June 15th, 2004
Angel Grove, CA
I didn't sleep very well that night. I tossed and turned, thinking about what had happened and what Nick had said. I never broke up with Tommy because of something he did or who he was. I broke up with him because of me and what I had been feeling at the time. I wondered if Tommy believed what Nick had hinted at and it made me feel even more guilty. Sure it happened so long ago now but I didn't think I could live with myself if Tommy blamed himself for our break up. I had been honest with him in the letter. Surely, he had to understand my reasons from that. But what if he didn't?
After giving up on sleep, I rolled out of bed around 6 am. I quietly crept out of the room and headed to the kitchen. To my surprise, I found Jason sitting here drinking a cup of coffee while reading the paper. He looked up as I walked in and grinned.
"Nice hair." He said, nodding in my direction. I shot him a glare, fixing my hair up into a ponytail. Walking over to the coffee pot, I grabbed a cup and poured some into it. "You're up early." He said, sipping his coffee. I nodded, adding creamer and sugar to my cup before stirring it.
"Couldn't really sleep." I replied, picking up the cup and turning so I could face him. "You getting ready to head out?"
"Yeah. I have a kickboxing class at nine and I have a meeting before that. Is something on your mind?"
"Huh?" I asked.
"You said you couldn't sleep. Is something bothering you?" He asked, leaning forward on his elbows. I shook my head.
"No. What could be bothering me?"
"Maybe the way your husband acted at the BBQ yesterday." He replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, if Trini even thought about acting like that, I'd be a bit preoccupied too."
"Jason…" I warned. "Nick wasn't that bad yesterday. I mean, sure. He doesn't say the right things in social situations sometimes but it's not like he meant it."
"Kimberly, he about rubbed your relationship in Tommy's face like a dog who pissedd on a rug." He said flatly.
"Tommy said it was fine. I already apologized to him about it." I stated, taking a sip of my coffee. "And I told Nick he shouldn't have done it. Nick doesn't understand how our group works. He'll get used to it the longer we are here." Jason sighed, shaking his head.
"Kim, I'm not trying to pry into your relationship-." He started but I cut him off.
"Well, then don't. I don't get involved in you and Trini's relationship. Don't try to get into mine." I snapped. There was an awkward tension filled moment between us. I didn't like fighting with Jason but I was getting annoyed with him real quick. He had no right to say anything about Nick or our relationship.
"I'm sorry." He said, finally. Sitting up straight, he gave me a sincere smile. "I just worry about you. That's all."
"I know. I'm sorry too. Guess I'm just cranky. I appreciate your concern and for letting us stay here. I didn't mean to come off as a bitch."
"Oh, but you do it so well." He smirked, winking at me. I flipped him the bird, laughing as I sipped from my cup. Up the hallway, we heard footsteps coming our way. Trini walked into the kitchen dressed in a pale yellow blouse and a black pencil skirt. Her hair was pulled back in a neat but professional braid. She smiled when she saw me.
"Kim! I was going to come wake you up if you weren't awake already. I got you an interview at the theater!" She said excitedly.
"You did?" I asked. She nodded.
"Yes! It's at 8:30 this morning. The owner, Mr. Ridley, said he could meet with you then. I guess he sounded really excited about your experience too."
"That's great." Jason said, wrapping an arm around Trini's waist. I set my coffee cup down.
"Thank you so much!" I said, walking around the counter and giving Trini a hug. "I'll have to figure out what to wear."
"I'm not going to be able to give you a ride though." She said, frowning. "I have to be at the lab by 8."
"I can bring you." Jason said.
"I thought you had a meeting." I asked. He waved his hand.
"I'll have Tommy or Rocky take my place. It's no big deal."
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." I said, giving him a hug. "I'm going to go get ready!"
I quickly showered, pinning my hair up into a tight bun on the back of my head. I applied a very light layer of makeup to look professional but not like a night girl. After making sure everything was perfect, I came out of the bathroom and into our room. Nick stirred slightly as I grabbed my pink floral sundress from the small closet in the corner.
"What are you doing?" He mumbled, rolling to his side to look at me.
"Trini got me a job interview this morning." I replied, pulling the dress on. I also put my black blazer on over it, adding a touch of business to it. I shoved my feet into a pair of black flats before walking over to his side of the bed. "Go back to sleep." I kissed the top of his head.
