Page 20 of Curtain Call
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to knock-,” Riley stopped mid-sentence. “What’s this?”
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Colin takes the paper from Riley’s hand and folds in half before tossing it back on the desk.
“Colin, please.”
Riley has the eyes of a doe with a solemn face. Colin wonders if Riley thinks he’s losing the theater and he’s only decorating the lobby as a final goodbye. Go out with a bang. Shit.
“We have a lobby to decorate,” Colin tries to lead them out by picking up the cardboard box labeled ‘Christmas’ in black Sharpie on the side.
Riley pulls out the chair next to the desk and takes a seat before crossing his legs.
“I have nowhere to be for a few weeks. I can wait.”
“Stubborn, that’s what you are,” Colin retorts and puts the box back down before sitting in the desk chair.
“Tell me what’s going on, please.”
“My grandparents had the theater paid off, but my parents wanted to renovate and modernize it while keeping the old-world charm.”
“It looks great from what I’ve seen so far,” Riley tried to add a little optimism.
“Well, my parents took out a loan and used the theater as collateral to pay for the renovations. The problem is, business has been down since the pandemic, and I’m struggling to make the payments on that loan. I do have a lowball offer to sell but it’s not near what the theater is worth.”
“Shit. Anything I can do?”
Riley had no idea Colin was going through this kind of stress. He just thought that Colin inherited the theater and was financially secure. He never imaginedthis.
“I could use my savings from the life insurance to cover everything but it’s a gamble. If the theater goes under, I will be left with nothing. Right now, I have my parent’s house which is paid off, and money saved as a nest egg.”
“How much do you need?”
“I still need about $20,000 to pay off the loan. I need about half that to stop the foreclosure.”
“Ouch.”
“Yep.”
Riley knows a lot of people in the theater industry who could possibly help. Connections from his time on the road, and he learned a thing or two about fundraising. He would have to move fast for it to work, but he has an idea.
Riley pulls out his phone and starts tapping the keys.
Scene 8
Setting: The Great Outdoors
Rockport, Massachusetts
Riley
Jules:Lead role.
Broadway.
Call me.
The text comes during mile two of Riley’s five-mile run morning routine. The crisp air stings his lungs, but it’s been in the fifties range so the dusting of snow that was covering the ground on his arrival already melted off. He notices the text from Jules but clicks the side button on his watch to ignore the message. It’s too early for anything important.
