Chapter 17

I HAD TWO SHORT GIGS that summer. I agreed to a guest appearance in Measure for Measure for the Rainier Youth Theatre where Traci had learned clowning. My age difference compared to the rest of the actors let me carry off Duke Vincentio when it would normally be played by an older actor. I had an ulterior motive or two in taking the role for a modest honorarium. I wanted to learn more about the program that had turned out such a fine comic actress and see if there was a way that I could encourage more to come to PCAD. I also wanted to meet the director and brains of the program, Tressa Bridal. There was a good possibility I’d want to send my kids to this theatre.

I was impressed, all the way around, by the program, the talent, the kids, the director, and the manager. And I got recruited. The first thing Tressa asked me was if I was interested in helping with the summer camp. I agreed to consider it for next year.

I was finished with my commitments by the first of August and Daphne and I boarded the Coast Starlight from Seattle to Los Angeles with the kids. Shelly was both fascinated and horrified by the automatic flushing toilets on the train, which she called ‘automatickers.’ We’d planned ahead with lots of games and crafts to keep the kids busy on the journey and they were very good, even if a little hyper about going to see Mickey Mouse. The train was like a rocking cradle for both of them, though. We tucked them in an hour after dinner and they were out cold.

The rocking of the train was pretty good for Daphne and me, too, though not in the same way. Once I was tucked into her pussy, we let the swaying of the train provide the rest of the motion. It was long, gentle, and extremely satisfying. Then we slept soundly for the rest of the night.

Disneyland was pretty overwhelming for the kids. They liked the kiddie rides and characters. We decided against the more frightening roller coasters. And I admit to glancing at every princess character we passed to see if Abby had transferred from Florida to California.

“We’ve been married seven years, Terry. They say that’s when most marriages break up. Do you have any unfulfilled fantasies?” Daphne and I were lying in our berth on the train back to Seattle. I think the kids were going to sleep for a few days. We were both a bit exhausted, too.

“Fantasies? You mean like covering you in whipped cream and licking it all off?”

“Ooh! We could do that. I was thinking of any sexual things you’ve wanted to try that we haven’t done. I don’t want our life to become routine and boring.”

“Give me an example from one of your fantasies,” I suggested.

“Hmm. I sometimes have dreams about making love on horseback. I doubt it would be very comfortable, but I dream about it anyway. Making love on a train was one of my fantasies until right before you stuck your penis in me and we rocked our way to fulfillment.”

“Maybe I’m just boring. I should see if I can write some creative fantasies. Oh! Here’s one. I used to imagine that Billy and I were facing off to arm wrestle to see which of us got to suck on your nipples.” We laughed.

“He was just a baby!”

“You wouldn’t believe how strong he was in my imagination. I only started winning once he was weaned.”

“Your TA,” Daphne said. I froze. I had fantasized about her all year last year until I fucked her. Daphne just continued on. “I used to fantasize that I was bringing you lunch at your office but you weren’t there. Instead, your TA closed the door behind me and bent me over your desk to have his way with me. He was so strong and handsome and young! I always came in gushes when I masturbated to that fantasy.”

“Richard. You thought Richard was sexy?” He was a decent looking guy but I never thought he’d appeal to Daphne.

“Oh, yes. Right up to the moment I met him. You remember. I didn’t meet him until opening night of your show this spring. From the time you mentioned him bringing you coffee in the morning and scheduling your meetings, I envisioned a slave who rebelled against his master by fucking his wife. Meeting him really killed the buzz. He was nothing like I imagined. Well, maybe a little like. Not as good a fantasy as your TA the first year, though. She was a wet dream.”

“Are you telling me you were attracted to her?”

“No! Terry, how could you think such a thing? Well, maybe a little. You had to fantasize about her all the time!”

“If I fantasized about all my good-looking students, I’d never get any work done and I’d be too raw from beating off to ever make love,” I laughed.

“You’re no fun at all! I want to know more about your fantasies, Terry. I want to make sure I fulfill any I can.”

“You, too, honey.” The train—and another orgasm—finally rocked me to sleep.

I had announced Romeo and Juliet as the Shakespeare for next season, so I was surprised twice right after freshman orientation. The first time was when Jon invited all the theatre faculty and their families to his house for a Labor Day cookout. While there, he informed us all that the schedule had been changed. First, we wouldn’t be working at ACT this year. Dan Richardson would move into the early spring slot and would be performing at Seattle Rep’s Bagley Wright Theater. Evita had really put a mark on the map for PCAD and the Rep had asked to host our next musical. Dan was planning to direct Victor Victoria. My Shakespeare would be at SCU, the university we often associated with and it would be the first two weekends of May. I’d worked on how I was going to stage Romeo and Juliet on ACT’s thrust stage. Switching to a proscenium stage would be a challenge. I needed to get to work on it right away.

The second shock was Traci sitting in my office on Tuesday when I got to the school.

