Spain or Shine

by Michelle Jellen

  The next morning Elena’s great-aunt offered to drive her to the train station. But the older woman insisted that she take Elena on a quick sightseeing trip before she caught her train.

  “There is one more thing you have to see before you leave Barcelona,” her great-aunt remarked as she turned the little car around the corner and several tall breathtaking spires came into view above the other buildings. “There it is. La Sagrada Família.”

  The elder Elena parked the car and they stepped out onto the sidewalk.

  “Is it a church?” Elena asked. She looked up to take in the massive intricately carved and oddly shaped structure.

  “It is a church and a work of art.”

  It was like something out of a Tim Burton movie—strange, beautiful, and utterly compelling. Elena took her camera out and snapped a few pictures before her great-aunt hurried her back into the car.

  “I want to make sure you have plenty of time at the train station,” she explained as they pulled away from the curb. Elena turned in her seat to steal one last glance at the towering marvel. It’s obscenely high spires were visible even after the rest became obstructed. Elena thought it was the perfect last-glimpse of her time in Barcelona.

  They arrived at the station a little early. Since she had some time to kill, Elena hunted down an Internet café and started writing an e-mail to her mom.

  To: CarlaHolloway@email.com

  From: LanieH@email.com

  Subject: Barcelona

  Mom, I just left Great-Aunt Elena’s house this morning. I’m about to board a train back to San Sebastián, but I found a little Internet café at the train station so I wanted to write you a quick e-mail to let you know how wonderful it was. I loved Great-Aunt Elena, and I’m so proud to be named after her. I think you knew exactly what I would think of her when you insisted I go. I feel like I’m really finding my place, Mom, through my connection with Great-Aunt Elena, and through this playwriting program I’m doing. Thanks for pushing me to make the trip to Barcelona. It was so worth it!

  I missed you guys over Thanksgiving, but it was good to be with family this weekend. Luckily, I’ll be coming home the week before Christmas, so I won’t have to spend two major holidays without you all.

  My teacher is announcing the winners of this playwriting contest tomorrow. I am so nervous because I really want the play I wrote with my friend Alex to be chosen. Think good thoughts for me.

  Love,

  Elena

  Chapter Eleven

  “This is a disaster,” Alex hollered, hurtling his hat through the air. Nice touch, Elena thought. They were working through one of Ms. B’s improvisation workshops in the theater at school. She was still getting the hang of this improv thing, but Alex had taken to it immediately.

  “Just calm down. Take a seat and relax,” Elena said in her most even tone.

  “How can I calm down?” he bellowed, stomping in circles around the stage. His footsteps were so heavy she could practically see their impressions on the wood like footprints in sand. The last few playwriting classes had taken place in the theater where Ms. B led them through the basics of acting and set design. Elena resisted at first, but Ms. B insisted that in order to be an empathetic director, everyone had to try their hand at acting. The first few times Elena stepped out onto the stage her heart was thudding like a hammer and she couldn’t forget all her classmates’ eyes that were focused on her. But gradually she’d become less self-conscious. She wasn’t exactly comfortable, but she could do it.

  This particular day, Ms. B had given Elena and Alex a scene to improvise in which Alex was freaking out, while Elena calmed him down. Elena really felt herself acting. On the surface, she was cool as an iceberg, while inside she was a swirl of anxiety and nerves. Ms. B was set to announce the final plays at the end of class, and Elena could barely contain her restlessness. Finally, Ms. B signaled the end of their scene.

  “Thank you, Alex and Elena. Great job.” Ms. B joined them in the middle of the stage and made them take a bow. “Always take a bow. You earned it.

  “Next class we’ll go over sense memory,” Ms. B continued as she took a seat on the stage, letting her silk-slippered feet dangle off the side.

  Ms. B cleared her throat and pulled her clipboard onto her lap. This was it, Elena thought. She was going to announce the finalists. She could barely sit still. She glanced at Alex, who wasn’t even disguising the fact that his eyes were closed and his head was resting on the back of the seat. Was he seriously going to sleep through this?

