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Authors: Douglas Rees
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them I’m sick.”
“No. I could not. Eat. Get going. Edmund and I will be fine. I’ll bring him to school on my way to work so he can go to tryouts with you.”
I would have given my right arm to stay home that morn.ing. If I hadn’t needed it to play Juliet. I didn’t hear a word that was said in any of my classes between homeroom bell and AP English, last period. All I kept thinking about was Mom and Edmund. How were they getting along? What were they talking about? And, more than once, what had it been like for him holding my hand last night? I had hardly any time left over to obsess about being Juliet.
I saw Drew in English. It was the only class he and I had together. Drew was in AP everything, and was taking classes at Guadalupe Community College on Tuesdays and Thurs.days.
“Enjoyed meeting your cousin last night,” he said. “Neat guy.”
“He liked you, too.”
“Is he really coming to tryouts?” Drew asked.
“Mom’s bringing him,” I said.
“Cool. Where in England is he from, exactly?”
“Oh, Warwickshire. But he lives in London now.”
“I was wondering about his accent,” Drew said. “Didn’t sound very contemporary.”
“Well, that’s just the way that branch of the family talks. They’re a little old-fashioned.”
“Warwickshire… Shakespeare’s neck of the woods. Is he from around Stratford?”
“Matter of fact, he is,” I said. “How did you know?”
“Well,” Drew said. “It’s just that my mom and I went
there a few years ago, and I didn’t hear anybody with an ac.cent quite like that. Of course we were only there a couple of days.”
“I guess it’s some kind of family tradition to talk like that,” I said quickly. “Most people don’t.”
“Really neat.”
“So are you really coming to tryouts?” I said to change the subject.
“I said I was,” Drew said, as if that settled it.
“What part are you reading for?”
“I’m going to try for Mercutio,” Drew said. “Edmund said he could see me as either him or Friar Lawrence, and I don’t like Friar Lawrence. But I’d better not get it. Not if Gillinger knows what’s good for his show.”
“Why are you reading for it if you don’t want it?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t want it. It’s my favorite part. I just don’t think I’d be very good.”
Then the bell rang and we all settled down to another forty-five minutes on the burning issue of symbolism in The Great Gatsby.
When the bell rang again, I practically flew out of my seat.
Tryouts! Yes! Edmund! Yes! Yes! Now!
“See you!” I said to Drew over my shoulder, and ran out to look for Edmund.
Mom was waiting with him in front of the school. She smiled and waved.
“We have had a most excellent day, cuz,” Edmund shouted as I skipped toward them. “We have talked of a world of things. She knows so much.”
“It’s been enchanting,” Mom said. “Of course it started with your enchantment, so that’s only logical. But get this— the hospital called and offered me the day shift. Just like that. No more swing or graveyard after today. I think maybe this guy is good luck.”
“We mended the table together,” Edmund said. “She showed me the manage of the lawn mower, as well. I am to stay and become son and brother to ye.” And he slung arms around Mom and me. “’Tis hard to credit, to lose one fam.ily yesterday and gain a new one in a day. But this place is magical.”
Ah. “Brother.” Not good. On the other hand, Edmund stays. Very good, I thought.
“I knew you’d like him, Mom.”
“Like him? Yeah, I like him,” she said, giving him a hug back. “It’ll be nice to have a little testosterone around the place again.”
“Well, we’d better get to tryouts,” I said.
“We read lines together this afternoon,” Edmund said. “I was Romeo, she was Juliet, and Lady Montague and even Mercutio to me. I was wrong. Women can act. I’d be proud to be on any stage with ye, Ms. Hoberman.”
“Ms.?” I
“No. I could not. Eat. Get going. Edmund and I will be fine. I’ll bring him to school on my way to work so he can go to tryouts with you.”
I would have given my right arm to stay home that morn.ing. If I hadn’t needed it to play Juliet. I didn’t hear a word that was said in any of my classes between homeroom bell and AP English, last period. All I kept thinking about was Mom and Edmund. How were they getting along? What were they talking about? And, more than once, what had it been like for him holding my hand last night? I had hardly any time left over to obsess about being Juliet.
I saw Drew in English. It was the only class he and I had together. Drew was in AP everything, and was taking classes at Guadalupe Community College on Tuesdays and Thurs.days.
“Enjoyed meeting your cousin last night,” he said. “Neat guy.”
“He liked you, too.”
“Is he really coming to tryouts?” Drew asked.
“Mom’s bringing him,” I said.
“Cool. Where in England is he from, exactly?”
“Oh, Warwickshire. But he lives in London now.”
“I was wondering about his accent,” Drew said. “Didn’t sound very contemporary.”
“Well, that’s just the way that branch of the family talks. They’re a little old-fashioned.”
“Warwickshire… Shakespeare’s neck of the woods. Is he from around Stratford?”
“Matter of fact, he is,” I said. “How did you know?”
“Well,” Drew said. “It’s just that my mom and I went
there a few years ago, and I didn’t hear anybody with an ac.cent quite like that. Of course we were only there a couple of days.”
“I guess it’s some kind of family tradition to talk like that,” I said quickly. “Most people don’t.”
“Really neat.”
“So are you really coming to tryouts?” I said to change the subject.
“I said I was,” Drew said, as if that settled it.
“What part are you reading for?”
“I’m going to try for Mercutio,” Drew said. “Edmund said he could see me as either him or Friar Lawrence, and I don’t like Friar Lawrence. But I’d better not get it. Not if Gillinger knows what’s good for his show.”
“Why are you reading for it if you don’t want it?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t want it. It’s my favorite part. I just don’t think I’d be very good.”
Then the bell rang and we all settled down to another forty-five minutes on the burning issue of symbolism in The Great Gatsby.
When the bell rang again, I practically flew out of my seat.
Tryouts! Yes! Edmund! Yes! Yes! Now!
“See you!” I said to Drew over my shoulder, and ran out to look for Edmund.
Mom was waiting with him in front of the school. She smiled and waved.
“We have had a most excellent day, cuz,” Edmund shouted as I skipped toward them. “We have talked of a world of things. She knows so much.”
“It’s been enchanting,” Mom said. “Of course it started with your enchantment, so that’s only logical. But get this— the hospital called and offered me the day shift. Just like that. No more swing or graveyard after today. I think maybe this guy is good luck.”
“We mended the table together,” Edmund said. “She showed me the manage of the lawn mower, as well. I am to stay and become son and brother to ye.” And he slung arms around Mom and me. “’Tis hard to credit, to lose one fam.ily yesterday and gain a new one in a day. But this place is magical.”
Ah. “Brother.” Not good. On the other hand, Edmund stays. Very good, I thought.
“I knew you’d like him, Mom.”
“Like him? Yeah, I like him,” she said, giving him a hug back. “It’ll be nice to have a little testosterone around the place again.”
“Well, we’d better get to tryouts,” I said.
“We read lines together this afternoon,” Edmund said. “I was Romeo, she was Juliet, and Lady Montague and even Mercutio to me. I was wrong. Women can act. I’d be proud to be on any stage with ye, Ms. Hoberman.”
“Ms.?” I
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