Chapter 17

[Disclaimer: This story reads best in LANDSCAPE MODE on a smart phone or any other mobile device.]

We found Janice and Alice in the spa together, so instead of bothering them, we fixed some scrambled eggs and toast, adding some cold milk.

As we finished up, they came in, having dried off.

Mom had on a bright orange bikini top and blue bottoms, and her mother was wearing a blue top, with bright orange bottoms. They had been spaing in the nude.

We gave a more complete explanation of the call I had received, with Alice explaining that appendicitis could easily happen at that age.

“I assume that means Paul and Jennifer are Daddy and Grace tonight?” Janice remarked.

“Yeah, I am just glad there isn’t any kissing between the two,” I said out loud.

“I could adlib a kiss as we sing “New Deal for Christmas,” my perky blonde said to me.

Our day went by too quickly, and at 11pm, we came home from our successful, full house.

We beat the partygoers there, by thirty minutes, getting the food out, and making sure the bathrooms were fully stocked.

Very quickly, our place was flooded with people. Mom got shredded beef and rolls delivered to the house, and there were plenty of cold soft drinks to choose from as well.

I got to see Cece in a bikini again, although it wasn’t as scant as I had hoped. Only adults, Jenn and I were allowed in the Spa. Joan did come over in her black bikini and talked to us. She looked amazing.

Most of the girls we regularly had lunch with, ambled over as well. Mary Mitchell, Shirley Wickes, Kaylee Peterson, and Nancy Newman all came over, ostensibly to talk to one of us. However, they certainly wanted to show off their post-pubescent figures.

From the big pool, I heard the sounds of LES MISÉRABLES. I got out, gave my girl a kiss and went over to hear the boys singing the work song, and Geoff was on the shoulders of a couple of boys.

Rich Mitchell, fully recovered from his appendix being removed, was sitting on the edge of the pool, with his socks off, and his pant legs rolled up, dangling his feet into the water.

Michael Bell was making the sounds of his trumpet with his mouth.

(Most of the guys just sang ‘Uh-huh’ while Geoff and Richard started to sing “Look Down”. An interesting idea?)

They went on, until it broke up to laughter and splashing. I clapped for them and said, “Only forty-three more numbers to learn, you guys.”

They groaned and went underwater. I looked at my watch, and it was approaching one in the morning!

On my way back to the spa, Joan and the girls surrounded me. Every one of them had been cast in LES MISÉRABLES and were wondering about the summer schedule. I hadn’t put it from my head to paper yet, so I told them that. They didn’t care; they had me surrounded, quite literally.

I saw some parents arriving. I wrapped a towel around my lower extremities, and walked up and met some of them: Ruth Mitchell, as pretty as her daughter and Jeff Abbott, father of the three boys, Joseph, Marcus, and Samuel. A wonderful couple, who introduced themselves as Ken and Mary Bell, were parents of Lily, Jeff, and Mike, and were very nice. I found out that dad Ken was a musician all through school, including college. He is now a General Contractor.

There were too many of them to mention, but I saw strong resemblances with each parent I met. Many brought ‘Little Ones’ with them. I casually asked if Jackson Heights was in their future. Of those who answered at all, the answer was always a resounding “Yes.”

MaryAnn and Edward Newman came and picked up their four kids and Isabel Chapman. I picked her up, and she gave me a kiss on the cheek saying, “Don’t forget me? I want to sing that song in the concert in August.”

“Don’t worry Isabel; you are impossible to forget,” I said giving her a kiss on the cheek. I put her down and saw her grab Rose’s hand as they left together. Both will be future leading ladies, I am sure of that.

The place was thinning out, especially with the larger families leaving. A gentleman, who could only be Joanie’s dad, came around the corner. I introduced myself, finding out his name was James, and we hunted down his four girls. His wife Ruth introduced herself and I kissed the back of her hand to the exact same giggle I often heard from Joanie. She was just as pretty, only older.

We first found little Zoe, who gave her friends a goodbye hug. Geena, the youngest, was found, then Anna and Joan.

Anna, my Annie for the last couple of months, gave me a big hug. Joan stopped and grabbed my face and gave me a very large kiss, causing those around us to laugh, then she left.

She certainly has come out of her shell!

By two am, it was back to just us four. I had sent Paul and Cece home earlier. I would have thought such good singers, actors, and musicians were not as messy as the place had ended up.

Jenn got in the pool and threw that trash onto the lawn. I saw mom charging the spa, and flipping it on, while locking the lid.

