Anatomy

Chapter 5: Rewrite Shakespeare

Matilda's POV

I wake up to the sounds of footsteps and loud talking from downstairs. I stretch my body as I wake up, grabbing my phone from the side to check messages.

Mom: Hope everything's going good at dads! Love you

She had sent a few pictures of their first evening away... it did look beautiful I have to give Craig some credit. I continue to scroll through replying to messages from my friends Bailey and Grace, I was going to miss seeing them this summer. It's so crazy to think we'll be graduating next year and we'd been inseparable since we were 10 years old! We'd all been through so much together.

After a while I slowly started to get up... I check the mirror... god I look a mess... I fix my hair I put it in two French plaits. Perfect... I find my eyes scanning every inch of my body...

I pull over my big hoodie and slide my crocs on and head down to the kitchen. The house seemed so quiet. I wonder where dad is? What was I meant to do here.

"Hey kiddo, breakfasts on the side-" his voice makes me jump god he's good at creeping upon me "No Charlie I already told you to find a reason to get me out of this play, you know I only do TV... What do you mean it's too late to back out? Charlie I don't do Shakespear... Charlie?" He slams his phone down on the counter, he looks stressed out, I've never seen him this way before. He rubs his hands through his hair before plastering a fake smile across his face "Sorry about that kid... I'm just.."

"Pissed off?" I laugh slightly, he only glares at me "sorry... what's so bad with a Play?"

"Matilda I can't lie I don't get Shakespeare, it's fucking old and I don't give a crap about it AND it's a charity play I ain't getting paid enough for this torture" he takes out a bunch of prescription  pills from the cupboard and begins to take them.

"Jesus dad that's a lot of pills"

"Look it takes a lot to keep looking this good" he says with the most arrogant tone. I roll my eyes and pour myself a bowl of cereal.

"Why are you doing this play then? Surely you could've turned it down?" I sit on the stall at the kitchen counter.

"I didn't get much choice" he sighs "the job offers have been a bit slow and I didn't realise what I had agreed to... but I can't get these lines in my head and it's such a boring script" he makes himself a black coffee.

"Oh so you're not such a hotshot actor now huh?" I smirk whilst dragging my spoon through my cereal. I can feel him glaring at me.

"Hey watch it you, anyways I think the script could do with a rewrite if you ask me" he takes a sip of his coffee.

"You can't rewrite Shakespeare dad!"

"Well I definitely could write better then him" I roll my eyes.

"Well what play is it?"

"It's King Lear, and I'm Lear... Obviously" his smug face put a sour taste in my mouth.

"I did that this year in high school, remember dad?" I felt a bit cocky, I knew what he'd say.

"No..." he looks puzzled.

"Oh right that's because you weren't there" i sarcastically replied back at him. He looked a bit taken back. "Well I must say you are perfect casting"

"Really?"

"Duh, Lear is an arrogant ego manic and a lousy father all rolled into one" I cross my arms and stare at him with an evil little smirk... I can't help but take a stab at him after all these years he deserves it.

There was an awkward pause...

"Tilly that's not fair" He looked hurt but how can he be playing the victim after EVERYTHING he's done to the family. He sighs... "I get I haven't been there but-" his phone starts to ring cutting him off abruptly. "Rose? What is it this time? No... really? you need me now? Fine." He huffs.

"Who was that?" I get up and throw away my cereal and wash up the bowl.

"Do you remember that British chick from last night?"

"Yeah I remember her" I finish drying up the bowl and start searching to find which cupboard it came from.

"Well she's the 'so called' director of this play and apparently I'm needed for rehearsals already" he uses his phone to check himself out and fix his hair.

"Well Lear is basically in every scene so yeah duh it makes sense" okay... maybe I need to tone down the sarcasm a bit. "So can I come?"

He stops and looks at me contemplating a reply "Yes but as long as you keep out of the way" he smiles slightly, it'll be weird spending time with him but what else am I going to do around here.

"Cool I will go finish getting ready be down in a few" I smile and hurry upstairs, although I never was close to my dad I had one thing in common with him... a love for acting but unlike him I preferred real emotional work not his crappy action movies that definitely didn't need that many sequels.

"You ready?" He called up.

"Coming!" I rushed down the stairs in my denim shorts and a sweatshirt that had one of Monet's paintings on it. I was kind of excited to be in a rehearsal room and a professional one at that. I hopped into the front seat. I'm actually kinda of excited I hope it's a good day!