“Are you my TA this year, Traci? I thought that was reserved for seniors.”

“I’m not and it is.” She handed me a cup of coffee.

“So, you are here with my coffee why?”

“Well ... Lee Price is your TA but she has a class this hour and can’t be here to greet you with your coffee. She didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot, so she asked me to bring you a cup. It seems awfully demeaning to have your assistant run to get you coffee. I think you should be able to get your own.”

“The ... uh ... coffee is a longstanding theatre joke. It’s the same as sending a new techy to wash gels. The assistant is always responsible for getting coffee, cigarettes, and comic relief for the director. I assure you, I told both El and Richard about it and they both decided—independently, mind you—to keep the joke going as long as they could. Now you’ve made me admit it.”

“Oh, poo. Now I’m going to have to bring you coffee every day in order to keep the mystique up.”

“You don’t have to.”

“But I will. You see, I’ve got a request.”

“Really? Tell me what’s on your mind, Traci.”

“First, we’re not trying to manipulate you or get you to make a lot of promises but Lee and I have talked it over. She almost turned down becoming your TA because she desperately wants to audition for Romeo and Juliet.” I could definitely see Lee in either one of the major female roles.

“There’s no rule that my TA has to be assistant director. She can certainly audition instead. I was surprised Richard didn’t audition last year.”

“But that leaves you without an AD. Which is why I volunteered to bring you coffee this morning. I’d like to be your assistant if you’ll have me.” Now that was a surprise! I’d been thinking seriously about putting Traci in the leading role. Partly because of what I had planned for the part. But to have her working beside me all the time? I could certainly tolerate that.

“Give me a little time to think this over. I’m surprised you want to work on that side of the stage, but it would certainly be good for you. I want to talk to Lee, too, and make sure she is onboard with this. A lot of my TA’s job has been managing the production as well. I need to decide what a division of responsibilities would be. I’ll talk to her when she comes in today.”

“You’re a peach, Terry!” Traci bounced up out of the chair, kissed me on the cheek and took off. Oh my. I wonder if I should put her on my list of fantasies to be shared with Daphne.

“You want to what?” Jon wasn’t really angry but he was thoroughly nonplussed. That wasn’t the way Shakespeare was normally done but I had already shown him I was trying to break new ground. I hoped he would accept this as just another of my attempts to make the Bard more relevant. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. “I’ll have to take this to Watts, probably to the board, and we’ll need approval from SCU since it’s on their stage. Be prepared with a complete rationale, not only of the artistic merits but of the effects it will have on the performers. I’ll start in the morning.”

“Thanks, Jon. I’m sure this will work if we do it right.”

“Well, be prepared with an alternative. I’ve no idea how long it will take to get this through the process.”

Jon had a rehearsal to get to. He was breaking his own tradition of small cast shows for the fall. There were twenty-six characters in Dark of the Moon and half were women.

I managed to get responsibilities divided up between Lee and Traci with only a few overlaps. Fortunately, the girls worked well together. Lee ordered scripts and supplies for me. Traci started doing the cue books. My first production meeting with Jim, Traci, and Jim’s assistant, Levi Reichman, was revealing in many ways. Jim was deep in the construction of the versatile set for Moon. He was disappointed in Dan’s concept for Victor Victoria. And I was going to throw another wrench in the gears.

“You know that Dan wants to do Victor Victoria with nothing but props and furniture. We’ll be on that beautiful stage at the Bagley Wright with a show that simply begs for lavish sets of hotels and nightclubs and putting no backgrounds or set construction on it at all,” Jim moaned.

“Well, I’m looking at something a little more complex for Romeo and Juliet. Something with levels and, obviously, a balcony. It’s the bedroom scene I’m most concerned with. We’ll need extremely delicate and well positioned lighting. I’m planning on having them nude.”

“Nude! Has Jon approved this?”

“Not yet. It’s working its way up through the channels. But that’s the concept. Even if it doesn’t get approved, I’ll want it lit like it was.” I glanced over at Traci. She and Levi were just sitting there with their mouths open. I grinned at Jim, who was just shaking his head.

“Marcie Johnson,” he finally said. I hadn’t met the woman. “I’m going to task her with the lighting design. Levi, you need to make sure the set is designed in such a way as to provide anything she’ll need in the way of lighting angles. If I were you, I’d start with the bed and design the rest of the set from there. Terry, things sure have been interesting since you started doing Shakespeare here.”

“Let’s keep this part of the production under our hats for now. I don’t want a huge rumor mill generating gossip.”

We adjourned the meeting and Traci followed me quietly back to the office and sat in Lee’s chair. I saw a lot less of Lee than I had of either of my two previous TAs and a lot more of Traci.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. I almost didn’t catch what she said. I turned toward her and raised an eyebrow. “I messed up your plans when I asked to be your AD. You intended to have me naked on stage, didn’t you?” It wasn’t particularly accusatory. In fact, I thought she sounded a little sad.