Chapter 18

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

Still sizzling hamburgers, along with the fixings, appeared on the table in front of us. Instead of usually letting the ladies go first; I put two patties on my plate and put some cheese and some bacon on it, topping it with the top bun. I asked someone to throw me a bag of chips. I got three and three sets of smiles.

We all consumed the food quite rapidly. Only a few bags of chips were left. After clearing my plate of trash, I put my dishware in the dishwasher, kissed both moms on the mouth with a hand on their butt, and took Jennifer back to her room. Before we went in I turned and said, “See you ladies at dinner. I have to feed the beast.” Jenn slapped my back and quietly said, “If you want my ass again, I am ready for you stud.”

Add to that a giggle and we got back into bed.

I was very careful, even using more lube, and I filled her with a few loads of Michael Milk up her butt. She swallowed some down her throat as well. I love her so much, and I still feel like I abandoned her on Friday and Saturday Rehearsals. She literally forgave me, but I still will never take her for granted, ever!

SCHOOLS OUT
{c}LES MISÉRABLES
{c}REHEARSALS BEGIN
On Monday morning in our back yard, those who had been expected showed up. The entire orchestra, all twelve of my leads and understudies with their musical scores in hand, were there. I excused the choirs until Thursday, but they could show up if they wanted to.

After the chairs and music stands were set up, our combined orchestras tuned up. The high-school students deferred to the elementary schoolers, despite the fact that a few of Lincoln Highs first chairs were better. It was the simplest way to merge the two entities.

Even with that, my two male bassists, Jorge and Steven gave Brigitte first chair simply because they both looked at her and had apparently fallen in love with her on the spot. Even Brigitte knew that, but wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. They were tuned. Cathy played on my mother’s 88-Key Williams Legato keyboard by way of a long extension cord.

Richard, Clarice, and Jen from Lincoln High, along with Harold, Clara, Paul, and Cece all showed up to listen and be entertained.

With that in mind, I turned and spoke to everyone.

“Good morning everyone. This is not our first rehearsal. They started last week at Jackson Heights Elementary School. Due to other events in motion, I hadn’t the time to go to Lincoln High and do the same.”

“Welcome to the educators and selected staff from our two schools. Please remember, this is a rehearsal! I may decide to stop at any time to fix a problem, before it goes nuclear; that is, if it pervades the over eighty performers I have before me.”

The guests all chuckled at that.

“I also have the twelve leads and their understudies, to go through as much music as we can. These same people will be back on Wednesday, continuing throughout the summer on Mondays and Wednesdays. There are those who have told me about family vacations, and we are aware of those selected days they would not be here. If this policy becomes abused, remember, that’s why there are eight violinists, seven flautists and Understudies for the Leads.”

“Pardon me for a moment. I have envisioned this first piece of music collectively called the ‘Prologue.’ Let me paint you all a picture, please!”

“The entire cast, minus Little Cossette, Little Eponine and Gavroche, will enter wearing black robes. Our sixty-four-person core choir, made up of students from both schools as well, will be wearing green robes. As the music and the voices begin to sing, they come from behind the audience.”

I turned and said, “Music number zero zero please”...

They sounded magnificent, and Jeremy took over as I explained further. He and the orchestra had specific instructions on what to play while I did this narration.

Clara had told me who was coming last week, and I had prepared for them all. We now had all the new pieces of the orchestra as well.

MICHAEL
“Surrounded by those in black robes, the green robed choir, with only the men singing the opening number as they walk down the aisle...”

CHAIN GANG
Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh,
Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh,
Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh

Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh,
Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh,
Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh

Look down, look down
Don’t look ‘em in the eye
Look down, look down,
You’re here until you die

CONVICT ONE (Jorge Diaz)
The sun is strong
It’s hot as hell below

CHAIN GANG
Look down, look down
There’s twenty years to go

CONVICT TWO (Richard Charles)
I’ve done no wrong!
Sweet Jesus, hear my prayer!

CHAIN GANG
Look down look down,
Sweet Jesus doesn’t care

CONVICT THREE (James Fleck)
I know she will wait,
I know that she will be true!

