Hello and welcome to the longest chapter so far in this story. I had a few problems writing this to begin with, but I think I overcame those problems, and I have to say,I'm happy with the result! Now,I'll leave you to enjoy this latest chapter, so without further ado...
ON WITH THE SHOW!
Chapter 4: Past,Present and Future
As Buster came down the stairs from his office,he saw Ash,Johnny and Rosita standing in the bottom, talking to each other. As he came closer he said: "Good morning everyone, is everything okay?" Rosita turned towards him with a smile. "Good morning mr. Moon, yes, everything's fine, we were just talking as a few of us have noticed that neither of us know each other as well as we probably should, so we were thinking of rectifying that" she said, Ash and Johnny nodding behind her. "Excellent idea Rosita, let's call everyone to your rehearsal room so we can get proper introductions"Buster said as he ran along to gather the rest of the crew minus Meena since she had a day off because of school, leaving Rosita,Ash and Johnny there with mouths agape for a minute before Ash spoke. "Well,that went easier than expected,I thought he would have to think about it first" she said,Johnny and Rosita nodded in agreement before Rosita said: "Well,
I better go find Gunther and tell him to dress up,wouldn't want him to scare the newcomers with his outfits" as she walked away, leaving just Johnny and Ash. "So, are you going to tell 'em everything?" Johnny asked as he looked to his best looked to the floor for a second before she looked back at him. "I guess I should,I mean that's the whole point of this gathering, ain't it?" she said. Johnny nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and no matter what, you know I'll have your back,right?" he said as he walked towards the stage, leaving Ash alone. She looked after her big friend as she muttered: "Yeah,I know" before walking to her rehearsal room to fetch her guitar.
20 minutes later found everyone in Gunther and Rosita's rehearsal rooms.
Buster started: "Okay,I know this meeting was kinda rushed and everything, but as I had it pointed out to me, we know next to nothing about each other, and I would like to rectify that. After all, this crew is like a family, and we need to be able to trust each other, and what better way to do that than to have a proper introduction? I'll go first. My name is Buster Filius Moon. I am 36 years old. I've been wanting to get into the theater buisness since I was 6 years old. My dad worked at the car wash for 30 years to help me buy this theater, which I managed to do 3 years ago. However I failed to pay the crew from the last two shows I had, which is why I had the idea to host the failure of a singing competition. After the collapse of the old theater, I ended up in a depression, and I'm ashamed to say that I turned my aggressive side of that on some of you. I'm still surprised that you guys would forgive me and come back for the concert in the ruins after the stunt with the aquarium stage.I'm also extremely grateful for each and every one of you being here today,as without you I would have to sell the property and take a job washing cars as my dad did before me,gods rest his soul. Anyway, that's about it about me, so who volunteers to be next?" he finished.
To everyone's surprise, Ash was the first one who raised her hand.
" I guess I can go. You all call me Ash,but my full name,as much as I hate it, is Ashley Rosalyn Turner. I am 22 years old. My family's rather famous and has been for at least 2 generations, and they wanted me to join them in that spotlight. When I told them that I'd rather be famous on my own terms instead of theirs, they disowned me and threw me out when I was 15. I met Lance in college when I was 16. He didn't care about my name or my family, and I was grateful to him for that. We were together for 6 years until I threw his ass out a few months back. Since then, and since I got my mastery, I've discovered something new about myself." This was it for Ash,she was nervous, but she steeled her nerves and did like a band-aid. "I am bisexual. It was a big discovery for me, and the only one who knows is my best friend next to me" she said as she pointed to Johnny. "For that I'll always be grateful, since he never made a joke about it,and has had my back since then. This crew is more of a family than my biological one is,and I'm proud to call you that" she said as she turned to Johnny, who hugged her and turned his head to look at everyone as if to say I dare you to say anything demeaning to her before I crush your skull.
Buster carefully walked over to them and looked at Johnny, who looked back at Ash and relented,releasing her. Buster then hugged her and whispered to her: "I'm so proud of you,and I promise to be here for you whenever you may need it,'kay?" he said as he pulled back with a small smile. Ash looked at him in shock before smiling back and giving him a small nod in return.
