Page 5 of Mistaken Impression

“Yeah. Do you remember Hunter telling us about Livia’s dad having a stroke?”

In reality, the man we’re talking about is Livia’s step-father, but to her he’s ‘dad’, and always has been. Her natural father was a stranger to her until very recently. But the least said about him, the better…

“Yeah. What about it?”

“It’s left him with mobility problems, and he can’t work anymore. Hunter was explaining that Livia’s mom’s doing an amazing job, but that he wanted to help them out, and Livia wants to be able to see more of them. So, he’s building them a house.”

“At our place?”

“Yeah. I’m not sure exactly where in the grounds it’s going to be. We didn’t go into that much detail.”

“I don’t care where it is. I think it’s a fabulous idea.”

“I told him the same thing, but he said he’d talk it through with us… once Livia’s parents have agreed.”

“You mean, he hasn’t discussed it with them yet?”

“No, he and Livia are going up to Maine next weekend to tell them about the engagement and see what they say about the house. To be honest, I think he’s kinda nervous about it.”

“Which part? The engagement, or the house?”

“Both. From what he was saying, Livia doesn’t think her mom will be too happy about the house.”

“Why not?”

“She thinks her mom will see it as charity.”

“Hmm… I suppose that makes sense. And I guess he’s worried about the engagement because it’s all happened so quickly. Let’s face it, they only got back together again a few weeks ago.”

“I know, but they’re so in love…” His voice fades again, and I know he’s got to be thinking about his situation with Lexi’s sister. Even if she wasn’t in love with him, that doesn’t change how he feels about her.

I wonder for a moment what it must be like to be in love. Based on my brothers’ experiences, I’m not sure I want to be. I may have fantasized about it often enough, in the privacy of my own bedroom, but it sounds horrendous in reality. Okay, so Hunter’s happy now, but he went through hell to get here, and although he might say it was worth it, I’m not so sure. I mean… how can that level of pain be worth anything?

***

Mac

We take our third bow, the applause ringing in our ears, and as the curtain falls, the leading man looks along at the rest of us and gives a nod of his head. We’re done. The audience might still be clapping and cheering, but there is such a thing as milking it, and three curtain calls are more than enough. It’s enough for me, anyway, and I feel my shoulders sag, the fake smile falling from my lips.

“Don’t look so relieved,” Calvin whispers in my ear.

“Why not? I am relieved.”

He smiles. “I don’t know why. It’s straight into rehearsals again next week.”

I pat him on the shoulder. “Not for me, my friend.”

He rolls his eyes. “You don’t have to remind me…”

We head off stage, a ripple of gentle applause still echoing through the corridors of the theatre as we make our way back to our shared dressing room. It’s only a tiny theatre, but I like it here and I’m going to miss it. I love the atmosphere of the place, the smell of the greasepaint, the heat from the lights. Still… it’s time to move on, and I open the door, letting Calvin pass through ahead of me.

“We’d better change quickly,” he says, pulling off his jacket. “Everyone will be along soon.”

“They will?”

“Of course. You didn’t think you were going to get away without a party, did you?”

I’m not sure I’m in the mood for a party, but I smile anyway, and step out of my costume, throwing it into the wicker basket in the corner. When Calvin and I first met about eighteen months ago, we were a little more shy and would take it in turns to change behind the screen in the corner. Now we just use it to hang things over, stripping down to our underwear without a care in the world. Having done that, I pull on my jeans and t-shirt before sitting down to remove my make-up. At least if someone comes in now, I’ll be decent.

---