Dealing with Disappointment

Harper balanced on her tippy toes along with the rest of the eager and hopeful performers trying to catch a glimpse of the cast list for the school play. Both she and Harley had auditioned for parts in the retelling of Sleepy Hollow, the Fall Feature at the school’s upcoming festival in October. If they got selected, they would have rehearsals for over a month before the production.  

She was smiling because she had got the parts that she wanted. She would be a Townsperson, a Pumpkin, and two other small-bit roles. She looked forward to the hustle and bustle of the backstage that Mom always talked about from her days doing theatre in college. She saw Harley’s name and scoured the small group to find his face growing red in either anger or disappointment.  

He had wanted the lead role of Ichabod Crane. He had a promising audition and even a separate call-back for another one. He saw his competition’s audition, a classmate named Spencer, and knew that his was better. The part was definitely going to be his. Butthen how come the cast list did not have his name as the lead? His heart sank, his blood boiled, and he felt hot all over.  

Harper approached her brother, “Congratulations on getting the part of Brom Bones, Harley! That is a big part!” She patted his back. 

Brom Bones was the second largest male part, but that didn’t matter to Harley. He wanted the lead.  

Harley shrugged off her hand abruptly and glared at her.  

“Hey Harley,” Spencer joined them, hiding his own excitement at securing the lead, “You were great at the audition, I know how much you wanted the part, but we are going to have so much fun.” He extended his hand.  

Harley stared from the extended hand to Spencer’s face. With a huff, he turned around and stormed out.  

Harper awkwardly smiled in apology and went after her brother.  

She caught up to him and they waited together in silence in the car pick-up line. Harper wanted to say something, but after seeing how Harley responded to Spencer, she kept quiet.  

Dad picked them up today, which was rare and typically met with excitement, but not this day. They got in the backseat in continued silence.  

“Well, I’d ask you how your day went, but by the looks and sound of it, I better not.” He chuckled lightly. After a few more minutes of silence, he couldn’t help himself, “Okay, somebody better tell me what happened.”  

“The school play cast list came out today.” Harper ventured.  

Harley huffed and crossed his arms, looking out the window.  

“Ah, and I take it the results were not what you wanted?” 

“I’m happy with my parts, but Harley didn’t get the lead.” Harper continued.  

“Is that true, Harley? I know how much time you put into that audition.” 

“Yeah, it’s true. I got the part of stupid Brom Bones.” His voice cracked, stuck between wanting to cry and wanting to erupt in anger. 

“Oh, hey! That is a great part! If I’m not mistaken, it is the second-largest role. And what fun! You get to be the storyteller and have a big role.” Dad encouraged sincerely.  

 “I don’t care! I want to be Ichabod Crane, not stupid Brom Bones, the stupid storyteller, and stupid role.” 

At a red light, Dad spun around, “Hey, watch it with the ‘stupids.’You know that your mom and I are not fans of that word.” He started to drive again, “And I am not liking this attitude from you, Harley. This is no way to handle disappointment.”  

“But, Dad,” He started but was interrupted. 

“No, buts. Listen, I understand how hard you worked to prepare yourself for the audition, even more so for the call-back, but things don’t always turn out exactly how you planned. I am sure Spencer worked hard, too.You have to learn how to handle disappointment and look at the positive.”He took a breath, “This is a great example of more things in life, son. We don’t always get our way, but that does not give us the right to be sour or angry.” 

Harper waited before saying, “I think that Brom Bones is a better character than Ichabod anyways…you will play him really well.” 

“There you go, think about the character. The range that you will cover. It will make you stand out and really give you a challenge.” 

As much as Harley wanted to wallow in self-pity, he heard his dad and his sister. They made good points. He thought back to Spencer and knew that he would apologize for storming off the next time he saw him.  

“You’re right. I behaved poorly.” 

“I understand, but now that we are going to look at the positives, why don’t you pull out the script and read some of the lines?”  

**Have you ever not received a role in a play or a position on a team that you worked hard for? How did you handle your disappointment? The next time something like that happens, take a minute to say out loud or write down the positive parts of what you received. What can you bring to that role or position that others may not? 

Brittany Richards is a full-time Marco Island resident passionate about all things literary. Creating stories as soon as she could read and write, she seeks to inspire the next generation to put down the screen and pick up a book. Whether as a nanny, camp counselor, or gymnastics coach, she has a history of working with children. She looks forward to combining her two joys with The Adventures of Harley and Harper. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling to new destinations, boating with her husband, or cuddling up with her dogs.