Buster then looked around before turning to Johnny and asked: "Johnny,would you like to go next?" The young gorilla was momentarily shocked for a second before calming down and nodded.
"Yeah,might as well, I s'pose. My name's Jonathan Tier. I am 18 years old. I moved with my family from the UK when I was 3 years old. My family was then my mum,dad and my two uncles. When I was 12 my mum got diagnosed with a brain tumor and died a year after. Until then, my dad and uncles had run a garage called Tier's tyres, but once my mum had passed and dad's garage had lost a lot of their clients,money wasn't enough to afford both our home and the garage,so dad sold the house we had and we lived in the garage from then that,dad was desperate to find income somewhere,so he turned to crime and dragged both my uncles and me with him.
I didn't have a choice in the matter,I didn't want to get thrown out by my dad at 13.I guess karma made my dad pay from his latest stunt,even if I had a part to blame. The day the theater fell was the day my dad and uncles got arrested, because I was supposed to be the getaway driver. When I next saw him in prison, I tried telling him that I didn't want to be a part of his gang,but that I wanted to be a singer. He got so mad and more or less disowned me on the spot. During the concert in the ruins, he broke out of prison just to find me and tell me he was proud of me. He's still in with my uncles,but they're all working on getting licensed to deal with cars and the like again,so I hope that they're all succeeding in that while I'm going to do all I can to help them once they come out of jail. My dad no longer has a problem with my music career, and I'm not going to disturb him while he's working. I guess I'm just happy that everything seems to go the right way for our family again" Johnny said with a small smile.
Most of the crew,including Buster,Ms. Crawley and Eddie, had their mouths agape. The first to react however, was Rosita who had stood up from her place, walked over to Johnny and give him a hug. "Oh Johnny,I'm so sorry about your mother, that must have been awful for you. I know I don't know what I'd do if I lost one of my children or Norman for that matters" she said,sniffling slightly. Johnny patted Rosita gently on the back with a small smile "It's okay Rosita. I might've lost one,but I still have my dad and uncles. And you guys, of course" he said as he looked around at the crew, who smiled back at him, including a smirking Riley, a shocked Vinnie and a slightly tearful Alice.
"Well said Johnny. I am very proud to have such a wise young man under my employ,and don't let anyone tell you different, for this is truth that I speak or my name is not Buster Filius Moon!" Buster said as he looked directly into Johnny's shocked eyes. He then turned around and said: "Okay,now that Johnny and Ash has properly introduced themselves,how about you Gunther?" "Oh ya,I'm happy to do so Mr. Moon. My name is Gunther Schwartz, I am 36 years old. I came here from Germany at the age of 16 in search of fame and fortune. I am very passionate about my dancing and am happy that I surely is getting what I came here for almost 20 years ago. My dancing is not merely a hobby. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 10,and my parents suggested it to me as it could keep my energy at home on a low scale. My decision to come here at 16 was supported fully by my mothzer, however my father was very reluctant to let me go, but he was convinzed by my mother. Even if the distance between here and home is great, I still keep in touch with them, and I had a friend of mine from home teach them how to SKYPE,so I can talk with them every week. I am trying to convinze them to come here and zee one of our shows, so that they can see how good zheir son has become with his passion." Gunther finished.
"Very nice Gunther, and I hope you manage to convince them, considering we have a huge event coming up in a few weeks" Buster said with a smug grin.
"What are you talking about Buster? What event?" Eddie asked. Buster got a full grin as he said: "Why,it's Christmas soon,isn't it? Seems like a perfect season to give the crowds a full view of our newfound talents,I'd say!" Buster exclaimed happily, making Eddie go pale. "Oh gods,how could I forget Christmas? That's going to drive Nana up the wall" he moaned. Buster ignored him as Vinnie spoke up. "Excuse me,but I don't really have any Christmas-friendly songs in my repertoire,so I'm not sure what to do" he said nervously. Buster smiled at him. "No worries, I'll leave that to our resident pianist to help you" Buster said as he pointed to Johnny, who smiled and nodded. "Sure,I'd be happy to help ya Vinnie" he said as he gestured for Vinnie to sit next to him and Ash,so they could discuss quietly.
