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The Dante wasn’t going down without a fight, and if I had any say in it at all, the historic theater where most of my favorite childhood memories resided wasn’t going down at all.
Chapter 3 - Jax
Raylen and I made a pact to work up until our plane landed in Roanoke, and I cheated a little by checking emails in the car on the ride up to Loblolly. The small town was quiet as we rolled in, most of the businesses already shut even though it was barely seven in the evening.
“Not exactly a twenty-four-hour town,” I said, closing up my emails and putting away my phone. For better or for worse, my vacation was officially starting.
“Shut up,” Raylen said, pulling into a long, wooded drive. “Just wait until you see the place. Silas says it’s fantastic.”
The long winding road with tall, imposing pines looked like the beginning of every small town horror movie, but I kept my lips clamped shut. I immediately felt better when we got to the giant farmhouse with the wraparound porch, complete with a swing and several rocking chairs. The big windows gleamed in the fading sunlight, the crisp white shutters flung open in a welcoming manner. I had to admit it looked inviting, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d sat in a rocking chair.
“Where’s Silas?” I asked as Raylen looked up the key code and punched it in.
He shrugged. “I guess he’ll be around soon. Let’s have a look at the place.”
I was ready to crack open a beer and plant myself in one of those rocking chairs, but followed him through the large foyer, all pristine granite floors and freshly painted white wood beam ceilings. Past the entry, it was an open plan, revealing a living area with two long couches scattered with gray and black plaid pillows and two leather recliners around a glass coffee table. A big screen TV took up most of the wall above a rustic fireplace, but I had no interest in that. The modern kitchen had sparkling stainless steel appliances, most importantly a fridge. I hurried to it, grinning when I saw it was stocked with juices, beer, a variety of cheeses, and best of all, a big pile of hamburger meat, three perfect ribeye steaks, and a package of hot dogs.
I turned to see Raylen already out on the huge back porch that had helped to convince me this place wouldn’t be a total wash.
“It’s actually nicer than the pictures,” I said, taking in the grand, multi-level wooden deck that led down to the pool. “That never happens.”
He looked smug. “I knew you’d come around to having a good time.”
“That fridge full of meat helped,” I said. “Silas must have set that up. Let’s fire up the grill.”
I ventured down the stairs and walked out past the pool, turning to take in the sky, which was turning a deep violet hue as the sun sank behind the mountains to the west. There wasn’t a cloud or a hint of smog and the stars were already dotting the darkening sky between the towering pines that slashed across the scene in every direction. When I came back, ready to start cooking, and eager to get sprawled out under the stars with some tunes after a hearty meal, Silas had arrived.
“Change of plans,” he said. “We’re going to a movie.”
I looked at the grill and then at the lounge chair near the edge of the deck, not willing to give up my laid back evening without a care in the world for a crowded movie theater. “We just got in,” I said. “Let us relax a bit.” I turned to Raylen for help, but he only shrugged.
“I’m down for a movie,” he said.
“Yeah, it’s free,” Silas urged.
“More burgers for me,” I said, leaning over the grill, which was a top-of-the-line gas model and had loads of dials and settings to explore.
“We kind of have to go,” Silas said sheepishly. I gave him a look that clearly said I didn’t. “I promised Harper I’d get you guys there. The theater needs the business.”
“You just said it was free,” I told him. “How’s that helping business?”
The last thing I needed was to go to some rundown old theater because his girlfriend had a bleeding heart. I believed in capitalism, and if a business couldn’t survive, then there was no use in keeping it on life support. Even if the owner of the place was a friend, it was far more dignified to let it go and start fresh than cling onto a sinking ship. When I finished telling him this, he only rolled his eyes at me.
“It’s not Harper who has the bleeding heart,” he said. “It’s her best friend, and she’s my friend too, from back in the day. And I promised, so just get something less stuffy on and let’s go.”
Raylen was obviously on board, but I gave it one last ditch effort. “Wouldn’t you rather sit out here in the fresh air and eat those juicy steaks instead of sitting through some deafening CGI crap for two hours?”
They both groaned at my tirade against modern movies. “There’ll be food there,” Silas said.
“Stale popcorn and—”
“Let’s just go and enjoy ourselves,” Raylen interrupted. “Quit acting like you’re eighty instead of thirty for once.”
Grumbling inwardly, I changed out of my button down shirt into a pullover and let them drag me away from the farmhouse oasis. I promised the grill I’d be back later to light her up. I was pleasantly surprised to see the place wasn’t a rundown cement block structure, but a gorgeous old art deco building. The lobby had shabby, patterned carpet and the walls were lined with movie posters in chipped and dented gold frames, none younger than the 1980s, but the high ceilings with Grecian style pillars gave it an elegance that the worn down decor couldn’t hide. Inside the theater, there was a domed ceiling with a fresco of the sky, and a thick, red velvet curtain pulled back on either side of the screen, lending visions of it sweeping open to reveal the actors on the stage. Far above the arena-style seating, there were several brass balconies, clearly closed off for some time. Probably a safety hazard. The place had seen better days, but I could envision its former glory. I put in my earplugs, not caring if the guys made fun of me. I wasn’t about to have my ears ringing the rest of the trip because they dragged me to see whatever action movie was popular right now.
That’s why it was more than a pleasant surprise to seeArsenic and Old Lacecome up on the screen, one of my favorite classic comedies. Okay, so this wasn’t so bad, but my stomach was still rumbling, having been set up to believe it was getting a grilled feast. By the time the movie was over, I was definitely in a better mood than if it was some caped crusader flick, but I wanted to get back to the farmhouse for a real dinner.
“Why aren’t we leaving?” I asked when Silas guided us to a large room off the lobby.
