The Jumbee (14 page)

“Come on!” Carmen dragged her away from the dressing table. “Scene Two is almost over. Lucia’s waiting for us in the wings.”

Esti was grateful that Juliet only had a few short lines in Scene Three. She let Carmen beckon her out on stage, aware of the necklace around her neck, but forcing her twitching fingers to remain at her sides. Juliet wouldn’t be fiddling with a golden chain.

She listened in growing wonder as Carmen and Lucia bantered the words of Nurse and Lady Capulet like they’d been rehearsing together all semester. As the audience began chuckling partway through Nurse’s monologue, Esti caught a glimpse of Aurora near the front of the packed theater. Focusing on the necklace against her skin, she closed her eyes and pretended she was in Italy.

By the time Lucia led her off the stage, Esti could almost hear vendors hawking their wares on the streets of Verona as Romeo discussed romance with his friends. And when she returned a few minutes later for the masquerade ball, she was ready.

She gave Greg a polite, questioning look, as Juliet would do when approached by a friend in disguise. Esti was gone, she thought, from this moment on to be Juliet. Her emotions were Juliet’s emotions.

Control.

Juliet will be clothed in the words Shakespeare has written.
Alan was right; she controlled Romeo and the rest of the cast—perhaps the entire audience—with the emotion and attitude of Shakespeare’s words.

“If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine,” Greg began, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, “the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims ready stand, to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.”

Esti allowed the audience to watch her study Greg. After a moment, she turned away from him, pleasure in her voice. “Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this.” She shyly bit her lip and glanced at him again. “For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss.”

He straightened, his eyes showing real interest. Esti felt a stab of satisfaction. Or was the satisfaction coming from Juliet? Gazing into his eyes as they continued, she watched him slowly melt. The farthest row in the theater heard her subtle invitation for Romeo’s kiss, yet the words felt like a whisper. By the time his lips brushed hers, the entire theater shimmered with anticipation.

Esti closed her eyes, her body consumed by the warm delight of Juliet. “Then have my lips the sin that they have took.”

“Sin from my lips?” Greg’s voice had precisely the right amount of distress. “O trespass sweetly urg’d! Give me my sin again.”

She giggled, already in love with the charming poet who stood in front of her.

Esti had forgotten the audience existed by the time she laid Romeo’s dagger to rest in its final deadly sheath. She lay motionless on the stage with her arm draped over Greg’s chest, aware of the sounds of sniffs and nose-blowing. As she listened to the Capulets and Montagues make grieving amends with one another, she abruptly realized that she had succeeded.

“For never was a story of more woe,” the prince concluded somberly, “than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

As Juliet slipped away from her, Esti blinked back tears. Alan’s necklace tickled her throat, and she knew without a doubt that this was the best performance she’d ever given. If only her dad could have seen her.

Esti followed the cast onstage three times for curtain calls. Emotions churned beneath the veneer of her smile, threatening to explode before she could safely tuck them away. Incredulous joy, overwhelming gratitude, aching sadness. Although she enjoyed the standing ovation, she wished everyone would quit clapping. Her head pounded in time with the applause, and she wanted to go home and collapse.

As soon as the house lights came on, however, the stage was mobbed. Trapped beside Greg, Esti forced herself to smile and nod at people marveling at Manchicay’s excellent production. She heard Carmen exclaiming
she
knew all along that Esti was better than Danielle, and hadn’t the whole cast been great?

Even Mr. Niles congratulated Esti with a pat on her shoulder, although his smile seemed a little forced. With a sigh, she watched him until he disappeared on the far side of the stage. He was obviously disappointed by Danielle’s lost chance, but the hard-earned praise made her smile.

As she began planning her exit, Greg suddenly draped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close. “I always knew you could act,” he whispered into her ear. “You’re incredible. Let’s go out and celebrate.”

“Right.” Trying not to laugh, she gave him a wink. “Don’t you need Danielle’s permission for that?”

To her relief, Aurora appeared in front of her with a knowing look. “Ready to go home?”

Esti ignored Greg’s protests. With an excuse about being exhausted, she followed her mom out of the theater. As soon as they got to the courtyard outside, she sagged with relief in the cool night air.

“Thanks. Oh, my God.”

Her mom laughed. “You looked floored in there. I am so proud of you, sweetie. I was thrilled to see you come onstage as Juliet. What happened to Danielle?”

“She got sick,” Esti said. “I found out just before the show started.”

Aurora smiled. “I feel sorry for her, but I can’t deny that she kind of deserved it. You did a great job tonight. The entire cast was wonderful.”

“Thanks.” Esti couldn’t help smiling too. “I sure wish Dad had seen it.”

“Oh, sweetie.” Her mom suddenly gave her a hug. “I do too. If he’d seen you tonight, I
know
he would have approved of us coming to Cariba. Do you want me to pull out your old Juliet costumes, in case you need them tomorrow?”

“Yes, please.” Esti closed her eyes as a puff of warm wind whispered across the parking lot. “That would be great. I dropped safety pins all over the stage tonight.”

“You drop-kicked the whole audience, mon. Juliet was a knockout.”

They both looked up in surprise. A West Indian boy leaned against a Jeep in front of them, his black hair braided in tight cornrows. His eyes reflected the building lights as he grinned at their astonished expressions.

“Fourth grade. Los Angeles.”

“Rafe Solomon,” Aurora exclaimed.

“For true.” He laughed.

“How did you get so tall?”

“It happens.” He flashed an easy smile at Esti.