"Now, I believe Rosita is next,unless someone else wants to?" Buster said as he looked around. Rosita smiled.
"It's fine Mr. Moon. My name is Rosita Gustaffson. I'm 28 years old. I'm happily married to my Norman, who I met when we were 16. my family is originally from Spain, and my last name used to be Hernandez until I married. I met Norman when he was on a holiday in my hometown,and I was a waitress on a restaurant he visited. He immediately started flirting with me,something that was a regular occurrence at that restaurant and among the more drunken guests. It took him showing up at my door at home to make me understand that he was serious about wanting to be with me. We married when we were 20,and our kids came later that year. I took on the role of housewife and mom happily,but when I saw the flyer for the competition,I couldn't help it, singing had been my biggest dream when I was younger, and I owed my younger self to at least give it a chance,something I am very happy that worked out" she said with a smile.
"Excellent Rosita. Do any of you have anything else that we might want to know about either of you?" Buster said as he looked at Alice,Vinnie and Riley. Vinnie and Riley both shook their heads, but Alice said: "There is perhaps one thing. You see, after what happened with my last boyfriend, I had more or less a revelation that I wasn't supposed to be with a guy. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I turned lesbian."she finished,looking nervously to the ground. Ash took the hint, walked over to Alice,grabbed her paw and looked into her eyes. "If you need someone to talk to, you don't have to look far" she said as she smiled at the female wolf, who slowly started to smile back.
Buster smiled at the interaction. He never would've thought that he'd ever have such a close and talented crew. "Alright,then it seems that's the end of this little get-together, now, we have one hell of a Christmas show to plan!" He said,smiling at everyone before moving back up to his office with Eddie and Ms. Crawley in tow as everyone else went to their rehearsal rooms.
"So,Eddie,what do you think about the group?" Buster asked as the two closed the door to his office. The sheep sat down on the new couch that was sat by the wall opposite the desk before replying. "I think they'll do great, but it all comes down to how the Christmas show goes. I think we'd have more local support if the public got to know the crew a bit more" he said as he leaned back on the couch. Buster's eyes lit up. "That's it! Eddie, you're a genius!" he exclaimed, making the sheep look confused as to what it was that was so genius. Buster leaned back in his chair with a grin on his face. "Tell me,old friend, How does Past,Present and Future; Our lives in song! Sound like as the theme for our little holiday performance?" he elaborated,making Eddies eyes light up before answering with a grin of his own. "It sounds fantastic,my old friend, will you participate yourself?" Eddie asked in the same posh figure of speech his Nana was so famous for. "You know what? I think I might" Buster said in the same tone before walking down to gather the crew once again, Eddie following right behind.
With Ash and Johnny: "So, the introductions went well I think" Johnny said to Ash as the two got back to their shared rehearsal room,making Ash nod. "Yeah,I think so too. I'm happy everyone took it so well,I was freaking nervous about it" she said,making Johnny nod as he sat down by his piano. " I know you were,and I'm extremely proud of you for going through with it. I know had it been me,I'd never been able to admit it to anyone else" he said before getting up. "I'm just gonna go to get something to drink, you want any?" he asked Ash. The female porcupine thought for a second before answering. "Yeah, a soda of some kind would be nice" she said as the gorilla nodded,grabbed his jacket and waved on his way out.
Rosita and Gunther: "So, introductions went well,I'd zay" Gunther said as he started to do some stretches. Rosita nodded. "Yeah, they did, better than I expected really. I have to say though,I could never imagine that such a nice boy like Johnny had such a tragic past,or that Ash came out as bisexual,I am so proud of them both for overcoming such obstacles as they've had.I'm glad everything is going on the right track for them now" she said as she started with her stretches as well. Gunther just nodded as the two continued their routine.
