Lecture Hall
George Mason University
Wednesday, 3 December 2003
19:15 Eastern
AJ had dinner with Meredith at a local restaurant before coming to the reading. He was hoping to get seated early enough to pick a good seat and yet caught up in the throng of students, so that his officers wouldn't see him. He figured that they would be uncomfortable enough, but doing this in front of their C.O. would only exacerbate their nervousness.
Bobbi, Sturgis, Coates and Tiner arrived just before the program was to start, and were surprised to see how crowded the large lecture hall was. They found seats near the back of the room, but had to sit separately as couples. Bobbi and Sturgis sat one row behind the petty officers. As Sturgis helped Bobbi slide her jacket off of her shoulders, she nudged him. "Oh, look," she sighed at the look Tiner was giving Coates as he helped her with her jacket. "Maybe playing Romeo and Juliet helped them along?" She wondered aloud.
"Let's just hope that the Admiral doesn't end up feeling like he's on one side or another of the Montague - Capulet feud," Sturgis chuckled. "Speaking of whom . . . that's a familiar head, isn't it? On the far right side of the room, about halfway up?" He had spotted the Admiral.
"Oh, my goodness," Bobbi breathed. "Harm and Mac are going to flip!"
Meanwhile, Mac was already pretty agitated. She was standing outside of the lecture hall door on the lower floor with Meredith. Harm was nowhere to be found. He had called an hour earlier on his cell phone to say that he was held up at Pax River, but would be there in time for the start of the reading. Mac was dressed in a pair of corduroys and a sweater. At least she was comfortable physically. 'This is just great, we're off to a great start,' Mac thought. 'Talk about thinking on your feet!'
With only minutes to spare, Harm rushed up the hallway to where they were waiting. He was still in his dress blues. He shed his overcoat and set it down on a desk in the hallway along with his cover, retrieving the text out of the pocket. "OK, let's get this show on the road," he said, flyboy grin in place. Meredith laughed and Mac rolled her eyes. She led the way into the room, not a little annoyed with him, no matter how cute he was, or thought he was.
Meredith approached the podium and began her introduction, "I'm glad so many of you chose to join us for the last of our special readings. Tonight we will hear a scene from 'Much Ado About Nothing' read by Lt. Colonel Sarah Mackenzie and Commander Harmon Rabb."
Meredith wasn't going to include their ranks, but realizing that Harm was in uniform, it seemed appropriate. She included Mac's rank in order to keep them on an even footing. Whether it was real life, or Beatrice and Benedick, it would be a good idea if neither one had an advantage. Or, if one did, with the real life or fictional couples, you could bet that the advantage wouldn't last long!
"The scene you are about to hear takes place immediately after an aborted wedding," Meredith explained. "The young couple, Hero and Claudio, were to be married. Misled by a villain, Claudio has accused Hero of allowing another man to take her virtue. He has rejected and abused her before their friends and family. The two characters we will hear from this evening are Beatrice, Hero's cousin, who knows her to be wronged, and Benedick, Claudio's good friend."
"When we first met Beatrice and Benedick they hated each other," Meredith went on. "But their friends, including Hero and Claudio, conspired to bring them together. Without further, if you'll pardon the pun, ado, let us begin. Harm, Mac?" Meredith stepped back and allowed Harm and Mac to come forward.
Harm and Mac moved to the podium and Harm began, "Lady Beatrice, have you wept all this while?"
Mac responded breathlessly, as the character is supposed to have been weeping, "Yea, and I will weep a while longer."
"I will not desire that."
"You have no reason; I do it freely." Mac's voice continued to be strained to convey Beatrice's distress.
"Surely I do believe your fair cousin is wronged."
"Ah! how much might the man deserve of me that would right her."
"Is there any way to show such friendship?"
"A very even way, but no such friend."
"May a man do it?"
"It is a man's office, but not yours."
Harm had read the following words about 20 times in the last several weeks. He had read them aloud. He had read them with Mac. But he hadn't read them in front of anyone else; and certainly not a room of about 150 strangers. He stared at the words for a moment, then lifted his eyes to hers. She was staring at him, wondering why he was hesitating. He looked into those beautiful eyes, those same eyes that looked through him, through all his games and tricks. He wondered if she could see the truth in his eyes, see through him right then. In that brief moment, he realized that this was his chance. He could say exactly what he had always wanted to say, but never had the nerve to confess. He took a breath, and then said "I do love nothing in the world so well as you," he paused again. "Is not that strange?"
