Page 40 of Sea La Vie
“Perfect! He gets beheaded in the second scene anyway. Lucille always has trouble finding someone to play that part because, you know, who wants to be beheaded?”
I consider my options. Refuse and show Lucille who’s really the boss here, or swallow my pride and show this town the best Blackbeard they’ve ever seen.
My chest puffs out after a deep breath. “I’m going to play Blackbeard so hard, he’s going to wish he was me.”
Lainey’s suspicions are confirmed as we walk down the sidewalk toward the courthouse green. We pass a few pirates, but most everyone else is dressed in normal, everyday summer clothes.
Lucille meets us with a sly smile. “Tate, Good to see you! Here are your lines. Memorize them in the next fifteen minutes, and be ready to show this town what you’ve got.”
“I don’t even get to practice?” I ask, shooting Lainey a nervous look. She shrugs in return.
“Practice is for the weak. Are you weak, Tate?” Lucille asks. She stands on her tiptoes in an attempt to meet my eyes, but still only manages to come to the center of my chest.
“No ma’am,” I choke out.
“You’ve got this Tate,” Lainey whispers. “I’m going to go find a seat on the lawn.”
She disappears before I have a chance to back out, leaving me in my pirate get up, sweaty and nervous.
“Tate! You’re on in thirty seconds!” Lucille yells from under her visor. She’s decked out in director gear, pen tucked behind her ear, and clipboard in hand. I peer around the curtain and find Lainey in the grass beside Eden and Sam.
I know Widow’s Wharf is small but when the whole town comes together, sitting on the courthouse lawn to watch Blackbeard’s last battle, it actually seems pretty big. My palms are sweaty, and as much as I try to dry them, the hot polyester these pants are made of only seem to make it worse. My stomach has crawled into my windpipe and no matter where I look, Lucille seems to be there, staring directly into my soul.
Sid and Dave walk off the stage, dressed in similar outfits, and Sid taps me on the shoulder on his way past me. “You’re on,” he whispers.
I try to swallow the knot in my throat, but it only doubles in size. Lucille nudges me from behind, and I stumble onto the stage. The sun is blinding, and I throw a hand up to shield my face, only to discover that there are more people here than I thought.
“Speak!” Lucille whisper-yells from behind the thick red curtain.
A nervous cough escapes me, and I clear my throat and open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I really did try my best to learn my lines, but I can’t remember a single word of them right now.
“I’ll take care of this,” I hear Sid say from behind Lucille. I whirl around in time to find him charging at me with a very theatrical force.
And then the world goes dark.
“Tate! Tate, can you hear me?”
I slowly blink, opening first one eye, then the other. “Lainey?” I croak.
She, along with nearly the entire town of Widow’s Wharf, is peering down at me from above.
“I…I didn’t mean to!” Sid pleads. “I’m so sorry, man. I had no idea that my sword was going to hit you right in a pressure point. I mean, it’s plastic! I won’t charge you for your car!” His eyes dart back and forth between Lainey and me.
“What happened?” I ask, sitting up. I scrub my eyes and look around. Lucille is beside Lainey, assessing me through slitted eyes.
“He’s probably faking it,” Lucille mutters.
“Lucille, you’re making it very hard to respect my elders,” I grumble. My head pounds with every word, threatening to split in half.
“Don’t call me old, you harlot.”
“Take it easy,” Lainey says, and steps between us. “Here, let me help you.” I grab her outstretched hand, and she pulls me up. I notice she doesn’t let go of my hand as she leads me to a secluded area on the other side of the courthouse where there is shade. “Are you okay? You went down pretty hard.” She carefully grabs my chin with her free hand and turns my head left and right, inspecting it for any signs of Sid’s blow.
“Well that’s embarrassing,” I say. “Who knew you even had a pressure point in your neck?”
“Well in your defense, Sid went at you with all his might. Sometimes he slips into character a littletoomuch.” Lainey laysa finger to my jawline and hums softly. “You have a little bruise already forming here. Does it hurt?”
Yes, it hurts,I want to whine.“Oh, I do? I had no idea. I feel fine,” I lie, instead.