"Good luck." He said before rolling back over. I walked out of our room and headed towards the kitchen where Jason stood at the snk, washing out the coffee cups from that morning. He turned the water off and placed them in the rack to dry. Turning around, he saw me standing there.
"Well, look at you, Mrs. Anderson. I do have to say that you look ready to run up the corporate ladder."
"Shut up." I said, rolling my eyes at him as we both laughed. He grabbed his gym back from the counter and we headed out the door to the garage where his truck was parked. I climbed into the passenger side as she chucked his bag into the back. When he climbed in, he pressed the garage door opener above his head. It opened behind us, the rattling noise moving as it rolled up. He turned the truck on and carefully reversed it out of the garage.
"Nervous?" He asked as he headed up the street. I nodded, fiddling with the edge of my skirt.
"Yup. I feel like I have elephants flying around in my stomach."
"You'll be fine, Kim. I promise. They will be nuts to not hire you."
"Thanks for your vote of confidence." I replied, looking out the window. It was a sunny morning here in Angel Grove. People were walking on the sidewalks, heading to work. It was slow in pace, no one in a rush to head anywhere really. Unlike Miami, people weren't blasting their horns at each other just to get from point A to point B. It was a very welcome change that I had forgotten about until now. Jason made a right hand turn and headed for the south part of town.
The Angel Grove Community Theater was located not far from the high school and the center of town. It was originally a mansion, owned by the founder of Angel Grove, Mr. Weston. Mr. Weston came here from the East part of the country, hoping to head West to find gold and a new start for his family. When he got here, he stumbled on some gold and made a fortune for himself. Story has it that he was walking one day with his wife when they came across this beautiful piece of land that overlooked the ocean as well as the mountains. His wife told him that it must be the place where God got his angels from. He loved it so much that he claimed it as his own, naming it Angel Grove. They tell that story every single year at Angel Grove Days, a week-long celebration of our town and its history. It never gets old.
Jason pulled into the parking lot of the theater and I saw that it looked the same as when I had last seen it. The two story mansion was made entirely of white painted bricks with black accents that matched the shingled roof of it. There were several peaks on the roof, reminding me of a castle. Large stained glass windows decorated the front of the building, original pieces from the building's erection. It really was a beautiful place and people have used it for weddings and other events. I noticed there was a new wooden sign out front for it though, the name carved into it and painted gold like a story book cover. Jason parked in a spot and turned to smile at me.
"Good luck." He said.
"Thanks." I replied, undoing my seatbelt. I climbed out and straightened my dress before heading for the front door. It was a heavy wooden thing that required a good deal of strength for me to pull open. I did, slipping inside. It closed behind me with a soft but heavy thud, sealing me inside. I found myself standing in the foyer, a small area that smelled of an attic. There was old red carpet on the floor, wood paneling on the walls and a high ceiling. I walked forward, heading into the main part of the lobby. There were similar carpeting here, wooden benches perched along the walls with cushions with the same color. Large paintings hung on the walls, frames posters of plays they've done here between them. Little plaques hung under each one, giving information about the play and who donated for it to go on.
"Good morning!" A voice said behind me. Turning on my heel, I saw an older gentleman standing in the doorway. He had snow white hair on the top of his head, thin wire framed glasses over his eyes, and a pointed nose over his smile. The grey sweater he wore over a white button up and red tie reminded me of an outfit a little kid would wear for school pictures, tan slacks to boot. "Can I help you?"
"Hi. I'm supposed to be meeting with Mr. Ridley." I replied, stepping towards him.
"That would be me! And that must make you, Kimberly. Thank you for coming on such short notice." He said, holding his hand out. I took it, shaking it.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me." I responded. He released my hand and looked around, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Well, I suppose I should give you a tour to start things off! Right here, we are in the main lobby of the theater. When there are shows going on, we have people kind of mill around here until the show is about to start. We don't have much room in the lobby downstairs so it's much easier. We're actually standing in what used to be the parlor room of the Weston estate. The Weston's would throw such lavish parties that would go into all hours of the night. Mr. Weston enjoyed entertaining people and making Mrs. Weston happy." He walked forward, heading up the hall. I followed him, seeing we were heading towards a master staircase. There was on that went up and one that went down. The one that went down had a gate across the top step, blocking people from going down there. There was still more hallway left that opened up into what seemed a more brightly lit part of the building. He stopped at the stairs though, looking at me.
