Chapter Twenty: Potential Love:

Wallace was getting closer to his love. He was in her drama club, he was in extra in the play, and now he knew that she was a history tutor. He had the means to get closer. It was just a question of when. His first chance came on a Friday.

On impulse, Wallace went down to the theater early. He didn’t have a big role. He wasn’t part of the crew. The costume designer had a confused look on his face.

“What are you doing here?” he asked. Wallace shrugged and shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I just came here.” The costume designer with the frosted tips in his hair frowned.

“It’s not time for rehearsal, you know?” he said.

“I know,” the country boy said. “Can I just stay here?”

“Why?”

Wallace shrugged. He really didn’t think this through, did he? The costume designer rolled his eyes.

“Whatever,” he muttered to himself. He turned and walked back to the stage. Wallace took a seat in the audience. The crew went back to work on the stage. The country boy watched the design and set up the first scene. He looked around at the lights turned off. How long was he going to be in here? His next class wasn’t until three in the afternoon. Why did he come here so early again? He was just an extra in this play after all.

Suddenly, the doors opened. Wallace turned his head and his heart raced. There she was. Julia took a look around. A stagehand looked up and saw her.

“Jules!” he shouted. “So good to see you!” Wallace turned his head and looked up. There was his goddess standing in the doorway. She could make jeans and a t-shirt look hot. The costume designer sashayed his way over to her.

“What brings you by?” he asked. “Don’t you have a feminist lit class?” Julia tossed back her long strawberry blonde hair.

“The professor had to take her son to the dentist this morning,” she said. “So I decided to come here and practice my lines.” Wallace raised his hand and waved.

“Hi!” he shouted. Julia whipped her head towards his direction.

“Wallace?” she asked. “What are you doing here?” The country boy jumped to his feet.

“I don’t have classes until this afternoon,” he said. “So I just came here.” She didn’t respond at first.

“Oh,” she said. Julia looked around for a moment. She finally shrugged.

“You’re here and you could help me with my lines on this scene,” the leading lady said. She reached into her bag and pulled out the script. Wallace’s face turned bright red. Was… Was this…? Was this really happening? He could feel his heart raced against his chest. Julia walked up to Wallace and shoved the script into his chest. She snapped her fingers in his face.

“Wake up!” Julia said. Wallace jerked himself back into reality.

“Huh?” he asked. His crush frowned.

“Are you going to take this seriously?” she asked. Wallace about jumped with her question before he cleared his throat.

“Of course,” he said in a calm tone. The country boy opened the script book. He thumbed through the pages.

“Which part am I reading?” he asked.

“Martin’s part, Phillip,” Julia said. Wallace about froze. The lead role? Woah. He forced himself to be serious.

“Okay,” Wallace said. Julia pulled out her script and opened it. The country boy looked at his invisible watch.

“Phillip?” Julia asked.

“Natasha!” the country boy said with a gasp. He threw his arms around her in an intimate embrace. Her berry-scented shampoo teased his nose. Wallace fought to take this seriously. This was acting after all. Julia pushed him away as in disappointment. Wallace looked like a hurt little puppy. It’s over already.

“What’s the matter, my love?” Wallace asked. Julia shook her head.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“What do you mean?” the country boy asked. Julia moved her hands to her chest.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “But I have a confession to make.” She looked like she was about ready to cry.

“What are you saying?” Wallace asked. Julia looked in the country boy in the eye.

“I do not love you, Phillip,” she said. “I never have.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I haven’t been faithful to you on earth. You were never the man I loved.” She wrinkled her nose as she spoke.

“Natasha… you… you can’t mean that!” he said. Wallace poked out his lower lip for effect. He tried to embrace her again but she pushed him back. She stepped back, shaking her head. Julia had a confused look on face before shaking her head and making herself focus.

“We cannot enter Heaven without confessing our secrets,” she said. Julia dropped her hand to her side. “I have carried this around in my heart for too long. I even took it to me with my grave. I have hurt you for too long. You were a good man. I just can’t hurt you anymore.”

“Who was he?” Wallace asked with clinging desperation in his voice. He pleaded with her with his eyes.

“What?” she asked.

“Who was he?” Wallace asked, raising his voice, shaking his fist. Julia lowered her eyes.

“Answer me!” the country boy demanded. Tears started to form in his eyes. Julia looked up at him, trembling.

“Sidney,” she admitted in a quiet voice. Wallace stared at her with big eyes.

“Sidney?! Our butler?!” he asked. Julia bowed her head.

“I am so sorry,” she whispered. Wallace shook with anger and shock in front of her. It was in that moment he started to fall deeper in love with his object of affection. Julia had always been talented in high school. This acting fit on her like a glove. She made him feel like they were actually Phillip and Natasha. Wallace never wanted this scene to end.

“How could you?!” he wailed. “You know how much I loved you! Can’t you see that?!” The country boy slammed down his fists in emphasis.

“Excuse me, can you keep it down back there?” one of the sound guys asked from the stage. “I can’t concentrate on how the sound effects and music sound?” Wallace sat down with a red face.

“Sorry!” he shouted. The sound guy returned to his work. Wallace turned back to Julia.

“Do you want to do that scene again somewhere else?” he asked.

“Yes,” Julia said.

“Where?” the country boy asked as he tried to keep down his excitement. His crush stood up and tossed back her hair.

“I know where we can go,” she said. “Follow me out to the school gardens.” She didn’t have to tell him twice. The country boy smiled as he followed her out of the theater.