Look everyone I'm back from writing my poetry and hoping to start writing and post this weekend. Tech rehearsals are going just great except I hate being cramped in a small corner for hours at a time. I get so stiff. But on Wednesday I made the coolest discovery; because the follow spots are located in the costume storage rooms I was looking at the stuff on the shelves and found black fedoras like Erik wore in the original book. I was so excited and tried a few on. Maybe I'll borrow one and be Erik for Halloween or something. I'm debating on it. Oh well here's the next chapter.
I know Carlotta has an accent, but I can't type it, so work with me and use your imagination.
Chapter 59: The Idiots Return
A few hours later everyone was at work on the stage. The men from Fletcher's gang were hard at work getting the sets and props together. The ballerinas were practicing their routine with Meg teaching them the new steps and correcting them should they be off a bit. She had been grateful that Erik had given her the position of ballet mistress for he felt she could teach the girls as well as Mme. Giry had.
Erik was wondering up and the down the stage and backstage areas with Jacqueline atop his shoulders and resting her head upon his. At least she was out of the way and not causing trouble, so nobody seemed to mind. Lotte and Madeline were busy dancing and Christine was helping Pierre with his costume, which had become loose again.
"I'll have to talk to the head seamstress and get her to tighten this for you. This is the 6th pin you've stretched in the last hour," Christine said pushing some of her curls behind her ear.
"She did fix it, but for some reason it continues to fall again when I do this," Pierre said reaching up his arm snapping yet another pin.
Christine looked up at him slightly annoyed and he lowered his arm in shame. She grabbed another pin and worked at piecing together the fabric. Erik was pleased that she was being so patient. "Pierre, how about you have the costume shop work with that for a bit? They finished with the ballet girls not to long ago."
Pierre looked over and sighed. "All right, but I don't think they'll be too happy to see me again," he said with a shrug and started down the hall.
"Bye, Papa," Jacqueline called after him.
"Bye Princess. You behave for Grandfather," Pierre called back.
Jacqueline nodded happily and then returned her head to Erik's and gave a small sigh. Erik smiled and reached up patting her leg. Christine got down on the floor and started picking up the scattered pins. Erik reached down and took her arm and helped her stand.
"Erik, what are you doing? I have to pick those up before someone gets hurt," she said as he gazed into her eyes. He was wearing the makeup today, because Lotte had told him about Andre and Firmin and the fact that they may possibly return sometime this week. Christine couldn't get over how well he looked in it and had so many times where she just wanted to reach up and kiss him. In a number of occasions she forgot and Erik would be half exposed and trying desperately to hide his face and get to the dressing room to fix it.
"Can't I gaze into my wife's eyes for just a minute?" he pleaded taking her hand into his.
"No, you can't unless you want this Opera to fall through the ground and lay there for all eternity," she said with a giggle.
"I despise you sometimes you do know that right?" Erik said in a teasing manner.
"Well that's just too bad," Christine said bringing his gloved hand to her face and pressing it to her cheek. "Cause I just love you."
Jacqueline started to giggle. "No one asked your opinion, little one," Erik said as she leaned to his right a bit, so he could look upon her better.
"I know," she said triumphantly and returned to a straight up position on his shoulders.
"I think you gained a new shadow," Christine said gazing up Jacqueline, who had started making funny faces. Soon Christine was stuck in a giggle fit as Jacqueline did her best impression. She made a scowling face like Erik did whenever he was frustrated with his scores.
"What is she doing up there?" Erik asked as Christine let out a snort.
"She's imitating you…and doing a very good job at it," Christine said with another snort followed by more giggles.
"Jacqueline?"
"What?" she asked sweetly
"Are you making faces up there?"
"Maybe," she said innocently.
"Will you stop that, you're making me look bad," he said tapping the bottom of her left shoe.
Jacqueline sat upright again and Erik asked Christine if she had indeed stopped. "Yeah, she stopped, but oh that was hilarious."
Erik left Christine to clean up the pins off the floor and continued making his rounds.
All of a sudden Carlotta came on stage and began saying to the conductor to play a certain piece. Meg told the ballet girls to take a break and hurried over to Carlotta, who was beginning to sing her scales.
"What are you doing on stage?" Meg yelled over her.
"It is my turn to practice," Carlotta snapped, angry that she had been interrupted.
"You don't practice until eleven. We get the stage for at least another hour," Meg said looking over the schedule.
"I don't care. I want to practice now and I need the orchestra to assist me now go away," Carlotta said waving her hand at Meg impatiently. She then proceeded to tell the conductor, which song to play and then began to sing.
Jacqueline threw her hands over her ears. "Granpa make her stop. She's awful," she whispered into Erik's ear. For a child of her age, she was smart enough to know what was classified as good singing and bad singing.