  “I just want to say you all had particularly strong final plays this year,” Ms. B began. “It was difficult for me to choose only two plays because there was so much passion and creativity in all of your writing. You should all be proud.”

  Elena believed her competition was stiff. But she also suspected some of this speech was meant as a consolation for the losers. She really hoped she wasn’t one of them. Not only had she become excited about this for herself, she also didn’t want to disappoint Alex, or Ms. B.

  “I wish we could stage all your plays, but as you know, we don’t have the time or resources to do that.”

  Elena shifted in her seat again. Just get to the names, she thought.

  “And I want to praise you for collectively being bold and brave enough to tackle some of the tough teen issues,” Ms. B continued. “Like drug abuse, date rape, eating disorders.”

  Elena silently cursed herself for listening to Alex’s idea to set themselves apart by not delving into those very issues. She knew Ms. B would love the drug-overdose idea. It was dark and edgy, but it also had a lesson. Elena was suddenly convinced that Dylan had chosen that topic for her play.

  “Okay, so here are the finalists. If I read your name, please stay after class so we can start working out the details. The first play is by Gabe and Dylan, called The Edge of Sanity. And the second play is by...”

  Elena concentrated on a loose thread at the hem of her jeans.

  “...Alex and Elena, called The Long Journey Home.”

  Elena looked up to see Ms. B staring directly at her and smiling. Elena felt herself smile back, a big smile that bubbled up from inside. She felt herself register victory. It was a strange, unfamiliar sensation that tingled down to her toes.

  Alex sat up in his seat, straight as a flagpole.

  “We got it!” He threw his arm around Elena’s shoulder. Then he lowered his voice and pressed his forehead to Elena’s. “We rock, man.” She nodded through giddy laughter.

  She barely noticed as the rest of the class filed out of the theater and into the cool afternoon. She was in a happiness coma that she knew would last the rest of the day.

  Ms. B called the four winners up to the front of the stage and handed out some worksheets outlining a suggested timeline for planning and rehearsing.

  “You are going to be responsible for casting your plays, so I suggest you start working on that right away,” Ms. B said in a voice that was all business. “You can cast people from this class if you like, but you aren’t required to. As we get a little further along we’ll talk about set design and props. You’ll be responsible for letting me know what you need in terms of props, and I’ll assemble a team for each of you to help design the sets and the costumes. My advice is to keep all of these things pretty simple, though. Any questions?”

  Elena felt as if she had about a million, but she couldn’t decide which to ask so she shook her head along with the other three.

  “Okay, congratulations, you guys.” Ms. B hopped down from the stage and began packing up her lesson plans. “Good luck finding great actors.”

  Elena and Alex walked out under a cloudy sky.

  “When do you want to start casting actors?” Elena asked.

  “Let’s meet tomorrow at the theater to talk about it. I think we should have all the parts filled by this weekend.”

  Elena agreed, then said good-bye to Alex and started toward the multimedia center to check her e-mail before heading hom
e. She was so excited about their play being chosen, but she was also already worrying about casting. It was obvious that Alex wanted to play the leading man. And most of the other roles were relatively minor, so she didn’t think they would be a problem. The only part that could pose a problem was the female lead. Elena knew everyone was probably assuming she would take that part, but she didn’t want to appear onstage at all.

  The multimedia center was empty, as she’d expected. She logged on and began writing an e-mail to Claire and her mom about the great news.

  To: dramagirl23@email.com; CarlaHolloway@email.com

  From: LanieH@email.com

  Subject: We got it!

  Mom and Claire,

  I wanted to let you know that my play was chosen as a finalist in the big competition. Now Alex and I have to work on producing this thing. It’s going to be a lot of work, but I’m so ready! I’m deliriously happy.

  I love you both.

