So take your seats, and don't be late.
"Hi."
Jon looked up to see Samantha standing next to him. Being a weekday, the bar was virtually empty and very quiet. He motioned for her to pull up a stool next to him.
"Thanks for coming."
She sat, and quickly an uncomfortable silence grew between them. She had no idea what to say to him, the man she had shared her life with for so long. The last few months had seen her feelings for him go from disbelief to anger, and then finally a tentative understanding of what she thought was the truth. Unfortunately with Jonathan she was never sure if she knew the whole story. After ordering a beer she didn't really want, she attempted to start the conversation, as Jon was obviously waiting for her to do. "So, how are you?"
"Good. Things are settling down finally. The first few weeks after the acquittal were insane."
"I can imagine." She recalled the reporters hounding him, the camera crews following him around. What did they call him again? Oh yes, the heroic young man that helped expose corrupt MMM founder, Dr. Everett Righteous. That had to have driven Jon crazy. She knew how he hated attention being drawn to himself; she recalled that he even declined celebrating his birthday for that very reason. "I found a new apartment," he continued, "so I expect Vinny's very happy to have his place back to himself."
"And work?"
A smile appeared on Jon's face. "Believe it or not, that seems to have been the easy part. With all the media attention I actually had my pick of jobs, but I got one special offer I couldn't refuse."
Jon didn't seem to care to elaborate on that and she saw no need to push the issue. This was not why he asked her here, she knew.
"And you?" he asked. "How are things with you?"
"Fine. Same old same old," she responded. Nothing of interest to him had been happening in her life... and she didn't know how to create small talk with him. However, there had been something she had been meaning to tell him. "I saw that speech you made, during that memorial service. You were wonderful."
He fiddled with an already mangled swizzle stick and smiled self- consciously.
"Thanks. It was nothing though, I was just telling the truth."
"You were. I know that now." Samantha thought back to the argument they had the last time they had seen each other. "I was wrong to have mistrusted you, Jon."
"No," he said, shaking his head, "I was the one who was wrong. That's why I asked you here, to apologize to you."
She started to brush off his comments. "There's nothing-" she started, but he cut her off.
"Please, Samantha, let me say this," he said, and she nodded in acquiescence. "What I did was wrong. I lied to you and kept you in the dark for a long time, and then I expected you to accept what I said with no reservations. it was unfair and I'm sorry."
She thought it was sweet that he came all the way down here just to offer an apology. When he wanted to Jon could be very thoughtful. "You had your reasons for not telling me. I suppose you wanted to keep me from getting entangled in the whole thing along with you."
"Yes, that's true," Jon said. His tone of voice told her that there was more to that sentence that there was other things that held him back from sharing his secrets with her. It came as no surprise. After weeks of thinking about it, she realized the heart of their problem was the fact that neither of them felt as if they could entirely trust the other. Trust being one of the pillars a healthy relationship was built on; it was no wonder that theirs had fallen apart. She supposed she should be annoyed he hadn't trusted her, since she didn't really trust him. There was just too much history between them for her to stay angry for long, and besides she had exhausted that emotion a long time ago. All that was left was a melancholy fondness for what once was.
"Well, whatever the reasons were, it's ok. I'm just glad everything worked out for you."
"Believe me, so am I," he said, half joking.
Samantha tried to smile back at him, but failed. They both knew it was over a long time ago, for they could never go back to what they had. It still made her sad, and she sometimes had a hard time remembering just what had brought them together in the first place. "We had some good times, didn't we?"
Jon met her gaze steadily, knowing the empty feeling she had, for his was the same. This was it, the last time they would be together and they both knew it. Although neither of them wanted to take a chance with love again, that didn't make this any easier. No one liked good-byes. "Yeah, we did."
He paused, then looked at his watch and shook his head. He hated to cut this short, but this was one thing he couldn't be late for.
"I'm sorry, I have to go," Jon said with regret as he stood to leave. "It was good seeing you."
