by Londyn Skye
… A slow smile crept onto Lily’s face as she sat in her dressing room remembering the feeling she had when she woke up every morning to find another one of James’s letters. Austin was happy to see that setting his pride and ego aside seemed to help pull Lily out of the dark place she had been drowning in before showtime. She was so lost in her joyous memories that she forgot Austin was even in the room with her. The moment was awkward when she opened her eyes to find him still standing over her. Her cheeks flushed red and she sheepishly smiled. Austin’s smile illuminated as well; the Lily he knew was finally back.
After sensing a positive shift in Lily’s demeanor, Austin offered a hand to help her stand. As soon as she took hold of it, there was a knock at her dressing room door that startled them both. Before Lily could respond, the knocking turned into a hard, impatient banging. “Lily Adams!” a deep voice called out from the other side, as the pounding continued.
Lily looked at Austin before walking toward the door. He shrugged his shoulders, looking just as perplexed as she did. By the elevated voices and the repeated beating on the door, they both knew that whatever lie on the other side was not something they would be happy to deal with. Lily reached for the doorknob, but Austin pulled her away and stepped in front of her, wanting to be her protective barrier before he opened it.
“Yes, can I help you?” Lily answered, peering over Austin’s shoulder. Her first thoughts were of James when she finally saw the two large deputies standing there. Thinking the worst, her stomach began turning in knots. She was not remotely prepared to receive any bad news, especially if it had to do with James.
“We need to have a word with you,” one of the deputies told her.
“Is there a problem?” Lily asked.
“What’s going on here?” William asked, after suddenly showing up with Elijah by his side.
“This little show ‘a hers is ova’, that’s what’s goin’ on here,” the deputy explained. “We got word that this here nigga’s a runaway.”
“Watch your mouth!” Elijah spat, bucking up in Lily’s defense.
“Who the hell you think y’ur talkin’ to, boy!” the other deputy barked, taking a step toward Elijah.
Elijah lowered his eyelids and never flinched.
“The question is, who the hell’s been talkin’ to you?” Austin interjected, ending the stare down between Elijah and the deputy. “Who fed you that load ‘a horse shit about Lily bein’ a runaway?!”
The deputy motioned his head toward the corner. Tucker stood there chewing sunflower seeds, moving his mouth as gracefully as a cow. He was disrespectfully spitting the shells on the theater floor with a smirk on his face, his eyes coasting up and down Lily’s body. “Sho’ do look purty t’night, pumpkin. Gon’ be the finest thang I eva’ saw in handcuffs,” Tucker told her, spitting out another mouthful of sunflower seeds afterwards.
“What’s he talkin’ about?” Lily asked. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“They say y’ur the one that created this here lil’ show,” one of the deputies began. “So, I assume y’ur smart enough to know that, despite this here bein’ a free state, the law states that any slaves roamin’ around within it will still be treated as such, and any runaways will be jailed until they’re able to be returned to their owna’s. You do know that, right sweetheart?” he asked in a condescending tone.
“But she’s no runaway!” William interjected.
“Well, unless you can show us some papa’work as to the proof ‘a that, we’ll have to consida’ her as such. If you ain’t got no papa’work, you can forget about her settin’ one foot on that stage, ’cause she’ll be on ’er merry little way down to the jailhouse ’til we can straighten this whole matta’ out.” The sheriff took out a pair of handcuffs and began walking toward Lily.
Elijah stepped in front of the deputy. “You can’t arrest her without probable cause!”
“His word is probable cause, boy!” the deputy replied, pointing at Tucker. “And without her carryin’ documented proof, in the eyes ‘a the law, I’m gonna have to consida’ her a runaway! Now take y’ur ass outta my way ’fore I arrest you for obstruction!” He stepped around Elijah and proceeded toward Lily.
“You ain’t arrestin’ nobody!” Austin shouted, still blocking the deputy’s path to Lily. “We got a show to put on!”
