One Enchanted Summer

Chapter 3

CHAPTER

THREE

Grayson

Today was another excellent day of shows. I will forever be grateful that I get to do this for my job. Even on a bad day, I can’t ignore the sweet faces of the kids who genuinely believe I am Ezra Sterling.

“You did great today,” I say to Mikey as he exits the changing room. He’s been training for the teeterboard for weeks but today was his first time performing it.

“Thanks man,” he replies.

The teeterboard is a really exciting and fun part of the show but it’s also the most dangerous. It takes a lot of training and practice and even then the timing has to be just right. It’s a risk but I guess my whole job is kind of a risk. I wouldn’t have it any other way. The first time I saw this show I was eight years old. My eyes were practically falling out of my head. I probably looked like those cartoons where the eyes are bugging out of their head. I was just so enthralled the whole time. It was amazing. I knew right then and there that was what I wanted to do when I grew up.

I turned to my mom and said, “that’s what I want to do when I grow up.”

Now here I am. I’ve been doing this show for four years. I moved to Florida when I was 23 and did a few other shows before I tried out and finally got a job on the WOE show. It’s the biggest show of the park, it’s even named after the park- World of Enchantment but it’s quickly been shortened to the WOE show. I was a villain for a year before I was hired to be Ezra Sterling. I can honestly say it’s my dream job, I don’t take that for granted. How many people are lucky enough to do their dream job?

A couple of the guys are hanging out at the park tonight but I’ve been working at the Pirate show a lot this week and I’m exhausted. It’s pretty great having free access to the parks. It takes off the pressure of always having to go. I picked up extra shifts at my other job so I’m ready to go home and relax. I live about fifteen minutes from the park, assuming there’s no traffic.

I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to buy a house last year. It’s a simple three bedroom, two bathroom house but it’s all mine. People were surprised that I had enough money for a place. I actually had a few people ask if my parents helped me. I’m 28 and fully capable of getting a place on my own but there’s a stigma around my job. I hear it quite often. People are caught off guard that you can make good money at the park. I get it. Not all jobs there are the same. If you’re a character you don’t make as much as performers. And then there are stunt performers, like me, that make a lot more. I get stunt bonuses per show since they are dangerous and we take a risk every time. I’m also the leader of the show so I get extra daily bonuses as I make sure each day runs smoothly. I make good money at the park but I also work a couple nights a week at a pirate dinner show downtown. It pays well so I don’t mind spending a few nights over there. I love the crew and it’s fun being a pirate for a night. That’s when I get to fight people with swords and swing on a rope across the audience. It’s a lot of fun.

I grab some food once I get home and collapse on the couch. I fall asleep before 9:00.

The first show of the day isn’t until 10:00 but everyone needs to be backstage at 9:30 for a morning meeting and to get prepped for the shows. Everyone else rotates through different positions in the show. Mikey isn’t doing the teeterboard for the first show but he’ll do it for the second one. It’s nice to be able to rotate and keep things fresh. Sometimes even I choose to be a villain for one of the shows just to mix it up. But Ezra Sterling is my favorite.

The 10:00 show is perfect. The crowd is enthusiastic, oohing and ahhing at all the right parts and everything goes smoothly. Between shows, we have an hour of downtime. We usually spend it playing games or working out. There’s a gym for us to use; it’s essential for each of us to stay in shape. We are all very active people, so working out and pushing each other is fun. But once we get past the morning shows, we usually use our breaks to play games and rest a little. We have cards, dice, and other board games to entertain us.

Our latest obsession is a dice game called BANK . Essentially you roll the dice, add up the numbers and try to get as high as you can without rolling a seven. You want to bank your numbers before a seven is rolled and zeroes out your numbers. I realize how nice it is that I get to play a game in the middle of my work shift. It’s not lost on me that most people aren’t playing with their friends at 2:00 in the afternoon. But honestly, even when I am doing the show I still feel like I’m just playing with my friends.

Mandy, one of our female villains, stands up, drawing our attention.

“As you all know, contract renewals are coming up soon and I wanted to let you know that I’m not going to be renewing my contract with the show,” she says. I’m taken aback in surprise. I catch a few of the other guys looking back and forth at each other too. She’s been doing this for a while and I know she enjoys it.

“I’m ready to start a family and we don’t want to be doing this while we try to get pregnant,” she continues. One of the other stunt performers hoots in excitement and a few others clap.

“That’s amazing!” Julia rushes from her seat to wrap Mandy in a hug. “Congratulations!”

“Julia is, of course, staying, but we will be looking to hire someone to replace Mandy shortly,” my boss adds. It’s going to be sad to see Mandy go. She’s been here the whole time I have worked here and is excellent. Unlike a few others here, she’s always on time and trying her hardest. With contracts coming up, you would think people would be trying to impress, but nothing annoys me more than watching a few of these guys slack off and be ungrateful for their position. It’s a luxury to be here.it’s something I believe needs to be earned.

Mikey is doing the teeterboard for the 3:00 show, and it’s incredible to watch his confidence grow each time he performs it. He’s been working so hard. He shows up daily to do the work, and you can see how much he cares. He beams ear to ear at the conclusion of the show. It’s good to take pride in your performance.

When it’s over, I try to hang out for a minute and chat with any audience members who stick around. Usually, there are a few people who want to say hi and take pictures. Sure enough, today, there’s a family hanging out by the edge of the stage. A little boy is holding his dad’s hand and watching me eagerly as I get closer. He looks at his dad excitedly and then back at me.

“Hey there, we don’t want to bother you but could we get a picture with you?” the dad asks. The woman next to him is holding a baby girl that eyes me with curiosity but not enough interest to lift her head from her mom’s shoulder.

“Not a bother at all. I would love to,” I reply earnestly.

The little boy rushes to my side and I squat down so we are eye level. A smile breaks across his face as we pose for a couple pictures.

“Thank you so much,” the dad says. “Can I tell you something crazy?”

“Of course! Please do,” I answer.

He scrolls through his phone for a second and then says, “we were here a couple years ago and we got a picture with you.” He shows me the screen and sure enough there’s a picture of me dressed as Ezra Sterling posing with the same little boy, just a little younger. That must have been my first or second year being Ezra Sterling. Emotion fills my heart. This right here is one of the reasons I love what I do. I love being a part of these special memories for people. How cool that they watched the show a couple years ago and now here we are getting a picture together again?

“This is amazing,” I say.

“Yeah. We really appreciate you taking the time to chat with us, both times,” the mom expresses.

“You’re very welcome.”