Nora Goes Off Script(16)

I’m entirely comfortable being the butt of the evening’s jokes. At me or with me, this laughter has swept all of the tension out of the room. What if I could just serve dinner to the sound of people laughing? What if Arthur gets so relaxed that his brain actually lets some of these lines in? Being tonight’s punch line is totally worth it.

We sit down to pot roast, carrots, rice, and salad. I open a bottle of chardonnay, which I know I’ll have to share. Arthur asks Leo, “So, do you know Fagin? Like in the play?”

“I do,” he says. “And I know it isn’t whatever that was.” He’s indicating me with his fork, and it’s all laughs again.

“Yeah, I had a feeling,” says Arthur. “Do you think he’s a villain? It’s kind of confusing, because he’s pretty nice to the boys.”

“I think he’s the best kind of villain,” Leo says. “He’s the kind of villain who does something horrible but who we still love. You can see his humanity, even though he’s taking advantage of those boys. Characters like Fagin get to the core of what it means to be a human being—we are both light and dark.” We are stunned. “What?” he asks. And we all start to laugh.

“Where’d that come from?” I ask.

“That was a lot of words,” says Bernadette.

“Well, this is sort of my wheelhouse. Oliver Twist happens to be my favorite play. And I’ve played Fagin.”

“Aw, come on,” we’re all saying in tandem. Bernadette throws her napkin on the table in disgust.

“I’m not going to help you. I will not lead you down the path to being an actor,” he says to Arthur. “It’s empty.”

Arthur smiles. “Do you seriously think I could become an actor with this woman as my mother. I’m half her!” We all laugh, and time stops for a moment where I feel the warmth of this laughter and watch the dimming light leave these three faces in shadow—my children and the most famous actor in America.

Leo pours himself another glass of wine, and I protectively fill mine. I’m learning. He takes a sip and tilts back in his chair in the infuriating manner of teenagers. “If I agree to read lines with you, just tonight, will you promise me you will never become a professional actor?”

I like to play the odds, and I’m thinking this is a pretty safe promise to make. There’s a one percent chance Arthur’s going to want to be a professional actor and less of a chance Leo will even remember who he is by then.

Arthur considers Leo. “I won’t promise that. But I do need help.” This makes Bernadette and me smile, just the moxie of it.

“Looks like you got a full set of dimples with that one,” Leo says. “How much time do we have?”

Arthur looks like he’s going to hug him but thinks better of it. “Rehearsals start Wednesday.”

“Let’s do this in the living room. We need room to move around.” And with that, they’re all business. I go into the kitchen to wash the dishes. I am trying to remember the last time an adult took over one of my responsibilities. Ben would sometimes run out for toilet paper or pick up the kids from school. It occurs to me now how long I’ve been doing this all on my own.





CHAPTER 5





It’s Monday and Leo’s holding Arthur’s copy of the Oliver Twist script while watching the sunrise. “Hey,” he says without turning his head.

I sit next to him on the porch swing, noting that he seems to have figured out the coffee system in my house. “It’s really nice that you did that with Arthur last night.”

“Don’t tell him, but he’s kind of a natural.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

We’re silent as the sun moves through a dark orange finale.

“Writing today?” he asks.

“Gonna try. What are you going to do?”

“I was thinking about going into town.”

Which is how I end up not writing and taking Leo Vance on a walking tour of Laurel Ridge proper. The town is pretty much one strip of shops, a small grocery at one end and a bookstore at the other. Leo buys cheese and a baguette at the grocery. And a jar of jam in a flavor he’s never seen before. He asks if he can taste the salami and buys a pound of that. He buys berries and kiwis like a kid pulling candy off the shelf by the checkout counter.

“Planning a picnic?” I ask as we walk out, laden with bags.

“Nope. I just liked the looks of it. Let’s go in there.” He motions to an overpriced housewares store that has no chance of surviving the year in this town. In fact, I’ve never been inside, on principle.

Two saleswomen are chatting behind the counter and go silent when they see Leo. So silent, in fact, that it’s awkward. “Hello?” he says.

The older one comes out from behind the counter. “Hello. I’m sorry. I was just so surprised to see you standing there. In my store.” I admire her honesty.

Leo puts out his hand and says, absolutely unnecessarily, “I’m Leo. And this is Nora. I’m staying with her for a while.” Both women look me up and down, probably trying to divine what sorcery I’m using to put myself in this situation. He gets naked in the bathroom across the hall from where I sleep, I want to tell them. Someone needs to know.