Progress

 

For almost a century, they stood tall and grand on Main Street.

The Venetian and the Rialto.

The wall sconces had been electrified, and the seats had been re-covered, but they kept their souls.

Both had orchestra pits and elegant brocade curtains, and even though the pits were empty, the curtains glided open when every movie started.

Generations attended live theater, Vaudeville, silent movies, and then modern movies, and they smelled of popcorn and history.

She was waiting to transfer to her bus to work when the first wrecking ball smashed into them, and she wasn’t the only one crying.