The Stand-In(65)

“They’re tough kids,” Jessica says simply. “Are you ready?”

I hold back because this is Sam’s show, and the kids are here to meet a real-live action hero, not a fake movie star. He stands outside to wait for his entrance, his entire face lit up. One of the kids has been nominated as the MC, and he makes the introduction better than any UFC promoter could; we can hear his booming voice in the hallway. By the time he’s described one of Sam’s fight scenes in comprehensive detail, complete with sound effects, the entire room is laughing and cheering.

“Please welcome Sam Yao!”

Sam leaps into the room and lands in a fighting stance, causing chaos to ensue. I can’t stop smiling and laughing, and Jessica grins from ear to ear. “They told me he wouldn’t have time to come, but I knew he would,” she confided, her dark eyes glowing.

“How did you know?”

“Laurence, the boy who did the introduction, wrote him a letter that we sent to a contact at the theater. I cried when I read it. There was no way Mr. Yao could have said no, not if he read it.” She nods into the room. “These kids miss so much of life. Come on in.”

Sam is determined to meet every person in the room, and instead of surrounding him, the crowd guides him so he can spend a private moment with all the kids. One girl, sitting in a wheelchair, covers her face with shyness and Sam kneels beside her. Whatever he whispers into her ear causes her to giggle hysterically, which makes him laugh, a big open thing that I’d never heard before.

“Are you Wei Fangli?” I look down to see a small blond boy with big glasses staring at me. I crouch down, blessing the full skirt, so we’re the same height.

I can’t bring myself to say I am, so instead I say, “What’s your name?”

“Laurence.”

“Laurence! I was impressed with your introduction. You’re a big fan of Sam’s.” I lean in. “Me, too.” That’s true enough.

“I didn’t know you would come.” His blue eyes behind the glasses are huge and his skin so translucent I can see the veins tracing beneath.

“I hope it’s okay that I did.”

“Wo hen kaixin.”

Thank God I understand that and can say, “Ni de Zhongwen shuo de hen hao.”

“I’m learning so I don’t have to read the subtitles of Sam’s movies,” he says with pride. “I have a lot of time here at the hospital.”

“What about his movies is appealing?” My thighs ache and I lower myself to my knees.

“He’s real, don’t you think?” He bites his lips as he considers his words. “And good. Even when he beats people up, it’s to protect others. Not to be mean or show off.”

“A very decent trait.”

“I think you’re the same in your movies. When you sent Sam on that mission in that movie to die, you didn’t want to. Why did you?”

“In The Pearl Lotus.” I think about how to describe it to this child and then decide what he thinks is more important. “Why do you think the empress did that?”

“Well, you loved Sam,” he says promptly. “He loved you, too.”

“The characters did in the movie,” I clarify. “Yes.”

“I don’t think you should have,” he says earnestly. “You didn’t even talk to him about it. He might have had more ideas.”

“That would have been smarter,” I say. “You should write your own movie.”

He frowns. “What do you mean?”

“You can write a movie. A screenplay of your own, telling the story you want. Or a play if you want actors to do it on a stage at a theater, like Sam is doing now.”

Laurence’s eyes are huge. “People do that?”

“Sure they do. It takes a lot of work, but you can do it.”

The boy looks down at the floor. A woman comes up and smiles at me. “Mom,” he says, adjusting his glasses. “Wei Fangli says I can write a screenplay. Is that true? I can do that? She’s in the movies, so it must be true, right? Is it? She wouldn’t lie to me, would she?”

I’m about to explain to the woman but she’s busy nodding. “Sure you can, baby.”

“Will you show me how?” Laurence turns to me with huge eyes.

“I’ve never written one,” I say. That at least isn’t lying to the kid. “An actor’s job is to act out what you write. I can tell you one thing that might help. Do you want to hear it?”

He nods.

“No one else can be you. No one else can tell your story like you. You are unique, so write the movie you want to see.”

“No one can tell my story,” he repeats with wonder.

“Only you.”

He beams at me. “I’m going to start right away. I already have an idea about a dragon. Do you think Sam will star in it?”

“Will I star in what?” Sam comes up beside me and Laurence’s eyes go so big they engulf his little face.

“The movie I’m going to write. Fangli says I should. Do you think I should?”

“Yes.” There’s no hesitation. “You do it and then send it to me.”

Behind Laurence, his mom ducks her head as the boy screeches in joy. I see the tears on her cheeks.