The Glory Days

Tonight was the first performance, and Bridget's heart rate was off the charts. Pre-show jitters always put her off, but in all honesty, she couldn't live without them. They made her feel alive, and she knew that after the show, she would be proud of the hard work she put in and that it would all be worth it.

"He still isn't here?" Anna questioned one of the stage help. With less than five minutes till call time, everyone was a little on edge.

"Afraid not, Mrs. Kinney," the man replied. "Not to worry, though, I heard only a moment ago that he would be here shortly." The man then excused himself, yelling, "Oi! Where's Rogers?!"

"Mrs. Kinney, do you think he'll show?" Bridget inquired after having heard her small exchange.

Sighing, her instructor could do nothing but shrug her shoulders. "I don't know, Bridget. I can't say for sure, but let's stay hopeful, okay?"

Minutes ticked by, the dancers growing more and more nervous as the auditorium began to steadily fill up. As more people showed up, their anxiety only continued to grow as they knew there was the possibility that the show might not happen due to the lead being absent. They couldn't perform their advertisement show to sell the war bonds if there was no one to sell it.

Suddenly, Anna came rushing towards her dancers. "Steven's here! Rogers is here!" She whispered excitedly. "Go on out and get into your positions. The curtain will rise in a minute!"

Steven Rogers? Why does that name sound so familiar? Bridget questioned, going back days, months and years in her memory to see if she could recall anyone with the name. Suddenly the image of a brittle looking boy who she had been classmates with in elementary popped into her mind.

"No, it couldn't be," she murmured to herself as she walked onto the stage, though she couldn't help but look through a small opening in the curtain to see if she could sneak a quick peek.

He had the same blond hair and the same blue eyes as she remembered, but other than that, he was everything the Steven Rogers in her memory wasn't ― tall, muscular, and with an air of masculinity surrounding him. Before she could evaluate him further, Catherine and Janice called out to her, ordering for her to get into her designated spot as the curtains began to slowly rise up.

Music began to play and the girls started their dance, soon singing the words they had memorized for months as Steve stormed out onto the stage in his patriotic uniform. "Who's strong and brave, here to save the American way?"

Bridget watched Steve carefully as she and the girls waited for him to speak. Lifting up his shield, he began to read off his lines from a few sheets of paper. "Not all of us can storm a beach or drive a tank, but there's still a way all of us can fight."

The girls walked around the Captain who stood awkwardly on the middle of the stage, singing more of their song. "Who vows to fight, like the man for what's right, night and day?"

"Series E Defense Bonds. Each one you buy is a bullet in the barrel of your best guy's gun."

"Who will campaign door to door for America? Carry the flag shore to shore for America? From Hoboken to Spokane, the Star-Spangled man with a plan,"

They went through the rest of their show without incident, Steve reciting his lines with ease and the girls doing their best as his support. Soon it was finished and the audience gave a thundering roar of applause, and unbelievably, gave them a standing ovation right after. It was a much better response than Bridget had anticipated, and she and the girls curtsied gracefully before walking off the stage to let Captain America have his moment in the limelight.

After changing into her street clothes, Bridget was, as per usual, the first of her group to leave for home. The chilly New York air felt wondrous as it caressed her fair skin with a calm breeze, and as she looked up, she noticed that a few stars were visible as there wasn’t much light pollution to make them disappear. After taking in a breath of the crisp air, she walked towards the street and held her arm out, flagging down a taxi.

The first few ignored her, and one she finally managed to pull over had been stolen by a couple who quickly entered the vehicle so they could gain a ride first. How classy of you, she thought in annoyance.

“Taxi!” She called aloud, tightening her trench coat around her torso as the wind began to slowly pick up.

A tall man stepped beside her and whistled, the high-pitched sound calling many drivers and pedestrians alike to attention, numerous yellow cars pulling over at once and stunning Bridget into silence. The man opened up the car door and motioned for her to get in the vehicle. “Here you are, ma’am,” he said. “Have a safe trip home.”

It wasn’t until she had stepped up to the car that she realized it was Rogers holding the door open for her. “Thank you,” she said, flashing him a smile. Her eyes glanced over his shoulder and noticed that all the other taxis were driving away. “Do you live far? All the other cabs are pulling away. If you’d like we can share a cab.”

Steve, not believing what she had said, turned to look behind himself. “Uh, thank you,” he chuckled. “I’d appreciate that a lot.”

“It’s the least I could do,”

Steve helped her into the car and got in himself, closing the door and looking towards the driver who had already begun to drive in Bridget’s direction. There was an awkward silence inside the vehicle, the engine and the static-filled radio being the only things making noise in the car.

All the while, the fact that she might have gone to elementary with him ate away at her mind. Should she voice the question or keep it to herself? She didn’t have anything to lose if she asked. It would just be a friendly mistake, and she convinced herself that it wouldn’t do anything to their work relationship if she did inquire.

“Steven, was it?”

Hearing his name, his ears perked up and he turned to face her, nodding his head when he registered what she had said. “Yes, Steven. People usually just call me by Steve, though.”

Bridget smiled and nodded in understanding. “I’m sorry, it’s just that you look oddly familiar.” She chuckled, a light tint of blush appearing upon her cheeks. “Did you happen to go to P.S. 118 Lorraine Hansberry?”

He blinked his eyes and gave a small smile. “Yes, I did actually,” he nodded.

“Oh, where are my manners? I’m Bridget, Bridget Spen―”

“―Spencer?” Steve interrupted.

