Mac's Apartment
Georgetown
Wednesday, 8 October
0330 Zulu
"So, Mac, whaddya think?" Harm queried as she opened the door to her apartment. She had invited him in for a quick cup of tea before setting off for his own place. "Can we achieve the high standard that Bobbi & Sturgis set for us tonight?" "Laugh now, flyboy," Mac retorted on her way into the kitchen. "But they did a very nice job. I was impressed. Weren't you?"
"Yeah, actually, I was," Harm smiled, sitting at the table. "I didn't know Sturgis had it in him."
"Harm, we really need to take a little time to go over the play before we have to meet with Meredith for the first time next month. Have you even read the play yet?"
"No, but I'll read it this weekend, I promise," he said. "Why don't we get together Sunday? I'll buy you breakfast and we can talk about it then."
"Deal." Mac settled his teacup in front of him.
Mother's Restaurant Georgetown October 12, 2003 1600 Zulu
Mac was scraping the last of the cheese from her "kitchen sink" omelet off of her plate with her fork as Harm looked on in amazement. She had downed not only the enormous omelet, but also hash browns, a side of sausage, three pancakes, and even the orange used to garnish the omelet. 'She is a human vacuum. A gorgeous, shapely, human vacuum. Where does she put it all? And wherever it is, will she let me touch her there?'
"Uh, Mac," Harm started, blushing a little at the direction of his thoughts. "If you can talk around the feedbag, I'm ready to discuss the play."
Mac dabbed at her mouth with her napkin daintily. "I have to keep my strength up, squid. If I want to keep up with you, that is!" She finished with a little twinkle in her eye. 'How can I resist that smile?' He chuckled in response.
"OK, OK. Do we know which scene we're going to be asked to perform," he asked. "Or do we get to pick one? Do you know?"
"I think Meredith was planning for us to do Act 4, Scene 1," Mac said, referring to the book in her hand. "Right after Hero is denounced at the wedding."
"I kind of thought it might be that one," Harm referred to his text as well. "But I have to admit, I really like that last scene. It's funny."
"Yeah, I like that one too. Actually, it's hard to pick one. I like their other exchanges as well. Do you see now why it's so ironic that we are reading these parts?" Mac teased.
"I suppose you are referring to the fact that they fight a lot?" Harm asked with a smile.
Mac grinned back at him, 'Well, you got half of it, anyway.'
George Mason University Lecture Hall Wednesday, 5 November 0130 Zulu
They were gathered again in the lecture hall, this time for Tiner and Coates' reading as Romeo and Juliet. Word must have spread about how good the last reading was, as the room was quite a bit more crowded than last time. Harm, Mac, Sturgis and Bobbi were grateful that they had arrived early enough to get seats together in the back. There were probably 75 students in the lecture hall.
Meredith welcomed the students and reminded them of the requirements associated with getting extra credit for the reading program. She then set- up the scene the students were about to hear, and introduced Jennifer and Jason.
They began the scene tentatively, not quite as loud as they might have been. Clearly they were nervous. Unlike the others, they didn't make a living talking. But it worked anyway; Romeo and Juliet's youth showed through. As they read through the balcony scene, they became more confident. This also fit the scene, as Romeo became bolder in his wooing of Juliet and Juliet flirted with Romeo.
"Here comes my favorite part," Mac whispered to Harm.
"How camest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore? The orchard walls are high and hard to climb, and the place death, considering who thou art," Jen questioned her Romeo prettily. "If any of my kinsmen find thee here."
Jason looked up into Jen's eyes as he read the next line, "With love's light wings did I o'erperch these walls, for stony limits cannot hold love out."
Harm heard a soft sound and turned to see Mac's eyes filled with tears and her mouthing the words along with Tiner. Startled, but not wanting to embarrass her, he turned back to pay attention to the readers.
"And what love can do, that dares love attempt; therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me!"
The scene continued, but Harm suspected that these were the lines that were Mac's "favorite". Harm looked back to see her wiping her eyes. He reached into his pocket to pull out a handkerchief and handed it to her. She glanced at him, blushing, and mouthed "thank you." He returned his eyes to the front, and when she finished dabbing her eyes, she slipped the hanky back into his hand, giving it a little squeeze at the same time. He squeezed back, and slipped the hanky into his pocket.
When the reading was finished, the applause was thunderous, and the students moved to their feet as one. After the requisite question and answer period, during which time everyone had taken their seats again, the JAG friends had remained seated waiting for the room to clear and for Jason and Jen to join them again.
"Do you want to go for coffee, Sir, Ma'am?" Jen bubbled excitedly.
Harm looked at his companions and seeing their smiling nods, answered for them, "Sure, let's go!"
Starbucks Georgetown Wednesday, 5 November 0330 Zulu
"You guys were perfect!" Bobbi said laughingly as the ladies took their seats. Harm, Sturgis and Jason were waiting for their beverages. "Really, Jennifer, I was so touched by your performances!"
"It was beautiful, Jen," Mac agreed. Harm appeared at her elbow with her cocoa.
"You two were right for those parts," Harm picked up the thread of the conversation as he took a seat next to Mac. Jen blushed, but lifted her chin and looked at Tiner with a triumphant smile. 'Mmmh,' thought Harm. 'There's a story there. Oh well, Mac will get to the bottom of it, and then she'll tell me.'
"'With love's light wings did o'erperch these walls, for stony limits cannot hold love out'" Mac signed, looking up, her eyes suspiciously bright. "I'm sorry, but that line of Romeo's gets me every time. 'And what love can do, that dares love attempt' God, Shakespeare was a GENIUS."
Everyone laughed good naturedly at Mac's enthusiasm, and the group agreed that the second program had been a rousing success. To be continued . . .