CHAIN GANG
Look down, look down,
They have all forgotten you

CONVICT FOUR (Nathan Blevens)
When I get free ya won’t see me
Here for dust!

CHAIN GANG
Look down, look down
Don’t look ‘em in the eye

CONVICT FIVE (Ben Charles)
How long, oh Lord
Before you let me die?

CHAIN GANG
Look down, look down,
You will always be a slave
Look down, look down,
You’re standing in your grave

MICHAEL
“Everyone goes up on stage; the sixty-four green robes go to the second level still singing. Everyone except Javert, Jean Valjean, the Bishop, two constables, the Foreman and Fantine leave the stage. Just as each begins their first line of singing, their robe is pulled off from behind revealing their characters. Then, they sing...”

I took over conducting from Jeremy, and he sat down.

JAVERT (Geoff Cooper)
Now bring me prisoner 24601
Your time is up and your parole’s begun
You know what that means

VALJEAN (Richard Mitchell)
Yes, it means I am free

JAVERT
No! It means you get
Your yellow ticket-of-leave
You are a thief

VALJEAN
I stole a loaf of bread

JAVERT
You robbed a house

VALJEAN
I broke a windowpane

My sister’s child was close to death
And we were starving

JAVERT
You will starve again
Unless you learn the
meaning of the law

VALJEAN
I know the meaning of
those nineteen years
A slave of the law

JAVERT
Five years for what you did
The rest because you tried to run
Yes, 2-4-6-0-1

VALJEAN
My name is Jean Valjean

JAVERT
And I am Javert
Do not forget my name!
Do not forget me,
2-4-6-0-1...

CHAIN GANG
Look down, look down
You will always be a slave
Look down, look down
You’re standing
in your grave

Uh-huh, Uh-huh,
Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh,
Uh-huh, Uh-huh,
Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh

(Mood change)

VALJEAN
Freedom is mine.
The earth is still.
I feel the wind. I breathe again.
And the sky clears
The world is waking

Drink from the pool.
How clean the taste.
Never forget the years, the waste.
Nor forgive them for
what they have done.
They are the guilty - everyone

the day begins...
and now let’s see
What this new world will do for me!

CUT TO...

BISHOP (Donald Nielson)
Come in, Sir, for you are weary,
And the night is cold out there.
Though our lives are very humble
What we have, we have to share.
There is wine here to revive you.
There is bread to make you strong,
There’s a bed to rest till morning,
Rest from pain, and rest from wrong

VALJEAN
He let me eat my fill
I had the lion’s share
The silver in my hand
Cost twice what I had earned
In all those nineteen years
That lifetime of despair
And yet he trusted me

The old fool trusted me
He’d done his bit of good
I played the grateful serf
And thanked him like I should
But when the house was still,
I got up in the night.
Took the silver
TOOK MY ... FLIGHT...

CONSTABLE ONE (Claude Short)
Tell his reverence your story

CONSTABLE TWO (Mark Mitchell)
Let us see if he’s impressed

CONSTABLE ONE
You were lodging here last night

CONSTABLE TWO
You were the honest Bishop’s guest.
And then, out of Christian goodness
When he learned about your plight

CONSTABLE ONE
You maintain he made
a present of this silver

BISHOP (Donald is a high tenor)
That is right

But my friend you left so early
Surely something slipped your mind
You forgot I gave these also
Would you leave the best behind?

So, Messieurs, you may release him
For this man has spoken true
I commend you for your duty...
And God’s blessing go with you

But, remember this, my brother
See in this some higher plan
You must use this precious silver
To become an honest man

By the witness of the martyrs
By the Passion and the Blood
God has raised you out of darkness
I have bought your soul for God...

VALJEAN
What have I done?
Sweet Jesus, what have I done?
Become a thief in the night,
Become a dog on the run
And have I fallen so far,
And is the hour so late
That nothing remains,
but the cry of my hate,
The cries in the dark
that nobody hears,
Here where I stand
at the turning of the years?