Erik sighed. "Note to self fire Carlotta this afternoon. Even Jacqueline doesn't like to hear her sing." He walked on-stage and Jacqueline was trying her best to drown out the distorted squawks coming from Carlotta's mouth.
"Monsieur, stop the music," Erik said motioning to the conductor, who was only too eager to obey.
With the music stopping Carlotta spun on her heels to face Erik and snarled. Jacqueline had uncovered her ears just as every curse word imaginable spewed out of the woman's mouth causing her to cover them again and try to shrink behind her grandfather's head in fear.
"Carlotta, stop this right now. You do not swear in front of me especially when I have my granddaughter with me."
"Well then dump off that little brat for I am not finished speaking with you."
Erik's face would have been red with fury if it wasn't for the make-up on his face. "Don't, you ever call her that again. Now, go back to your dressing room and wait there until it is your time to practice. You seem to forget that you're not the Prima Donna around here anymore, so stop acting like one."
Carlotta's mouth fell open and then shut again into a single line as she turned on her heels, stuck her nose into the air, and stomped all the way back to her dressing room where she slammed the door so hard that a small piece of plaster fell from the ceiling and landed at Erik's feet.
Lotte ran over in fear and took Jacqueline from her father's shoulders and held her close. "Are you all right sweetie?"
"Yes, Mama," Jacqueline said rubbing her eyes.
"I so need to fire her. She's been a thorn in my side ever since I hired her back," Erik growled.
"If you dislike her so much why did you rehire her?" Madeline asked.
"She was the only person good enough for the part of the wicked Mother in Love Concurs All."
"Is that any way to speak to the future diva of this Opera House?" a voice shouted from the house.
Erik knew that voice, he knew that voice very well. He turned around to see Monsieur Andre standing there along with Monsieur Firmin besides him. He groaned as the two men came forward and got up on the stage.
"May I help you two gentlemen?" Erik asked politely.
"Yes, we'd like to speak with the manager of this Opera House immediately," Firmin said.
"Well of course. I'm standing right here in front of you."
"Wonderful. Well let me get straight to the point. Andre and I would like to buy the Opera House off of you for twice what it's worth."
Erik nearly fainted at the offer, but instead shook his head while everyone around him looked on in utter shock at the mention of double the amount on the opera house. Erik ignored every single one of them except for Christine, who came to the wing and looked out and when she saw her old managers for the first time her head became filled of old memories and those men trying to kill Erik off. Her knees soon gave way and she fell to the stage causing everyone to gaze at her. Right at that instant she wanted to die.
"Christine De Changy? Is that really you?" Firmin asked as Erik went over and helped Christine to her feet allowing her to lean on him a bit.
"I no longer go by the name De Changy anymore Monsieur."
"Why ever not? You married the Vicomte nineteen years ago. What ever happened?"
"He committed suicide Monsieur; right here in the Opera House in my dressing room."
Andre and Firmin looked at one another with a look of fear, but then seemed to regain composure.
"Truly sorry to hear that Miss Daae. At least you returned to sing."
"She is the Prima Donna gentlemen," Erik pointed out rather annoyed with the gentlemen and their stupid questions.
Meg came up to Erik and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to her in surprise and questioned her. "The ballet girls would like some more time to practice and I would like to give them a chance before Carlotta returns. You know as well as I that she will return at 11 on the dot."
"All right," Erik replied. Then he turned to Andre and Firmin. "If you gentlemen will join Christine and I in the office we may discuss this further. My actors must get back to rehearsal."
"Oh, of course," Firmin said.
"Everyone continue what you were doing and I will be right back. Meg you're in charge till I return."
"Yes, sir."
Christine was confused at the fact that Erik wanted her to go as well. Why was she important to the business conversation? Maybe it was he wanted to stay calm and the only way he could accomplish that was to have her in the room. She assumed that to be correct, because he seemed rather relaxed as she followed him up the stairs, Andre and Firmin right behind her.
He may have looked calm on the outside, but on the inside Erik was fuming and was trying really hard not to reveal his true self to the old managers. He had paid in full for the Opera House and he was not going with the offer of double the money just for these two morons.
He offered the two gentlemen a seat and then assisted Christine with her chair before sitting down himself behind the desk. "So you want to buy the Opera House? What made you decide on coming back?"
"Well we read in the paper not to far back that the Opera Ghost was finally gone from town. And then we heard that the Opera House was under new management and was being rebuilt. We waited awhile to see how it would fair out and saw what a success it had. So we decided to come and see if we could take it off your hands and try once again with the Opera business?"
