Page 18 of Script Swap
If you can imagine the sound of tires screeching—and, subsequently, my mind going absolutely, completely blank—you can imagine why the next word out of my mouth was more of a noise.“Uhhh.”
“Well, they didn’t dotoobadly with Kyson, did they?”she said, and she leaned to one side and then to the other, viewing me from different angles.“But it’s not the same effect.I havesomany questions for you.”
Apparently I did too because I said, “What video?”
Nora burst out laughing.“Oh my God, I must sound insane.Hello, Fox.”
“Hi, Miss Nora.”
I had never heard Fox talk to anyone like that—their usual wry tone had been replaced by what I would have called, from someone else, an almost childlike respect.
Nora kissed their cheek, but her eyes didn’t leave me, and when she spoke, it was to me again.“There’s a video of you on a panel.You’re discussing a short story.What eventually became ‘Murder on the Emerald Express.’It’s embarrassing how many times I’ve watched it, but I wanted so badly to get a sense of you.You were so important to Vivienne’s life.And to the play, of course.”
“Uh, right,” I said.Which was a pretty respectable response, I thought, considering a) I had no idea a video of me existed anywhere on the internet; and b) about ninety percent of my brainpower was currently dedicated to figuring out how I could get it taken down.
“I need to pick your brain,” Nora said.“I have so many questions about Vivienne.I’ve watched everything, of course, and I’ve readnearlyeverything.But she absolutely refused to talk to me, and I’d love your firsthand impressions of her.How did she move?How did she talk?What stood out to you?”
“What about Pippi?”I said.“Her best friend.”
That made Nora laugh again.“Do you know what she said?When I asked her, I mean.I wanted to know the same thing—what’s she like in person?And Pippi gave me the party line about how she was such a bad person and she can’t believe nobody knew and it’s all perfectly obvious in hindsight, and I kept asking for details: how did she stand?How did she walk?What was it like to have a conversation with her?And Pippi was getting flustered, you could tell, until finally she told me she gave Vivienne a cough drop during a panel they were on together, and Vivienne didn’t say thank you.”
I laughed, and Nora laughed too.Even Fox laughed.
“Okay,” I said, “before I chicken out, I have to tell you that I absolutely lovedWomen and Friends.”
With a smile, Nora said, “Thank you.”
“No, I mean, Ilovethat movie.I don’t think I can even tell you what it meant to me when I was a teenager.”
“That’s why we do this, you know?The art, I mean.To connect with each other.”She reached out and squeezed my hand.“Thank you, Dashiell.”
“Thankyou,” I said, although I wasn’t exactly sure why.It probably sounded less complimentary, though, when I said, “Whyareyou here?”
Nora laughed again, although there was an edge to it now.“What goes up must come down, I’m afraid.Your face, Dashiell.I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel awkward.That’s life—Hollywood isn’t exactly churning out movies about women of a certain age, and there’s only room for so many of us.”
“I’m so sorry, that’s not what I meant.”
She waved the apology away.“It’s a fair question.I’m from here originally.Did you know that?And performing at The Foxworthy was my first time as a real actor.A Flicker in the Dark.God, I still can’t believe Terrence cast me as Giselle; I didn’t knowanything; thank God I was hardly ever on stage.”
“But it’s such an important role,” Fox said.“It’s importantbecausethere’s so little stage time.”
Nora struck a pose and said, “Every light must go out.”And then, with a teasing little smile, “That was my last line in the play.”
Fox and I applauded dutifully, but I couldn’t help adding, “At least it wasn’tThe Mousewife.”
“You caught that, did you?”Nora’s grin flashed out and then was gone again.“Poor Jonni; she gets in over her head and then she doesn’t know what to do.She’s been like that her whole life.”
“Wait,” I said, “Jonni started her career here too?”
“Oh yes,” Nora said.“She’s from Seaside.Why do you think she’s back here?She’s in the same boat I am.And what’s the saying?‘Home is where, when you go back, they have to take you in.’Of course, she’s taking it a bit harder than I am, as you can tell, but as I said, she’s always been like this.She used to pick these awful fights with her husband—she was insanely jealous; the poor man finally ran off—and then she’d have no idea how to get herself out of them.”Nora shrugged.“This isn’t any different.”
That seemed like an opening, so I said, “What was that all about a few minutes ago?”
“Dressing rooms.It’s an old game that troublesome actors play.I want a bigger dressing room.Why does so-and-so have a bigger dressing room?I wantthatroom.I want flowers.I want M&M’s, but only red ones.Jonni has been giving Terrence a run for his money.”
“And now she wants Kyson’s dressing room?”I asked.
“Good Lord,” Fox said.“It’s going to be a blood bath.”
