Page 20 of Stay for Me
And even then, sometimes, even that won’t help. There were days I would do nothing but sit at my mother’s grave and talk. I wanted to be close to her. If she could hear me, surely, she’d find a way to come back and help us. We were her heart, and we were breaking, but help never came, at least not in any way that we needed.
“I hope that it’s okay we’re doing this. I wanted this to be fun for you.”
“It is. I swear, it’s all good.”
“I don’t mean that for you to feel guilty, Sebastian. I just don’t want to make you sad.”
He shakes his head quickly. “You’re not. I missed fishing. There’s been no one to take me . . .”
“While I’m here, I would be happy to be your fishing partner if you want.”
His eyes widen. “You want to hang out with meagain?”
“Sure, why wouldn’t I?”
“Because you’re the Navigator! You’reJacob Arrowood, that’s why!”
I laugh. “I’m just Jacob. The Navigator is a role, one that I love and am honored to play, but here in Sugarloaf, I’m just Jacob, and you’re a cool kid who likes to fish.”
Sebastian tries to reel in his excitement. “Right. I mean, we’re just two cool guys who are hoping to get dinner caught.”
“Exactly. So, tell me how it’s been since you moved to Sugarloaf.”
Sebastian sighs as he casts his line. “I want to like it here. Melanie does, but . . . the only thing I love to do they just cancelled.”
“What’s that?”
“They cancelled the play.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
He shrugs, but I can see he isn’t so accepting of it. “I was excited because this year they were doingGrease.”
“And what role did you want to audition for?”
I can totally see him as wanting to play Danny. It’s always the role that most want. It wasn’t mine, but . . . I was never really a conventional guy. The side characters get to have fun and none of the criticism the main roles get.
He smiles. “Kenickie.”
I definitely didn’t expect that. “Really?”
“Yeah! He’s the coolest, even if he’s sort of a jerk.”
“It’s a good role. It’s actually what I played in college.”
“Wow. I didn’t know that. I don’t need to be a main character yet. I want to learn and be good before that.”
“Very smart. I did the same thing.”
I laugh, remembering how uncomfortable I felt at the time. I was supposed to be studying finance because that was what I thought I should do, but there was this calling to be on stage. I signed up for a few drama classes, thinking I would hate it and realize that it was finance that was my passion.
I was terrified before the first time I stepped on stage in front of a live audience and thought I would pass out, but the minute the lights were on me and I fully enveloped the role, I thrived.
I loved being on stage.
“Did you always want to be an actor?”
I shake my head. “No, it was luck and a lot of being in the right place at the right time. I thought I’d be like Declan and go into business, but when you feel the lights, hear the clapping...I don’t know, there are some of us who are just meant for it. It was a really amazing time for me when I found the stage.”
