This Is Ours

PART ELEVEN

The rest of the meeting went by in a blur. Chris didn’t seem to be as into what everybody else was doing and he barely looked at her. There was no laughter from him as he played heavy metal music on the electric guitar with Ethan playing bass and the others on the keyboard, drums and vocals. People seemed to be getting jittery about his mood. I’m afraid I know why he’s brooding.
Liv seems to know too. She sidles up to me and asks, “I saw you talking to him in the back room while I was with Carla. Did you guys have a disagreement?”
“Sort of.” I admit grumpily, “I didn’t know he was so unbearably touchy.”
“What did you say?”
“Kind of black-mailed him.”
“Oh honey…you are crazy,”
But she doesn’t seem mad. Just mildly entertained. So it can’t have been that bad.
“You might wanna keep the team going. We’ve not got a lotta time for the IFA.”
“Why me?”
“It’s your penance.” She gives an evil grin as she produces one of Chris’s megaphones from a table nearby. “Here you go lovely, and best of luck to you.”
I pick up the megaphone and yell into it. “ALRIGHT MY STUPIDS.” Sometimes I think that the megaphone makes you sound like a silly goat. “GET IN LINE. WE’VE GOT THREE MONTHS FOR THE IFA AND WE AIN’T GOT NO TIME LEFT.”
People flock from Chris to me, a little confused at the change in leadership and still muttering unhappily, but they come nevertheless. “OKAY, I WANNA SEE WHAT WE HAVE UP UNTIL NOW AND THEN WE’LL WORK IT AND TAKE IT FROM THERE.”
The first scene opens with a flourish, where I see my imagination come to life. I see the sisters in my play have some good old-fashioned family fun as they struggle in their life of poverty.
“YOU,” I yell, “THE ONE PLAYING ANNA, YOU HOLD YOURSELF MORE STIFFLY, GET? ‘CAUSE YOUR CHARACTER IS KIND OF AN UPTIGHT WEIRDO.”
I cut them every time it looks like it’s an act and force them to listen to me until they get it right. The five scenes that they’ve done, directed by Chris, is pure magnificence and I can feel my heart pounding against my chest due to the excitement of seeing it live. I’m impressed by their talent, Chris’s included, and a little jealous too. Because they’re so good.
I didn’t imagine it to be this good. 
“OKAY, SCENE SIX THEN! I NEED BRADY AND COLE HERE, YOU GUYS ARE PLAYING THE SOLDIERS RIGHT? DO ME A SOLID AND READ YOUR LINES PLEASE.”
They read their lines, and other than looking a little awkward, they sound alright.
“OKAY, NOW THROW YOUR SCRIPT AND ENACT IT. I DON’T KNOW. HOW DOES CHRIS USUALLY DO IT?”
“Tell us the placement of the stage.” Brady suggests, “Uhhh, tell us how shit we are in a kind, friendly way.”
“COMING YOUR WAY, Y’ALL LOOK LIKE TRASH, GIMME SOME PASSION BROS.” I say in my best imitation of Chris which gets a laugh from the actors.
In response, Chris turns up his amplifier and whammies his tremolo bar for like a whole minute which breaks our ears. Satisfied that he’s turned us deaf, he goes back into his own world with the rest of the music dudes.