Alice and I picked up the empty water bottles. Jenn followed us up with an aluminum can pick up. Mom picked up the plastic plates with uneaten food and plastic utensils. We had a good five pounds of shredded beef left over. Mom put it in small airtight packaging with half in the freezer and half in the fridge.

We turned off the backyard lights, and went inside. All of us were still in our suits. I wasn’t terribly tired, but I did change into dry clothes and came out to sit on the sofa. Each of the ladies, in turn, did the same, with Mom and Alice on either side of me.

“We didn’t have any loudness or arguments tonight,” I said. “I can only hope when we do the same thing after LES MISÉRABLES, we can say the same,” I said.

“That’s right, we will have older kids then, won’t we?” Alice said.

“Everyone I have met was nice, but there is a bit of a rivalry between performers and jocks,” I said. “Jennifer Stapleton has Peter Chapman in her choir. He hurt himself in a basketball game when he was a freshman, I heard. He has been singing ever since.”

“Thankfully, he has a marvelous voice,” Alice said. “He’s not bad looking either.”

Mom reached across me to slap at her gal pal.

“Mother, stop! I won’t confirm or deny Ally’s remark except to say that if he had more confidence at his initial audition, he would be playing Javert instead of Marius.”

“Did I tell any of you what show we will be doing next May?”

“No, honey,” mom said, “I haven’t heard you mention it. What is it?”

“I know,” Jennifer said, pulling me out from between the moms.

“Tell us, Jennifer?” my mother asked.

Jenn looked over at me and asked, “Can I tell them, please?”

I ended up on the loveseat, with her on my lap. “Go ahead and tell them, remember I am not giving you a part in it. You have to ‘Start from the very beginning.’”

She followed with “‘A very good place to start. When you read, you begin with A, B, C. When you sing you begin with do, re, mi.’”

Both Janice and Alice’s eyes quickly moistened, as they said together, “THE SOUND OF MUSIC.”

“I believe,” Alice remarked, “That no one can out sing my daughter. I will wager, that no one can.”

“Maybe not, but I expect that Jennifer may be getting some more training from my mother,” I said.

“That is exactly one year away. You have the complicated score of LES MISÉRABLES first,” Janice said, patting me on the shoulder.

“Actually, the first production of the next school year is the ‘Beautiful Broadway Musical Showcase’ in late August. I have had enough signups, from people already in LES MISÉRABLES and others; I may have some concurrent rehearsals. Besides that, there are some numbers that need a casting decision very soon. Let’s all go to bed, it’s late and this young lady of mine needs her beauty sleep.”

I got up and took her hand singing, “Goodnight Ladies,” on our way to my bedroom.

Despite the hour, once in our room together, Jenn closed and locked the door. She walked over to me and pulled my swim suit to the ground, and began another marvelous blow job, this time with me watching her from start to finish.

It was different, because I was watching her every move and feeling her lips and teeth on me.

All through this I was telling myself that it wasn’t penetrative, so it isn’t sex, at least not what people our mothers age thought about sex.

I lasted twice as long this time, before I pulled from her mouth and sprayed her face with my ‘Michael Juice!’

She laughed, but not too loud, enjoying what I did to her. I followed her to the bathroom, and took a picture of her face, before she washed up. A shower was unnecessary this time.

I love this young lady more than I could ever hope to love someone!

Sunday morning, we got up, showered, and changed and on our way downstairs to the kitchen, there was a note on mom’s door, DO NOT DISTURB, followed by ‘Please fix your own breakfast this morning!’

I can only assume that Saturday Night’s Party took more out of them than I had thought. I went in and fixed Eggs a la Michaél, bacon, and sourdough toast, washed down with really, cold milk. Even if I say so myself, it was my best breakfast ever. There were few leftovers, which I courageously ate over the sink, and I put our stuff in the dishwasher. It was full enough to start, but I didn’t want to wake up the moms.

We had changed into swim suits and had alone time in the spa, for once. I checked the alkalinity and all was well.

After five minutes, I turned to Jenn and asked,
“Want to do this naked?”

She was bare-ass nude very quickly, with me getting there too.

After ten minutes of sitting side by side, she moved to being astride me.

“Jennifer, we can’t?”

“Why not, doesn’t the hot water and the chemicals kill whatever it comes in contact with?” she said with a giggle.

That made enough sense to let her lower herself upon my mostly erect phallus. Even if her hypothesis is wrong, she is on the pill, right?