"You too."
He fished in his pocket for an envelope and handed it to her. "Here. in case you feel like coming."
She took it from him and watched him walk away until she could no longer distinguish him from the others on the crowded street. Only then did she open the envelope to see what was inside. She smiled at his perseverance; he knew she didn't like that stuff. He'd never stop trying to convert her though.
***********
"Jon!" He looked up from his work to see Vinny and Anne entering the rapidly filling concert hall. They reached the soundboard and Jon came out from behind the equipment to meet them.
"Hey," he said, giving Anne a hug. "How was your steak?"
"Wonderful, just wonderful. It tastes better when you don't have to pay for it, don't you think?" Anne asked teasingly. "But I thought you were going to meet us for dinner?"
"Sorry, I had something I needed to take care of."
Vinny was too busy looking around at the theater to notice his friend's reluctance at answering that question. "This place looks great."
Jonathan nodded his agreement. "Yeah, they did a wonderful job. It was kinda close, but we really needed it done by today, so they pulled it off. Personally, I'm not too concerned with how it looks, but how it will sound."
"It'll be great. I'm sure it'll sound fabulous," Anne added, noting the nervous look on Jonathan's face. Just then someone called Jonathan away, leaving Vinny and Anne to find their seats.
The lights dimmed and the entire building filled with an intense screaming. Jonathan had attended many concerts in his lifetime, but never before had he gotten the feeling from the crowd that he was receiving right now. Pride and wonder filled him, his heart threatening to burst from the beauty of it all. Alec spoke into the headset he wore, giving Jonathan his cue. He flipped a switch and watched Robert stride across the stage, lit only by a single spotlight. From halfway back on the floor, Jonathan could see the smile on his face almost as bright as the spotlight that showed it.
"Welcome to the grand reopening of the Paradise Theatre!" he said triumphantly, one arm rose in greeting. "And happy Independence Day, Chicago!" He lowered his arm as the music started, and the show began.
DON'T LET IT END.
"Hi."
Jon looked up to see Samantha standing next to him. Being a weekday, the bar was virtually empty and very quiet. He motioned for her to pull up a stool next to him.
"Thanks for coming."
She sat, and quickly an uncomfortable silence grew between them. She had no idea what to say to him, the man she had shared her life with for so long. The last few months had seen her feelings for him go from disbelief to anger, and then finally a tentative understanding of what she thought was the truth. Unfortunately with Jonathan she was never sure if she knew the whole story. After ordering a beer she didn't really want, she attempted to start the conversation, as Jon was obviously waiting for her to do. "So, how are you?"
"Good. Things are settling down finally. The first few weeks after the acquittal were insane."
"I can imagine." She recalled the reporters hounding him, the camera crews following him around. What did they call him again? Oh yes, the heroic young man that helped expose corrupt MMM founder, Dr. Everett Righteous. That had to have driven Jon crazy. She knew how he hated attention being drawn to himself; she recalled that he even declined celebrating his birthday for that very reason. "I found a new apartment," he continued, "so I expect Vinny's very happy to have his place back to himself."
"And work?"
A smile appeared on Jon's face. "Believe it or not, that seems to have been the easy part. With all the media attention I actually had my pick of jobs, but I got one special offer I couldn't refuse."
Jon didn't seem to care to elaborate on that and she saw no need to push the issue. This was not why he asked her here, she knew.
"And you?" he asked. "How are things with you?"
"Fine. Same old same old," she responded. Nothing of interest to him had been happening in her life... and she didn't know how to create small talk with him. However, there had been something she had been meaning to tell him. "I saw that speech you made, during that memorial service. You were wonderful."
He fiddled with an already mangled swizzle stick and smiled self- consciously.
"Thanks. It was nothing though, I was just telling the truth."
"You were. I know that now." Samantha thought back to the argument they had the last time they had seen each other. "I was wrong to have mistrusted you, Jon."
