Keith sat alone at the corner table at the local Coney Island, nervously waiting for his Great-Aunt Stella's arrival. He slowly sipped his fifth Mountain Dew and eyed the clock above the door.
"Fifteen minutes late," Keith mused, "How can people stand to be late? I know I can't. I always have to be at least five minutes early to everything. Where is she?"
As if on cue, the door flew open and an elderly lady Keith recognized from pictures walked into the restaurant. Keith waved and the lady spotted him and walked over.
"You must be Keith," she said kindly in the voice the boy recognized from the phone, "You look just like your father did when he was your age."
Keith smiled. "And you must be Great-Aunt Stella. Nice to meet you!"
"Oh no," Great-Aunt Stella said with a smile, "The pleasure is all mine. Now, you told me you had something to ask me."
"Well," Keith began, "You were a drama teacher, right?"
Great-Aunt Stella nodded. "Yes I was. The best years of my life."
"Well," Keith continued, "My friends and I are putting on a play, and we need someone to cast and direct and do stuff like that. Could you help us? We can pay you if you want."
Great-Aunt Stella's eyes lit up. "I'd absolutely love to help!" she said, "And pay me? Oh, I wouldn't hear of such a thing! You're my great-nephew and directing is my favorite thing in the entire world."
"So you'll do it?"
"Of course I will! Now fill me in. What's the play? We need to set dates and make priorities."
"Well," Keith answered with a smile, "The play is RENT, by Jonathon Larson. We're donating all the profits we make from it to victims of AIDS. Someone donated a lot of money to our cause, so I don't think we'll have to worry about money."
Great-Aunt Stella smiled. "That's a great idea Keithy," she said, "Now, we need to make a date for tryouts. What do you think of two Mondays from now?"
"That's not really up to me," Keith said, "My seven other friends are also in this with me, so I'll have to talk to them about it."
"I think I'd like to meet your friends," Great-Aunt Stella said, "I'd like to get to know each of them individually. And I need to talk to all eight of you about dates and times and locations."
Keith's head was spinning. "I didn't know there was so much we were going to have to do!"
Great-Aunt Stella smiled kindly. "Show business is a busy business, whether on Broadway or at a small high school. And if everyone doesn't pull their own weight and contribute and do their own fair share than the play won't pull through. If you eight have half feelings about this production then don't do it at all."
Something flickered in Keith's eyes. "We're all very serious about this," he said, "We're all set on giving one hundred percent. We want to make this a great experience for everybody."
Great-Aunt Stella smiled. "That's the spirit Keithy!"
