Act V: Where The Day plays out with its many events; including an unplanned but providential intervention, which bears its fruits.
Scene I
Juliet's tomb - The garden
Spooky decorations. Fake thunder. Enter Three Witches.
FIRST WITCH:
Round about the cauldron go,
in the poisoned entrails throw.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
With eye of newt make it bake.
She elbows the Second Witch.
SECOND WITCH (whispers loudly):
Oh, here, take.
.
ALL:
Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
.
SECOND WITCH:
And of dragon's scale this jot,
let it simmer in our charmèd pot.
She reaches out to the Third Witch.
THIRD WITCH:
Here is our charmèd pot.
She searches her pockets and hands her a bunch of weed.
SECOND WITCH:
Not that pot, idiot!
She motions to a copper pot laying under a hedge.
THIRD WITCH:
OOK, sorry! No need to get that hot.
.
ALL:
Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
.
FIRST WITCH: (sternly)
Wool of bat and tooth of Bolshevik,
All this in to give th'hell-broth some kick.
.
SECOND WITCH:
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-delivered by a… Crabe! I said babe!
While trying to cut a doll's finger, the Third Witch accidentally cuts herself and
her fingertip drops in the cauldron.
THIRD WITCH: (holding her hand, offended)
What you mean, I'm not a babe?
.
FIRST WITCH:
Sisters! Now you'll do as I say.
.
THIRD WITCH:
Sorry, I'm having a hard day!
.
The Weird Sisters continued bickering some, then moved away and into Juliet's vault.
The backcloth outside was quickly changed, and they returned and continued their scene.
.
FIRST WITCH:
When shall we three meet again?
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
.
SECOND WITCH:
When the hurly-burly's done,
When the day's come and gone.
.
THIRD WITCH:
That won't be ere the set of sun.
Say around eight and thirty-one.
.
FIRST WITCH:
Where the place?
.
SECOND WITCH:
At the theater new.
.
THIRD WITCH:
There to meet with our crew.
.
FIRST WITCH:
I come, Grimalkin.
.
SECOND WITCH:
Paddock calls.
.
THIRD WITCH:
Anon.
They wave and bow.
ALL:
Fair is foul, and foul is fair.
Come tonight and try our ware.
.
And in a cloud of artificial smoke activated by Gina, the audience clapped and cheered, and Red, Gloria and Maritza vanished.
Scene II
Around town
Cal had had an intense night, but was now all set for this most crucial day.
First he had to confess to his wife that their daughter had disappeared on him, which caused some tough scolding.
Trying to grill Goodall had been useless, she had admitted to taking the bow but did not remember exactly what she did with it.
So they'd gone back to the fateful restaurant, and Neri's lockpicking skills had got them to a back office with security tapes; viewing them made everything clear.
There was Goodall around the room attempting to make her huntress doll hold the bow in her little hand, thus accidentally pointing it first at Piper, then at that small Latina; and outside, at Lorna and the other girl: soon after this, all of them had started to go nuts with the people they had been so chummy with.
Finally, once back at the hotel, Cal carried out a thorough inspection of his bow to make sure it had not been permanently damaged - but no, luckily it seemed to be fine. Evidently the malfunctioning had been due to the child's incorrect handling.
It was also lucky that all the victims were not complete strangers to him, this would make unraveling the messy knot easier.
And that was precisely what he was going to do now.
XXX
In the courtyard under Juliet's balcony
PETRUCHIO:
I tell you, my friend:
O, when she's angry, she is keen and shrewd!
She was a vixen when she went to school;
And though she be but little, she is fierce.
.
GRUMIO:
You really like her then.
.
PETRUCHIO:
Ah! That I do.
.
The big nobleman with the incredible light eyes continued fondling with abandon the right breast of Juliet's statue, shinier than the other with all the people's touching. At her-er, his servant's glance, he explained:
PETRUCHIO:
They say it's for good luck in love.
Oh! But she comes.
Katherine and her father looked down from the balcony.
My rose!
.
KATHERINE:
Katherine's my name, I'm not one of your wenches.
.
Katherine looked away from her suitor, and for an instant met the glance of the redhead who was in a hidden corner of the yard. Yes! Now was the chance… she diverted her eyes. Darn.
The man at her side, whose face, though mostly covered by a thick beard, still was too tan not to cast a doubt on his paternity, frowned.
PETRUCHIO:
Behold! Her playful words.
Father, 'tis thus: yourself and all the world
That talked of her have talked amiss of her.
If she be crust, it is for policy,
For she's not froward, but modest as the dove.
She's not hot, but temperate as the moon.
For patience she will prove a second Grissel,
And Roman Lucrece for her chastity.
