Chapter 14

I SAT IN MY OFFICE Tuesday afternoon daydreaming about the summer of bliss. I’d just had MaryJane, a student in my stage movement class, come in to talk about auditions for Two Gentlemen. She wanted to make sure she had chosen a good monologue. I gave her a bit of coaching on how to prepare for the audition, which I didn’t really think she needed but accepted very gratefully. Adoringly.

MaryJane wore a T-shirt and yoga pants. I was pretty sure that was all. I could clearly see rosy nipples through her thin white T-shirt, so I knew she was braless. I suspected there might be nothing under the yoga pants based on the camel toe she was displaying. I half expected her to ask for a condom and practice session.

And that set me thinking about the summer of bliss as I watched her delightful ass leave my office. What a summer that had been. And all the girls I’d had that year were younger than any of my students, so why shouldn’t I lust after the pretty young things? I guess I was really feeling the aftereffects of two weeks of sex with Abigail and Candy. Not that Daphne was slow in showing her pleasure in having me home. The past week before classes started, we spent a lot of time in bed. We had a new mother’s helper and she liked taking walks with the kids. She was an avid runner and took the two passenger baby jogger out for her runs. Daphne wasn’t at all opposed to a little afternoon delight when Rita left the house with the kids.

As I was remembering the way Liz and I got on in Glenwood Springs, I also started thinking about my job out there. I was Oppenheim’s assistant director. The first thing I’d learned was ‘cream and double sugar’ for his coffee. And Benson & Hedges 100s. Of course, now just about everywhere had a clean indoor air act in place and all smoking had to be done outdoors and at least ten yards away from any door. I was glad I’d never taken up the habit, though it had been close once or twice. CeeCee had said she didn’t like the taste in my mouth and that was the last cigarette I smoked.

I wondered if I was using El correctly as my AD. I’d come to depend on her for just about everything administrative in my office. As well as for daily visual stimulation. If I didn’t get my thoughts under control, I was going to need a stronger dance belt under my jazz pants.

“Hey, Terry. Coffee?” El came into the office and placed a Starbucks cup on the desk in front of me.

“Thanks, El. How’s your petty cash box holding up?”

“It’s the beginning of term, Terry. So far I’ve spent seven dollars of the fifty you put in it yesterday.”

“Yeah. I forgot. Thinking about the show. So, do you have the scenes copied that I want to have them read?”

“Got it. They’re at the copy center and should be ready for me to pick up first thing tomorrow morning. The Box is reserved from four till midnight until we leave for ACT. I’ve asked props to get us a few things for seats and levels. And Crab is sleeping under your desk.” I looked under my desk and saw the little harness and leash for the invisible dog. I needed to get used to that. I just hoped I had a good enough clown to pull off the role of Launce.

“Has anyone been in to take him for a walk?”

“Yeah. A couple of guys and one girl. Traci might actually have something.”

“Well, Shakespeare used boys to play the part of girls. I don’t see anything wrong with using a girl to play the part of a boy. She does move well.”

“Yeah. Even I like the way she moves and I’m totally hetero.”

Auditions were good if a bit long. I had seventy-five students trying out for thirteen roles, a few extras, and a dog. That last one was a surprise, but one of the guys wanted to audition for the part of Crab. He did a good job, too. I might have reconsidered the idea of using an invisible dog and casting the guy except for Traci’s audition with the leash and invisible dog.

Traci, I found out, was the product of a local youth theatre and had been to their six-week summer camp four times. Part of the training during camp had been clowning. Traci had studied her lines well and was most entertaining as she did Launce’s first monologue in Act II Scene Three. She delivered the lines well but really made the invisible dog visible. The dog tugged at its leash, pulling Launce off-balance at one point. At another, we could actually see the dog taking a piss on her shoe. Absolutely everyone was in stitches watching her audition.

“Traci, stay on stage, please. I’d like Mark to read the part of Panthino with you. El, scripts?”

“Gottem.”

