, it surprised me. It's not often that my sister invites a guest to see her perform. She's usually really shy about that. Where do you know her from?”
I told her about the bookstore, of how I learned Ceres' name and birthday from her ID, and also about meeting her again by chance on the street.
“You see what I mean?” said Zoe. “Cherry hardly ever wants people to see her perform. She's okay with me and Sophie, but I've never seen her invite a friend before, not even a good friend. And to think you only just met today. I guess she must have taken a liking to you.”
Hearing that made me surprisingly happy. Did Ceres really like me enough just from meeting me today that she'd let me see her even when others couldn't? Was I somehow special for her?
What I was feeling must have shown on my face, because the little girl near Zoe pointed at me and asked me about it.
“Why are you smiling, miss?”
I was immediately overcome with embarrassment. But Zoe saved me.
“She liked Cece's dance, dear.”
The little girl got up on her feet. “I can dance too,” she said. “Wanna see?”
“No,” said Zoe, pulling the girl back to her seat. “You have to rest. You have a fever.”
“But I feel fine.”
“No buts.”
The girl looked disappointed. Zoe sighed.
“It was supposed to be all three of us there,” she told me. “But Sophie's forehead is burning, so I had to stay back and take care of her. Ceres must have had to improvise a lot to make up for that.”
“She was perfect,” I said, looking at Ceres' sleeping face.
Zoe raised her eyebrows a bit, then looked away while drinking her wine. “I see that,” she said. “She's a wonderful person, that girl. I worry about her a lot.”
I absentmindedly took another sip of wine and regretted it. Bitter.
“That's Ceres' favorite wine. We only buy it on special occasions. Today we're celebrating Sophie's birthday.”
Sophie smiled and told everyone around that it was her birthday, even though everyone had already known that before. I kept stealing glances at the sleeping girl on the couch. Was it really her favorite wine? Maybe, I thought, if that sleeping girl could drink it and like it, I could get used to the taste as well. Was that how it worked?
For a while longer, we all drank together and talked. They were sharing stories with each other, experiences they went through while traveling all around the world. Some stories had happened in China, others in Syria, or Cuba. They were all amazing adventures, the kind you read about in books or watch unfold in movies. And they all seemed immensely fun. I, on the other hand, remained in silence, listening. I caught myself once again wondering what it would be like to be someone else. To be one of those travelers who never stay put and are always in search of new things to see. Me, a second-year high-schooler and part time cashier at a bookstore, I could never be like any of them.
“Well, it's probably time for us to go,” said one of the musicians (the bearded one from before). “I have a gig at that pub from last week, should be there 'till way past midnight. I'll see you guys around. See you later Zoe. And you too, little Zoe, I hope you get well soon... Oh, good evening, Ceres, I was just going, you know.”
That surprised me. I looked to my left and saw Ceres standing beside me, pouring herself a glass of wine. §
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