"Upstairs are the offices and the storage room. We keep all the not too heavy stuff upstairs. Tis easier to lug curtains up two flights of stairs than it is barrels. Downstairs," He leaned over and undid the latch on the gate. He pulled it open. "Is where the magic happens." He gestured for me to go first and I did, carefully grabbing the railing. The stairs case went down and made an abrupt left hand turn. At the bottom, I expected a basement. Instead, I found ourselves in what felt like the lobby of a movie theater. Mr. Ridley stepped off the stairs and walked over to the wall next to us. He flipped a big switch and lights suddenly turned on, illuminating the entire room. There was a long counter that was the concession stand. There was an old popcorn marker, a soda fountain, and a glass case filled with boxed candy. There was even a marquee on the back wall, letters missing from it at the moment.
"Oh, wow." I said, stepping forward. "I haven't been here since I was a kid. I had forgotten how beautiful it is."
"Why thank you. We do take pride and joy in our little setup here." He said, a wide smile on his face. "During shows, we have volunteers in the company that run the concession stand. We only sell half an hour before the show and during the half hour intermission. After each show, we have other volunteers clean up the theater. We used specialized flooring to protect it from spills and food. We do our best to remind our guests to make sure they are careful with their purchases to keep our theater looking as best as possible."
"I don't blame you there. There's nothing worse than a sticky floor when trying to enjoy a show." I replied. He chuckled, nodding.
"Certainly. Now, if you come over here, I can show you our storage area." He walked over to a door in the far right corner. I followed and he opened it, stepping inside. It was a very large room and I quickly saw that this was where the basement was. Shelves upon shelves of bins were here, different labels on the front of them. There were also large crates filled with metals bars and wood, 2x4s for set designing I guessed. I also saw half of a car in the back corner, the hood sticking out underneath an old curtain. There were rolls and rolls of backgrounds taped up on the floor to the right of the room, each labeled with masking tape. "This is what we call our dungeon. We keep all of our old show pieces in here. You never know what can be reused or recycled for another show. The car, we call her Bessy. She's been in thirteen productions to date. Best $500 we've ever invested."
"That's impressive." I said. It reminded me of my time working with the theater club in school.I did the play every year and I was the president for my last two years at Angel Grove. We would spend days making sets and putting them together, working until late. Added on with our Ranger duties, it was lucky any of our plays ended up going on according to schedule.
"I love our collection down here. It's not often that we come across a show that has a scene that we don't have something for. It helps us save money and give back to our community."
"Does all the money you make from ticket sales go back into the theater?" I asked as he turned the lights off and we backed out the door.
"Most of it. A portion of it goes to the historical society as a contribution for the city. It's how we maintain our attendance here. Without that, we wouldn't be able to stay afloat. We have trouble as it is now but we manage to maintain our audience. Come. Let me show you the auditorium." He walked towards the concession stand and I saw two large wooden doors next to them. He opened one and I could see a dim light inside. We walked together, entering the theater. Rows of seats were lined up, green felt covering them. Two aisles ran down through them, stopping at the stage. It was smaller but it didn't feel cramped, the sound proofed walls filled with carpet and other fabrics to keep the sound in. I saw lighting attached to the ceiling and large speakers directed towards the audience. The stage was bare, years of plays leaving scuff marks I could just see. There was a curtain on either side and above it, hiding more lights and ropes for the behind the scenes functions for any production.
"It's beautiful." I said, smiling at Mr. Ridley. "It reminds me of the theaters in France."
"Oh? You've travelled to France?" He asked, gesturing for me to sit in one of the seats in the front row. I nodded as I sat.
"A couple of times. My mother lives in Paris. She took me to a couple of shows while I was visiting and I fell in love with the delicate architect of the building. It's all so warm and inviting. I can see it here as well."
"You have a keen eye. Mr. Weston often visited France in the later years when the mansion was being built. He wanted to incorporate it into the design to showcase some class." He leaned back in his seat. "Miss Kwan told me about your time in the theater in school and your time in the Olympics. Though, I will admit my wife and I watched you during the games. You were wonderful. She was a huge fan. I must say that this is quite different from national starlight."
