An era of change and new starts.
The day after the party saw Miss Frobisher set off to explore some of the city on her own, as little Wes joined Evie with Dante down the street and her hosts set off on their 'musketeers' day out. She had been unable to stop smiling as she had watched those four young men in their late twenties set off, their youth coming back to them as they forgot their adult responsibilities and returned to the carefree attitude of youth. She knew of course what the four of them had been through thanks to watching the Dalton Boys documentary film.
She had of course been introduced to Artie, and in a moment alone with him she had told him that his film had been extremely powerful and thought provoking, then asked him not to inform her hosts that she had seen it. He had agreed, knowing that it could easily change the relationship they had. He then told her in confidence that he was in the frame to direct something very big in the near future; a feature film that would reunite some of the stars of a major film franchise in their old roles, and that with Hollywood gone, much of it would be filmed near New York, or on location abroad. If it all came off, it would be the catalyst that would place him in the big league of directors…
She headed out on foot to explore the streets of the nearby Greenwich Village first, then headed for the High Line, absorbing the life of a city she had seen so many times on the big screen, a place which was really not all that different to her home city in terms of its multiculturalism and outlook. She would marvel at just how many languages and accents she had heard on her walk at the end of the day…
Meanwhile, four young men had stepped out of the subway at Coney Island, and headed to the nearby amusement park and beach; they had almost reverted back to how they had been as teenagers, fresh from school and enjoying the sights. They spent their time enjoying the various rides, bought hot dogs at Nathan's, then headed to the beach to just sit in the sun for a while. The fact that Jeff now used sunblock on his fair skin without Nick having to tell him was the one sign that they had matured, the memory of sunburn still fresh in the blond's head. The day was judged by them all to be a success, and as they headed home, eating the cotton candy they had bought, they all felt that the stresses and cares of adult life had been diminished just a little by a few hours of childish fun…
On the same day, meanwhile, a van arrived, and brought with it two new faces to the West Village street; Emmett and Dexter, the first of the new group of ex-Warblers that would take over the house next to Nick and Jeff. As they climbed out, they were both a little startled at first to see a teenager and two young kids staring at them from the first floor window of the house next door. As they stood there, Edward stepped out of the house, and was mystified at first as to why they were looking a little uncomfortable, then he too felt the eyes staring at him. He laughed, and walked towards them, saying, "Don't mind the reception committee upstairs, they're just curious as to who their new neighbours are! The eldest of them is Dante, the little girl is Evie, and the youngest of them is Wes…"
"The Sterling-Duval's son," said Dexter with a smile. "I am going to say that the other two are Warblers' kids too; in fact, didn't someone adopt Dante in a court case?"
"That was Beats Harper," said Emmett with a smile. "We signed the petition when it appeared at college, but we didn't feel close enough to you all to offer any physical help at the time. We will need to make proper introductions of ourselves to those three sometime soon."
"There is already a little gathering planned for the weekend for you to do just that," admitted Edward. "By then you will have got used to the special brand of crazy that is this side of the street. You will find that everyone is very friendly… Now if I am right, Emmett, you are going into one of the singles, and you Dexter are going into the room next to ours, where there are now twin beds."
"That's correct; the original plans have been changed a little. By the way, please call me Dex, as everyone did at Dalton. Yeah, Lawrence will be coming in with me, as he was my roommate at Dalton, and it worked well for both of us then. We have decided to try and replicate that here, and if it doesn't work, then one of us will go into the guest room."
"As a result, Kyle will be going into the other single. As for Hugh and Donal, they are our established couple, and will arrive last, and move into what is now your room," said Emmett. "I think it is going to be quite an adjustment to have a place of our own after living in the dorms for a year, but I won't miss the noise or the drunk folk coming home and being rowdy late at night…"
The following day saw two more arrivals, as Kyle and Lawrence arrived straight from Ohio. That night they all sat down to dinner together, and for both Edward and Colin, it was good to hear the sound of those extra voices in the house once more. They had enjoyed listening to the tales that the younger men told of their own time at Dalton, and the tales of Thad as a teacher made them smile. Colin, always an observer of character, noted that whilst Kyle seemed extrovert and streetwise, Lawrence was much quieter, and seemed most comfortable when Dexter was nearby; his whole face lit up. He knew that Lawrence was openly gay, and he could not help but think that the younger man had a crush on his former roommate. Then again, he began to wonder if it might be reciprocal when he thought how the older man had greeted his friend on his arrival…
Colin's attention had been noted, and to that end, after dinner, Emmett asked to speak to him alone. Safely away from the others, the new arrival explained what was really going on. "Dex and Lawrence are the way they are because of their family history. When Dex was , his parents split up in what was a very acrimonious divorce. His parents of course had to let the courts make a lot of decisions as they could not see eye to eye on anything, but when it came to the question of who would gain custody, the family court asked Dex and his younger brother who they wanted to stay with. They did that separately, and as a result, Dex ended up being persuaded to stay with his father, whilst his younger brother decided to live with their mother. She moved away to the west coast in the aftermath, and there was no communication between the parents or the siblings; indeed, his mom decided she wanted nothing more to do with Dex given his choice. The brothers were of course too young to stay in touch on their own, and so they lost each other. All that changed in 2018; Dex's mom was working in her office in downtown L.A…."
