Page 11 of The Fadeaway
The next hour is a whirlwind as Brody introduces me to the entire theater department. Faces I’ve admired and some others that work behind the scenes. I’m awe-stricken and totally inspired. And the smile on my face is large and genuine when I exchange numbers with Brody and Tabitha who is playing Imelda.
“A bunch of us usually go out Friday night after rehearsals,” Tabitha tosses out as we’re leaving. “You in?”
“Oh, I…” My voice trails off as I reach for an excuse and realize I have none. The few times I’ve been invited out to parties I’ve had to say no because of Christian. We don’t have family in Valley so that means no mom’s nights out unless there’s daycare provided. That’s not something you see listed on the campus bulletin board.
But there’s no Christian this weekend and Tabitha looks at me with such contagious excitement at the prospect of hanging out. I surprise myself by saying, “That sounds fun.”
And it does.
6
Katrina
I sitat the front of the stage with my notebook in my lap and the printed script in front of me. Brody and Tabitha are running through the opening scene where Hector and Imelda meet at the Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. It’s a nod to the movie Coco, where my inspiration emerged, but I also chose it because I knew how beautiful the stage could look lit up with fake candlelight as the backdrop to the start of an epic love story.
The stage crew is working on the creation of the large canvas that will eventually be painted and have lights strung through it and it’s already more beautiful than I ever could have imagined.
“It needs something.”
I glance over at Willa’s words to find her studying the stage intently, playing with her lip piercing. She continues, “I’m not getting the historical or the Mexico vibe.”
My stomach drops at her words, which were said kindly but don’t make me panic any less. She nudges me with her elbow. “Hey, it’s a great story and it’s going to be amazing. I’m sure the costumes and props will bring it all together.”
I sigh. “No, you’re right. It feels contemporary and American because that’s what I know.”
“What made you decide to write a historical play anyway?”
Bite the corner of my lip and wonder the same thing but don’t say it out loud. I can only shrug. Honestly it wasn’t intentional. I never dreamed it’d be so difficult to translate the culture and time of Mexico in the early 1900s. Apparently a lot was going on in Mexico, the whole world actually, that I failed to consider.
“What we need to do is research.” She claps her hands together. “Ooooh, let’s plan a trip to Cabo. We can get a tan and ask around about history and whatever.”
I smile at her wide-eyed excitement. Willa writes the most beautiful and insightful words, primarily poetry and short stories, but she talks like a nineties valley girl which makes me laugh. I adore her.
She’s also probably the closest thing I have to a college friend. We’re in all the same classes and are both part of a critique group that meets once a week to share our writing and bounce ideas off one another. Her enthusiasm and creativity make her a great critique and brainstorming partner, but I wonder how she’s able to put her thoughts on paper so poetically when she ends sentences with things like “and whatever.”
“I think I’m gonna have to solve this problem from Valley, but that’s not a bad idea. Maybe we can chat with the Spanish department and see if they have some recommendations. In the meantime, I need to work on the ending. I can’t figure out the last scene where Imelda receives the last letter from Hector a month after his death.”
I bring the end of my pen to my mouth as I try to visualize it. I want it to be perfect.
When rehearsal is over, Tabitha bounds down from the stage.
“Hey, Katrina, you still in for tonight?” Her gaze flits over to Willa. “Hi, I’m Tabitha.”
“Sorry. Tabitha this is Willa, she’s a screenwriting major too.”
“Well, you both should come out tonight. I just need to swing by my place and change.”
Willa stands. “I’m out. I’ve gotta work tonight.”
“Katrina?”
“Oh, I…”
Willa nudges me. “Go. You have to go.”
She’s right, but I’m suddenly more nervous than I anticipated. “Okay, yeah, I’m in.”
Willa’s excitement is far greater than mine as we pack up and follow Tabitha out of the theater. She knows how seldom I go out and I’m sure Monday I’ll be under intense scrutiny to get every detail.
