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don’t give up.”
    “I know, I know.” She sighed and tossed it into her purse. “It just sucks. I really wanted to know what it’s like to make it, you know? I know I’m not right for Fiona, but I’d be okay being Chorus Member Number eighty-seven.”
    “There are no Chorus Members in a Ficcus production.”
    “You know what I mean.”
    “I do.” Matthew put his arm around her and squeezed. She grabbed his hand and didn’t let him move it. After a brief internal struggle, he decided not to fight her. Mostly because he didn’t want to. “It sucks not getting called back. It sucks knowing someone else got picked over you, no matter how badly you worked to be exactly perfect for a role. It’s a tough business.”
    “Yeah.” Lynn forced a smile.
    A haiku:
    Don’t let this business
    Dim that light inside of you
    Keep shining this bright
    They continued walking down Fifth. Matthew still felt at home here, even if it wasn’t for much longer. There were always more roles and smaller theaters. Maybe his path was meant to be more scenic than direct. Perhaps it didn’t really matter if he got there in the end, anyway, because of how deeply he loved it.
    If only his student loans would understand the journey.
    “We do it because we love it. Remember that. The only way to survive out here is to love it with your whole heart. I know it sounds like a line, but it’s true.
    “Things that are really worth your time and energy are hard, but the payout is fucking amazing. When you finally land a role on that stage, and feel the heat from the lights, and the energy from the crew dashing around in the dark, and excitement from the crowd—and you’re getting paid for it—that’s when you get hooked, like a drug addict. This place is magic and it delivers. You just have to wait it out.”
    “Is this pep talk more for you or me?” Lynn asked with an air of innocence, but Matthew could see the smartass tug at the corner of her mouth.
    “Oh-ho!” He nudged her into an oncoming crowd of people.
    “Hey!” She laughed.
    “Listen, I am trying to bestow some lessons from the other side, here. This is the kind of shit you don’t get access to unless you pay two thirds of your soul to someone in a leather office chair, okay? This is invaluable! You should be writing this down, committing it to memory, writing it on your mirror with lipstick or whatever you girls do—“
    “That’s the most cliché thing I’ve ever heard.”
    “—not insulting lessons from the Master.”
    “The Master.” She rolled her eyes largely. “Yeah, okay.”
    “Maybe I need to get you involved in a little wax-on-wax-off action.”
    “I thought we were talking about the theater, not your penis?”
    “You, little one, are a huge smartass.” Matthew put his arm back around her. “I like it.”
    Lynn entwined her fingers with his. “My ferry still is a few hours away. What shall we do in the meantime?”
    He had plenty of ideas but none of them were good. Going to a bar was always a favorite pastime, but he found it really hard to buy she was twenty-one.
    The pub they had just left was a family-style affair, but if she was only going to drink diet coke and he was going to sip bourbon, it would put them in the kind of position he didn’t feel comfortable with.
    Also, on the off chance they were to fuck, he wanted his cock to be in prime condition. Just in case. Not that they should, because Juliets were dangerous and young while he was bearded and old, but Juliets were also exotic and thrilling because they were young while he was bearded and old.
    He definitely didn’t want her to leave yet.
    “Have you ever been to an Escape Room?”
    “Oh!” Lynn started to bounce excitedly. “I’ve heard about those! Is there one nearby?”
    Matthew brought them to a stop outside a small building. “Ta-da! A buddy of mine actually opened this one a few months ago. It’s all themed rooms, one hour to escape, the usual