Speechless, she stared up at him, her heart giving an extra thump. His eyes sparkled as they met hers, his teeth white and perfect against smooth dark skin. She’d had no idea that cornrows could look so good in a boy’s hair. No wonder Carmen had warned her, she thought. Rafe was gorgeous.

“What’s with the program tonight saying you were Lady Capulet?” he asked. “And why did I used to think your name was Serene?”

Act Two

Act Two. Scene One.

“You’re visiting your parents for Christmas?” Esti traced her fingers along the necklace Alan had given her, determined not to let herself be taken in by Rafe’s charm. The tiny golden pendant followed her touch.

Rafe had offered to drive them up Bayrum Hill in his dad’s Jeep, and Aurora happily invited him into the house. Her mom must not have heard about his reputation, Esti thought, or she wouldn’t have left them alone so soon on the balcony. As Rafe grinned at her behind his glass of juice, however, Esti couldn’t help wondering why they had never reconnected after she moved to Oregon. He was a walking dream; even his eyelashes were long and perfect.

“I start at UCLA next fall,” Rafe said. “I’ve been working in Los Angeles since I got out of high school last year, until I quit my job a couple of days ago. I can make better money at my uncle’s restaurant, and I don’t have to pay rent at my parents’ house. You want to go snorkeling in the morning?”

“I can’t swim.” Taking a sip of juice, she smiled at him.

“You haven’t seen the reefs yet?” Rafe didn’t hesitate. “You gotta come with me, then. We can stay in the shallows until you get the hang of it.”

Private lessons from Rafe Solomon.
Tomorrow morning she would drown, never again to play Juliet. All because of a good-looking boy she’d known in fourth grade. What would Alan think of that? She studied Rafe for a moment longer, trying to decide whether he was flirting or treating her like a long-lost friend. The hopeful look in his eyes gave it away.

“No, but thank you,” she said.

“You sure?” Rafe said in disappointment. “Well, think about it anyway. The water’s super warm this year, and I got plenty of snorkeling gear.” Undeterred, his face quickly lit up again. “So, what are you doing on Cariba? When my dad told me you had a bit part in the school play, I didn’t believe him. Of course, Juliet isn’t any bit part. I thought Danielle had that all wrapped up for herself. And what’s with the name Esti?”

“Don’t you remember? You called me S.T., for Serene Terra.” She briefly glanced up at a whispery wail in the breeze, not sure what to make of Rafe’s barrage of questions. Although Manchineel Cay wasn’t visible in the darkness, she could barely discern an uneven drumbeat.
The island doth protest too much,
she thought absurdly.

Ignoring the sounds, she turned back to Rafe. “I always liked the name, so now everyone calls me Esti.”

“You changed your name because of
me?
” Studying her face, he slowly smiled again.

With a deep breath, she looked back out at the sea again, twisting the necklace around her fingers. Despite Carmen’s warnings, Rafe’s smile did something disturbing to her heartbeat. A warm boyfriend would be awfully nice.

“I thought about you sometimes,” he said. “No, a lot, actually. Especially whenever your dad had a new movie coming out. And I saw you a couple of years ago on TV. I bragged to my buddies that you were my girlfriend in fourth grade.” Before she could answer, he gave her a rueful grin. “I was too embarrassed to try and track you down. I didn’t think you’d remember me, but then my dad told me you’re staying here in the Bayrum house.”

Esti seriously doubted that he’d been too embarrassed to find her. More likely he was too busy chasing girls. “I remember you doing my math homework for me,” she said.

“You know what I remember,” he said earnestly, “is you speaking in Shakespeare, like some foreign language. You were always in total control, and I couldn’t understand a word you said.”

“Control?” Was that really how he remembered her? “Not even close. It was all an act.”

“So to speak.”

Esti laughed. “Honestly, I didn’t understand much Shakespeare either, when I first started. I just memorized the sounds.”

“That makes me feel better.” He gave an exaggerated sigh. “You’re still so good, I’m surprised you’ll even talk to me now. After watching Juliet tonight, I don’t know if I have the nerve to ask you out.”

As Esti raised her eyebrows, the corner of his mouth slowly turned up in another smile. When her body responded with a delightful tingle, she shook her head. He was very good at this game, but she wouldn’t go out with him. She had no reason to doubt Carmen’s list of troubles behind that stunning smile, and her heart was focused on Alan.

Rafe’s eyes became serious, intently searching hers. “Please tell me you’re not dating Greg Timmons.”

“Of course not.” She shook her head again. “He’s a jerk.”

He leaned forward. “Are you seeing someone else?”

“Yes.” Her skin tightened over her scalp as she thought about the delicate necklace resting against her throat. She had never
seen
Alan.

“Of course you got a boyfriend.” Rafe scowled. “How dumb can I be?”

“Well, he’s . . .” Another tingle swept through Esti as Rafe’s eyes again grew hopeful. When he nudged his chair closer, she quickly turned away. “I’m not available.”

They were both quiet for a moment, the silence only broken by trade winds swirling around them. Finally Rafe cleared his throat. “Let me know if that ever changes.”

Although his words left the future open, the resigned tone of his voice seemed real, for the first time all evening.

Esti looked at him again, unable to resist a teasing smile. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too.” He met her eyes with an abashed grin. “You sure you don’t want to go swimming tomorrow? For what it’s worth, I’m a certified instructor. I
am
capable of being completely professional.”

“Promise?”

He sighed. “If I have to.”

“Because a girl can’t live on a Caribbean island without knowing how to swim. Right?”

“Still in control.” Shaking his head, he began to laugh. “You haven’t changed at all.”