Page 101 of My Life with the Walter Boys
When Nathan laughed, a woman sitting in front of us turned around. “Would you both be quiet?”
Cole glared at Nathan for a moment longer before giving him the finger and dropping into the only open seat next to Zack.
“Hey, Cole?” I heard Zack whisper. He held his finger an inch away from Cole’s cheek. “I’m not touching you.”
“Boys!” Katherine hissed at her younger twins. “If you don’t behave yourselves, then no dessert at dinner.”
They didn’t take their mother’s warning seriously because as the first actor stepped out onto the stage, I heard the twins’ evil giggles.
***
“Danny, that was amazing!” I exclaimed, pulling him into a hug. He had joined us outside the auditorium after the show, and he was still in his Romeo costume.
“Truly a heart-wrenching performance,” Isaac said, wiping away pretend tears. “Can I have your autograph?” Danny rolled his eyes and gave his cousin a small shove. They both laughed. “Really, dude,” Isaac said, getting serious. “It was great.”
“Thanks,” Danny responded, nodding his head. Doing one of those silly man hugs, they clapped each other on the back.
“Danny Walter?” a woman asked, coming up to our group.
“Yes?” He turned to look at her.
“Hi,” she said, extending a business card. Danny took it from her outstretched hand and quickly glanced over the tiny text. “My name is Jillian Rowley, and I’m a talent scout from the Starlight Group. We’re a theater company in New York, and I was wondering if you had a moment to spare.”
“I—um, yeah!” Danny said, looking back up. His face was neutral, but I had come to learn that Danny was very good at masking his emotions. The small stumble in his sentence said it all: he was ecstatic.
“Wonderful,” Jillian said and led him away from our group.
“What was that all about?” Alex asked, joining us. One of Kim’s sisters had been in the play, and after it was over, he’d gone to find Kim to talk about the latestGoGnews.
“Danny told me about a potential talent scout attending the play this year,” I explained. “It was why he was so anxious about auditions. He wanted to make sure he got the male lead in case the talent scout came.”
He hadn’t said it, but I knew Danny thought his future depended on tonight’s performance. He hadn’t applied to college, not only because his parents couldn’t afford it, but also because he didn’t want to go. His dream was to be an actor, and even if nothing came out of this performance, he was going to move to New York City and follow his dream. It just meant that he was going to have to do it the hard way—waiting tables while auditioning for everything and anything.
“Jackie?” Katherine called. She and George were standing with the parents of the actress who played Juliet, and the other three were still deep in conversation.
“Yes?” I asked, coming up next to her.
“What was that all about?” she asked, nodding her head in Danny and Jillian’s direction. The woman was still talking, and he was nodding his head eagerly to every word.
“I’m not entirely sure yet,” I responded. “But she introduced herself as a talent scout for a New York theater company.”
Katherine raised an eyebrow. “Well, now,” she said, a flicker of a smile playing on her face. “That’s interesting news.” I could tell she was thrilled but was holding back in case things didn’t turn out the way we hoped.
“Did I hear something about a talent scout?” Cole asked, appearing next to his mom. After the play was over, he was charged with taking the younger kids to the restroom. Now Zack, Benny, and Parker were chasing each other about the auditorium lobby, weaving in and out of the crowd, but Cole was done with his babysitting job.
“Apparently the woman speaking with Danny is one,” Katherine told him.
“What woman?” Cole asked.
We all turned toward Danny and Jillian, but she was gone and he was making his way across the room toward us with a grin on his face.
“Guess what?” he asked.
“She wants to make you the next A-list actor in Hollywood, and you’re going to become so famous and rich that you can buy me a house?” Cole asked. We all shot him a look, but Danny was too happy to care.
“I’ve been offered a spot in their company’s summer training camp. After the program, if things go well, I could be in New York productions this fall!”
“Oh, honey,” Katherine said, pulling her son into a hug. “I’m so proud of you.”