"And that's fine with me. While I loved competing, I just didn't feel natural in all the attention. I prefer being behind the scenes a great deal more. Having the spotlight was not my favorite thing. I liked being a part of a team and working off each other to give the best performance I could. I think that's what I love about theater. You work as a unit to provide something wonderful and if just one thing is off or there's a broken link in the fence, you can tell right off the bat." Sighing, he looked over at the stage.
"I won't lie to you. The pay isn't the best and there's a great deal of work that goes into the job. You will be in charge of maintaining the books and making sure we stay under budget. The theater has been sinking for a bit now and we are really hoping to pull out of the red or at least close to it. If we don't manage to, we will be forced to sell everything over to the historical society. We will lose our funding and the theater will just become a museum."
"That's awful. Mr. Ridley, I know I haven't been in theater for a while but I would love to show you what I can do. I'd love to help keep this place the way it is, if not better."
"Those are words I like to hear." He said, standing. "I'll show you the offices if you'd like."
Mr. Ridley walked me up the stairs, showing me a few more places. He showed me the ticket counter and where they keep the supplies for that area. He even showed me where they store the letters for the signs and how they roll up the banners to fit nicely in a drawer under the counter. At the end of the hallway where there was that bright light, he showed a bar room area for when they have shows. They typically hire a bartender for the night when they have shows for adults, bringing in more revenue this way. He walked me through the area where the extra booze is kept and how to restock them.
"Now, we don't allow guests upstairs. It's where the valuable collector items are kept and where we keep our safe. It's to make sure nothing gets stolen or misplaced."He said as we climbed up to the second floor. He stopped at the top of the stairs, catching his breath. "Sorry. A man my age doesn't go far without taking a few breaths."
"You're alright. Take your time." I said, smiling at him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something hanging on the wall in a frame. Turning, I was surprised to see a large black and white picture of a group of people. I was even more surprised to see that it was of Billy, Aisha, Rocky, Adam, Tommy, and I as I stepped closer. I had to look twice though when I realized it wasn't us. It was too old of a picture to be. Plus, my hair was curled in an old fashion way, pulled back in a bonnet. Aisha's was as well as she leaned against Rocky. It suddenly dawned on me that I was looking at a picture of our ancestors, people I had met when I had travelled back in time accidently. I told you that my time on the Rangers was unreal at times. I had been trapped there for a day, fighting monsters and evil doers naturally.
"Ah. This is one of our most prized pictures. It's Mr. Weston with his wife, Lenora." He pointed at the man and woman who bore a striking resemblance to Tommy and I. The White Stranger is what they had called him when I had been in their era. I hadn't come across any one who looked like me though. It pulled at my heart when I saw that he was holding her hand in his. "With them are their friends. They are the founding members of Angel Grove." Mr. Ridley said.
"It's a lovely photo." I said, smiling at him over my shoulder. "They look like a great group of people."
"They were." He pointed at Aisha's look alike. "Miss Alicia was one of the first women of color to run her own business. She created the hospital here in town. She married Rocko, a deputy officer who founded the police department. Abraham ran the post office, becoming one of the first people to run the pony express in California. Mr. William here created the library, designed the water system, and helped bring electricity here to Angel Grove."
"What amazing history." I said softly. "I guess they did well for themselves."
"They sure did. You know, there are rumors that the Power Rangers were sighted back then. I don't believe it since it was so long ago and the technology they used was so advanced but it's quite the thing to ponder now and then." He stared at the picture with a far off glance, lost in thought. He sighed, turning to face me. "Well, what do you say, Kimberly? Are you interested in the position?"
"Yes." I smiled. He returned it.
"Terrific. Let's get the paperwork. You can start tomorrow."
"Really?" He nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Ridley!"
"I have a good feeling about you, Kimberly. I think you're going to bring big changes to this place. You just might be the person that helps save our little history here." I glanced up at the picture.
"I won't let you down."
I nearly skipped out of the front door of the theater where I saw that Jason was still sitting in his truck. I opened up the door and climbed in, him giving me an expectant look. I smiled widely at him, setting my purse in my lap.
"I start tomorrow!" I exclaimed.
