Buster

Things couldn't be any better for Buster Moon and his theater. Ever since his idea with the singing competition, his old theater breaking down, and the show he and the others put on just to share their love for music, things have been constantly getting better and better. He could do without the whole "reaching rock bottom"-part, though. On the other hand, if it meant that things were going to get this good afterwards he thinks he can handle it. If it doesn't happen too often. Or ever again.

Truth is the theater is doing great. Rosita is the star of his new show "Dreaming the Singer's Dream" with Gunter being a close second. Buster has no idea how Rosita does it. She's a mother of twenty-five, yet she puts on two shows every week and still seems to have time for her family. Or so she keeps telling the reporters. Barely a week passes without an article on this amazing singer who happens to reconcile family and career in such a great way. The women's magazines love her. Not that Buster reads these things. Ms. Crawly told him about it.

Ash has disappeared from the scene for a bit to work on her first album, but she shows up in the theater every two weeks or so to practice, insisting that the atmosphere helps her getting focussed. Also Buster has managed to get her for an exclusive album-release concert next month.

Meena is doing a concert here at the theater every month, and she really seems to have gotten over her stage fright. However, she still has some trouble facing people when she's not singing, her insecurity often getting the better of her during interviews. That's why Buster insists on no live interviews whenever a TV channel or newspaper wants to interview Meena. It has worked out just fine so far.

Mike only appears at the theater every once in a while, asking to do one of his pop-up concerts which have become his trademark. Why he insists on such tight security, though, is beyond Buster. Or maybe he just doesn't want to know. Mike managed to get his first album out two weeks ago, another thing that Buster doesn't really understand. Or just another thing he doesn't want to think about too much. Mike seems to be happy, though.

Johnny is performing at the theater every month, just like Meena. And he shows up here almost every day, practicing or just being backstage right somewhere in a corner where he wouldn't bother Eddie or one of the stage workers and watching the activities around him. When Buster catches sight of the young gorilla, it always makes him smile. It reminds him so much of the time when he fell in love with the theater. He has a surprise up his sleeve for Johnny, though. He wants to make him the star of his next show. He's already working on the story, trying his best to write a role tailor-made for Johnny. Just like he did with his recent show for Rosita. He's a little stuck with the story, but it will all come together in time. Buster is sure about that.

So, all in all, everything's just great.

Except for one thing. There's so much going on in the theater, Buster is afraid that Ms. Crawly isn't able to handle it all by herself any longer. The iguana would never admit it, though, so that's why Buster hired someone to help her out.

He still needs to tell Ms. Crawly, though, and he so isn't looking forward to it.

Buster takes a deep breath and hits the button on the intercom.

"Ms. Crawly, would come in for a moment?" he asks.

"Being right there," the iguana replies, telling Buster that he has at least five more minutes to finish his morning coffee and think of what exactly to tell her.

When Ms. Crawly finally arrives, Buster still hasn't figured out the words, so he decides to just go with whatever comes to his mind.

"So, Ms. Crawly," he starts, "things are going pretty well with the theater, aren't they?"

"Oh yes, Mr. Moon," Ms. Crawly replies. "It's just amazing."

"You know with all the workload and your age" - wrong word, wrong word, Buster! - "I mean, your experience, I thought maybe we should change things a bit."

He puts on a big smile. Ms. Crawly, however, looks like she's going to break into tears any moment, and Buster really doesn't understand what is going on.

"Are you telling me you are going to fire me?" she asks, already reaching for her handkerchief.

"What!? No!" he cries out. "Of course not! After all the things we've been going through together, I could never fire you."

"Oh, okay." Ms. Crawly puts her handkerchief away again.

"I just hired someone to help you out."

Sometimes, it's hard to read Ms. Crawly's expression - Buster blames her glass eye for it - and this is one of these moments. But if he has to guess, he'd say Ms. Crawly has set her jaw into a hard line.

"I don't need help," she says, confirming Buster's guess.

"Of course not, Ms. Crawly!" he replies. "But you have to see it this way: You have all these years of experience. Why don't let someone young … more inexperienced benefit from it?"

"If you put it that way, Mr. Moon, okay," Ms. Crawly says, and Buster releases the breath he has been holding in a silent sigh. Good thing he thought of this experience-argument just in time.

"But I have to insist that I do not need any help. I am perfectly fine doing all the work around the office by myself," Ms. Crawly adds emphatically.

It's the moment Buster sees the tower of papers on her desk collapse through the window that separates his office from hers.

He catches his jaw right in time before dropping.

"I know that, Ms. Crawly," he says, putting on a forced smile. "Just let this young girl benefit from your years of office-experience in the theater-business."

He already said that, didn't he? But he keeps the smile on his face, and after a few moments, Ms. Crawly shrugs.

"Well, I guess, we all started somewhere," she says. "I might as well help this young girl out."

"That's the spirit, Ms. Crawly!"

He's still watching her with this way too broad smile on his face as she turns around and leaves his office. When she opens the door, some of the papers from her desk pour in. She just picks them up as if nothing has happened and keeps on walking.

This gives Buster a few more moments - or minutes - to think that maybe, just maybe he has made things worse.