“I don’t give an outhouse shit ’bout no goddamn show! I’m here to uphold the law!”
“No worries. Everyone calm down,” Landon interrupted, walking up in his usual calm and collected manner. “Nobody’s going anywhere.”
“Who the hell’re you?” the other deputy asked.
“I’m La-.” Landon cleared his throat and suddenly replaced his German accent with a horribly replicated southern one. “Larry … Larry Adams. I’m James Adams’ brotha’. He’s the owna’ of this beautiful young lady.” He touched Lily on the shoulder, smiled, and then extended his hand to the deputy for him to shake. “Please, pardon the confusion here tonight. See, my brotha’, James, is away on business, and he’s left me as her ova’seer. But no worries! He’s left all the appropriate documentation in my care.”
“He’s a goddamn liar!” Tucker shouted.
“Follow me, gentlemen,” Landon instructed. “If you’ll step with me out to my carriage, I’ll show you both exactly what you need to see to clear up this misunderstandin’.” He took both deputies by the shoulders and began guiding them down the hallway, completely ignoring the conniption fit that Tucker was having. Everyone else left in the hallway turned in unison to look at Tucker, who suddenly cowered in the corner.
While everyone waited for Landon, Elijah walked over to speak to Lily. Earlier in the week, he had offered to ride back to Athens to find out why James had yet to join everyone in New Lexington for stage rehearsals. He could tell that Lily was on the verge of tears when he returned with no news of James’s whereabouts. Since then, he had done all he could to lift Lily’s spirits and comfort her. “Are you okay?” Elijah asked her, opening his arms and inviting Lily into his embrace.
Lily hesitantly stepped forward into his arms. “As well as I can be unda’ the circumstances, I s’ppose.”
Elijah pulled Lily back from their embrace and touched her on the cheek. “I know this whole week has had one storm afta’ anotha’, but I’ll do all I can to help see you through this mess, okay?”
“Thank you, Elijah. I really appreciate it.”
“You! Come with us!” everyone suddenly heard one of the deputies snarl. Lily’s heart began to beat wildly when she turned and saw both deputies headed toward her. To her surprise, though, they breezed right past her and grabbed Tucker by the elbow. “Get y’ur ass outta here ’fore we take ya’ in for makin’ false reports.” The largest deputy gave Tucker a hard shove in the back and marched behind him to be sure he found his way to an exit.
“What?! Y’all got it all wrong! That man ain’t his goddamn brotha’!” Tucker objected, pointing at Landon. “That nigga’s a runaway! I’m tellin’ ya’! They’re all goddamn liars!” he continued shouting as he was marched out of the building.
“Hey Larry!” Lily teased, nudging Landon on his shoulder. “How on earth did you handle that?”
“Well, let’s just say, I showed those deputies the only sort of papers that anyone really ever cares to see.” Landon had not the slightest clue what sort of paperwork the deputies needed, but figured that paper colored in green always sufficed, especially those with three-digit numbers beautifully embossed on the outer edges.
Lily laughed at Landon’s devilish deceit and then turned and continued watching Tucker being hauled away, still loudly protesting every step of the way. Tucker had every reason to be upset, though. If anyone knew for a fact that James was not away on a business trip, it was definitely him …
Just a week before, it was Tucker who once again found himself at the entrance of William’s estate, stirring up a commotion with the bandits. This time around, however, he was given far less of a
problem gaining access to the grounds because of the two gentlemen who accompanied him: two uniformed deputies. They were joined by Buck Harley, the owner of Buck’s Tavern. The security bandits gave as much resistance to their entry as they could but were forced to step aside and let them enter after the deputies had their say.
As Tucker and the deputies trotted onto the grounds, they saw a multitude of people milling about in the yard, loading up wagons, preparing for travel. James was securing the last bit of show equipment and instruments into his wagon until his attention drifted to the sight of horses riding onto William’s land. He and everyone else suddenly stopped what they were doing. By the time Tucker and his crew made it to the front of the house, almost everyone from the orchestra had gathered near the porch, staring fiercely at Tucker’s entourage, like the unwanted intruders that they were.