If there’s another way to go
I missed it twenty long years ago
My life was a war
that could never be won
They gave me a number
and murdered Valjean
When they chained me
and left me for dead...
Just for stealing a
mouthful of bread
(Key and mood change)
Yet, why did I allow that man?
To touch my soul and teach me love?
He treated me like any other
He gave me his trust
He called me brother

My life he claims for God above
Can such things be?
For I had come to hate the world
This world that always hated me

Take an eye for an eye!
Turn your heart into stone!
This is all I have lived for!
This is all I have known!...

One word from him and I’d be back
Beneath the lash, upon the rack
Instead he offers me my freedom
I feel my shame inside me like a knife

He told me that I have a soul,
How does he know?
What spirit comes to move my life?
Is there another way to go?

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 the world
From the world of Jean Valjean
JEAN VALJEAN IS NOTHING NOW
ANOTHER STORY MUST BEGIN... !

And I stopped it!

With only the limited rehearsals we had had, they were all superb. Richard Mitchell made me tremendously proud.

I turned to our audience, who were up on their feet. Paul whistled while the principals looked at each other and cheered as well. Cece and Jen were in tears. All the other kids were fist pumping and cheering for Geoff and Richard especially.

None of our neighbors can ever be justified by calling and complaining, which they had yet to do. My girl came up, and gob smacked me in front of everyone. Her point was well made. I let her go.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you one number done, with only 42 to go.”

Cece pulled me to the audience, after giving me a hug ... so did Jen, Clarice, and Clara. I got the strongest handshake ever from my principal; Clarice also offered me the back of her hand to kiss. Principal Summers shook my hand and said, “Well done, Michael.” and turned our handshake into a man-hug.

I went back to the gang of performers.

While they were very good, I spent about thirty minutes giving different corrections to the orchestra and a few to Geoff and Richard. We went through it again, and then took a break.

Principal McGowan was first to come to me. “My god, Michael! That whole setup you explained sounded unbelievable. I can’t wait to see that ... Especially, the whole robe concept. PT Barnum, George M. Cohan and the fictitious Harold Hill are all standing up in their graves and saluting you.”

Miss Stapleton and Cece came up beside me, with Jen saying, “I knew you were a talented young man, but that was just the most amazing display of testosterone I have seen in my entire life.”

“I agree with her wholeheartedly,” Miss Crabtree said. “You certainly seem to expend a lot of energy during that. Where do you get it all from?”

Just then, my Jennifer walked up and said, “He really knows how to focus on the task at hand. Fortunately, that’s me, most of the time.”

After that, she and I got and shared a bottle of water. You wouldn’t believe how much we go through these days!

“OK everyone, back to work. I need the Foreman, workers, factory girls, Fantine and John Valjean.

“Musical number Zero One, ‘At The End Of The Day,’ please?”

I raised my baton. My eight violinists begin this number...

(Eight boys and four girls)

THE POOR
At the end of the day
you are another day older
And that’s all you can say
for the life of the poor

It’s a struggle, it’s a war
And there’s nothing
that anyone’s giving
One more day standing about,
what is it for?
One day less to be living

At the end of the day
you are another day colder
And the shirt on your back
doesn’t keep out the chill
And the righteous hurry past
They don’t hear
the Little Ones crying
And the winter is coming on fast,
ready to kill
One day nearer to dying!

At the end of the day
there’s another day dawning
And the sun in the morning
is waiting to rise

Like the waves
crash on the sand
Like a storm that will
break any second
There’s a hunger in the land
There’s a reckoning
still to be reckoned and
There’s gonna be hell to pay
At the end of the day!

FOREMAN (Andrew Abrams)
At the end of the day
you get nothing for nothing
Sitting flat on your butt
doesn’t buy any bread

FACTORY GIRL #1 (Audrey Cooke)
There are children back at home

FACTORY GIRLS (There are 9)
And the children have got to be fed

FACTORY GIRL #2 (Elle Hanks)
And you are lucky to be in a job

FACTORY GIRL #3 (Wanda Andrews)
And in a bed!

FACTORY GIRLS
And we’re counting our blessings!

FACTORY GIRL #2
Have you seen how
the foreman is fuming today?
With his terrible breath
and his wandering hands?