"Congrats!" He replied, leaning over and giving me a hug. "I told you that you had this in the bag."
"I know. Jase, it's gorgeous in there. I had forgotten how beautiful it was. I can't wait to get in there and do the best I can. He's going to have me come shadow him tomorrow and then I'll meet the rest of the theater company the day after that."
"That's great. You were all worried over nothing. We should celebrate. How about brunch? My treat."
"Sure. I thought you had a class though." I said, pulling my seat belt on.
"I had Rocky cover it for me. I'm taking his afternoon class instead." He brought the truck to life, carefully pulling out of the parking lot. He headed east, stopping at a stop sign before going through the intersection at the heart of town.
"Sorry you had to reschedule your day around me. You could have left me."
"It's fine. Honestly, I don't mind having a morning off. I practically live there as it is." Ahead, I saw the sign for the Angel Grove diner and smiled as Jason pulled into the attached parking lot. Nothing changes with him. This has been our spot since we were kids. First, it was dinner with our parents. Then when we were old enough, we came here after school and for dinner on the weekends. We'd cram all of us into one booth and spend hours here. Another piece of home I hadn't thought about in years.
Climbing out of the truck, we headed inside the front door of the small building. It was a rectangular shape dining area with booths lining all the walls. Tables with chairs were in the middle with a small counter top on the right side of the room. All the seats and booths were covered in dark blue vinyl and the floor had a pale grey color to it that matched the walls. Jason and I slid into the first booth, menus already on the table. It was pretty full for it being later in the morning. Older men sat at the tables, sipping coffee and talking to each other. Couples with young children sat in other booths, kids picking at their pancakes. A waitress behind the counter waved at us, letting us know she'd be over in a minute. I opened my menu, glancing over at the choices. Jason didn't even bother, sliding his menu to the edge of the table.
"Morning, Jason." The waitress said, the older brunette said as she approached us. "The usual?"
"Yes, ma'am." He replied, nodding. She didn't bother to jot it down before turning to me.
"And you, dear?"
"I'll have a spinach omelet with turkey sausage, please." I said, closing the menu. She wrote it down before taking them. She returned a moment later with two cups of coffee and a bowl of individual servings of creamer. "Good to see you still come here often." I said as she walked over to the next table.
"I like the food." He replied, shrugging.
"I can tell. Listen, I'm glad we have a chance to talk. I wanted to thank you for letting us stay with you guys. I know it can't be easy with having Nick or I around all the time and I really do appreciate it."
"Anytime. Kim, I don't want you to take this the wrong way or anything but I'm still on the fence about your husband. I mean, I've only known him a couple of days but I don't like the way he was talking about you yesterday."
"When?" I asked, dumping cream in my coffee.
"His little story about your ice cream date. I felt like he was trying to embarrass you." I laughed, shaking my head.
"No. That's just how we are. I promise. Jason, if Nick wasn't treating me right, you would be one of the first people I would tell." I took a sip from my cup. "I mean, someone will need to bail Trini out of jail when she'd be done beating him."
"This is true." He replied, drinking his coffee. He set the cup down, cleaning the ring it left with his napkin.
"So, wedding bells any time soon?" I asked. He scoffed.
"Did she tell you to ask me?" I shook my head, eyeing him.
"No. I'm asking you because you've been engaged forever now and haven't even set a date. Don't you think it's a bit mean to Trini? She's probably ready to make things official and you're just digging your heels in, Jase." Sighing, he leaned back in his seat.
"It's not like I don't want to marry her. Trust me. I really do. It's why I proposed. I just…" He trailed off.
"You're such a scaredy cat." I teased, smirking at him over my cup.
"Am not." He muttered.
"Oh c'mon. You totally are terrified at the idea of getting married. But that's normal! I was scared too but I knew that I had to do it. You and Trini will be together forever then and you'll both be so happy."
"I know. I just feel like it's like walking the tightrope and one wrong step will cost me everything." He gazed down at his coffee. "If you and Tommy didn't make it like we all thought, what does that mean for the rest of us?" I was taken back by his question.
"That's not the same thing. We were two kids in puppy love in high school. You and Trini are two mature adults who know what they want."
"Oh yea?" He asked, bringing his coffee to his face. "Why don't you ask Tommy how he feels about that?"
