I shrugged my shoulders, and she smacked me on the back. ‘Come on, let’s get our costumes on.’
Another three days later and we were ready to perform the short – and according to Chuck, massively edited – version of Much Ado About Nothing. It was barely anything like the original. Caitlin had basically taken the characters from the play and created her own version. Chuck praised Caitlin, saying it was nothing short of genius.
The adults had gathered in the drawing room, where the chairs had been pushed back into a semi-circle so that the space in front became a stage. Caitlin’s cousin, Rick, a twelve-year-old spectacle-wearing stubby little boy, was the narrator. He received endless uproars of laughter, which were, of course, all of Caitlin’s words.
The marriage scene arrived. I was already in the drawing room, but Caitlin wanted to make an entrance. We had briefly walked through the lines of this scene, but Caitlin was adamant she wanted it to appear fresh for us as well as the audience, so she and Chuck had gone off together many times to rehearse alone. I couldn’t help but feel as though some of the extra rehearsals they put in together were not needed, and that Caitlin was just trying to get Chuck away from me.
As Caitlin took to the stage, which was just the rug in front of the fireplace, everyone oohed and ahhed at Ava’s wedding dress, which sat a little loose on Caitlin’s shoulders and the hem almost reached the floor.
Chuck and Caitlin, who played Benedick and Beatrice, two ‘enemies’ tricked into confessing their love for one another, were now centre stage. Chuck was wearing a suit and tie, and Caitlin had a bouquet of flowers from the garden, which I had been instructed to hold, as apparently that’s what bridesmaids do. I stood by dutifully, ready to hand back the bouquet of flowers. My costume for the play was a light-pink ballet tutu over pink leggings and a pink T-shirt. Nothing from Caitlin’s dressing-up box fitted us any more, but I liked the modern, improvised look.
Caitlin’s cousin, Lucy, was the vicar. She stumbled on the words – ‘Holy matron-only’ – which made the adults laugh. Then she said, ‘I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.’ Caitlin didn’t hold back and leapt on Chuck in a comedy style, kissing him hard on the lips. I heard a few loud gasps, then the audience erupted into applause. I looked the longest at Ava and Maxwell, who looked pleased and embarrassed all at once.
My lines felt like a bit of an anticlimax after Caitlin and Chuck’s marriage scene, but I said them with perfect clarity. And although I had a slight bit of stage fright, I felt I did a great job, and Mum and Dad and Hunter clapped the loudest and longest at the end when we all took our bows. Then they came rushing over to me, their arms open, Mum pulling me into an embrace first. ‘You were amazing, love. Well done, we loved all of it, you said your lines so well, all that practice paid off!’
I squeezed myself out of Mum’s embrace, as I could sense Caitlin’s stare. I glanced at her, and she looked away awkwardly, then out towards the room where Maxwell and Ava still sat, looking around the room at anywhere but at their daughter. Troy and Able arrived at Caitlin’s feet and jumped up and down, trying to get her attention. She ignored their requests and fell into a conversation with her cousin next to her.
Everyone made their way to the dining room, where Judith had laid out a spread of sandwiches, crisps, cakes and Party Rings. There were also jugs of blackcurrant squash and orange juice and pots of tea for the adults. There was a real sense of camaraderie in the room as the adults went around congratulating us all, and I felt like part of a team, as though we had all achieved something great. Which I supposed we had. I had been part of a few plays at school but they hadn’t felt anything like this, with all the adults making such a fuss of us, and Judith running around topping up our beakers with squash.
I spotted Ava and Maxwell coming our way where I stood with Caitlin at the end of the table. Mum and Dad had finally stopped telling me what an absolute natural I was and that they were signing me up for acting lessons imminently to go off for a cup of tea on the other side of the dining room where Judith was cutting them a huge slice of chocolate cake each.
‘What did you think, Mama?’ Caitlin said loudly and theatrically, still high on the performance and now on Ribena. She put her hand out in front of her and took another bow.
‘Congratulations, darling,’ Maxwell said and leant in and kissed Caitlin. ‘A blinding performance. Absolute triumph. I must get back to my office now, darling, but enjoy the afterparty!’ and he walked out of the dining room.
Ava and Caitlin were left looking at one another. I sipped my Ribena, trying to sink into the background, but I was already tightly pressed against the wall.
‘I think, Caitlin, you need to slip out of that dress immediately. That was, after all, the agreement.’ Ava spoke quietly, but sternly and then she turned to someone behind her and began smiling and chatting.
Caitlin’s face went from pure elation to one of absolute anger and disgust. I had developed a sixth sense around Caitlin and could feel the build-up to something. Had I not been blocked in by the table on one side and Caitlin on the other, then I would have avoided her hand coming towards my hand that was clutching a beaker of Ribena. But once she had my hand tightly in her own, she poured my blackcurrant drink straight down her