  Elena

  Elena signed off the computer, grabbed her backpack, and walked back out onto the nearly empty campus. She was walking briskly toward the road when she felt a long set of legs fall into stride with her own.

  She looked up and saw that it was Miguel.

  “Hola, Elena,” he said.

  “Hola, Miguel.” She smiled. “¿Cómo estás?”

  He smiled back and told her in Spanish that he was fine. Elena hadn’t slipped immediately into English as she normally did, so he continued in Spanish. “I was just talking with my teacher. We have a big test next week, and I need to do well.”

  Elena nodded and smiled.

  “How are you?” he asked. “You look particularly happy today.”

  Elena suddenly noticed the broad smile plastered to her face. “Well, actually the play I wrote with Alex for our play production class was chosen as one of the two winners. That means we’ll get to stage the play for the school and anyone else who wants to come in, like, two and a half weeks.”

  “Wow, that’s great.”

  “It’s kind of an honor.”

  “I’m sure it is. I’m so happy for you, Elena.” By the way he opened his eyes wide she could tell he was impressed.

  “Thanks. It’s something I really wanted, so that’s probably why I look so happy.”

  They approached the edge of campus, where the grass met the sidewalk.

  “I have to go to work,” Miguel said, jutting his thumb in the direction of the Maria Cristina.

  “Okay.” She headed in the other direction, toward the Cruzes’ apartment. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Elena,” he called after she had walked several paces. “Congratulations.” Then he winked at her, which was sort of a cheesy thing to do, but it made her light up anyway. She walked out toward the beach and realized that during her whole conversation with Miguel she’d forgotten to be nervous. She hadn’t analyzed the way he was talking to her, or the content of what he said. She’d just had a nice, relaxed conversation with him. Plus, she realized that he was the first live person she’d shared her good news with. She almost felt like keeping her news to herself for the rest of the night, so that for a day she and Miguel would be sharing a secret.

  Chapter Twelve

  By the weekend, Elena and Alex had filled every role in their play except the female lead. To Elena’s relief, Alex didn’t pressure her into playing the part herself.

  “It’s cool, Elena,” he’d said when she’d defensively listed all the reasons she wasn’t prepared to go onstage. “We’ll work it out. Just chill.”

  On Sunday afternoon, their self-imposed deadline for filling all the roles, Elena and Alex sat at an outdoor table at a café on the Alameda waiting for Jenna to join them. Elena had asked Jenna to come hang out, but she and Alex really had more on the agenda.

  “Hi, guys.” Jenna smiled as she approached their table.

  “Jenna.” Alex beamed. “Hey, come have a seat.”

  Jenna pulled out one of the iron chairs as a waitress came to take their order.

  “What’s going on, guys?” Jenna asked, once the waitress left the table. “How’s the casting going?”

  Elena and Alex glanced at each other briefly.

  “Actually, it’s funny you ask.” Elena let out a tight laugh. “We’re having some trouble casting the female lead.”

  “You’re not playing the lead, Elena?”

  Elena shook her head. “I’m not playing anything.”

  Jenna looked puzzled.

  “It’s the way I want it. I’m going to direct and do other things, but I just don’t belong anywhere on the stage.”

  “Well, I actually think you’d do a good job, but whatever. It’s your play. I’m sure you guys know what’s best.”

  The waitress delivered their drinks.

  “So, what are you going to do about your leading lady?” Jenna asked.

  “Actually, Jenna, we were thinking you would be an excellent leading lady,” Alex said gently.

  “What?” Jenna looked from Alex to Elena, then back to Alex.

  Elena began to explain her theory on why Jenna was a born actress. “You’re a natural performer, J. You dance up a storm every time we go out. You’re inherently uninhibited. You have a great speaking voice. It’s like the world is your stage.”

  “I don’t know,” Jenna said, scrunching her nose. “I’ve never acted before. Isn’t there, like, a lot of memorization?”

  “Jenna, I promise, if I can memorize all my lines, then you can, too.” Alex laughed.