El went to the stage and handed a page of lines to each actor. As soon as El turned her back, Traci dropped the script behind her. That was interesting. Mark started the scene and Traci was right there with the next line. The scamp had memorized the entire scene!

PANTHINO
Why dost thou stop my mouth?
LAUNCE
For fear thou shouldst lose thy tongue.
PANTHINO
Where should I lose my tongue?
LAUNCE
In thy tale.
PANTHINO
In thy tail!
LAUNCE
Lose the tide, and the voyage, and the master, and the service, and the tied! Why, man, if the river were dry, I am able to fill it with my tears; if the wind were down, I could drive the boat with my sighs.

Crab was humping Panthino’s leg when Launce finally agreed to go. The invisible dog jerked him off stage as he danced on one foot. Traci and Crab would be show-stealers as sure as any live dog had been in the history of this play. I did notice one thing.

“Traci, is that our Crab?”

“Oh, no sir. This is Tramp. But he’s a born actor, sir. Disney had him for one picture and then cut him loose. When I found him, he’d wasted away till there was nothing left. But after we’d worked together for a while, I was sure he was ready to get back into the business. He’s played Lassie, Old Yeller, the Shaggy Dog, and Scooby-Doo. He’s very versatile and can play tragedy as well as comedy. He had to turn down the part of Benji because Disney wanted him back as Big Red.” She’d kept the accent she’d been using for Launce as she gave me this spiel. I could hardly keep a straight face.

“What are Tramp’s ambitions? More movies?”

“Tramp has fully made the transition to live theatre but there aren’t many roles available. A lot of actors won’t work with an animal because they always get upstaged. But what he’d really like to do is direct.”

I lost it, as did most of the people auditioning.

“Let’s take a fifteen minute break while I try to recover. You should all know that I’m casting Tramp in the role of Crab. Richard, don’t leave. I might have you understudy him. El, make a note. We have our first firm casting decision.”

The remaining two nights of auditions were not as fun as the first but good actors are good observers and they learned quickly what worked and why this play was still listed as a comedy instead of a late romance like The Tempest was. The big problem was that I had four women vying for the three roles of Sylvia, Julia, and Lucetta, and any one of them could play any of those roles—including Mary Jane. I was desperately looking for a place for the fourth woman. None of them was as good a clown as Traci but the logical place for another woman playing a man’s role was as Panthino, more of a straight man than Launce or Speed. Before I made the final decision, though, I wanted to try something else.

“Everyone on stage, milling around,” I called. I’d already talked to Traci about what I wanted and she’d agreed to do a little miming for me. I jumped up on the stage for the first time.

“This show will use a lot of extras,” I said. “And believe me when I say you will work hard as an extra. Possibly harder than the leads, even though you won’t have speaking lines. There will be outlaws, musicians, servants, and even townspeople. This is going to get physical. Let’s warm up a bit. El.” El jumped up beside me and took them through some stretches and exercises. That gave me an opportunity to simply walk around looking at people. After ten minutes I called a halt. El went to join the crowd.

“Everyone, look at Crab!” I shouted. Crab was at the end of his leash with one of Traci’s arms outstretched as she bounced an invisible ball for the dog. “People! Crab’s down here. You’re looking at Launce.” They got the idea and Crab began to move. You could see the anticipation in the quivering harness that represented the dog. I was pretty sure most people had focused on that point, finally. Then the dog moved and ran toward Launce, leaping into the air to catch the invisible ball. I saw exactly what I wanted to see as they all tracked the dog, even lifting their eyes when he jumped. He came back down and Traci took the ball from his mouth and wiped it off on her shirt. Crab went back to his ready position. This time, Launce bounced the ball toward the dog and we watched him leap into the air to catch it and trot back to Launce. Everyone was tracking. That was all I needed.

“Good! Thank you all for auditioning. You did a great job. The cast will be posted on the call board Monday morning at ten o’clock. We’ll have a read-through rehearsal Monday evening and everyone is invited to attend whether your name is on the cast list or not. If you don’t want a non-speaking extra role, Jim Mason wants you on the tech crew. Everyone else, I’ll see you Monday night.”

