CHAPTER 19: Claudia

"Overchur, curtin lights, this is it, the night of nights!" I can't believe it myself. We're opening tonight. And you guys thought we'd never make it, espeshully after Mr. Chaney's blow-up a couple of weeks ago. Well, we did make it, so now we can relax and enjoy the show.

By the way, Kristy, sorry for getting off the subject, but remember when Jason and T-Jam allmost got into a fight during lunch? Well, I hope you can see that's all anshunt history, because tonite, I saw a new side of Jason, one I never knew existed until now. That's all I'm saying about it...

When I got home from school, I dumped my stuff on the floor and went into the closet for a Sno-Ball. (I told you I'm a junk food junkie.) While I unwrapped it, I looked over at the portrait of Mimi that I'd painted when I was in seventh grade.

Before I had to repeat it, that is.

"Hi, Mimi," I said as I took a bite of my treat. "How have you been? Well, we open tonight. The set looks fantastic, everyone loves the puppets, and if there was enough space in my room, I'd bring the puppet booth home with me. I wonder how many Klondike bars I'd have to bribe Mr. Cheney with to let me?

"Well, wish us luck tonight, Mimi. Mom and Dad, Janine, Russ, and Peaches will be there, but Lynn—you know, their baby—will be with a baby-sitter. I know I can count on you being there, too...I love you."

I finished my treat, then smiled up at the portrait. I really did hope that her spirit would be there that night.

That night, I'd just finished helping Hannie Papadakis with her make-up, and was busy organizing the puppet booth, when I saw Jason walk over to the couch with some chips, and sit down to look at one of the programs. He looked so handsome in his costume, even though he was dressed all in black, just like Mel Ferrer had been in Lili. I wonder if he knows I like him? God, he's so cute!

Well, the show began without a hitch, and I'm happy to say that this also goes for "Sword, Rose & Cape". Not only did the audience love how the Roustabouts clowned around while Marco was trying to sweep Lili off her feet, but also, Jackie managed to get through the entire number without stumbling all over the place, and that's saying something. He was pretty proud of himself.

We got through the first act, and I, for one, thought they did a great job. When Mary Anne announced that it was time for intermission, I slipped out through the stage door and sat on a bench. It was a crystal-clear night, the stars were out, and there was a full moon. It was also pretty chilly, and I was wishing I had something on my arms.

I guess someone read my mind, because the next thing I knew, Jason was putting his jacket around my shoulders. It's a black leather bomber with dark gray nylon lining, and a Scottish flag patch sewn on the left shoulder. And it's so warm. Considering how cold I was, I was glad to have it. "Thanks," I said. "I needed that."

"No problem, Claud," he smiled, sitting beside me. Boy, whoever invented the phrase "million-dollar smile" obviously had him in mind!

"Aren't you cold?" I asked. I know it wasn't the best way to break the ice, but it was all I could think of to say.

Jason shook his head. "Cold doesn't bother me," he answered, but no matter how tough he looked, I could still tell that he was cold, so I scooted closer to him. That's when I noticed his eyes. Even though it was dark out, they looked like two emeralds sparkling in the sun. They were so beautiful.

"I think you're doing a great job," I said. "Also, I don't mean to sound forward, but I think you have a wonderful voice."

"Thanks," he said, fidgeting a little. I think he was also blushing. "And I think you did a great job on the puppets. We all do."

"Thanks," I said. Now it was my turn to fidget and blush, mostly because I was dying to tell Jason I liked him, but I couldn't find the words.

"So, how do you think the show's going?" he asked.

"Well, aside from Jimmy ad-libbing his line, I think it's going pretty well," I confessed.

"Aye," Jason agreed. "You know, if my real dad were alive, I know he'd be enjoying himself."

"Yeah, same with my grandmother," I said, sounding very melancholy.

"What was she like?"