The feeling of me being hard and inside her was the most significant feeling I had ever felt in my hitherto young life. I could only hope it was the same for her.

After a few minutes, she leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder while I was doing the thrusting up inside her.

All we needed to do was be done before...

“ ... What the fuck are you two doing in there?”

That was Janice, but I wouldn’t let Jennifer stop or even slow down.

Another voice blurted, “Jennifer Rose Guthrie, Get off him this minute!”

I held her down, and managed to spew a large batch of my DNA inside my one true love!

She grabbed her suit bottom and top, and clambered out of the spa walking quickly by the moms.

Neither of them said anything to me, so I got my suit in my hand, got up and stepped out. Interestingly, Ally couldn’t take her eyes off my erection that never went down, while Janice sent me to my room!

I heard the call for dinner, and got Jenn and we walked downstairs, to the most flavorful fragrance I know, Noodles and Chicken!

Before we sat down to it, I gave my mom the biggest hug, and alight kiss saying, “I know how irresponsible we were, but we are in love and that must be as important as anything else, doesn’t it?”

Without letting me go, she said, “You are correct, Michael. Remember, I love you likely as much as you two love each other!”

While we were hugging, so had been Jenn and Ally. They pulled apart and my girlfriend’s mother got hold of me, and hugged me just as vigorously. I heard her whisper to me, “When you are older, I wouldn’t mind a trip to the spa like you had earlier with my daughter!”

After dinner and sleeping with her behind me like we had been doing for some time, we had a kiss, and turned and fell asleep.

After a breakfast of finishing the leftovers, we walked to the bus stop, beating all of those who are usually there before us. There was a place to sit, so we did. I am picking up the ANNIE music from everyone today and tomorrow. I mentioned it more than a few times at the cast party.

As we walked into the school, the applause was all around us, and Clara was crying. Principal McGowan walked proudly up to us and using a mobile phone through the school’s old, but still functioning PA system, announced, “As the founding member of the Michael Thomas Fan Club, I wish to announce the new facility being built will be called ‘Thomas Auditorium,’ by a unanimous vote of the entire school staff.”

“Wow,” I said, standing by him as he said this, “Thank you very much. I am extremely honored and hope to stay focused as I move forward in school and in life. There will be an announcement later in the week concerning the show picked for next May, which will probably be our first big production in our new facility. Thank you.”

Jenn and I got high-fives and slaps on the shoulders from everyone we encountered. It felt good to be honored like that. I expect Jennifer to be fabulous at Lincoln High, Jacob’s School of Music plus anywhere else we go, as long as we stay together.

We kissed and separated for her to get to class. Since I had the run of the school, I quietly followed behind her and saw her walk into a classroom. I waited five minutes, then knocked on the door and walked in.

“Hello Michael, we haven’t met. I am Mrs. Schraeder, Genny’s mom?”

“Hello, Mrs. Schraeder. I am here for personal reasons. All year I watched my girlfriend walk over to this part of the school. Today, I admit I stalked her here to find out what goes on in eighth grade, which I am entering with the start of the next school year.

“If you wish to stay, it’s alright with me. Jennifer, is it OK with you?” the lovely blonde teacher asked my girl. I looked the class over and saw that about half of them I knew from the concerts we have done together. Joan waved to me.

Jennifer said it was all right with her, but I stayed far away, so not to intrude so much on everyone. It was a Social Studies class.

Mrs. Schraeder tuned to the class and began, “When you begin high school, some of, if not most, of what you have learned here may be lost. You might find out that you have already learned what they are teaching, but do not wander during this time. Stay focused.”

I raised my hand, and the class laughed, but I was called on.

“Mrs. Schraeder ... may I add to that, please?”

“Certainly, Michael. Go ahead.”

“I know that I am practically fourteen, and many of you are already fifteen, but I wish to add that Lincoln High has a choir, and an orchestra, and I know every one of them, including their director. If you don’t already, may I recommend you learn an instrument or join the choir?”

“It won’t necessarily make you smarter in Social Studies, Math, or English, but it can pull your brain away from everything else for a while and sometimes that’s all you need to renew the focus you require for each of those classes.”

There was a nice clapping of hands as Mrs. Schraeder augmented my remarks by saying, “Michael is very intuitive, isn’t he? Learning to focus in the moment, instead of your entirety, is important. Even more so, if you were to join a school club, like choir or orchestra. That’s sometimes called ‘fractionalizing’ or breaking larger elements into smaller ones. That lets you handle the smaller elements as they occur. A good example of this is that the ‘performers’ in this class are almost a full grade point higher than those who aren’t.”

