Sophie's phone call

 Sophie's phone call

Friday, February 4, 2022

12:28 AM

I got a phone call, well not really a phone call per-se, but a audio interaction via Facebook yesterday from a 12-year-old girl. I had expected this call before I didn't.

Her mom had texted me a few days ago and said, "once Sophia is done with her play this weekend, she has some exciting news to share with you… However, she's at school from 7am-8pm this week then her play Friday, Sat and Sun."

When she sent a picture of Sophie, dressed for her lead role in the play Moana, I thought that this must be the exciting news she had to tell me. And to be sure, I was definitely impressed with this news.

So, that was last Friday, 28 January, evening. Now it's Thursday, February 3rd, late afternoon. When I answer the notification that someone is making a "call," I answer, and this voice starts explaining why she hadn't called before today. At first, I didn't recognize her voice, it's not like we regularly converse over the phone, but after a couple sentences, I know it's her. She reads me a letter her parents and she received from a teacher telling them that Sophia's short, murder mystery, story has been selected to be published in a book with stories from other students.

She told me about the story and how she'd gotten the germ of an idea of what to tell and then how the characters took over and wrote the story. She's 12 years old, for crying out-loud! And now, not only is she starring in a stage play, but she's also a published author.

To say I was impressed would be an understatement. To add a trill to my heartbeat, is the fact I too have been an actor on stage, and I've been a writer for years. I told her dad, "It must be in her genes." I can't wait to read her story.

We continued to discuss how this prestigious honor came to happen and she said that she may even win a $100.00. Then we discussed her feelings about the play; her nervousness leading up to first night, how surprised she felt when she realized how well she'd performed. And her conflicting emotions of "I'm glad it's over with and I don't want it to be over." She's already ruing the fact that she'll probably never work with this "fabulous" cast again and what a spectacular experience it was working with everyone.

I told her, "I guess I'm going to have to stick around for a few more years just to see how far you go with all your talents." Why I won't be surprised if she starts writing screen plays next year. I mean, really, she'll be all of 13 years old!