“Can we help you?” William called out.
A rather unkempt deputy dismounted his horse. After whispering to Tucker, he turned in the direction of the man he was there to see. “You James Adams?” he asked, as he spat and wiped his mouth.
“I am,” James admitted without hesitation.
The deputy held up a piece of paper. “I got a warrant here for your arrest.”
In his peripheral vision, James saw William mouth a curse word and shake his head. James stepped down off the porch and snatched the paper out of the deputy’s hand. He quickly read the list of allegations: simple battery, disturbing the peace, destruction of property, disorderly conduct. Each allegation stemmed from his scuffle with Tucker at Buck’s Tavern after confronting him about the slanderous newspaper article. Immediately incensed over the mediocre matter, James crumpled the warrant and threw it on the ground. “I’ll deal with this petty shit when I get back.” He then proceeded to walk past the deputy to finish loading his wagon.
“You ain’t goin’ nowhere, boy!” the deputy said, grabbing hold of James’s arm before he could take another step.
James looked down at the deputy’s hand around his arm, then glared up at him, threatening him with his eyes. James suddenly calmed himself a bit after looking over at William, whose face spoke volumes. He then turned his attention back to the deputy and snatched his arm free. “Look, can’t I just pay a few fines and be done with this bullshit? I got somewhere to be,” James asked, aggravation obvious in his tone.
“That ain’t up to me, boy! You’ll have to talk to the judge about that.” The deputy spat near James’s foot and wiped his mouth. “I’m here to take ya’ in,” he said, slapping a pair of handcuffs on one of James’s wrists before he had a chance to move.
“You’re arrestin’ me, now?!”
“You learn fast, boy!” The deputy wrestled James’s other arm behind his back, cuffed the other wrist, and began to move him toward his wagon.
“Can you give me just a minute?!” James asked. The officer kept on walking, holding tight to his arm. “Just one goddamn minute!” he said, snatching his arm away.
“You got one minute, boy! If y’ur ass ain’t in that wagon by then, I’m gonna add resistin’ arrest to y’ur charges!”
James listened to his threats with his back to the deputy as he stalked off and walked up the porch steps. Lily had her arms folded and was staring out into the field, refusing to look at him. “Lily? Lily, can you look at me, please?”
She exhaled sharply before turning to face him.
“You trust William, don’t ya’?” James asked her.
“Of course I do,” she replied, in a way that she hoped made him feel foolish for even asking.
“Good. Y’all carry on as planned. Austin, Max, and Douglas have all helped me set up equipment and lightin’ before. They’ll know what to do so you can get started with rehearsals.” James looked over at the three boys, and they all nodded. He then turned back to Lily. “Afta’ I talk to the judge and clear all this up, I’ll meet y’all at the theata’ and make any adjustments, if need be. This mess shouldn’t take long at all. I’ll be up in New Lexington lata’ today or tomorrow at the latest. I promise, ya’ hear?”
Lily nodded in response. It was not equipment setups she was worried about; she simply wanted the comforts of James’s presence. Despite their fractured friendship, she had been comforted by having James with her while on their journey to William’s home. She was terrified at the thought of being in an unfamiliar environment without him. She had long since adjusted to her new surroundings, but now the thought of venturing outside of William’s estate without James instantly had her riddled with terror all over again.
“You okay?” James asked her.
“I’ll be fine,” Lily quickly replied, not wanting him to be privy to her reservations. As always, she believed her resilience would settle her nerves when the time called for it. She wanted James and everyone else to believe that too.
“Good,” James said, suddenly looking around at all the frustrated faces staring back at him.
“We have to get going!” William announced, refusing to look in James’s direction. He was eager to get out of his presence and allow his blood pressure to settle back to normal levels.
