The Drifter Ch. 06

"I wonder if I can do some work here in exchange for the trailer."

"Really, do you think Anna would go for it." Carla's eyes widened.

"I have my tools. There must be some projects I could do that would be worth it to her. We could work together like we did in the hayfield."

"We didn't just work in the hayfield," Carla smiled. "You seduced me and made me want an adventure...and here we are."

"Right," I chuckled. "And now I'm a kidnapper."

Later, all of the marquee lights were on when we stood in front of the theater. It was dazzling and seemed to glow in the darkness. It was so bright and radiant it made the dilapidated buildings of the rest of the town invisible. The theater was like an oasis in the desert. Several cars and pickup trucks were parked across the street and at least a dozen well-dressed people stood in front of the ticket office buying tickets from Mosa. In the lobby were others looking at the posters. Several women wore long dresses with shawls on their shoulders. The men were dressed in dark suits with neckties.

"I think we're under dressed," Carla whispered.

"I don't believe what I'm seeing." I looked around completely baffled.

When we approached the brightly lit box office, Mosa smiled. She had a red flower in her dark hair and wore a white peasant blouse that revealed her shoulders. Several colorful beaded necklaces hung from her neck and I noticed a tattoo of a bird on her arm.

"Anna has left tickets for you," she said, handing us two tickets.

"You have quite a crowd here," I said, glancing around.

"Yes, this is a good night. Many of the people come to all of the performances and this year, more than last year. She is creating a following."

"How do they know about it?" Carla asked.

"The newspaper. Many stories have been written about Anna and the theater. People are curious and they come and tell others. Though the officials think she is breaking the law and crazy, people applaud what she has done and don't care about the law. I think they like that she is defying the law and creating a theater in this ghost town."

"Interesting," I responded, still bewildered.

When we walked through the lobby, several people looked at us in our jeans. Still, since we were going to the theater, Carla wore her flannel shirt and had her hair down. I decided to tie my long hair into a ponytail and wore a brown sweater I hardly wear.

Miguel stood at rear of the lobby in front of the open door that led into the auditorium. He no longer looked like a janitor but was wearing a white dress shirt with a black bow tie and neatly pressed black pants. He looked elegant with his white hair, white bushy mustache and dark skin.

He bowed his head slightly when he took our tickets and handed each of us programs.

"Good Evening, Senor and Senorita."

"Good evening, Miguel," I responded and returned his nod.

"You look handsome," Carla said.

Miguel smiled slightly."You have excellent seats in the center."

When we took our seats, the rest of the audience gradually took their seats and sat scattered in the mostly empty theater. Four people sat directly in back of us. A couple sat at the other end of our row and glanced at us. The chandelier above us cast a dim light and I was able to read the program. On the front was an elegant, detailed pen and ink drawing of toe shoes. Under the picture in beautiful calligraphy, "The Avalon Theater proudly presents Swan Lake with Anna Polovna."

I was sure Mosa had made the drawing of the toe shoes. Inside, also hand written in beautiful calligraphy was a short biography of Anna and a quote from her. "Swan Lake is my favorite ballet. I first performed it at the Metropolitan Opera in New York when I was twenty-two. I have performed it on many stages all over the world and am now proud to perform it at the Avalon Theater."

On the opposite page was a history of the ballet. I read it and was impressed with how much care had been taken to present information about the composer Peter Tchaikovsky and the folk tale about a princess that was turned into a swan by the curse of an evil sorcerer. It was first performed by the Bolshoi Ballet in eighteen-seventy-seven.

When the lights of the chandelier dimmed, a spotlight shone on the bare stage and focused on the set that Mosa had painted. It was a picture of a lake surrounded by willow trees and a dozen or so swans on the water.

"What a beautiful painting," Carla whispered. "Mosa is a genius."

Suddenly, the chandelier lights went out. The theater was dark and then another spotlight made the stage glow. Recorded music came through speakers mounted on either side of the stage. It was scratchy, but it didn't seem to matter as Tchaikovsky's music filled the theater. I glanced down at the program and saw she was performing solo excerpts from the ballet and the first one was "The Grand Adage."

