Status: Finished
Comfort
Theater
Oh my God. Navy was by far the best actress, or actor, I’d ever seen. Her voice, tinged with traces of South, was smooth like honey, with the ability to change emotions in an instant. Her body language for that sad sonnet practically screamed misery, with hunched shoulders and crabbed hands. And her face! God, I thought she would cry right there. I would have believed she truly had lived through what she was reciting. The theater was totally silent for a few moments after she finished. Mrs. Joveti cleared her throat.
“My my. Well, that was very good Navy. Please sit down.” Navy came back to herself and headed towards me. “Hi Navy!” Shane shouted, standing to wave at her. I shushed him and held him on my lap, making room for Navy. “Navy, you are the best actress I’ve ever seen?” “Really?” With her excitement the accent came back strong. “Yeah, you’ve totally got the part.” She bit her lip and leaned closer to me. “Can I know what the play is now?”
I glanced around before whispering, “Romeo and Juliet.” “I love that play!” “Yeah, me too, even if it is pretty common.” “Oh, but Shakespeare is always a good one. You can’t go wrong with him.” “What plays did you do in Alabama?” “I was Mrs. Davis in a Civil War play someone made up,” she made a disgusted face, “and for 10th grade I was Mary in a Nativity play. We didn’t get to do anything very original.” Shane was nodding off against my chest, so I shifted him around more comfortably. “Doesn’t sound too interesting.” “I used to sit on the roof and read plays I actually wanted to do,” she admitted. “I would act all the parts by myself, even the guy ones. No one bothered me there.” “I don’t have any furniture in my room except for a bed,” I told her. “Why?”
“Because I want to leave my walls open. They were painted white, and I’ve been drawing on them for years.” “That’s so cool! It must look like a riot of color.” “You can see it sometime, when you come over my house,” I promised. Navy sucked in a breath and slightly tilted her head. “You mean you really want me over?” “Why wouldn’t I? You do realize we’re friends, right?” Her face glowed, and she cupped her hands together like she was catching my words. “Friends.” By then the auditions had ended, and people were filing out of the theater. “Yeah, friends. C’mon, we don’t want to miss the late bus.”
Shane didn’t wake up until we got home. “Mama?” “Yes?” He grinned sleepily at me and yawned. “I’m hungry.” “I’ll make you some pizza.” There was a note on the fridge door.
Bree.
We have to stay late at work again, so we left extra food in the pantry. Shane has an appointment with Dr. Brown on Monday, we hope you can bring him because we can’t get there in time.
Mom.
I stared at the note and felt my fingers tighten, jaw clench. Selfish. Unthinking. Immature. They never offered to help with Shane, their own son, they thought that leaving me food and checks was enough, like I don’t need parents too. And making me take Shane to a doctor’s appointment at 12:00 a.m. on a Monday, in the middle of the school day; had they ever thought that I can’t miss school, that I didn’t even have a car to drive him?
Now I would have to scrabble for a ride. It was frustrating, how they avoided Shane, like children thinking that if they didn’t give him attention all their problems would go away. And so I was left with everything. “Mama?” Shane stood in the doorway, face worried. I looked into his soft blue eyes and took a deep breath, calming myself. “Sorry love. I’m just a little tired. How about you help me with the pizza?” His face smoothed out and he jumped to assist me. “Love you, Shane.” “ I love you too, Mama.”
“My my. Well, that was very good Navy. Please sit down.” Navy came back to herself and headed towards me. “Hi Navy!” Shane shouted, standing to wave at her. I shushed him and held him on my lap, making room for Navy. “Navy, you are the best actress I’ve ever seen?” “Really?” With her excitement the accent came back strong. “Yeah, you’ve totally got the part.” She bit her lip and leaned closer to me. “Can I know what the play is now?”
I glanced around before whispering, “Romeo and Juliet.” “I love that play!” “Yeah, me too, even if it is pretty common.” “Oh, but Shakespeare is always a good one. You can’t go wrong with him.” “What plays did you do in Alabama?” “I was Mrs. Davis in a Civil War play someone made up,” she made a disgusted face, “and for 10th grade I was Mary in a Nativity play. We didn’t get to do anything very original.” Shane was nodding off against my chest, so I shifted him around more comfortably. “Doesn’t sound too interesting.” “I used to sit on the roof and read plays I actually wanted to do,” she admitted. “I would act all the parts by myself, even the guy ones. No one bothered me there.” “I don’t have any furniture in my room except for a bed,” I told her. “Why?”
“Because I want to leave my walls open. They were painted white, and I’ve been drawing on them for years.” “That’s so cool! It must look like a riot of color.” “You can see it sometime, when you come over my house,” I promised. Navy sucked in a breath and slightly tilted her head. “You mean you really want me over?” “Why wouldn’t I? You do realize we’re friends, right?” Her face glowed, and she cupped her hands together like she was catching my words. “Friends.” By then the auditions had ended, and people were filing out of the theater. “Yeah, friends. C’mon, we don’t want to miss the late bus.”
Shane didn’t wake up until we got home. “Mama?” “Yes?” He grinned sleepily at me and yawned. “I’m hungry.” “I’ll make you some pizza.” There was a note on the fridge door.
Bree.
We have to stay late at work again, so we left extra food in the pantry. Shane has an appointment with Dr. Brown on Monday, we hope you can bring him because we can’t get there in time.
Mom.
I stared at the note and felt my fingers tighten, jaw clench. Selfish. Unthinking. Immature. They never offered to help with Shane, their own son, they thought that leaving me food and checks was enough, like I don’t need parents too. And making me take Shane to a doctor’s appointment at 12:00 a.m. on a Monday, in the middle of the school day; had they ever thought that I can’t miss school, that I didn’t even have a car to drive him?
Now I would have to scrabble for a ride. It was frustrating, how they avoided Shane, like children thinking that if they didn’t give him attention all their problems would go away. And so I was left with everything. “Mama?” Shane stood in the doorway, face worried. I looked into his soft blue eyes and took a deep breath, calming myself. “Sorry love. I’m just a little tired. How about you help me with the pizza?” His face smoothed out and he jumped to assist me. “Love you, Shane.” “ I love you too, Mama.”