And to conclude, we have 'greed so well together
That upon Sunday is the wedding day.
.
KATHERINE:
I'll see thee hanged on Sunday first.
.
She looked heatedly at Nichols again. Ah! Now. From behind the watching tourists, Cal cast an invisible arrow straight to the Egyptian actress.
Her eyes widened… yes - she was suddenly realizing how silly her jealousy and their fights of the last few days had been; Nicky was her girl only, and she had proved time and again how genuine her feelings were. She smiled. Nicky jumped in surprise, but after a few moments smiled back, first cautiously, then happier.
PETRUCHIO:
See! She smiles. Start preparing
my best garments, my friend, for Sunday's near.
.
Then Grumio-Jones stared at Baptista, Baptista-Maria pinched Shani, and she got back to the role with another scathing remark really directed at Petruchio now, not at her girl anymore.
Scene III
Juliet's house
The ceremony was underway.
At three there had been a poetry reading and music, and now was time for the awards to the winners of the "Cara Giulietta" contest.
The American had already been given her silver artisan charm called A cuore aperto, "Open Heart", and the beautiful classic Pelikan fountain pen. She was honored to be there and become part of the Shakespeare history, or myth, she said.
Not that Cal was paying much attention: He was completely focused on more important matters.
His wife on his right was also concentrating, and even Goodall, on Neri's other side, was behaving - perhaps feeling guilty for the problems she had caused.
"Grazie ancora," the Club's President Mr Caputo repeated. "E ora… Vincent Muccio!"
More claps, while Piper started accompanying Vinnie to the stand and microphone. She had told Cal that it'd been a last-minute change: Lorna was supposed to do it but had categorically refused to get through with the job, as she "couldn't even bear the thought of seeing him."
It wasn't quite true, of course, 'cause the woman was sitting in a central row with perfect view of the proceedings.
"Anything?" he asked Neri in a mutter.
"Not yet," she said.
His attention was quite split between Lorna and his sister - for Alex was there among the audience too.
Sexy vampiress must be a glutton for punishment, or maybe she just wanted to spite Piper.
Cal was boring holes in his sister's head, so much so that she had already arched her brows at him once or twice and imperceptibly mouthed a "What?".
Don't look at me, look at her! he wanted to yell. The antidote just wouldn't work if the eyes of hater and victim didn't meet.
"Now! Cal!" Neri whisper-shouted.
Oh Tartarus.
In a second he turned to see Lorna, yay!, and did his bow-trick, which to common people would just read like someone fiddling with a keychain or pendant.
The change was immediate: pupils dilating, an incipient blush… yes, nailed it!
Cal turned again, acting as if nothing had happened; Vinnie seemed surprised, then very surprised, and finally relieved and - well, blissful. These people.
But he had to stay focused on the next target, a harder case to crack: Piper.
The blonde had sat again, her back to Alex. This would take some time.
Now the third and last winner was shaking hands with Caputo, the Dominican.
She and her fiancé had not suffered any accidents, that was plain: They had been grinning at each other a few nights ago, and were doing just the same now.
"Thank you again for all of this," she was taking her gifts, "and gracias to my better half. His name's Diablo but I am the scary one in this couple!", they all laughed.
The afternoon was coming to an end.
Piper was mingling with her friends and the letter-writers, more people had approached them to talk.
Alex was pretty insistent in looking at the blonde, but she was blatantly ignoring her.
Cal watched and waited.
After several minutes of this, the woman was evidently fed up; she said something in her friend's ear, and they moved to leave.
Darn! Stubborn Piper!
Lorna and Vinnie, instead, were busy chatting, her hand on his arm, sparks flying between them: the wicked influence of the mishandled bow had been lifted, and their feelings were restored to what they were before it hit.
So far, so good, Cal though. Now half his job was done; but it certainly wasn't enough.
Scene IV
Teatro Nuovo
It wasn't enough at all - it'd be a pity if those two other pairs stayed separated on Valentine's Day, and most of it had already gone.
Just having them convene had required some extra effort.
Cal had followed Alex after the ceremony and blatantly lied to her about Piper wanting to meet up and apologize later on.
"Are you sure?" she asked dubious.
"Of course!" he had assured with a big smile and a tiny charming spell; that way he'd been able to give her tickets for the night's play.
And then, he'd run back to catch Piper with her colleagues and ensure the next part of the plan was being carried out as decided.
Just shy of noon, after seeing the teaser trailer for the night event, Cal had secretly approached Petruchio, recognizing the butch from the cannabis store who'd tried to negotiate peace between the two Latinas.
"Miss Black, a word?" he'd done his homework.
"Yes sir…" she turned. "Oh. We have met before."
