Admiral Chegwidden's Home
McLean, VA
Friday, 7 November
0130 Zulu
"AJ, you should have been there!" Meredith babbled happily. "The program is going so well, and attracting a lot of attendees. Bobbi and Sturgis were wonderful in the first reading, but Jennifer and Jason . . . well, it was INSPIRED."
AJ began to clear the dinner table of dishes, Meredith following him into the kitchen with the leftovers. "I understand that you had quite a crowd Wednesday night," he asked over his shoulder. "Do you have that many students that need the extra credit? What kind of tyrant are you?" He finished with a smile. Anyone who is as big a softie as Meredith is, teaching Shakespeare, couldn't be too much of an ogre in the classroom.
"Wait until I tell you. The students are required to submit an essay within one week of the reading that they attended," Meredith explained. "After the first reading, when there were about 15 students present, I got 11 essays. That's normal. A few students realize that they don't want the grade that much, or they drop the class. The deadline was today for papers from last Wednesday's reading," Meredith paused.
AJ looked at her expectantly, wondering what the big mystery could be.
"I estimated about 75 students to be in attendance last Wednesday. I've only received 7 papers," she finished triumphantly.
AJ looked puzzled. "Do you think that the Romeo and Juliet scene was a difficult one to write an essay on, that so many students didn't bother to submit one?" he queried. He personally thought it was probably an easier scene to write about than the Midsummer scene could have been.
"I wasn't sure, but I would have been surprised to find that to be the case, or at least with that many students finding it to be a problem," she replied thoughtfully. "No, it didn't sit well with me, so I did a little sleuthing. And I found out something pretty interesting."
She looked up at him with a happy smile as she began loading the dishwasher. "It turns out that word got around about the first reading. The students that attended spoke so well of it that not only did the students from the English Department show up in droves, but the theater majors decided to check it out as well. Hence, our nearly full house."
"Wow, that's great, isn't it?" AJ said, putting a fresh bowl of water down for Dammit. "Quite a feather in your cap? Maybe they'll want to make this some sort of regular program."
"Oh, I don't know, but I'm very pleased just the same," Meredith said, leaning back against the counter. "I think it's a feather in the cap of your officers, AJ. I wish you could have seen Jen and Jason, it was really touching, sweet . . . just a perfect picture of young love."
AJ looked a little startled. 'Uh-oh. Does that mean something is going on between my Petty Officers? Things aren't bad enough that I have to deal with Lieutenants Sims' and Roberts' love life, and Harm and Mac's fireworks, now I have to deal with this, too? God help me.'
"The best part is, though, that word continues to spread," Meredith continued excitedly. "It's been recommended that we get a bigger lecture hall for the next reading!"
"This is Rabb and Mackenzie's reading of Much Ado, right?" AJ asked. Meredith nodded her assent and AJ continued. "I may attend this one myself. I have to say, Meredith, your casting for this one was inspired. If only we could manage, as their friends did, to bring our Beatrice and Benedick to see their love for one another."
"Who says we can't?" Meredith smiled, turning off the light as they headed up to bed.
George Mason University Robinson Hall Fairfax, VA Wednesday, 12 November 0130 Zulu
"Harm, Mac, come in, please," Meredith welcomed them to her office, beckoning them to sit in the chairs opposite her desk. "I trust that you've read the play?" They both nodded in agreement. "Well, the task now is to practice reading the scene so that when you do it for the group, you'll be comfortable, and add the proper inflection in the proper place. First, though, do you have any questions about this scene?"
Mac spoke up. "I confess, Meredith, this is a funny scene in a way isn't it? I mean funny as in 'weird' not like 'comical'."
"How so, Mac?" Meredith asked. Harm listened, not having anything to offer yet until he heard more of what Mac was thinking.
"Well, there's this confession of love," Mac struggled not to blush; this was hitting a little close to home. "But then there's this charge to kill Claudio. It just seems so strange to declare one's love in one breath and then to say 'if you love me, you'll kill someone'."
"I see what you mean," Meredith slipped into her professorial tone. "But I think one might say that Beatrice's nerves are very raw. She's emotionally quite vulnerable, and able to admit her feelings to Benedick in this moment. But she's also affected by her cousin's plight. She's angry, and would like to avenge Hero's wrong herself. As she cannot, she now calls upon the man who claims to be her 'knight in shining armor' as it were."
"Maybe it's a test?" Harm offered. Both women looked at him. "Maybe she's been alone so long that she doesn't trust him, so she offers him this test." He wasn't sure it was a good idea to continue this thread; it sounded a lot like . . .
"That makes sense, too," Mac agreed, to Harm's surprise. "She does start to walk away from him when he balks at taking the challenge." 'Reminds me of a conversation on the Guadalcanal.' she thought, struggling again with her emotions. Little did she know that Harm's thoughts had turned to that fateful conversation as well.
"Well, you two are putting a lot of thought into this, aren't you?" Meredith smiled, shaking them out of their respective thoughts of the past. "I'm thrilled; I know your reading will be wonderful. Do you have any more questions at this point?"
They looked at one another for a moment and Mac answered "No," for both of them.
"Well, then, you can work on it at your convenience. If you want a quiet place to meet and practice reading aloud, let me know and I can set aside a classroom for you any time. Otherwise, I would like to meet with you one more time before the reading to make sure everything's ready. Of course, if you have any more questions, you can call me and we can meet before then." She finished, standing to signal they were finished. Harm and Mac rose with her, ready to go home after a long day themselves.