I just sat there and smiled as she just helped me prove my point.

After this class was over, I headed to the orchestra class. Paul and I shook hands as the horde came in talking to each other. Without being asked, they put their ANNIE music on his desk on their way to their position. While I had requested them all back, I wouldn’t have doubted if many hadn’t made copies on their own. I have a copy of every song/show I have been involved in!

They eagerly got out their LES MISÉRABLES scores and waited for my decision on what first to play.

I stopped everything and applauded them, to questioning looks among the others. “The reason for the applause was to let you know how proud I am of all of you. I remember that small band of nine we started with. Now almost sixty people strong, we are about to start regular LES MISÉRABLES rehearsals at my place starting the Monday after graduation. Give yourselves a big hand of applause.”

They did as I had requested. There was a lot of respect among these primary schoolers.

After they calmed down, I had last-minute decided to give them some updated information.

“OK, you guys. You now know that we are putting on LES MISÉRABLES in November. Would you like to know what we are doing next May?”

They all looked at each other, finding no one who knew. Most sat forward in their chairs waiting for my next words...

“THE SOUND OF MUSIC!”

“YAHOO!” yelled Mike Bell. “Sorry Michael, we have had a bet between us trumpeters. The boys thought SOUND OF MUSIC, while the ladies were hoping for something like BYE BYE BIRDIE, hoping Peter Chapman would try out for Conrad Birdie.”

“Oh, that’s how it is?” I said seeing money changing hands between the obviously close-knit band of trumpeters. “Maybe the following November, we could do BYE BYE BIRDIE, but Peter will have graduated by then.”

The girls all groaned to that news. Mike was sharing the money. I went over and took the money from the boys saying, “I am certain Paul and Cece would enjoy some cash prior to their wedding. Especially since wagering for cash is illegal in school.”

I handed it directly to Paul who smiled as he put it in his coat pocket.

“Are we ready to play some LES MISÉRABLES music, people?”

“YES!” they said as one.

“Then, let’s all go through the ‘Prologue’ and see if you all remember the cuts I gave you,” I said to them. I saw Paul pull the money from his pocket and count it while shaking his head at me.

I raised my baton...

First, were the chain gang and the musical conversation between Javert and Valjean. After the cut of the farmer, laborer, and the innkeeper, there was a seamless transition to the Bishop at measure 171.

He and Valjean sang, with the constables both involved. The Bishop absolves Valjean, but still chastises him.

Coming next was Valjean asking the musical question, “What Have I Done?” The new timpanis have already made a difference, with Luke, our lead percussionist, taking them on personally. During this number, he also plays the crash cymbal, quite effectively.

I can hear John Mitchell singing as these musicians are playing at measure 312...

JEAN VALJEAN
I am reaching, but I fall
and the night is closing in
and I stare into the void
To the whirlpool of my sin

I will escape now from that world
From the world of Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean is nothing now
Another story must begin!

The violins will follow the singer up to the high A, holding it for two and one-half full measures. I will ask John to keep it until the end of the third measure. A guaranteed standing ovation, with only 33 pages of a total of 404 having been played!

We played that much again, this time I stopped and gave out some specialty moments to the trombones and the violins. Our young harpist kept up through the whole piece sounding quite accomplished for being so new at it and only ten-years-old.

We skipped “I Dreamed a Dream” because we had played it many times already. We went on to play “Lovely Ladies,” “Fantines Arrest,” and “The Runaway Cart.” I may still be cutting that, but I was having them learn it, just in case. There is a simple musical way to remove it.

The bell rang, and they all left. I stayed behind to talk to Paul.

“What are they doing for the final grade?” I asked, sitting down.

“They are so far above the primary school standard, I am not really sure,” he said. “Do you have an idea, Michael?”

“I’m not a teacher!” I said to him.

“What do you call what you have been doing around this place since last October? We have the best damn choir in the state, the same could be said for those young men and women who just left here.”

“You’re right ... you are completely correct Paul,” I said. “Of the bunch that left here just now, there are only about ten of them who I think could be more proficient with the instrument they are playing.”

I went on to tell him who they were, and he thanked me as I left the orchestra room. I walked straight to Principal McGowan’s office, interrupting a conversation he was having with Principal Summers.

They stopped talking and Harold turned to me and said, “Yes?”