Status: only a few more to go, hopefully it won't take me five months to post them.
Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow
Act One, Scene Five.
Three-fifteen on that following Tuesday came far too soon for my liking. I had yet to tell Mikey the part I received, but I found out he did get the part of Mercutio. He was still under the impression that I had gotten the part of Romeo. I noticed the piano in the far corner of the room and I began to softly play as I awaited the arrival of more cast members.
I was lost in the keys that I hadn’t realized I was gaining an audience with the cast and Mr. Sanchez. It wasn’t till I held the final note and opened my eyes that I realized they were crowded around me and some were clapping. Then it hit me, they had me cornered, I couldn’t get out.
My heart quickened, my breath shortened and I felt dizzy. There were more than twenty people in front of me, blocking my escape. Darkness invaded my senses; I never knew I slid to the floor in a crumpled heap.
I came to with my head in a lap, fingers running through my hair and a cool cloth against my forehead. The moment my eyes opened the fingers stopped their gentle caressing. I sat up far too quickly for my liking.
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
That voice sounded familiar but I couldn’t place it and I was far too shocked to turn and face the person that was touching me so intimately.
“Are you alright Frank? That was a bit of a nasty fall you had when you fell to the floor.”
I shut my eyes as the dizziness wore off. I knew who that voice belonged to now. I was going to milk this moment for all I could get out of it. I lay back down, placing my head back in his lap. I finally looked up at him, our eyes meeting on their own accord for once.
“Why aren’t you in there?”
His cheeks tinged pink.
“Our parts don’t come till a little bit later. Mr. Sanchez told me who you got cast as.”
“Oh.”
I could feel my own cheeks tinge pink; I had told him I got the part I wanted.
“You’ll make a beautiful Juliet, Frankie.”
“Why do you hate me so much Gerard?”
His words registered in my head but my wanting to know outgrew the flattery. I sat up on my own and turned to face him. Our knees were touching as we sat cross-legged on the floor. Not once did I let his eyes move from my own.
“Be, because, because even if you don’t tell everyone, you’re still okay with yourself.”
If I hadn’t been so close, nor seen his lips move as he barely spoke above a whisper, one would’ve thought he hadn’t said anything. My eyes widened but before I could react he quickly got to his feet and went back into the classroom. Having no other choice but to follow, I re-entered the class room.
“Ah, glad to see you back on your feet Frank. Please have a seat next to Quinn; he’s the Romeo to your Juliet.”
I heard a few gasps around the group but my eyes went to Quinn’s. He offered me a small smile as I sat in the empty seat next to him. I felt three sets of eyes one me; I only met Mikey’s. He grinned at me—he approved. I’m sure he’d be happy that both of us die in this play; he had an odd fascination with death.
“Begin from where we left off, good timing Mr. Iero, Mr. Way’s first lines were about to approach. Carry on.”
“O, teach me how I should forget to think!”
“By giving liberty unto thine eyes. Examine other beauties.
“’Tis the way to call hers, exquisite, in question more. These happy masks that kiss fair ladies’ brows, being black, puts us in mind they hide the fair. He that is strucken blind cannot forget the precious treasure of his eyesight lost. Show me a mistress that is passing fair, what doth her beauty serve but as a note where I may read who pass’d that passing fair? Farewell; thou canst not teach me to forget.”
“I’ll pay that doctrine or else die in debt.”
Quinn had a knack for Romeo’s pain-stricken heartache. I felt myself feeling sad that I had missed it from the beginning. I heard a few pages shuffle as another voice began to read.
“But Montague is bound as well as I, in penalty alike; and ‘tis not hard, I think, for men so old as we to keep the peace.”
“Of honourable reckoning are you both, and pity ‘tis you liv’d at odds so long. But now, my lord, what say you to my suit?”
I could hear the excitement in Gerard’s voice, and the anticipation for the answer to his character’s question.
“But saying o’er what I have said before; my child is yet a stranger in the world, she hath not seen the change of fourteen years; let two more summers wither in their pride ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.”
“Younger than she are happy mothers made.”
“And too soon marr’d are those so early made. Earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she; she is the hopeful lady of my heart. But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart; my will to her consent is but a part. And, she agreed, within her scope of choice lies my consent and fair according voice—”
“We’ll have to end here, or else you all shall miss dinner. Well done so far gentlemen, I feel we have much to anticipate. We’ll pick up here tomorrow after lessons.”
