Page 48 of Turnabout Is Fair Cosplay
“Macbeth.”
“How did you know?”
“If you don’t want your mother knowing what you do on a weekend, don’t mention it to your brother who plays tennis with her every Sunday.”
“I’m going to kill Adam.”
“Oh, don’t blame your brother. You didn’t put him under oath, and he only mentioned that you were busy on Friday. I was the one who put two and two together.” Mom stoops to pet the corgi. “So how was Mike Benedick? Any good?”
“He was…” Unsettlingly good. Memorable, funny, persuasively villainous, and then so affable.
“The boy’s got talent. All of Adam’s hires do.”
“No… Mike’s got something more memorable than talent.”
Mom looks up. “Go on.”
“He’s got…an energy. Maybe… I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
“Intelligence.”
“Excuse me?”
“Natural ability can get you far, but you need a clever mind to be memorable onstage. Particularly when you’re in a supporting role and don’t get the good lines.”
“He had some good lines.”
“No, dear, but he was smart enough to make it seem so.”
I think back.What I am truly, is thine…Mike, as Malcolm, brushed a thumb to his temple, then smiled half-heartedly.Malcolm was in over his head and knew it. I’m pretty sure everyone in the audience swooned at that point. “Maybe so.”
It was definitely that line that made me buy a second ticket—for the Sunday matinée this coming weekend.
“Did you tell him?”
“Tell him what?”
“That you liked it so much you’re going a second time.”
“How do you do that?”
“Lucky guess. Please tell me that you’ll at least strike up a conversation when you see him next.”
“I don’t see him.”
“You live at the same address.”
“Yes, but there is a fence, and I make sure to keep it locked.”
“If he finds out from anyone but you that you saw his play twice, it’s not going to go over well.”
I bristle. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Darling, if you want to be the strong, sharp, sexy legal mind on the other side of the fence, you can’t get sloppy and dabble in pining, shrinking-violet territory.”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear any of this. I was curious about Mike’s play. I enjoyed it because I always enjoy Shakespeare. So I made plans for this weekend to attend a lecture that I missed last Friday, and I might as well stay for the matinée. It has nothing to do with Mike.”
Mom braces a hand to her hip and fixes me with her try-again stare.
