Tom's first opera experience

Miles was excited to be back in London and he and Kitty had already made plans to go to several concerts and plays but first on the agenda was the opera. Tom rolled his eyes at their excitement, he'd never seen the point of all this culture stuff, though he was planning to attend the medical lectures he'd seen advertised in the surgeon's break room at the hospital and he would try to drag Miles along too.

He'd agreed to come with Kitty and Miles out of curiosity mostly and before he'd found out what an undertaking going to the opera was. Apparently it wasn't just about the singing but it was a social occasion too and they needed to be well dressed. Kitty already had evening dresses that would do and Miles had evening dress from before the war but Tom had never seen the point in owning any and if he had, it probably wouldn't fit him any more. Unlike Miles, he had become considerably broader in shape with the army diet, he suspected it was the first time he'd been able to eat exactly as much as he wanted and he'd therefore grown at least two inches in height and considerably more in width since joining up.

Once the ordeal of buying evening dress was over it was on to the evening itself. They were to see Don Giovanni which was apparently very popular if the crowds wandering the halls of the opera house were anything to go by. Their seats were somewhere in the middle of the theatre and they settled in about ten minutes before the opera was due to start. Kitty was occupied with observing all the ladies around them and Miles was reading the programme and muttering comments about the singers too quietly for Tom to hear. He sat in his too hard seat and tried not to fidget with the ridiculous bow tie that Kitty had insisted he wear. It was ridiculously tight around his throat and he could tell that he was going to be far too hot in a matter of minutes. Evening dress wasn't intended to be worn while squished into a theatre where you could hardly move without bashing shoulders with someone.

The lights go down and after a polite round of applause the overture begins and with it, the opera. By the end of the first scene Tom is hopelessly lost. No-one had told him it wouldn't be in English and he's sure the singing and music in general is very good, only he's not exactly knowledgeable on what makes it good. There seems to be lots of flirtation and then interruption of seductions and Tom feels like the only member of the audience who isn't laughing as the main character pulls annoyed faces when his plans are foiled. Act one ends with a dance and some kind of disagreement involving pistols and the main character runs off stage. The curtains fall to thunderous applause and Kitty turns to Tom with a smile on her face.

'Isn't it wonderful! I'd forgotten how fun opera was to watch!' she exclaims. 'It's so much nicer down here than in one of the boxes and you can actually hear everything and you don't have to rely on those stupid opera glasses to see what's happening.'

She sounds so happy that he has to smile. He may be completely lost but at least the other members of the party are enjoying themselves if Miles' grin is anything to go by.

Tom and Miles go to get drinks leaving Kitty reading the programme and Tom wonders if Miles will explain what's going on to him.

'Miles,' he says hesitantly.

'What old chap? Something bothering you?'

'Not exactly it's just…'

'Oh look, there's Benjy and Milton Greene! Christ, I haven't seen them for years, must go and say hello, don't worry about my drink dear boy, just take one back to Kitty.'

With a pat on the back, Miles sails across to some cheerily waving young men sipping champagne in a corner. He is rapidly absorbed into their group and provokes gales of laughter with the second thing he says. Tom watches for a minute, amazed as always with the ease of Miles' social manner.

He gets two glasses of champagne, narrowly misses drenching a grumpy looking dowager in the contents and with a sigh of relief makes it back to Kitty.

'Have you lost Miles?' she asks.

'He ran into some people he knew.'

'Ah,' she says knowingly, 'well at least now I can ask you what you think, isn't Dona Elvira fantastic?'

He doesn't have a clue who she's talking about. 'Is that the blonde one?'

'No, she's got brown hair…' she looks curiously at him.

'It's just,' he says awkwardly, 'I'm having trouble –' he stops as Miles comes towards them attracting Kitty's attention with a cry of 'Katherine dearest!'

'Oh dear, how much champagne do you think he's had? He didn't eat very much at supper, did he?' she asks worriedly, 'Oh I do hope he calms down.'

Tom sighs. At this rate he's never going to find out what's going on. He does know that if Miles causes a scene and gets them kicked out he is going to be very annoyed. He may not be very happy here but Kitty's face makes all the confusion worthwhile and he will not be pleased if Miles gets in the way of her enjoyment.

Luckily Miles shuts up as soon as the music begins, apparently even drunk he has respect for the conventions of the theatre. The second act proceeds and he watches bemused as men are mistaken for their servants, a huge feast is consumed and Don Giovanni is dragged off to hell in the only part of the opera that makes him sit up and take notice. This is truly dramatic and he thinks that perhaps if the whole thing was like this, only a lot shorter, he might understand the attraction of going to the opera.

The thing ends, finally, and then the applause starts. He isn't used to the waves of applause and he watches, amazed as several of the singers take separate bows several times. When the clapping ends they then have to fight their way out of the theatre and into the cold London air. It may be foggy but he takes deep breaths all the same and feels a huge relief at having survived the experience. They walk home as it's not far and Tom listens to the others enthusing as they walk. It isn't until they are climbing into bed that Kitty asks him what he thought.

'It was certainly an experience,' he admits, 'but I think I'll leave the opera going to you and Miles if you don't mind.'

'Poor Tom,' she laughs, 'I turned and looked at you a few times and you looked so confused, why didn't you ask what was happening?'

'I tried but I kept getting interrupted!' he exclaims indignantly. 'Anyway, what's the point of going to see a load of grease-painted people singing in another language when you don't enjoy it? I know you did so I'm glad we went but I don't think I'll go again.'

She shuffles across the bed until she can put her head on his shoulder.

'It would be nice to go sometimes,' she says, 'but it's not a thing I want to go to every day so I suppose I can cope with going with Miles.'

He hides a smile in her hair and pulls her closer with and arm around her waist.

'I'm glad you enjoyed yourself anyway.'

'I did,' she sighs. 'I'll be singing bits from it all week. And you'd be surprised about what you can make a song about...'

'Oh, please don't challenge Miles with that –'

Prompt from through-the-eye-of-a-needle

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