Erik gave a deep heavy laugh making Andre and Firmin jump nearly a foot high out of their chairs. Christine sat there as if it was nothing and almost felt like laughing herself. These two were trying hard to act tough, but they were doing a horrible job at it.
"Do you two actually think I will give the Opera House over to you? Honestly don't make me laugh about something like that. I heard you weren't even able to handle the Opera Ghost and I haven't seen or heard from him for years. The patron spoke of him often, but he will no more. God rest his soul."
"Do you know why he committed suicide? Why would the patron do such a thing?"
"He never acted as if anything was wrong. Though he started acting rather short tempered, but don't we all at times gentlemen?"
"I guess so," Firmin replied.
Christine was beginning to notice that Erik was leading up to something. He had never spoken like this before and then what happened next caused her to go to extreme measures. Erik rested his fingers against his temple and rubbed them in frustration taking a good portion of the makeup off revealing the deformed skin underneath.
Quickly she jumped up and pulled a nearby jacket over his head. Erik jumped up and started yelling. "You, me other room right now!" he roared. He looked back at the two men sitting in front of him and toned down a bit to mutter. "Excuse us for a minute. We'll be right back."
He pushed Christine into the bedroom and closed the door before pulling the jacket off his head.
"Christine what the hell is going on? Why did you throw the jacket over my head in front of them like that?"
Christine brushed past him and pulled the cover off the full length mirror and then came back. "Look in the mirror Erik. It will explain everything."
Erik shot her a weary glance first before cautiously moving towards the mirror. As soon as his reflection looked back at him he realized what had happened and turned back to Christine, who had a disappointed look on her face. He hurried over to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm sorry I got angry. I'm just so tense. I should have known that you were only trying to help me. Can you forgive an old fool?"
"Of course I can. I've been forgiving that old fool for years now," she said leaning into him and kissing him.
"Sure mess it up more," he grumbled as he pulled back.
"Here I brought some base with me just in case. Hold still and I'll fix it up for you."
Erik allowed Christine to reapply the makeup and together they went back into the office to see Andre and Firmin leaning close to one another trying to discuss strategies in getting what they wanted. When they saw Erik reappear they sat up and smiled.
"All right we had a second to discuss the little mishap and so let us continue our discussion gentlemen," Erik said as he fished around in the drawer. He pulled out the contract and unrolled it. "Do you see this contract?"
"Yes we can see it perfectly," Andre said growing impatient.
"Good, then you can clearly see that it belongs to me and my son, Pierre. We have nothing more to discuss so I'll escort you out," Erik said rolling up the contract again.
"Now hold on just one second. How can you just say no without hearing the rest of our reason? That's rude you do realize?"
"There is no way I'm giving up this Opera House to you. What kind of work did you get into that allowed you to make double what this place is worth? Surely not scrap metal!"
Christine and the old managers looked up at him in total and utter shock. Christine was most annoyed that Erik was coming closer and closer to revealing himself and Andre and Firmin did not wish to discuss their former occupations.
"Monsieur, please don't bring that up. We left that occupation a long time ago and wish not to speak of it again. We gained the money on our own doing jobs now and again and gaining interest in the bank for 19 years and then combined the money together and found we had more than enough to out pay what you paid. So are you willing to take the money and let us have the Opera House back?" Andre asked.
"I worked a long time also to get enough money for this place and there is no way I will give up something I worked so hard for," Erik shouted his hands now clenched into fists. He would have killed them the minute he set eyes on them hadn't everyone been standing around him.
Erik was quickly becoming annoyed with them, because they didn't seem to be taking no for an answer. They would try to come up with a new strategy or question hoping he would give in. They were trying to bribe him too, but he only laughed and ignored them.
Finally on their last attempt a blood curdling scream came from the stage. Erik smirked. "Saved by the failing Opera star; thank you," he thought happily.
"We will have to continue this later gentleman when you come up with better reasons or bribes. But I warn you it will take more than money to even make me consider handing this building over," he said standing up and hoping to finally leave the room. "Christine, are you coming?"
She stood and accompined him out of the room and down the stairs towards the stage.
To be continued…
Wow I was so suffering from writer's block on this chapter so I decided to leave it as is and leave you something to look forward to in the next chapter. I think it's time for a vote. Should Lotte take on Carlotta again or should Erik cut to the chase and fire her? You're votes will determine the outcome so please people review for the sake of Carlotta. Ha I must be a fool to support her, because the third time I saw the movie I took a bathroom break during Prima Donna, because I just don't like her character. No offence to any of those who did. I love Minnie Driver, but Carlotta is just mean.
Please review like I said. Love you all.
P.S. I turned 19 today! Starts tooting a horn and throws confetti. Huzzah!