Getting her on board had not been too hard: She wasn't convinced it would work, since she didn't really know how he planned to make everything OK, but
"I hate leaving a princess in jeopardy," she said. "Moreover, this one's bitchier than usual these days."
And yes, he found her doing as promised: chatting up Piper and Flaca, and the effects could be inferred from the latter's stance - from crossed arms and narrowed eyes, gradually moving to gesturing and smiles. Yay!
Finally something passed from Boo to the others' hands, which meant that yes, success was complete.
Once they discovered the tickets were not a gift and peace offering from certain Conpany ladies, it would be too late anyway.
...and so, here they were now.
Cal had spent quite some money for this trick, but it'd hopefully work.
The play was about to start.
From his seat he could see the stage, Piper and her black and Hispanic friends, and the box nearby where Alex should show up any moment now. Sure. Mh.
"Calm down, she looked convinced you said?" Neri murmured.
"You can do this dad," Goodall encouraged.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's hope so!"
He caught sight of Lorna and his newly found Prince Charming as well; they were whispering close together, the woman was giggling. Yes, sometimes the job could be quite satisfying.
A few minutes after this, the play began.
At first Cal wasn't paying much attention, but then found he was quite taken by the whirlwind of events.
The small Latina had appeared as a silly version of Titania, but she couldn't really see the audience in the dark from the lit-up stage.
There was Romeo and Juliet in this too, but - plot twist! - 'twas the girl and not the boy… OK, so they were all really girls there, but anyway, 'twas the girl and not the boy who was doing the chasing here.
The Asiatic Juliet was balancing on the capacious shoulders of a black Portia.
JULIET:
A bit more to the left… there!
.
PORTIA: (grumbling)
How d'I let her convince me.
.
JULIET:
You care for your cousin Romeo's happiness!
.
PORTIA:
That I do.
.
JULIET:
And you know I can be it.
.
PORTIA:
That I doubt.
Juliet hits her big hair with a heel.
Hey!
Juliet glares down.
Fiine, fine.
Romeo will drown in delight.
Enter Romeo on the balcony.
JULIET:
Here he is! Hush now!
Portia grumbles and Juliet wobbles on her shoulders.
The audience chuckled a bit at this and Cal joined in; Neri hissed at him.
"Heyyy!"
Cal's gaze moved to his sister - what was she - aah! Alex was in her box, and she was laughing with her friend; C'mon girl… he kept his cool, bow at the ready; it had to be the first time their eyes met, 'cause who knew what would happen if he didn't act immediately: Piper might look affronted, instead of apologetic and hopeful or whatever. Then what? Alex would get seriously fed up with her moods and just up and leave, never to be seen again.
"Is Pipes still -"
"Yes," Neri said, "I'm on it."
"No, let's switch. She's the target."
"I am watching too!" Goodall chimed in; she really wanted to help.
"Okay, right."
Piper was still staring. Good. Now if the other one…
"Go go go!" Neri exclaimed, making an elderly couple next to them turn in protest. The arrow was almost leaving his bow, when… darn. Piper's face turned to her colleague. Pfft.
"Oh," their daughter deflated.
"Vampiress is surprised," Neri reported.
"No! Is she leaving?"
"No, she's just talking to that man. And frowning."
Right. She must not understand why Piper would invite her there to 'apologize', and subsequently behave like this.
"She's not looking anymore, is she."
"Nope," Cal answered.
"Oh Piper... I mean I love your sister, but she's… y'know."
"I know."
"Mmh," Goodall sounded sorry.
"Alright," Neri minimized, "it's just a matter of waiting a bit in the end."
A bit, right… more or less.
'Cause for a long act Piper refused to turn at all, while pestering her friends to check on Alex, and not letting anyone in her vicinity enjoy the play.
Then they'd refused to continue with the espionage, and she had to go back to stealing glances at the woman herself.
But when one was looking, the other was not.
And when one started to turn in the right direction, the other rushed back to fake focusing on the stage.
They were both playing hard to get, and the first acts passed like this.
The untamed Shrew, some lovers known and new, a bunch of merry wives came and went on the stage; the frequent laughter spoke of fun and lark, but not for Cal and Neri's enjoyment.
Of course Pipes had to overcomplicate things, her brother thought blinking rapidly.
"I'm gonna have to buy glasses if Piper keeps this up for longer," Neri lamented during the last break; straining their sight in the dark waiting for their chance was no fun.
"I know," Cal nodded. "We could get a family discount." His fingers were starting to cramp from being in the same position on his bow for so long. He shot daggers at his sister. Luckily Goodall had fallen asleep; she was like him, and not even a cannon would wake her up.
"Listen, maybe we could wait till the end and then…"
The blonde turned.
His hand twitched.
He turned to Carmilla.