"So, Mac, whaddya think?" Harm queried as she opened the door to her apartment. She had invited him in for a quick cup of tea before setting off for his own place. "Can we achieve the high standard that Bobbi & Sturgis set for us tonight?" "Laugh now, flyboy," Mac retorted on her way into the kitchen. "But they did a very nice job. I was impressed. Weren't you?"
"Yeah, actually, I was," Harm smiled, sitting at the table. "I didn't know Sturgis had it in him."
"Harm, we really need to take a little time to go over the play before we have to meet with Meredith for the first time next month. Have you even read the play yet?"
"No, but I'll read it this weekend, I promise," he said. "Why don't we get together Sunday? I'll buy you breakfast and we can talk about it then."
"Deal." Mac settled his teacup in front of him.
Mother's Restaurant Georgetown October 12, 2003 1600 Zulu
Mac was scraping the last of the cheese from her "kitchen sink" omelet off of her plate with her fork as Harm looked on in amazement. She had downed not only the enormous omelet, but also hash browns, a side of sausage, three pancakes, and even the orange used to garnish the omelet. 'She is a human vacuum. A gorgeous, shapely, human vacuum. Where does she put it all? And wherever it is, will she let me touch her there?'
"Uh, Mac," Harm started, blushing a little at the direction of his thoughts. "If you can talk around the feedbag, I'm ready to discuss the play."
Mac dabbed at her mouth with her napkin daintily. "I have to keep my strength up, squid. If I want to keep up with you, that is!" She finished with a little twinkle in her eye. 'How can I resist that smile?' He chuckled in response.
"OK, OK. Do we know which scene we're going to be asked to perform," he asked. "Or do we get to pick one? Do you know?"
"I think Meredith was planning for us to do Act 4, Scene 1," Mac said, referring to the book in her hand. "Right after Hero is denounced at the wedding."
"I kind of thought it might be that one," Harm referred to his text as well. "But I have to admit, I really like that last scene. It's funny."
"Yeah, I like that one too. Actually, it's hard to pick one. I like their other exchanges as well. Do you see now why it's so ironic that we are reading these parts?" Mac teased.
"I suppose you are referring to the fact that they fight a lot?" Harm asked with a smile.
Mac grinned back at him, 'Well, you got half of it, anyway.'
George Mason University Lecture Hall Wednesday, 5 November 0130 Zulu
They were gathered again in the lecture hall, this time for Tiner and Coates' reading as Romeo and Juliet. Word must have spread about how good the last reading was, as the room was quite a bit more crowded than last time. Harm, Mac, Sturgis and Bobbi were grateful that they had arrived early enough to get seats together in the back. There were probably 75 students in the lecture hall.
Meredith welcomed the students and reminded them of the requirements associated with getting extra credit for the reading program. She then set- up the scene the students were about to hear, and introduced Jennifer and Jason.
They began the scene tentatively, not quite as loud as they might have been. Clearly they were nervous. Unlike the others, they didn't make a living talking. But it worked anyway; Romeo and Juliet's youth showed through. As they read through the balcony scene, they became more confident. This also fit the scene, as Romeo became bolder in his wooing of Juliet and Juliet flirted with Romeo.
"Here comes my favorite part," Mac whispered to Harm.
"How camest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore? The orchard walls are high and hard to climb, and the place death, considering who thou art," Jen questioned her Romeo prettily. "If any of my kinsmen find thee here."
Jason looked up into Jen's eyes as he read the next line, "With love's light wings did I o'erperch these walls, for stony limits cannot hold love out."
Harm heard a soft sound and turned to see Mac's eyes filled with tears and her mouthing the words along with Tiner. Startled, but not wanting to embarrass her, he turned back to pay attention to the readers.
"And what love can do, that dares love attempt; therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me!"
The scene continued, but Harm suspected that these were the lines that were Mac's "favorite". Harm looked back to see her wiping her eyes. He reached into his pocket to pull out a handkerchief and handed it to her. She glanced at him, blushing, and mouthed "thank you." He returned his eyes to the front, and when she finished dabbing her eyes, she slipped the hanky back into his hand, giving it a little squeeze at the same time. He squeezed back, and slipped the hanky into his pocket.
When the reading was finished, the applause was thunderous, and the students moved to their feet as one. After the requisite question and answer period, during which time everyone had taken their seats again, the JAG friends had remained seated waiting for the room to clear and for Jason and Jen to join them again.
"Do you want to go for coffee, Sir, Ma'am?" Jen bubbled excitedly.
Harm looked at his companions and seeing their smiling nods, answered for them, "Sure, let's go!"
Starbucks Georgetown Wednesday, 5 November 0330 Zulu
"You guys were perfect!" Bobbi said laughingly as the ladies took their seats. Harm, Sturgis and Jason were waiting for their beverages. "Really, Jennifer, I was so touched by your performances!"
"It was beautiful, Jen," Mac agreed. Harm appeared at her elbow with her cocoa.
"You two were right for those parts," Harm picked up the thread of the conversation as he took a seat next to Mac. Jen blushed, but lifted her chin and looked at Tiner with a triumphant smile. 'Mmmh,' thought Harm. 'There's a story there. Oh well, Mac will get to the bottom of it, and then she'll tell me.'
"'With love's light wings did o'erperch these walls, for stony limits cannot hold love out'" Mac signed, looking up, her eyes suspiciously bright. "I'm sorry, but that line of Romeo's gets me every time. 'And what love can do, that dares love attempt' God, Shakespeare was a GENIUS."
Everyone laughed good naturedly at Mac's enthusiasm, and the group agreed that the second program had been a rousing success. To be continued . . .