"She was—she was just one in a million. I could talk to her about anything. The one thing I remember the most about her is that she'd make such wonderful herbal tea and serve it in these little teacups of hers—she called it 'special tea', by the way—then we'd just sit and talk, especially if the weather was bad outside. You would've loved her." I had to stop myself for a minute, because I could feel tears coming to my eyes. Even now, it's still a little hard for me to talk about Mimi without becoming too emotional. I quickly wiped them away before asking, "Why do you ask?"

"I never knew my dad," Jason said sadly, looking away. "He was killed in Iraq soon before Mum had me."

I felt really bad for him, mostly because of the fact that Mary Anne never knew her real mother. She never talks about that much, not even with us Baby-sitters. "I'm sorry, Jason," I said, patting his arm, which literally felt like stone. He must work out at least once a day to have muscles like that. "Do you ever wonder what he was like?"

"Always," he sighed. "I mean, I've seen pictures of him, so I know what he looked like, but I never actually knew him, you know?"

I nodded.

"That reminds me," Jason continued. "Mum gave me these for my eighth birthday. She said they belonged to him." He reached under his shirt and pulled out a chain with a couple of silver tags on it. "These were his ID tags from the Scottish Army. After the officers found his body, they gave these to Mum, and she promised to hold onto them until I was old enough to understand what happened."

While Jason was talking, I noticed that we'd been moving closer together, and our heads were almost touching. Part of it was so I could see what was on the tags, but most of it was because I really liked him. Anyway, one of the first things I noticed on the tags was the name. "Crowe?" I asked.

Jason nodded. "When Mum and Steve got married, he decided to adopt me," he explained, putting the tags back under his shirt. "I guess I should've minded, but I don't. Actually, I think Everett has a better ring to a name like mine."

"So do I," I agreed. It wasn't the same as telling Jason I liked him, but it was a start.

"Um, Claud, can I tell you something?"

"Sure," I said. I had a pretty good idea what was on his mind.

"Well," he begain, clearing his throat, "one of the reasons I came out here tonight was because I've been thinking a lot about you lately. In fact, Bebe told me a few days ago that she thinks you like me. I mean, you like me, like me."

In that moment, everything just stopped. Right then and there, I realized what had happened: Jason had told me how he'd felt before I could get a chance to tell him.

"Well, I do," I finally managed to say, taking his hand. "I really love being with you, Jason. Ever since that one day at lunch when you stood up for Kristy and Abby, and how Kristy and Karen told me about you coming to Andrew's aid after his bike accident, I've been wanting to tell you that for so long."

As soon as I said that, all the toughness just left his face, and he looked so young and vulnerable, like a little boy. "Oh, Claud," he whispered. "Thank you so much for saying that." He sat closer to me and slipped his hands in both of mine. Our faces were slowly inching toward each other.

The next thing I knew, we were kissing. Every nerve in my body kicked into high gear as I felt his soft, warm, pouty lips on mine, and his fingertips gently caressing my hair, face, and neck. My heart raced. My right knee was shaking like a Chihuahua in a blizzard. And you know what? For the first time in my life, I began to understand how Kristy must have felt when Bart kissed her at the Halloween Hop. It was such an amazing feeling, and I wanted it to last forever.

Just then, I heard Mary Anne's voice say, "Places." Jason and I quickly separated. I could tell by the look on Mary Anne's face that she thought she'd invaded my privacy, and felt awful about it. As Jason hurried back inside, I stood up and patted Mary Anne's shoulder.

"It's all right, Mary Anne," I reassured her. "Don't worry about it."

I won't lie to you—I really had no reason to be upset. Jason and I had both admitted how we'd felt about each other, and for now, that was all that mattered.

On my way back inside, I happened to glance over my shoulder and see a shooting star streaking across the sky. Right away, I knew it was Mimi, because she'd once told me that every time she saw one, she knew it was Grandpa Yamamoto watching over her. "Thanks, Mimi," I whispered, my voice breaking. I knew her spirit would always be with me.