Rick and Emily were college sweethearts and aspiring stage actors. However, Emily was blinded by fame and looked down on Rick for having no roles. After a while they met. Here is their story.
Rick and Emily began dating in their second year at the University of Theater. They were passionate about becoming stage stars and encouraged each other to work hard. Rick loved Emily more than anything in the world and prioritized her wellbeing over his education.
Sadly, everything changed during their last year at the university. Students, especially graduating ones, began receiving minor roles in plays with pay. Emily was one of the lucky ones, but Rick was not. He went to many castings and worked tirelessly to audition, but he was always rejected
At first, Emily cheered him on and told him not to give up, but soon realized he was falling far behind. She thought it was pretty embarrassing to be with someone who hasn’t progressed in theater and refused to be seen in public with him first. After a while, Emily told Rick he was helpless and left him. She said:
“Sorry, Rick, but I also have a future to think about. I want to connect with a man in the same wavelength and have a successful husband too.”
Rick was devastated when Emily left him and thought that he was the problem. It broke his heart even more, when she began dating their classmate, with whom she co-starred in a play. Because of what happened, Rick decided to devote all his time to becoming a successful actor without distractions.
Meanwhile, Emily and her new boyfriend, Justin, graduated from the university with several offers. They quickly moved up their careers and worked in the same theater with reasonable compensation. After two years, they got married and had a daughter. However, fame and fortune slowly got into their heads, and they began spending their money on various whims.
They were complacent about their jobs and slacked off by skipping rehearsals and showing bad attitudes toward the theater staff. Once, they came in an hour late to a play, and the director fired them. Although they tried to apply for other theater companies, their reputation had already spread, and no one took them.
A year passed, and financial resources were depleting. Still, there was no work. Justin turned into alcohol to drown his problems and began pointing at Emily for his failures. “My life fell apart because of you!” he said. One evening, he left Emily and their child to focus on his career.
Emily was in despair and did not know what to do. She went back to her home theater and desperately begged for a job. The director said he would never allow Emily to ruin his productions again but allowed her to work as a cleaner to feed her daughter. Although she didn’t like it, Emily agreed.
One day, the director asked all the cleaners to make the hall and stage as shiny as possible as a British troupe touring the United States will perform the following day. The next day, cleaners were allowed to watch their performance from behind the curtain, and to Emily’s surprise, the lead actor that stepped on stage was Rick.
She nearly fainted at the sight of her ex-lover. He acted well and was loved by the audience, even giving him a standing ovation. After the show, the cleaners had to help the actors place their flowers in vases. As Emily entered Rick’s room, he recognized her but did not say a word. With a trembling voice, she said:
“Hello, Rick. It’s Emily. The woman you once loved. I’ve longed for you, and now we can be together.”
Rick looked at her, pulled an almost withered narcissus from his bouquet, then handed it to her. “Look at him. He’s hopeless and nearly withered. Please throw him out. You know perfectly well how to do it,” he said. Rick then slipped a $100 bill into Emily’s pocket and excused himself.
What can we learn from Emily and Rick’s story?
1. Hard work pays off. Rick achieved his dreams and goals after working hard and devoting his time to theater.
2. Love a person in their highest and lowest. Emily only supported Rick in his highest times and left him during the lowest.
3. History repeats itself. Just like how Emily left Rick when he had no work, Justin left her the same