  “Well, let me see the play.” Jenna held out her hand, and Elena passed a copy of it across the table.

  Jenna leafed through the first few pages. “So I’d be this Lisa person?”

  Elena and Alex nodded.

  “I don’t know. I think I might be shy onstage.”

  “Jenna,” Elena said, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “I can’t believe you’ve ever been shy in your life.”

  “True. But I’ve never really been a performer either.” Jenna was quiet for a while. “I’ll have to have enough time to work on my final architecture project. And I won’t be able to rehearse, or whatever, on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons because that’s when I’m getting together with my group for my final project.”

  “So, does that mean you’ll do it?”

  Jenna smiled. “Yeah. All right, I’ll do it.”

  Alex leaned back in his chair and gave her a mock-serious look. “You know, Jenna, there’s one thing we haven’t told you about this role.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Well, I’m playing the main character, and at the end you would become my girlfriend ... in the play.”

  “Hmm,” Jenna leaned in toward the table with her chin resting on her palm. She appeared to be giving Alex a serious once-over. Then she leaned back again and said, “I think I can handle that.”

  “Okay, Jenna. You come on from stage left in this scene,” Elena directed. They were only a week and a half away from their big performance. Elena had called all the actors together to rehearse some of their scenes for the last time before the dress rehearsal. Most of the actors were their friends and a couple of the better actors from class. An exceptional actress named Stephanie was playing the long-lost mother, Mrs. Walker. Chris, Marci, and Caitlin were playing strangers that the two main characters met along their journey. They had ten lines between the three of them. Even Alita had a role. She had begged Elena to let her play a part, so Elena had given her the role of Girl #2. Her one line was, “Mrs. Walker doesn’t live here anymore,” which she had insisted on repeating for Elena every night during dinner for the last week with a different inflection each time.

  For the rest of the afternoon they would be working on an early scene in the play, where their two main characters, Jack and Lisa, meet each other and Jack convinces Lisa to help him find his mother. The scene involved only Jenna and Alex, so most of the other actors had already left the theater, but Alita stuck around to watch. Elena had been a little nervous about letti
ng Alita hang around, fearing she’d disrupt everyone with her constant chattering, but so far she’d been very quiet and well behaved, sitting beside Elena in the audience and staring with saucer-big eyes at the older kids up on the stage. Elena couldn’t help but feel a little proud, as though Alita were her real sister.

  Jenna tried the scene again, but this time she fumbled two lines.

  “Okay, you guys are really close to getting this,” Elena said as she climbed the stairs on the side of the stage. “Jenna, you want to be more playful in your interaction with Alex’s character. This girl doesn’t take anything too seriously. They’re flirting with each other, feeling each other out. Here, let me show you how I was thinking you could play it.”

  Elena took Jenna’s place onstage.

  “Come with me,” Alex-as-Jack pleaded. “Help me look for my mom.”

  “My ex-boyfriend will be pissed,” she said, trying to sound coy. “What do you need me for, anyway? You seem smart.”

  “I’m book smart. Do you know how far that gets me? About as far as the next corner, where I’ll probably get mugged. Come on, you know this city. You told me you’re streetwise, a drifter—this is right up your alley, so to speak.”

  “I told you I was a free spirit. There’s a world of difference.” Elena-as-Lisa raised an eyebrow. “Besides, I don’t run off with strange boys.”

  “Neither do I,” Alex returned in a perfect deadpan. “Come with me.”

  “What about my ex?”

  “Hmm,” Alex put his hand to his chin and smirked. “No, he can’t come along.”

  Elena stopped the scene and looked at Jenna to see if she understood. Jenna sighed.

  “You’ll get it,” Elena said. “No pressure.”

  “Okay I’ll try it again.” Jenna nodded, her face pulled into a studied frown. This was the first time Elena had seen Jenna go for more than a half hour without flirting or being silly. She was glad Jenna was taking this all so seriously. Elena resumed her seat next to Alita in the center of the audience.