"And she was killed in the quake," said Colin quietly.
"A fortnight later a now teenage boy found himself back with his father and brother, having lost everything that he knew and loved. He had been trapped in the rubble of the first quake, and barely made it out before the second. The trauma of that and the subsequent struggle to escape the ruins of the city had a dramatic effect, and well, that is why Lawrence is so shy and quiet…"
"Wait, they're brothers!?" exclaimed Colin. "But how, when they have different surnames?"
"Their mom remarried in L.A., and Lawrence was adopted by his stepfather, and took his name. His stepfather was the one who dragged him out of the rubble, single handed, but then in a cruel twist of fate, Lawrence had to watch helpless as he was crushed to death in the last big aftershock…. As a result, he doesn't get on at all with his bio dad; he blames him for it all, because his behaviour was the reason why there was a divorce, and well, it follows that had they not divorced…"
Emmett sighed, then said quietly, "The only family member that Lawrence has any time for is Dex. The bond between them as brothers rekindled the moment they were back together, and it is so strong. As for their father, well when Lawrence came out, things went from bad to worse, and in the end, Dex had himself emancipated on his 18th birthday, when he inherited some money from his maternal line, and then successfully applied to have guardianship over his younger brother. They have all the money that they need to support themselves, but they both decided to keep their family tie quiet. As far as the majority of the world is concerned, they aren't related. The majority of the Warblers of our generation do know, as does Mr Harwood. Dex pledged us all to secrecy whilst we were at school, and that is probably why Thad said nothing to you. Dex did say to me that if anyone should start asking questions here, I should tell people the truth. Anyway, now you know; you can tell the others just to make things easier, but ask them not to mention it in front of the two of them…"
With permission given Colin made it his business to very quietly let the other former Warblers that lived on the street know about the situation, and allowed Beats to share the information with Flint. It was of course a reminder to all of them of those dreadful few days when they had not known how David was, or indeed, if he was even alive; the moments after each aftershock when they had begun to pray to anyone that would listen to keep him safe….
It fell to Nick and Jeff to pass on the information to Sebastian; he might be a rare visitor to the street, but he did have the benefit of having been in the position that Dexter would have been in during those days; knowing that a family member was in peril, and being entirely helpless to do anything about it. However, he took the news without even a nod, and did not react at all. This was not a surprise really, as his nephew Peter had been in the Warblers the past academic year with Lawrence. A chance conversation about their childhood experiences in the Senior Commons one afternoon had lead them to the revelation that they had both spent time in L.A., and had indeed lived only a few blocks apart at that terrible time…
Peter had told his father all about it when they had talked the next day; how they had both lost their mothers in a moment of disaster on an otherwise normal, sunny afternoon, how they had lost classmates and friends from their different schools. It had created a bond between them. Julian, of course, had passed on this news to his brother, although he had not named names, just stated that Peter had made friends with an older boy at Dalton with a past life in L.A. The fact that Peter's friend had a brother at college in New York made Sebastian certain that the two people involved were one and the same, and he looked forward to telling his nephew that his friend was well, and on the face of it, happy…
Whilst he might not have been in the West Village very often, Sebastian was however back to being in Manhattan most days, as the rehearsals for the upcoming revival of Young Frankenstein, in which he was starring, had begun. It had been a wrench for him at first to be away from his young son all day, after having been with him all day, every day for so long, but he knew he had to get back to work. He was not doing it for the money, more for his own wellbeing. On top of that, he secretly missed the lights, the greasepaint, and the adulation of the audiences… The fact that the rehearsals had begun had merited a mention in Playbill, and on all of the theatre websites; however, Sebastian was secretly glad that no-one was predicting a smash hit….
On their first day there had been cakes sent by Megan Mullally, a veteran of the original Broadway cast, and of course, there had been the presence of the aging, but still sharp as a tack, Mel Brooks. In some ways, he reminded Sebastian of that other hard working nonagenarian he had met in London; someone that refused to sit back and retire. The cast that he was working with was a mixture of new faces and seasoned veterans of the stage, but without any really famous names. The first day was okay, but as it ended, Sebastian just had a gut feeling that something was off. He took a look across at the writer, and one look at the expression on Mel's face told him that his suspicions were right….