By the end of our first week of rehearsals, I was in serious lust for Traci. She was cute, sexy, talented, creative, and sexy. Did I mention that? She was also an eighteen-year-old student of mine. A freshman who would be around for another three years. One thing I’d been taught early on in my life was “Don’t poop in your kitchen.” There was absolutely nothing I could do about my lust but restrain it.

I hadn’t noticed her that much in my acting class the previous term. Yes, she was just as talented then as now. I think she was just as cute. By the second class, standard dress was leotard and tights for girls and T-shirt and sweats for boys. By the end of term, more of the guys had adopted the jazz pants like I’d worn. I should have known all about Traci’s figure and blooming sexuality but at the time I was having trouble focusing on anything but my TA. She was still one of the most beautiful and desirable women I knew. But other than occasional hugs and a kiss on the cheek when we’d worked hard on a project together, the same rule I’d imposed on myself kept my hands off her. Besides, hadn’t I once declared on CeeCee’s behalf, “If this is the kind of place where a director makes a pass at an actor’s girlfriend—or any cast member for that matter—then it’s the wrong place for me anyway.” Now I was that director.

I was having as much fun choreographing the extras as I was directing the principals. Dan Richardson, the music theatre director, even stopped by to watch what I was doing and offer a couple of suggestions. I appreciated the help. I’d also assigned each extra as a line coach for each of the speaking roles. That kept them involved in the language as well as the movement. By the time we were ready to move onto the stage at ACT, it was clear to everyone that we had a good show but Launce and Crab would steal it whenever they were on stage.

I was a little concerned about the sightlines in the thrust theatre. The audience rises sharply in tiers with balconies, so most of the audience looked down on the stage. I was mostly worried they wouldn’t grasp what was happening with the invisible dog. I didn’t need to worry. Traci adapted to the environment well and changed her routines slightly to be sure everyone got a clear view. She was in five scenes with two long monologues I had planned to cut down but I restored the cut lines just to let her run with them.

I already had plans for her next year in The Taming of the Shrew.

“Terry! Congratulations! Great opening night,” Jon said when he found me backstage after the show. “There’s always a cast reception in the lobby after opening night. Tell them to stay in costume. I think Launce is going to be mobbed.” He lowered his voice on that last bit as Traci was headed toward us.

“Is it true that we have to go out in costume?” she asked. “I’m so embarrassed!”

“Don’t be,” I said, putting an arm around her and giving a little hug. “You killed it tonight. It actually gave people something to laugh at in this comedy. Bring the dog.” She reached up and gave me a kiss on the cheek before she headed off to entertain the audience gathered in the lobby. I looked after her just as Daphne came up beside me.

“Someone has a cru-ush,” she sang in my ear.

“Oh, I don’t think so. She’s just floating after her performance tonight. It was her first college production.”

“I wasn’t referring to her,” Daphne laughed, giving me a dig in the ribs.

“Who?” I asked innocently. She just rolled her eyes at me.

“Come and feed me. They have food and drinks and this is the first night out I’ve had since you started directing this show.”

I fed her. I wed her. I bed her. Well, the wedding part had been accomplished some time back, but the other two were on the agenda for a long late night that night. I might—okay, did—have a bit of lust for another woman or two in my heart, but I let it all flow toward Daphne when we got home. The kids were at an overnight sitter so we could just enjoy the night. And we did.

I loved being able to freely play with Daphne’s breasts and suck at her nipples now that both kids were off the tit and on solid food. These beautiful boobs were mine again. And if a little less sensitive than they’d been before being turned into a breakfast bar, Daphne still loved to have me pay attention to them. They were softer than when we’d first gotten together, splaying out slightly when she lay on her back, but it was all about loving my wife and I loved it. The heat and moisture at Daphne’s center confirmed to me that she loved it, too, as I sank my rigid cock into her.