Brigid walked to a set of double doors and flashed her badge at the door guards, pulling me into a large auditorium behind her. A stage dominated the front of the auditorium, and the cast of the show were up on stage. We walked almost to the front, stage left, where you could just see the moderator and the profiles of everyone else, and took a seat.
“Um, Brigid, I’m pretty sure I can’t sit here. I don’t have the right badge to sit this close.” I whispered, my eyes never leaving the stage.
“We’re okay. Nobody is going to ask us to move.” She told me.
I saw Kieran give her a confused look from the stage, glancing at me and then back at her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her shake her head as if saying “not now,” and he faced the audience again. I looked back at her.
“Do you…know…Kieran or something?” I asked.
She laughed. “You could say that.”
A few minutes later, the cast wrapped up the panel and exited the stage. The moderator made the announcement that pictures with the stars would start in about twenty minutes, so the audience should go line up if they had tickets for that. I started to follow the crowd back out to rejoin my line, but Brigid grabbed my arm and stilled me.
She led me behind a curtain that sectioned off the auditorium and the backstage rooms that I assumed were dressing rooms or relaxing areas for the stars when they needed a break from people. She walked to the end of a hallway and opened a door, ushering me inside. I walked in and stopped short - this was clearly someone’s personal relaxing room and not somewhere I was supposed to be. From behind me she said, “Can I get you a water?” I nodded. “Stay here,” and with that, disappeared back into the hallway.
I looked around at my surroundings. There was a couch against the wall closest to the door with cast pictures hanging above it. I walked closer to have a look. I wandered, making a slow circuit of the room, then perched on the couch. What was taking Brigid so long?
The door to my right crashed open and Kieran walked through. I jumped up and froze when I realized it was him, unsure what I was supposed to do or say. He looked at me blankly. “Who the devil are you?”
“Hi, I’m, um, Anna. I was here with Brigid but I don’t know –”
“Oh, good, Kieran. I was looking for you. You’ve met Anna? Anna, this is Kieran.” Brigid walked back in carrying several bottles of water. She handed one to me and looked back at Kieran.
“I wanted you to meet her, Kieran. I think she’s perfect.” she told him.
“Brigid, really. A fan? Can we not talk about this right now? I have to do pictures in less than 15 minutes.” he told her, glancing at me.
I was still frozen, standing in front of the couch. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I was uncomfortable and felt unwelcome. I wanted to leave, but there was nowhere to set this dripping bottle of water, and plus they were blocking the door.
“Trust me,” she told him, “I’m good at reading people. And she’s it. I’m choosing her.”
I cleared my throat. “Um, can you let me know what’s going on? You choose me for what? I’m not a Pokemon, and this is starting to sound a little too much ‘backstage murder’ for my taste.”
A silence - then a bark of surprised laughter from Kieran.
“See? I told you.” Brigit said smugly.
“Well, she is funny, I will give you that.” He told her. He turned to me. “Hi, I’m Kieran.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Anna. I’ll let my wife fill you in while I go back to work.” He turned and walked back out the door.
“You’re his WIFE?” I asked, incredulously. After Kieran left to go fulfill his photo duties for the con, we sat on the couch and waited for his return. “Why didn’t you tell me that earlier? I feel like a fool. Going on about your husband as if you don’t already know how amazing he is.”
“But that’s exactly it, Anna. I’ve traveled with Kieran to all his events during the last year or so. I’ve studied people at the grocery store, at the movies, picking up their kids from my school. I’ve never met anyone like you. You’re perfect.”
“Perfect for what, though? What exactly is going on? What do you want from me?”
“I promise I will tell you when Kieran is done. I know you want to get your con pic but we can do that tomorrow before we leave and that way you don’t have to wait in line today, especially since you are more interested in something else right now.”
We chatted in the backstage room for a couple hours until Kieran returned. He sat on the arm of the couch, squeezing her shoulder as he turned to look at me.
“Okay, Kieran, I am going to prove it to you.” She said. “Anna, tell Kieran what you told me earlier when I met you in the photo line.”
I stumbled through a few words and just shrugged. She turned to look at him. “You inspired her to start living. She loves you already.”
“Wait - I didn’t say that.” I exclaimed, astonished and embarrassed at what she had just said. “All I said is that I wanted to say thank you for making me realize that I didn’t have to be content with the status quo. I might not have a happy ending, but I won’t know unless I try. And, no offense, but I don’t love you. I can’t love you. I don’t even know you. I just met you a couple of hours ago and this is literally our first conversation. I love the idea of you, of course, and your character from the show. But, not you. Not yet.”
His face was unreadable, and the room filled with an awkward tension following my announcement. Brigid broke the silence by saying, “Tell me your faults.”
“My faults? That’s a weird question, but okay…um, I’m pretty much running 10 minutes behind for everything. I have terrible time management skills. I sing off tune. I don’t really like dogs that much. I let my life fall into ruts too easily and don’t bother trying to get out of them. I allow fiction to have too large an impact on my life, which is probably why I’m 30 and still single and also, strangely, already going gray…Plus I have some anxiety issues which can make social interaction a challenge sometimes, especially in situations like this conversation which is kind of like a job interview but not because I don’t have a clue what I am interviewing for.
“And your strengths?” She asked, gently.
“Um, finding fault with myself?” I laughed. They didn’t. “I guess since I have to be by myself often, I’m good at it. I’m a survivor. Close to family. The one they always call if something absolutely has to be done, because I’ll do it.”
She stood, pulling Kieran a few steps away and lowering her voice. “See? You’re just different enough that you won’t drive each other crazy, and she’s enough like me that you can learn to love her.”
“Wait, what?!” I said. “Did you say, love me?”
They both looked at me, Kieran looking slightly guilty.
“I guess that’s another strength. I can hear really well. Unless, like you, you clearly weren’t trying to be overheard and in that case I guess it’s another weakness. What are you talking about?” I demanded.
“The truth is, Anna…I’m dying, and I want you to marry my husband when I’m gone.”