To be continued . . .
"AJ, you should have been there!" Meredith babbled happily. "The program is going so well, and attracting a lot of attendees. Bobbi and Sturgis were wonderful in the first reading, but Jennifer and Jason . . . well, it was INSPIRED."
AJ began to clear the dinner table of dishes, Meredith following him into the kitchen with the leftovers. "I understand that you had quite a crowd Wednesday night," he asked over his shoulder. "Do you have that many students that need the extra credit? What kind of tyrant are you?" He finished with a smile. Anyone who is as big a softie as Meredith is, teaching Shakespeare, couldn't be too much of an ogre in the classroom.
"Wait until I tell you. The students are required to submit an essay within one week of the reading that they attended," Meredith explained. "After the first reading, when there were about 15 students present, I got 11 essays. That's normal. A few students realize that they don't want the grade that much, or they drop the class. The deadline was today for papers from last Wednesday's reading," Meredith paused.
AJ looked at her expectantly, wondering what the big mystery could be.
"I estimated about 75 students to be in attendance last Wednesday. I've only received 7 papers," she finished triumphantly.
AJ looked puzzled. "Do you think that the Romeo and Juliet scene was a difficult one to write an essay on, that so many students didn't bother to submit one?" he queried. He personally thought it was probably an easier scene to write about than the Midsummer scene could have been.
"I wasn't sure, but I would have been surprised to find that to be the case, or at least with that many students finding it to be a problem," she replied thoughtfully. "No, it didn't sit well with me, so I did a little sleuthing. And I found out something pretty interesting."
She looked up at him with a happy smile as she began loading the dishwasher. "It turns out that word got around about the first reading. The students that attended spoke so well of it that not only did the students from the English Department show up in droves, but the theater majors decided to check it out as well. Hence, our nearly full house."
"Wow, that's great, isn't it?" AJ said, putting a fresh bowl of water down for Dammit. "Quite a feather in your cap? Maybe they'll want to make this some sort of regular program."
"Oh, I don't know, but I'm very pleased just the same," Meredith said, leaning back against the counter. "I think it's a feather in the cap of your officers, AJ. I wish you could have seen Jen and Jason, it was really touching, sweet . . . just a perfect picture of young love."
AJ looked a little startled. 'Uh-oh. Does that mean something is going on between my Petty Officers? Things aren't bad enough that I have to deal with Lieutenants Sims' and Roberts' love life, and Harm and Mac's fireworks, now I have to deal with this, too? God help me.'
"The best part is, though, that word continues to spread," Meredith continued excitedly. "It's been recommended that we get a bigger lecture hall for the next reading!"
"This is Rabb and Mackenzie's reading of Much Ado, right?" AJ asked. Meredith nodded her assent and AJ continued. "I may attend this one myself. I have to say, Meredith, your casting for this one was inspired. If only we could manage, as their friends did, to bring our Beatrice and Benedick to see their love for one another."
"Who says we can't?" Meredith smiled, turning off the light as they headed up to bed.
George Mason University Robinson Hall Fairfax, VA Wednesday, 12 November 0130 Zulu
"Harm, Mac, come in, please," Meredith welcomed them to her office, beckoning them to sit in the chairs opposite her desk. "I trust that you've read the play?" They both nodded in agreement. "Well, the task now is to practice reading the scene so that when you do it for the group, you'll be comfortable, and add the proper inflection in the proper place. First, though, do you have any questions about this scene?"
Mac spoke up. "I confess, Meredith, this is a funny scene in a way isn't it? I mean funny as in 'weird' not like 'comical'."
"How so, Mac?" Meredith asked. Harm listened, not having anything to offer yet until he heard more of what Mac was thinking.
"Well, there's this confession of love," Mac struggled not to blush; this was hitting a little close to home. "But then there's this charge to kill Claudio. It just seems so strange to declare one's love in one breath and then to say 'if you love me, you'll kill someone'."
"I see what you mean," Meredith slipped into her professorial tone. "But I think one might say that Beatrice's nerves are very raw. She's emotionally quite vulnerable, and able to admit her feelings to Benedick in this moment. But she's also affected by her cousin's plight. She's angry, and would like to avenge Hero's wrong herself. As she cannot, she now calls upon the man who claims to be her 'knight in shining armor' as it were."
"Maybe it's a test?" Harm offered. Both women looked at him. "Maybe she's been alone so long that she doesn't trust him, so she offers him this test." He wasn't sure it was a good idea to continue this thread; it sounded a lot like . . .
"That makes sense, too," Mac agreed, to Harm's surprise. "She does start to walk away from him when he balks at taking the challenge." 'Reminds me of a conversation on the Guadalcanal.' she thought, struggling again with her emotions. Little did she know that Harm's thoughts had turned to that fateful conversation as well.
"Well, you two are putting a lot of thought into this, aren't you?" Meredith smiled, shaking them out of their respective thoughts of the past. "I'm thrilled; I know your reading will be wonderful. Do you have any more questions at this point?"
They looked at one another for a moment and Mac answered "No," for both of them.
"Well, then, you can work on it at your convenience. If you want a quiet place to meet and practice reading aloud, let me know and I can set aside a classroom for you any time. Otherwise, I would like to meet with you one more time before the reading to make sure everything's ready. Of course, if you have any more questions, you can call me and we can meet before then." She finished, standing to signal they were finished. Harm and Mac rose with her, ready to go home after a long day themselves.
To be continued . . .