To that end, he lingered as the rest of the cast headed out, until it was just him in the room with the writer and the director, and said, "It might not be my place to say anything, but there was something wrong in the rehearsals today; something just didn't feel right. If it was me…"
"No, you were every bit as perfect as I imagined you would be, Sebastian," said Mel with a smile, "and the fact that you noticed that there was something amiss is why you will be seen as one of the greats of Broadway in time. I hate to say this, but one of the main members of the supporting cast is completely out of synch with the rest of you, and we have no option but to let her go. It will be hard to find a replacement at short notice for her…"
Sebastian though back, and he realised that he knew exactly who he was talking about; it was obvious now. "Yes, it was her; her tone was wrong, her stance and demeanour. On top of that, I get the impression that she was looking down her nose at the rest of the cast…"
"Exactly! So we need to find a new Frau Blucher, which will be, as I said, no easy task. Apart from her, everything was good, and on top of that, we had the most delicious cake!"
Sebastian nodded, and turned to go, then his brain suddenly had a wild thought. He turned back round, and said, "Again, I know that it isn't my place, but the cake might well be a hint to the ideal solution. After all, the lady that sent it is very familiar with the show and how you want it to be, albeit she played a different role the first time round…"
Mel and the director looked at each other for a moment, then the older man nodded with a smile. "She might actually just be perfect for it; a link to the original cast, and she has the perfect comic timing… I will call her right away, and see if she is available. You were definitely the right choice for the show, Sebastian; in fact, I am starting to worry you will be taking my place next…"
Two days later, the lady in question walked into the rehearsal room, leaving a few mouths hanging open; within an hour she had made the part her own, and the previous actress was forgotten. When they finished for the day, she approached Sebastian, and thanked him for being the one to suggest her to Mel as the ideal person for the part. "I mean, I had considered auditioning, but I felt that he might reject the idea, given that I had already played Elizabeth."
"It wasn't a problem; I have always admired your work, and to be able to work alongside you will be my privilege; nay, an honour," said Sebastian. The smile that he received in return made him feel pretty special too…
Miss Frobisher would depart for home after a week in the city, with a promise that she would come back, which made people happy. As for herself, she was glad to see that Drew and Evie were settled and happy, and that she had fulfilled a long held wish to see New York. She fully intended to return, and with the promise that a room would always be found for her, it was not as costly as it might have been to think of making a regular visit.
In the middle of the month came another significant moment for those in the West Village; with the date fast approaching when the last two new residents would arrive for the big house, the time had come for Colin and Edward to head off to their new life upstate in the Hudson Valley. They had taken a trip to Europe as they had intended at the start of July, immediately after the events at Dalton, but it had not been as long as they had once planned, just a whirlwind of the major sites of interest. Those sort of trips were not completely out of the question in the future after all, and once they had settled down in the careers that their years of college had prepared them for, they could return for a few days at a time to see things in more detail.
The last night they spent in the city was spent in the company of Seth, who invited them to join him for dinner in his new place. With his condition, neither of them hade expected much from the meal, but he had, with the help of pre-prepared ingredients, managed to pull off a culinary feast. The three course meal was accompanied by a bottle of sparkling grape juice; alcohol was not on the agenda due to the amount of medication that their host had to take. With dessert finished, and the dishes all stacked in the washer to clean, they settled down on the sofa together to watch some good old trashy television, just as they had done in the house along the street. It was a poignant reminder of how things had been when they had first arrived in the city, before they even knew Seth was ill, and as such, Edward could see that his husband was close to tears. His own he was able to hold back, although when he spotted the pristine chair in Seth's bedroom on a visit to the bathroom, he had almost lost it and cried his heart out. They parted that night with long hugs, warm words, and a promise to visit that would have been hollow and meaningless for some groups of friends, but was not for them. Colin and Edward had already planned to be back for Sebastian's opening night, and would take advantage of the fact that Seth's new couch was a bed; he had promised to travel the other way too, albeit if his health allowed him to…
At lunchtime the next day, with their final boxes packed up and loaded in a U-Haul van, a small crowd gathered on the sidewalk to wish the two young men well in their new lives; it wasn't after all just a new house and new jobs, but an entirely new way of living. Sebastian arrived at the last minute, having taken a couple of hours out of rehearsals to say farewell; Saturday was no day off for him, or any of those that worked on the Great White Way. Sam also showed up with Roderick and Barbra; he had a day off filming, and he intended to pay a visit to Artie afterwards.