FACTORY GIRL #3
It’s because little Fantine
won’t give him his way

FACTORY GIRL #2
Take a look at his trousers;
you will see where he stands!

FACTORY GIRLS
At the end of the day
it’s another day over
With enough in your pocket
to last for a week
Pay the landlord, pay the shop
Keep on grafting
as long as you are able
Keep on grafting till you drop
Or it’s back to the crumbs off the table
You have got to pay your way
At the end of the day!

(Grabbing the letter from Fantine)

FACTORY GIRL #1
And what have we here,
little innocent sister?
Come on Fantine;
let’s have all the news!

Reading the letter
“Dear Fantine, you must
send us more money...
Your child needs a doctor...
There’s no time to lose...”

(They fight over the letter)

FANTINE (Miss Jennifer Guthrie)
Give that letter to me
That is none of your business
With a husband at home
And a bit on the side
Is there anyone here
Who can swear before God
She has nothing to fear,
She has nothing to hide

(The two of them very carefully physically clashed over the letter)

VALJEAN
Will someone tear these two apart
What is this fighting all about?
This is a factory, not a circus!

Now, come on ladies, settle down
I run a business of repute
I am the Mayor of this town

To the foreman
I look to you to sort this out
And be as patient as you can

FOREMAN
Now someone say how this began?

FACTORY GIRL #1
At the end of the day
She’s the one who began it!
There’s a kid that she’s hiding
In some little town

There’s a man she has to pay
You can guess how she picks up the extra
You can bet she’s earning her keep
Sleeping around
And the boss wouldn’t like it!

FANTINE
Yes, it’s true there’s a child
And the child is my daughter
And her father abandoned us
Leaving us flat

Now she lives with
an innkeeper man
And his wife
And I pay for the child
What’s the matter with that?

FACTORY GIRLS
At the end of the day
She will be nothing but trouble
And there’s trouble for all
When there’s trouble for one!

While we’re earning
our daily bread
She’s the one with her
hands in the butter
You must send the slut away
Or we’re all gonna end in the gutter
And it’s us who will have to pay
At the end of the day!

FOREMAN
I might have known the bitch could bite
I might have known the cat had claws
I might have guessed your little secret
Ah yes, the virtuous Fantine

Who keeps herself
so pure and clean
You’d be the cause I had no doubt
Of any trouble hereabout
You play a virgin in the light
But need no urgin’ in the night

FACTORY GIRL #1
She’s been laughing at you
While she’s having her men

FACTORY GIRLS
She will be nothing but
trouble again and again

FACTORY GIRL #3
You must sack her today

FACTORY GIRLS
Sack the girl today!

FOREMAN
Right my girl.
On your way!

With a flourish, that number was finished and again, all who weren’t involved stood up and applauded loudly.

“LUNCH BREAK”

I saw pizzas coming around the corner; from four separate companies, each with seven pizzas. Mom sure covers the food part of things, a reason to tell her more often, how much I love her.

I found myself surrounded by many eight-year-old girls, including Rose Newman and Anna Taylor from the cast, and Nancy Choate, Pippa MacArthur and Stacy Carter from the orchestra. When Jenn sat down next to me, moving Pippa over a little, they all giggled.

I wasn’t about to start a conversation. I was slightly uncomfortable as it was. Jenn asked them, “So, do any of you girls have boyfriends yet? You can’t have Michael, because he’s all mine.”

They all giggled again, but that got them talking. It was interesting to hear the inner workings of eight-year-old girls.

I excused myself to walk over to see Miss Stapleton, Cece and Paul. They all seemed quite affable with each other. I sat by Paul just watching the two hot blondes talking like old friends. Paul slapped me on the back and said, “I heard you took one for the team this past weekend, Michael!”

“W- wh-what do you mean?” I asked with a cold shiver going through me.

Standing up and walking from the two ladies, he spoke, “I heard you went with my girl to look at places to have our wedding reception on Saturday. I hope you found a place I might enjoy dancing with my Cece. She has even asked Jen Stapleton to the wedding. That makes my her a force of nature, don’t you think?”