Mac stopped too. What was he doing? Why was he looking at her like that? What was everyone thinking? 'Maybe they'll just think we're acting.' She prayed to herself. "As strange as the thing I know not. It were as possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as you; but believe me not, and yet I lie not; I confess nothing, nor I deny nothing. I am sorry for my cousin." She babbled, which was partly in character, and partly in reaction to Harm's piercing gaze. Well, that certainly conveyed her own level of confusion about her feelings with regard to Harm.
They continued the dialogue, Mac finding her footing in spite of the way Harm was looking at her. It was Harm, but it wasn't. Who was he? Benedick? Was he being caught up in the story? Or playing a part? Or was he trying to tell her something?
"I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest." Mac's eyes filled as she said the words. 'Oh great. Just what that flyboy ego needs, me going all gooey over a little romance in iambic pentameter.' Quickly she recovered her bearings and the reading continued.
The remainder of the exchange focused on getting Benedick to challenge Claudio to avenge Hero, and the references to love were minimal. It was over in only a few minutes, but even in that time when Mac lifted her eyes from the book to look at Harm she found he was already looking at her intently, as if he couldn't look away.
When the reading was finished with Benedick's farewell to Beatrice, the students rose to applaud enthusiastically as they had done with the reading of Romeo and Juliet. While standing there, taking their bow without bowing, Mac again stole a look at Harm, She was surprised to find he was not looking out at the audience, but still staring at her. Not only that, but he caught her looking at him, and now she couldn't look away. Neither noticed that the applause had dwindled and Meredith was approaching them to speak to them briefly before speaking to the students about their assignment.
"Harm, Mac," she said to them in a happy voice. "That was wonderful, everyone reall . . ." She stopped when she realized that they weren't listening to her. They didn't appear to hear or see anything or anyone. It was as if they were in another world. "Harm? Mac?" she continued with a concerned look on her face.
For his part, Harm could have been on another planet, he was so overcome with his feelings for Mac. He couldn't stop starring at her. He was afraid to break the spell. She was looking at him, now, too, and similarly afflicted. Her doe eyes were boring holes in to his, her lips slightly parted. God, she was made to be kissed. He heard something, someone calling him. 'Leave me alone, I want to talk to Mac, I want to be with Mac,' his mind fought with reality.
"HARM!" Meredith practically shouted.
"Oh, I'm sorry, were you speaking to me?"
TBC . . .
AJ had dinner with Meredith at a local restaurant before coming to the reading. He was hoping to get seated early enough to pick a good seat and yet caught up in the throng of students, so that his officers wouldn't see him. He figured that they would be uncomfortable enough, but doing this in front of their C.O. would only exacerbate their nervousness.
Bobbi, Sturgis, Coates and Tiner arrived just before the program was to start, and were surprised to see how crowded the large lecture hall was. They found seats near the back of the room, but had to sit separately as couples. Bobbi and Sturgis sat one row behind the petty officers. As Sturgis helped Bobbi slide her jacket off of her shoulders, she nudged him. "Oh, look," she sighed at the look Tiner was giving Coates as he helped her with her jacket. "Maybe playing Romeo and Juliet helped them along?" She wondered aloud.
"Let's just hope that the Admiral doesn't end up feeling like he's on one side or another of the Montague - Capulet feud," Sturgis chuckled. "Speaking of whom . . . that's a familiar head, isn't it? On the far right side of the room, about halfway up?" He had spotted the Admiral.
"Oh, my goodness," Bobbi breathed. "Harm and Mac are going to flip!"
Meanwhile, Mac was already pretty agitated. She was standing outside of the lecture hall door on the lower floor with Meredith. Harm was nowhere to be found. He had called an hour earlier on his cell phone to say that he was held up at Pax River, but would be there in time for the start of the reading. Mac was dressed in a pair of corduroys and a sweater. At least she was comfortable physically. 'This is just great, we're off to a great start,' Mac thought. 'Talk about thinking on your feet!'
With only minutes to spare, Harm rushed up the hallway to where they were waiting. He was still in his dress blues. He shed his overcoat and set it down on a desk in the hallway along with his cover, retrieving the text out of the pocket. "OK, let's get this show on the road," he said, flyboy grin in place. Meredith laughed and Mac rolled her eyes. She led the way into the room, not a little annoyed with him, no matter how cute he was, or thought he was.
Meredith approached the podium and began her introduction, "I'm glad so many of you chose to join us for the last of our special readings. Tonight we will hear a scene from 'Much Ado About Nothing' read by Lt. Colonel Sarah Mackenzie and Commander Harmon Rabb."