Roderick had asked to come a little earlier so they could wish the two young men well, as he had become quite close to them whilst he had been working for Mercedes and David in the house next door whilst they stayed there, and he was going to miss them. Of course, his life was about to alter considerably too, with his nursing course commencing in just two weeks time. He had found out that he was going to be doing most of his practical training in the hospital that Ollie Harwood worked in, and he had since found out that Lawrence would also be in the group of pre-med students working there. That allocation had created an issue for the new arrival, as he had been placed in a different hospital to Hugh, his old classmate and fellow med student; he had been counting on them being in the same place, giving him a friendly face to look out for each day. It thus fell to Jeff to make introductions that day; they would both be in the same place, albeit in different roles; it meant Lawrence would have someone he could look out for if he was feeling stressed. The way that the former Warbler's face lit up at the news was all the gratitude that Jeff needed, and the smile that Dexter gave him showed that he too approved of the twist…
To everyone's surprise, when the moment of departure came it was Edward that burst into tears first, but that quickly set Colin off. The kind words of so many friends, and the fact they had all made the time to see them off was overwhelming. Edward was particularly grateful to them all; he had after all come to the city after a gap year, and had never expected to be able to live in such a nice neighbourhood, supported in his love for Colin at every corner…
As they were finally stepping into the van, Roderick's phone began to ring; he excused himself and walked over to one side of the crowd. He was surprised to discover it was Mason on the phone, just finished his matinee show in the West End, and wanting to wish the two departing Warblers all the best too from himself and Jane. Roderick handed his phone over to Edward with the speaker on, and they chatted for a moment, before the phone came back to Roderick…
"Okay, so I also called to see how Seth is. I have been worried about him; we became close when we met each other on my first Thanksgiving in New York. We were both alone, and the day could have been miserable without each other to talk to."
"He's okay as far as I know," replied Roderick, "but they are all worried for him, and I think he is getting worse quicker than we would all have liked."
"I thought as much, reading between the lines. Look, between us for now, I have been approached to take a role in a Broadway revival of a fairly big musical next year; I can't say any more, as it is all hush, hush. The thing is, Jane and I had intended on heading back next year anyway, as we want our children to be born in the States…"
"Children? Is Jane…" gasped Roderick.
"Not yet, but we've both agreed it could be the right time, and there is a job opening up for Jane back in the New York office too. So yeah, this time next year at the latest, we will be back and annoying you, my friend…"
"That's great news!" said Roderick, not bothering to hide the fact that he was elated that his best friend was heading home. "I mean, I have been keeping myself busy, and my course looks like it is going to be great, and the others have all been really friendly towards me…"
"I've missed you too," said Mason. "We will be looking for a place near you in Murray Hill; it is close to Broadway, close to where Jane will be working, and well, having you and Cooper as close neighbours wouldn't be too bad either."
"I can scout around for you if you want, nearer the time, once you have a definite date," came his immediate reply.
"That would be good. Anyway, I should go, but we could Skype later, if you are able."
"I will be free; just call, okay. Take care of yourselves." Mason said goodbye and rang off, leaving Roderick feeling elated. It would be so good to have his best friend back in the city, particularly now that so many of his closest friends in terms of age were moving on…
His attention returned to what was going on, and he saw that Colin and Edward had now climbed into the van and were preparing to drive away, to the new life that there professions would provide for them. They had exchanged hugs with everyone, made promises to keep in touch, and to accommodate anyone that wished to visit them, and now it was time. The van started, they drove off into the traffic, heading for the relative tranquillity of the Hudson Valley…
Sebastian was checking his watch at once, and was about to head off, when Nick pointed out that he had a lunch ready and waiting in the kitchen for himself and Jeff, there was enough to share, and that he would have plenty of time to grab a quick bite to eat and still make it back to the rehearsal rooms. As he swithered on whether to stay or not, the rest of the people gathered there began to disperse, to return to the tasks that they had to complete that day. Some had work to finish, or chores at home, or in the case of Flint, an afternoon service to go to at the synagogue. All that was thrown up in the air in a moment. Seth had been talking quietly to Roderick since his former roommates had driven away, telling him that he could always come and visit him, when the former had gasped, and turned pale. His hands began to shake, as an attack hit him hard. Roderick instantly stuck his arms out as Seth's legs gave way, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he lapsed into an unconscious state; he managed to slow the collapse of the other young man. For those watching, it all seemed to take an age, but in reality it was probably less than 20 seconds from start to finish. Beats and Elliott, the closest to Roderick and Seth, dashed to help, and as they grabbed hold of the now unconscious Warbler, said in unison, "Not again!" As they helped Roderick support Seth in an upright position, they both suddenly realised what the other had said, and looked at the other in wonder; both curious as to when the other had witnessed either a collapse, or its aftermath, before…