"No," he said, shaking his head, "I was the one who was wrong. That's why I asked you here, to apologize to you."
She started to brush off his comments. "There's nothing-" she started, but he cut her off.
"Please, Samantha, let me say this," he said, and she nodded in acquiescence. "What I did was wrong. I lied to you and kept you in the dark for a long time, and then I expected you to accept what I said with no reservations. it was unfair and I'm sorry."
She thought it was sweet that he came all the way down here just to offer an apology. When he wanted to Jon could be very thoughtful. "You had your reasons for not telling me. I suppose you wanted to keep me from getting entangled in the whole thing along with you."
"Yes, that's true," Jon said. His tone of voice told her that there was more to that sentence that there was other things that held him back from sharing his secrets with her. It came as no surprise. After weeks of thinking about it, she realized the heart of their problem was the fact that neither of them felt as if they could entirely trust the other. Trust being one of the pillars a healthy relationship was built on; it was no wonder that theirs had fallen apart. She supposed she should be annoyed he hadn't trusted her, since she didn't really trust him. There was just too much history between them for her to stay angry for long, and besides she had exhausted that emotion a long time ago. All that was left was a melancholy fondness for what once was.
"Well, whatever the reasons were, it's ok. I'm just glad everything worked out for you."
"Believe me, so am I," he said, half joking.
Samantha tried to smile back at him, but failed. They both knew it was over a long time ago, for they could never go back to what they had. It still made her sad, and she sometimes had a hard time remembering just what had brought them together in the first place. "We had some good times, didn't we?"
Jon met her gaze steadily, knowing the empty feeling she had, for his was the same. This was it, the last time they would be together and they both knew it. Although neither of them wanted to take a chance with love again, that didn't make this any easier. No one liked good-byes. "Yeah, we did."
He paused, then looked at his watch and shook his head. He hated to cut this short, but this was one thing he couldn't be late for.
"I'm sorry, I have to go," Jon said with regret as he stood to leave. "It was good seeing you."
"You too."
He fished in his pocket for an envelope and handed it to her. "Here. in case you feel like coming."
She took it from him and watched him walk away until she could no longer distinguish him from the others on the crowded street. Only then did she open the envelope to see what was inside. She smiled at his perseverance; he knew she didn't like that stuff. He'd never stop trying to convert her though.
***********
"Jon!" He looked up from his work to see Vinny and Anne entering the rapidly filling concert hall. They reached the soundboard and Jon came out from behind the equipment to meet them.
"Hey," he said, giving Anne a hug. "How was your steak?"
"Wonderful, just wonderful. It tastes better when you don't have to pay for it, don't you think?" Anne asked teasingly. "But I thought you were going to meet us for dinner?"
"Sorry, I had something I needed to take care of."
Vinny was too busy looking around at the theater to notice his friend's reluctance at answering that question. "This place looks great."
Jonathan nodded his agreement. "Yeah, they did a wonderful job. It was kinda close, but we really needed it done by today, so they pulled it off. Personally, I'm not too concerned with how it looks, but how it will sound."
"It'll be great. I'm sure it'll sound fabulous," Anne added, noting the nervous look on Jonathan's face. Just then someone called Jonathan away, leaving Vinny and Anne to find their seats.
The lights dimmed and the entire building filled with an intense screaming. Jonathan had attended many concerts in his lifetime, but never before had he gotten the feeling from the crowd that he was receiving right now. Pride and wonder filled him, his heart threatening to burst from the beauty of it all. Alec spoke into the headset he wore, giving Jonathan his cue. He flipped a switch and watched Robert stride across the stage, lit only by a single spotlight. From halfway back on the floor, Jonathan could see the smile on his face almost as bright as the spotlight that showed it.
"Welcome to the grand reopening of the Paradise Theatre!" he said triumphantly, one arm rose in greeting. "And happy Independence Day, Chicago!" He lowered his arm as the music started, and the show began.
DON'T LET IT END.