Vinnie,Riley and Alice:
"So,you're lesbian,huh?" Vinnie said awkwardly as he looked at Alice, who simply nodded. "Yeah,I am, you got a problem with that?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes at him slightly. Vinnie noticed and quickly waved his paws in front of him as he said: "No,not at all. Quite the contrary, it takes guts to say it so upfront,I guess I was just a little surprised that you were willing to say it so easily in front of more or less complete strangers" he said, which calmed her down. Riley added: "I'll admit I was surprised,but I'm not bothered by it. If anything,I'll gladly back you up if anyone ever gives you crap" He finished with his now famous smirk. "I'll be glad to back you up as well" Vinnie said earnestly, making Alice smile. "Thanks guys,I'm grateful for that" she said before adding: "Hey Riley, you know any good christmas songs? I'm trying to think of some for the show" Riley thought for a moment before saying: "Well, I do know a few for almost every occasion. What do you have in mind?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "I wanna see if we can improvise something,just sing something and I'll try to jump in where I can,okay?" she said as he nodded before starting to sing.
(Original: The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl-Fairytale of New York)
It was Christmas Eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, won't see another one
And then he sang a song
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
I turned my face away
And dreamed about you
Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
I've got a feeling
This year's for me and you
So happy Christmas
I love you baby
I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true
This was where Alice jumped in and sang while she looked at Riley:
They've got cars big as bars
They've got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
It's no place for the old
When you first took my hand
On a cold Christmas Eve
You promised me
Broadway was waiting for me
Suddenly they sang together:
You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of New York City
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging,
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night
The boys of the NYPD choir
Were singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day
You're a bum
You're a punk
You're an old slut on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy Christmas your arse
I pray God it's our last
The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day
I could have been someone
Well so could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone
I've built my dreams around you
The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells are ringing out
For Christmas day
As they ended the song,they suddenly noticed that they had more audience than just Vinnie as Buster,Eddie,Rosita,Gunther and Ash all stood there with mouths agape. "Eh,Hi guys?" Alice said. "That was brilliant! You two filled each other perfect on that song, we need that in our show!" Buster exclaimed, making Alice blush and Riley smile nervously. "You really think so?" Alice asked a little shakily.
"Think so? I know so! That's definitely the opening act for the show!" Buster exclaimed with a grin before Eddie nudged him. "What? Oh yeah,we have an official title for the show. What do you all think of Past,Presents and Future:Our lives in song! As the official title?" there was a small silence before a voice said: "I think it sounds like an excellent idea." They all turned around to see none other than Nana Noodleman standing there. Buster grinned. "I am happy you approve Nana, let me introduce our three new talents, this is Riley,Vinnie and Alice, guys, this is our official sponsor and the owner of this theatre, the famous Nana Noodleman" Buster said as he gestured to each of the new ones. Nana nodded.
"I am pleased you managed to fill the crew. My nephew spoke quite highly of each of you after your auditions" she said, shocked that the famous sheep had heard of them. She looked at them and said: "I make it my duty to know everything about the people I work with, so nothing here is a secret to me. I know all about your pasts and I'm pleased to inform you that I have not found anything I could call incriminating on either of you three". Riley swallowed hard,but no one but Nana noticed, but she did not call him out on it. Instead she smiled at the crew as a whole before saying: "I will personally attend the holiday show premiere,so I expect each of you to do your best. Mr. Moon mentioned the title of the show, and here is my idea to that: Each of you pick your favorite three songs from any time period of your lives, and I will hire someone to film an interview with each of you,Including you, Buster Filius Moon, and you better be singing on at least three of the songs that you will played or so help me!" she said strongly as she glared at him,making him shrink a little where he stood.
"O-Of course Nana, I was planning on doing so anyway. You just let us know when we can expect the camera crew and we'll all collaborate, right guys?" he asked as he looked around and got nods from all, including the newly arrived Johnny. Buster then turned back to Nana with a grin. "You will have our full collaboration miss Noodleman" he said as he bowed as theatrically as he could. Nana smirked. "I have nothing to fear then. I will leave you to begin preparations. Good luck everyone" she said as she turned around and left. As soon as she was out of earshot,Eddie said: "I'm turning grey before my 30th because of her,I swear"
