The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 38- Meet me in a Safe Place

 

"I won't deal with your lies anymore..."

(Note: The narrative in the following chapters derive from Scarlet’s imagination unless stated otherwise)


            As an electric guitar revs in the background, the three bedrooms of the three main characters come into view. On stage left, Vanessa urgently rummages through her closet and dresser to pack away as many of her belongings as she can fit into a large brown suitcase. At center stage, Amber sits at her desk scribbling a ballpoint pen across a sheet of paper. Then stage right, Emilia meticulously removes photos from an album, throwing some to the floor with more fury than others.
            Amber has full control of the spotlight when the song officially begins. The scratching of her pen matches the song’s tempo with remarkable precision. Amber’s letter, as it turns out, is an invitation to Vanessa. An invitation to escape an abusive relationship and stay with her. The next four lines serve as a call and response. On lines one and three, Amber instructs everyone in earshot to follow her lead. Then on two and four, the light around her dims and illuminates Emilia and Vanessa, voicing their reply verbally and through mirrored crisscross footwork.
            A knock on the door startles Vanessa, prompting her to move faster. She reviews the address on Amber’s letter and slips it into her bra before climbing out her window onto the fire escape. Amber opens her closet, revealing multiple black dresses and tops with a wide range of leather boots lining the floor. She spends the remainder of the scene deciding what to wear before making her own departure.
            Finally, the spotlight gives its full attention to Emilia. She smashes multiple picture frames and loads a cardboard box with items that had sentimental value at one time. Everything from ticket stubs to photo-booth keepsakes to lingerie and stockings. Her phone rings multiple times. She glares in its direction but otherwise refuses to acknowledge it. Church bells peal in the song’s final moments. She opens her closet. Its only occupant: a wedding dress tatted like a doily around the neck and sleeves. She stares it for a few seconds before cramming it into the box. The last thing to go is an engagement ring. She rips it off her finger and drops it onto her bed. Box under her arm, she exits, slamming the door closed behind her.

            “Hold on, hold on…” Talia demanded, ejecting Scarlet from her train of thought. “Emilia was engaged? She never told me this.”
            Scarlet rolled her eyes. “Yeah I said that too and I’m sure she’d say this to you as well. You never asked!“ She quickly discovered she’d pushed herself too far and reached back over the toilet. Only dry heaves came out. Once everything relaxed again, she explained, “she also said on multiple occasions how you decided what role you wanted her to play without asking.” The stunned expression on Talia’s face, eyes staring into space and mouth hanging open, was almost hilarious. She inhaled, ready to add a follow up question with a sense of urgency but Scarlet cut her off. “She’s still a virgin. Actually, that’s one of the key reasons why things didn’t work out between her and her boyfriend. She wanted to wait and he couldn’t.”
            “Oh…” Talia nodded, letting this revelation sink in. Then her mind quickly went in a different direction. “So Amber makes herself into the hero that saves everyone? Creating the sirens when I was the one…”
            “Let me tell the story and you can decide that for yourself later.”
            “Did she explain her role to the rest of you? Is there any truth behind it or is this another act?”
            Scarlet shrugged. “Amber never explains the reasons for the things she does. All I know for sure is that she wanted us to feel comfortable enough to tell our own stories. Show a vulnerable side the audience has never seen before… can I continue without interruption?” She heaved one more before Talia gave her a go-ahead nod.

            Emilia finally answers her ringing phone as she enters an empty alleyway. Its only two occupants are a metal trash can and a flickering streetlamp. Gingerly, she lays her phone down on the lid of the trash can. With a flick of her wrist, her white babydoll dress with black trim transforms into a black dress with white trim. The song serving as her counterstrike blasts through the speakers. Her lips sneering with defiance, all of the words she’d held back through the course of the relationship pour out of her in a steady stream of catharsis.
            At the same time, her footwork tells a different story. She executes each movement with meaningful precision, all while maintaining a sense of grace and beauty. Various techniques of ballet, stepdance, tap, jive, and contemporary blend together seamlessly into one unique style. And thanks to her quickness and cleverness, no two sequences are identical. With pointed toes and bended knees, she sways from side to side. Sometimes she completes the sequence with a flurry of taps. Others, she flicks her kicks outward and spins like a top into a dazzling pirouette. For the transitions in between, she leaps into a split jump, flipping forward or from one side to another. Her flexibility, whether in her jumps or her turns, is perhaps the most awe-inspiring aspect of the spectacle.
            She picks her phone up in one hand while the other transfers the contents of her box into the trashcan. The fury within her grows hotter with each passing second. Once the box is emptied, two items remain: a matchbox and a bottle of lighter fluid. She douses the open trash can, strikes a match and flicks it inside. Just as the contents inside burst into flame and the lightbulb in the streetlamp finally bursts, Emilia shuts her flip phone and declares, “I am so done!”
            After the flames die, leaving only ashes in their wake, Emilia’s expression slowly shifts from triumph to panic. She takes a step back and gasps, “oh god what have I done?” Pressing a hand to her forehead, she paces back and forth. “What do I do now? I don’t have anywhere to go. I can’t go home. Mom and dad told me what a big mistake this was, just running off with him and getting married. Even if I begged, they’d never take me back. ‘You made the bed, you have to sleep in it,’ they’d say. ‘Being impulsive is going to get you into trouble someday.’”
            Emilia reaches into her purse, fanning open all of the money in her possession. “Not enough to pay for rent but it’s at least enough for a drink. After that, I’ll figure out what my next move is going to be.” She puts her cash away and smooths the wrinkles out of her dress. “I just wish there was a sign, something to tell me I didn’t make a huge mistake.”
            Slowly as she departs the alleyway, a new melody begins echoing through the air. Emilia follows the sound, her stride quickening with a resurgence of anticipation, and stops as soon as she uncovers its source. Her jaw drops. “It’s beautiful…”
            The building at end of the main drag combines elements of old and new architecture. The wooden facade has an awning held up by pillars on either side. In the open area beneath, there is room enough for two rocking chairs or a pair of bar tables with accompanying stools. The whole structure, painted a pale bluish-green, looks like it was lifted from the reenactment of a Wild West shootout— except in pristine condition. The rest of the building behind it is more modern with 21st century brick and concrete giving it additional integrity. Stretching across the oval roof sitting atop the awning, a neon sign with bright red lettering reads “Aphrodite’s Sanctuary.”
            As Emilia makes her way toward it, the music crescendos and everything else fades to black as the ongoing scene transitions to the next.

***
Music: 
"Electric Chapel" by Lady Gaga (opening sequence)
    -the setup would be similar to something you'd see on "Glee" or MTV back in the day

"I'm so Done" by Alexis Grace (Emilia's solo)
    -a unique fusion of ballet, jive and Irish step dance. Some of the moves in my head, I saw years ago from an Irish dancer on a competition show "World of Dance" that featured Michael Flately and other dancers from around the world as judges
    -the music video for this song is on YouTube. It's nothing like the vision I developed in my head but the idea of it was really fascinating. Alexis (who left American Idol in 9th place in season 8- WAY too soon) is in two roles where she plays the good girl and the bad girl.