Meredith wasn't going to include their ranks, but realizing that Harm was in uniform, it seemed appropriate. She included Mac's rank in order to keep them on an even footing. Whether it was real life, or Beatrice and Benedick, it would be a good idea if neither one had an advantage. Or, if one did, with the real life or fictional couples, you could bet that the advantage wouldn't last long!
"The scene you are about to hear takes place immediately after an aborted wedding," Meredith explained. "The young couple, Hero and Claudio, were to be married. Misled by a villain, Claudio has accused Hero of allowing another man to take her virtue. He has rejected and abused her before their friends and family. The two characters we will hear from this evening are Beatrice, Hero's cousin, who knows her to be wronged, and Benedick, Claudio's good friend."
"When we first met Beatrice and Benedick they hated each other," Meredith went on. "But their friends, including Hero and Claudio, conspired to bring them together. Without further, if you'll pardon the pun, ado, let us begin. Harm, Mac?" Meredith stepped back and allowed Harm and Mac to come forward.
Harm and Mac moved to the podium and Harm began, "Lady Beatrice, have you wept all this while?"
Mac responded breathlessly, as the character is supposed to have been weeping, "Yea, and I will weep a while longer."
"I will not desire that."
"You have no reason; I do it freely." Mac's voice continued to be strained to convey Beatrice's distress.
"Surely I do believe your fair cousin is wronged."
"Ah! how much might the man deserve of me that would right her."
"Is there any way to show such friendship?"
"A very even way, but no such friend."
"May a man do it?"
"It is a man's office, but not yours."
Harm had read the following words about 20 times in the last several weeks. He had read them aloud. He had read them with Mac. But he hadn't read them in front of anyone else; and certainly not a room of about 150 strangers. He stared at the words for a moment, then lifted his eyes to hers. She was staring at him, wondering why he was hesitating. He looked into those beautiful eyes, those same eyes that looked through him, through all his games and tricks. He wondered if she could see the truth in his eyes, see through him right then. In that brief moment, he realized that this was his chance. He could say exactly what he had always wanted to say, but never had the nerve to confess. He took a breath, and then said "I do love nothing in the world so well as you," he paused again. "Is not that strange?"
Mac stopped too. What was he doing? Why was he looking at her like that? What was everyone thinking? 'Maybe they'll just think we're acting.' She prayed to herself. "As strange as the thing I know not. It were as possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as you; but believe me not, and yet I lie not; I confess nothing, nor I deny nothing. I am sorry for my cousin." She babbled, which was partly in character, and partly in reaction to Harm's piercing gaze. Well, that certainly conveyed her own level of confusion about her feelings with regard to Harm.
They continued the dialogue, Mac finding her footing in spite of the way Harm was looking at her. It was Harm, but it wasn't. Who was he? Benedick? Was he being caught up in the story? Or playing a part? Or was he trying to tell her something?
"I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest." Mac's eyes filled as she said the words. 'Oh great. Just what that flyboy ego needs, me going all gooey over a little romance in iambic pentameter.' Quickly she recovered her bearings and the reading continued.
The remainder of the exchange focused on getting Benedick to challenge Claudio to avenge Hero, and the references to love were minimal. It was over in only a few minutes, but even in that time when Mac lifted her eyes from the book to look at Harm she found he was already looking at her intently, as if he couldn't look away.
When the reading was finished with Benedick's farewell to Beatrice, the students rose to applaud enthusiastically as they had done with the reading of Romeo and Juliet. While standing there, taking their bow without bowing, Mac again stole a look at Harm, She was surprised to find he was not looking out at the audience, but still staring at her. Not only that, but he caught her looking at him, and now she couldn't look away. Neither noticed that the applause had dwindled and Meredith was approaching them to speak to them briefly before speaking to the students about their assignment.
"Harm, Mac," she said to them in a happy voice. "That was wonderful, everyone reall . . ." She stopped when she realized that they weren't listening to her. They didn't appear to hear or see anything or anyone. It was as if they were in another world. "Harm? Mac?" she continued with a concerned look on her face.
For his part, Harm could have been on another planet, he was so overcome with his feelings for Mac. He couldn't stop starring at her. He was afraid to break the spell. She was looking at him, now, too, and similarly afflicted. Her doe eyes were boring holes in to his, her lips slightly parted. God, she was made to be kissed. He heard something, someone calling him. 'Leave me alone, I want to talk to Mac, I want to be with Mac,' his mind fought with reality.
"HARM!" Meredith practically shouted.
"Oh, I'm sorry, were you speaking to me?"
TBC . . .