“Yes, we were in the same grade and class, I believe,”

“Yeah,” Steve laughed. “I completely remember you.”

Bridget laughed along with him and the tense air that had once surrounded them lifted almost immediately, even the driver seemed to breathe a little easier and loosen up some. “I thought it was you. I heard your name and suddenly you popped up in my head.”

Steve smiled and got more comfortable in his seat. “So were you in the audience, or…?”

“No, I was actually on stage. I was one of the dancers.”

“Really?”

“Mhm,” she nodded her head. “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but… you seemed a bit nervous up there. Was it your first time on stage?”

“Yeah, actually, it was. I was pretty nervous too, so don’t worry about it.”

“Well, you did fine. You seemed to get more relaxed as time went by. Sorry, but some of the girls backstage were having a laugh at the fact your lines were taped to the back of your shield.”

Steve blushed considerably and tried to keep his wits about him. “This was all sort of last minute for me, to be honest. I got the lines and the suit this afternoon. It’s also why I was a bit late.”

“Well, Captain America, you were pretty good tonight. The crowd loved you.”

“Nah, that was all you and the rest of the dancers.”

“Maybe you’re right,” she joked, giving a small wink to show it.

“So when did you start to practice for this show?” Steve inquired curiously.

“I’d say around three months of practice was put into this.”

“Wow, that’s a long time.” Steve acknowledged. “Do you have a job?”

“Well, right now this is my job. I get paid a good amount, around eighty dollars a month.”

"That is a good wage," Steve raised his eyebrows in surprise, it truly was a good wage for being a dancer.

"Yeah, it is, though honestly I wouldn't mind it if I wasn't paid at all. The dancing alone was what made me want to do this. I love being able to work hard at something and when it pays off, it’s a wonderful experience." She smiled and looked at Steve expectantly. "Enough about me, what about yourself? What have you been doing lately?"

Steve shrugged his shoulders and blew out some air from his mouth as if trying to think about what he should say. "Nothing much, really." He said, soon thinking to himself,Yeah, right,

"Really?–Nothing at all?" Bridget was surprised, but switched topics to keep the conversation going. "So how did you come to be in the show?"

He chuckled to himself, thinking that he could be a little more truthful to her than her previous question. "I was turned away and wasn't able to enroll for the war, but I still want to do my part in it. I agreed to do this so I could join the army."

"Why did they turn you away? You look like you're more fit than any of the men already enlisted."

"Asthma," he answered. "They said it was my asthma."

"Oh," Bridget nodded her head to let him know she understood. "How long do you think it'll take for you to join them overseas?"

"Not sure, maybe a few months, but I'm hoping that it'll be relatively soon. I just want this war to end. The longer it takes, the more people get hurt."

Bridget couldn't help but smile. "It's crazy, isn't it?" She questioned. "We haven't seen each other in over ten years or so, and yet it's like nothing's changed. You're still the same Steve ― as kind and thoughtful as ever."

"And you're still the same compassionate, hardworking Bridget Spencer." He added.

"You know, I really am glad we met again, Steve."

"Me, too, Bridget."

"I think that's why I've always admired and looked up to you. You always try to protect people no matter who they are." Bridget admitted. "Even now I can remember back in school how you always stuck up for people, including myself, whenever they were being bullied. Even if you were outnumbered you'd take them on. I think that’s the best part of you."

"Thank you, Bridget, it means a lot to hear you say that." Steve smiled as he listened to the brunette praise him, and he couldn't remember a time he had felt so needed and appreciated before. "I remember Bucky would always have to kick the others around to get them off of me. I think even you tried to stop them once, but they didn't listen so you ran to a teacher."

"O-oh, you remember that?" Bridget stammered out shyly.

"Yeah, when you came with Mrs. Simms you were crying. I thought it was because Jimmy Parker pulled your hair so I punched him square in the jaw. I got a week’s worth of detention for that."

The two laughed together and smiled fondly at the memories from their childhood. The cabbie pulled up to the curb and announced they had finally arrived at Bridget's home. Steve opened his door and slid out, helping the young woman disembark the vehicle next by extending out his hand for her to take. Bridget thanked him and asked the man how much her fare was, but didn't get a reply as Steve interrupted her.

"No, I'll pay for you, Bridget."

"Steve, I couldn't possibly allow you to do that."

"Please, Bridget, let me pay for you. It's fine."

He gave her a reassuring smile and she succumbed to it just as he had hoped. "Alright, thank you, Steve. I really appreciate it."

"It's my pleasure. Goodnight, Bridget."

"Goodnight, Steve. Get home safely." As she bid him goodnight, she made her way up the stairs and to the front door, pausing and turning back around after having unlocked it. "See you at the next show, Captain." She gave a small salute, to which Steve chuckled lightly, and bid him goodnight once more before entering her home.

Steve smiled as the door shut closed and returned into the comfort of the automobile. "Got the hots for her, do ya?" The cabbie questioned curiously with an expectant smile.

Steve felt embarrassed that it was so obvious that even the taxi driver could pick up on it. "It was just a school crush. Besides, I doubt that she would even feel the same way."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, pal. She seemed a bit interested. Give it a try, why don't you? What have you got to lose?" He encouraged. "Besides, we're in the middle of a war. If you don't tell her now, when will you?"

The taxi pulled away from the side of the road and began the drive towards Steve's home. The rest of the car ride was spent in silence, Steve silently pondering the possibility of getting to know Bridget some more and maybe even furthering their friendship. What doI have to lose?

Notes