When Anna entered the stage, several people applauded. I remembered earlier how she was slightly drunk in her dressing room and looked old and weary, but the woman I saw on the staged was now transformed and seemed vibrant and youthful. She moved gracefully across the stage on her toes, her arms extended, her long legs carrying her as if on air. Her hair was in a tight bun and her head held high on her long neck. She twirled, leaped and gracefully moved her arms and hands as if they were the swan's wings and then she rose on her toes and with her arms extended, spun around faster and faster, almost in a blur. When she finished her dance, she came to the front of the stage and bent low in an elegant curtsy. She left the stage and the spotlight blackened the stage. A few minutes later, Anna returned to the stages and danced to another theme and then another. She seemed tireless and I was dazzled by her performance and how she held the audience spellbound.

When she finished and curtsied, the audience applauded, but then a recording came on with thunderous applause and "Bravo! Bravo! being shouted. It was odd to hear what sounded like the a large crowd applauding and cheering. Anna blew kisses to the audience and it seemed like the loud applause was a drug she needed. I glanced up at the painted balcony and noticed everyone of the faces had smiles painted on their lips, something I hadn't noticed earlier.

After Anna curtsied several times and the dozen or so people in the audience stood up and clapped along with the thunderous recorded applause, Mosa came down the aisle carrying a bouquet of roses. I whispered to Carla, "Where would she get roses around here?" I wondered if they were plastic but wasn't certain.

While Carla and I applauded, I glanced around at the others applauding,then at Anna accepting the flowers and blowing kisses out at the audience. After she dashed across the stage and disappeared into the wings, we sat in stunned silence staring at the empty stage.

When the stage lights were turned off, the chandelier above us came on and brought back the dim light. As people walked up the center aisle, a few people glanced at us as they walked by our row. One woman narrowed her eyes when she looked at Carla. She looked at me, then back at Carla before continuing up the aisle. I hoped we weren't recognized, but also wondered by their formal clothes if they were pretending to be living more aristocratic lives. Still, I was concerned by the way the woman looked at us.

When the theater was empty and we were about to leave the auditorium, Miquel came to us and handed us a note. It was from Anna written in flowing letters. "Please join me in my trailer for a drink."

I thought this would be a good time to ask if I could barter my labor for the trailer. Before going there, we stood outside under the marquee's bright lights. We watched the people drive away and could see their headlights shine on the desolate street as they drove past the dilapidated buildings and old cars as they left the ghost town.

A few moments later, the lights of the marquee went out and we stood in the cool air and dark until a spotlight on the corner of the theater came on.

"Well that was something," I said, astonished at what I had experienced.

"I loved it. I thought it was magical. She's amazing." Carla glanced at the poster of Anna in front of the theater, barely visible in the dim light.

"You're right, but it was also weird."

Carla didn't say anything, but I could feel her thinking. My mind was swirling with what I had just experienced. I glanced at Carla and could tell she was equally baffled. When we started walking, Carla hooked her arm in my elbow. I glanced up at the spotlight and saw hundreds of insects buzzing in its heat. Except for the spotlight, we were surrounded by darkness, but the spotlight helped us find our way to Anna's trailer.

When we knocked, Mosa opened the green wooden door and we entered.

"Welcome," she smiled. She still had the red flower in her hair.

Anna was lounging in a dark green recliner. Her dark hair was no longer in a tight bun but now loose and flowed below her shoulders. She wore black slacks and the flowery kimono she had worn earlier. She was barefooted and had a glass of bourbon in her hand which she held up to us in greeting. On the floor next to the chair was a large white ceramic bowl with water and I imagined she had been soaking her feet.

"I loved your performance," Carla said. "I never saw a ballet before."

Mosa sat down next to Anna and took her hand. They smiled at each other and I realized they were lovers. Interesting, I thought, suddenly realizing why Mosa was living in Anna's trailer.

"Mosa, darling, would you be a dear and pour our guests a drink."