Upon William’s announcement, everyone began shuffling toward the convoy of awaiting wagons and horses.
“Minute’s up, boy!” the deputy called out.
Lily and James were the last two remaining on the porch. “Guess you best get goin’. Don’t need no mo’ trouble for ya’self,” she said, her arms still folded up.
James read Lily’s body language and silently cursed himself for the moment he had given in at Buck’s Tavern and laid Tucker out on the floor. A moment of indiscretion had ruined his opportunity to be there for yet another important transition in Lily’s life. He was already sick over the fact that he would now miss the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see her face as she walked into a real theater for the very first time. For that alone, he instantly hated himself. James loved taking care of all the details behind the scenes of The Dream Symphony. Even more, he loved being by Lily’s side to see the delight in her eyes and feel the happiness she emitted as she continued to grow during her musical expedition. Watching and sharing in every aspect of her incredible journey had come to mean everything to James. He could tell by Lily’s body language that his presence meant just as much to her too, even if she was not willing to admit it.
With his hands cuffed, James could not touch Lily or hug her the way he was dying to do at that moment. He wanted so badly to help settle the disappointment he felt emanating from her. The sting of not being able to do so was made worse when Lily breezed by him and down the porch steps without another word. She did not offer a goodbye or even attempt to comfort him with a hug, despite her hands being completely free. All James could do was turn and watch her climb into the lead carriage with William and Landon and join the convoy as they trotted off and carried on to New Lexington without him. He, in turn, was carried off to his awaiting jail cell. The further Lily trailed away from James’s sight, the harder the consequences of his mistakes started to hit him.
James’s state of mind only became worse in the days to come when he realized that trying to clear up the issue for his minor misconduct was going to be a major problem. Every day, he begged the sheriff for his opportunity to speak to the judge, post his bail, or pay the fines necessary to be released from jail. But he was only ever fed a multitude of excuses about the delays in his case, everything from problems with processing his paperwork, to the judge just being too busy to see him. After a while, the sheriff began to ignore him altogether. James could, therefore, do nothing but wait impatiently, pace incessantly, complain very loudly, and try to calm himself down enough to sleep. However, his mind seemed hell-bent on denying him any serenity. Upon closing his eyes, vivid memories of Elijah enticing Lily played on an endless cycle in his head: Elijah whispering in her ear, Lily laughing in response, Elijah gifting her with candy and flowers, Lily thanking him with a warm embrace, the hunger in Elijah’s eyes as he gazed at Lily’s face, the curiosity in h
ers as she gazed at him in return, the lust in Elijah’s voice as he offered to make her dinner, the smile on Lily’s face as she contemplated a lovely evening with him alone. Again, and over again, Elijah’s persistent chasing looped in James’s exhausted mind, wreaking havoc on his sanity. However, his obsessive jealousy-driven thoughts and worries proved not to be unwarranted …
After Lily was denied access to a hotel, William had decided to stay with her in the theater so that she would not be alone. When Elijah arrived in New Lexington, though, that arrangement abruptly changed. While James was wrapping his hands around the bars of his jail cell, Elijah decided to seize the opportunity to wrap his around Lily. With James gone, he felt it was the perfect time to prove to Lily the sort of comfort he could bring her in times of adversity, especially the sort of comfort that only a man could bring.
The evening of the impromptu change, William had gone across the road to retrieve dinner for himself and Lily. While waiting on her food, Lily was lying in her dressing room cot, reading one of the many books she had brought along with her. She closed her book, though, when she suddenly heard the faint sound of piano music coming from the stage. Assuming William had returned with their meals, she got up to join him but was surprised to see that it was actually Elijah playing the elegant ballad. Lily walked around to the front of the piano and Elijah smiled at her as she continued to watch him play.
“William’s a wonderful teacha’, isn’t he?” Lily asked after he completed the simple piece.
“The best!” Elijah agreed.
“I think it’s so wonderful that he taught you and Isabel to play.”