She was looking too.
Back, forth… back-forth-back-forth... his eyes narrowed, his fingers gripped: the time was NOW.
The arrow shot straight… and the theater was immersed in the dark again.
"NO! What…"
DROMIA OF EPHESUS:
We came into the world like sister and sister…
.
DROMIA OF SYRACUSE:
And now let's go hand in hand, not one before another.
The first Dromia, a slender black girl, jumps.
DROMIA OF EPHESUS:
Wait, what, no! I have no intention of going!
.
Cal was focusing extra hard, but the sudden disappearance of the light had caught him off guard.
The second Dromia, a tall, gorgeous black woman, is surprised.
DROMIA OF SYRACUSE:
Why not?
.
DROMIA OF EPHESUS:
It's a lousy party in an institution
that refuses to accept women's contribution.
Plus, we slaves are only kept around for comic relief.
.
DROMIA OF SYRACUSE:
Now you say it, sis, I see there's reason to have beef.
.
"Hey, you think…" Neri said.
"Wait a sec…"
Piper was looking at the actresses. C'mon, give me a sign…
She turned to Alex, and Alex smiled. They didn't budge an inch and… oooh gross! she licked her lips; Piper giggled: they weren't looking, they were leering.
"Ugh!" Neri covered her face.
OK, great. The antidote had worked.
.
.
.
Three out of four.
For the last one, they'd have to be patient.
At least now they could relax and properly watch the last act; the plot had tickened, till the point when it would all untangle and, hopefully, all the couples would be reunited, the characters happy.
Cal spotted the Dominican woman who'd won the competition with her fiancé, all glued together in two lateral orchestra seats.
Yes, everything would be fine in the end.
Perched on Portia's shoulders again, Juliet was finally managing to woo and convince Romeo to follow her.
JULIET:
I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine.
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.
Would you come 'n build there a hut f' two?
.
ROMEO:
I would not wish any companion in the world but you.
.
.
.
The play had ended.
One by one the actresses had come back on stage, and now they were all there, the audience clapping and cheering.
"Thank you so much." A woman with a strong, Russian-accented voice said. "It was a pleasure being here," and they bowed once again.
Flaca was focused on a certain person up there, but though dim lights now made the public visible, she had not been noticed yet. It had been a great show, and she was trying not to expect anything else, but she couldn't erase the happy and wishful smile from her lips.
"And a shout-out to someone special for tonight," 'Portia' intervened. "She doesn't want to be named, but Miss S offered some great ideas for a couple o' scenes we were struggling with. Thanks!" The women on stage yelled supportingly, and if someone had checked a particular box to the center-left they would have seen a black woman with rosy cheeks biting her lower lip while grinning, and her family squeezing her arms and kissing her proudly.
"See ya in NY, we're back in three months and the theater always needs new disciples!" The big black Portia and her cousin-friend the thin Romeo hip-hip-hoorayed.
"As they all said," another actress intervened. "And you b -" a colleague by her side elbowed her, and got a glare in return. "- you beautiful people, we in Venice in a few days. Come see us, tell your friends, whateva!"
A smaller Latina in a verdant dress and crown kept on smiling, eyes passing on unknown faces without lingering. Until… they stopped, and opened wider.
Whoosh, a magical object zipped unseen through the air.
Oh.
Bewilderment in chocolate brown, then a hint of a blush and worry - then, gradually, dimples reappeared.
Flaca beamed back and nodded.
Cindy barely stifled a guffaw by her side.
Piper would have shushed her herself, had she not been too busy gaze-f...lirting with Alex.
Cal and Neri breathed a sigh or relief. The sun was down, but now the day was really new: everything restored to the way it was before the undue interference, and from now on, the fate of these people would be in their hands again.
Lorna and Vinnie were still all glowing, and Nichols and Shani on stage were so close they were attached at the hip.
Someone else was blabbering on the microphone about today, Valentine's Day, and love; and the many families and friends, the couples present, old, new or soon-to-be, felt it deep in their hearts and showed it in their eyes.
He could sense it, the job was done.
Cal would never understand how this worked: he had come to solve this situation, but if he had not come, how could Goodall (bless her soul, she was still snoring on her seat), how could their daughter have caused it? It was a paradox, and from Back to the Future onwards, he had never got those.
Neri smiled at him.
It didn't matter.
No, look around you.
Yes.
Love would soon be back in the air, but right at this moment, it had returned down there amongst them, again, at last.
The actresses bowed one last time; the audience clapped.
Exeunt.
Thank you for reading through the end, and my deep gratitude to the reviewers.
Sorry to Orthodox Shakespeareans for the citing and slaughtering.
And finally, to every OITNB lover, a very happy Valentine!