"I'll just have a little," Carla said, indicating with her fingers what a little looked like.

While Mosa poured our drinks, Carla and I sat on a small beige couch across from her.

"I'm delighted you were able to see my performance and my beautiful theater. Isn't it divine?"

"Yes, I'm so impressed with what you have done with the theater. It's amazing," I said. "I don't know how you did it."

"It was passion and faith." She glanced over at Mosa. "And finding talent like this wonderful artist."

"Faith?" Carla asked. "Are you religious? Do you mean faith in God?"

"No, faith in myself and my vision," she answered just as Mosa handed us our drinks. "Passion and faith that I could bring the theater back to life and that is what I have done."

"Well, it also took a lot of work," I said."I'm a carpenter and I can see how much work was involved."

I took a sip of my bourbon and watched Carla sniff before bringing the glass to her lips. I could see she wasn't used to drinking hard liquor though I knew she liked beer.

Mosa sat next to Anna, but she was drinking water. I saw how she looked at me as if she knew what was on my mind.

I wasn't sure what to say about getting the trailer, but tried to form the sentence in my head while Anna spoke. I was glad Carla was paying attention to what Anna was saying because my mind was elsewhere.

"I have a proposition," I announced, just as Anna finished saying something about her dream for the town.

"Yes, what is it?" Anna looked at me and narrowed her eyes.

"We could use your trailer to hide from the police. I would like to earn it in exchange for building something you need. A Barter."

"Interesting." Anna bit her lower lip as she thought. She sat back and I could she was considering my offer. She gazed at me, then glanced at Mosa.

"Carla and I will give you a week of labor in exchange for the trailer."

Anna rubbed her chin as she listened then spoke.

"Do you think you can renovate the restaurant up the street?"

"Do you mean Dot's Cafe? We saw it when we drove in."

"Yes, but it will now be The Bistro," she said. "I love that name...The Bistro."

"I will help," Mosa said.

"Cool!" Carla said. "You can paint more people on the walls...pictures of people eating."

At first, I thought Carla shouldn't have said that. It sounded sarcastic, but maybe it was me who heard it that way. Carla was being enthusiastic and serious, while I was still thinking this whole thing was completely nuts. Still, what difference did it make?

"Yes, I can renovate the restaurant if you get the supplies. We'll bring that restaurant back to life for you. We can get a lot done in a week...you will have The Bistro and we will have the trailer."

I finished my drink and noticed that Carla had emptied the little bit she had in her glass.

"Mind if I pour myself a little more," I asked.

"Pour me more," Anna said, holding up her glass. "Let's celebrate."

"Me, too," Carla said.

"Are you sure?" I saw that her glass was empty.

"Yes.I want more." She scowled slightly in fake annoyance, then smiled.

I took her glass and poured a little more and saw her watching.

"More...a little more than that," she said.

"Okay," I said and half filled her glass, then poured more into Anna's glass and mine.

"We'll check out the place tomorrow and make some plans."

"I have stored a great deal of lumber and we have paint. It's in the back of the hotel. I'm sure I have everything you will need. I planned ahead because I knew I would need it. Now I have very little money, but one day I will be rich again...and famous."

I realized what a smart woman Anna was even though I also wondered about her sanity. Is she shrewd or nuts? I thought and glanced at Mosa and wondered about her also.

I finished my drink and saw that Carla had finished hers. When we stood up to leave, I knew she was drunk when she wobbled and leaned against me.

While I put my arm around Carla and we walked to the front door, I turned to Mosa. "Let's meet in front of the restaurant at eight."

She smiled and nodded.

"Good night, Anna," I said and guided Carla out the door.

When we staggered into our trailer, we were already kissing and groping and it wasn't long before we made wild, drunk love, rolling over and over on the bed. Carla did all she could to keep her screams down but couldn't. Either could I. We were both out of our minds. I was sure Anna and Mosa heard us, but in our drunken state, didn't care. After our lustful fucking, we lay in each others' arms and fell into a deep sleep.