But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart; my will to her consent is but a part.
During that line our eye met, mine and Gerard’s. I felt my cheeks tinge pink as he quickly looked back down at his script. Yes, woo me gentle Paris, win my heart.
I was lost in the keys that I hadn’t realized I was gaining an audience with the cast and Mr. Sanchez. It wasn’t till I held the final note and opened my eyes that I realized they were crowded around me and some were clapping. Then it hit me, they had me cornered, I couldn’t get out.
My heart quickened, my breath shortened and I felt dizzy. There were more than twenty people in front of me, blocking my escape. Darkness invaded my senses; I never knew I slid to the floor in a crumpled heap.
I came to with my head in a lap, fingers running through my hair and a cool cloth against my forehead. The moment my eyes opened the fingers stopped their gentle caressing. I sat up far too quickly for my liking.
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
That voice sounded familiar but I couldn’t place it and I was far too shocked to turn and face the person that was touching me so intimately.
“Are you alright Frank? That was a bit of a nasty fall you had when you fell to the floor.”
I shut my eyes as the dizziness wore off. I knew who that voice belonged to now. I was going to milk this moment for all I could get out of it. I lay back down, placing my head back in his lap. I finally looked up at him, our eyes meeting on their own accord for once.
“Why aren’t you in there?”
His cheeks tinged pink.
“Our parts don’t come till a little bit later. Mr. Sanchez told me who you got cast as.”
“Oh.”
I could feel my own cheeks tinge pink; I had told him I got the part I wanted.
“You’ll make a beautiful Juliet, Frankie.”
“Why do you hate me so much Gerard?”
His words registered in my head but my wanting to know outgrew the flattery. I sat up on my own and turned to face him. Our knees were touching as we sat cross-legged on the floor. Not once did I let his eyes move from my own.
“Be, because, because even if you don’t tell everyone, you’re still okay with yourself.”
If I hadn’t been so close, nor seen his lips move as he barely spoke above a whisper, one would’ve thought he hadn’t said anything. My eyes widened but before I could react he quickly got to his feet and went back into the classroom. Having no other choice but to follow, I re-entered the class room.
“Ah, glad to see you back on your feet Frank. Please have a seat next to Quinn; he’s the Romeo to your Juliet.”
I heard a few gasps around the group but my eyes went to Quinn’s. He offered me a small smile as I sat in the empty seat next to him. I felt three sets of eyes one me; I only met Mikey’s. He grinned at me—he approved. I’m sure he’d be happy that both of us die in this play; he had an odd fascination with death.
“Begin from where we left off, good timing Mr. Iero, Mr. Way’s first lines were about to approach. Carry on.”
“O, teach me how I should forget to think!”
“By giving liberty unto thine eyes. Examine other beauties.
“’Tis the way to call hers, exquisite, in question more. These happy masks that kiss fair ladies’ brows, being black, puts us in mind they hide the fair. He that is strucken blind cannot forget the precious treasure of his eyesight lost. Show me a mistress that is passing fair, what doth her beauty serve but as a note where I may read who pass’d that passing fair? Farewell; thou canst not teach me to forget.”
“I’ll pay that doctrine or else die in debt.”
Quinn had a knack for Romeo’s pain-stricken heartache. I felt myself feeling sad that I had missed it from the beginning. I heard a few pages shuffle as another voice began to read.
“But Montague is bound as well as I, in penalty alike; and ‘tis not hard, I think, for men so old as we to keep the peace.”
“Of honourable reckoning are you both, and pity ‘tis you liv’d at odds so long. But now, my lord, what say you to my suit?”
I could hear the excitement in Gerard’s voice, and the anticipation for the answer to his character’s question.
“But saying o’er what I have said before; my child is yet a stranger in the world, she hath not seen the change of fourteen years; let two more summers wither in their pride ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.”
“Younger than she are happy mothers made.”
“And too soon marr’d are those so early made. Earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she; she is the hopeful lady of my heart. But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart; my will to her consent is but a part. And, she agreed, within her scope of choice lies my consent and fair according voice—”
“We’ll have to end here, or else you all shall miss dinner. Well done so far gentlemen, I feel we have much to anticipate. We’ll pick up here tomorrow after lessons.”
But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart; my will to her consent is but a part.
During that line our eye met, mine and Gerard’s. I felt my cheeks tinge pink as he quickly looked back down at his script. Yes, woo me gentle Paris, win my heart.