Thanksgiving and Opportunity
By the time that Thanksgiving came in 2024, the Johnsons had sorted out their new living arrangements. Matthew and his sister had been shown their potential new home the day after their mother took ownership of the building. As Grace had said, it could be turned back into two separate apartments with little effort, and both brother and sister had to agree that they would be mad not to set up their first home in such a good neighbourhood. They hoped that by late spring of the following year the work would be done, and that would allow their mother to put the townhouse on the other side of the island onto the market. She had decided that a new home in Connecticut would suit her best, as it was her home state, and ideally it would be located close to the Metro North railroad, so she would have easy access back to the city.
The Thanksgiving meal that they enjoyed that Thursday, with their two cousins at the table, would therefore be the last one in the family home. It was a little sad for that, as it had been the family home long before the tragedy of 9/11, and there were memories within the walls. That said, they all agreed that it was the right time to move on to new pastures…
Across the river in New Jersey, Sebastian and Dave were also hosting a final Thanksgiving meal in their current home in Maplewood; they had now set a definite date for their return to Ohio. They anticipated being in their new home, Sebastian's childhood one, by the time Easter came, as Dave was due to officially take up his new role in May. Of all of those gathered that day, it was Julian that seemed to feel the momentous nature of the occasion the most; he knew that there was much less chance of these family gatherings once his brother was based in another state…
Amidst all of the Thanksgiving celebrations, there was one significant absentee. Thad had boarded a plane on the Sunday before the big holiday, being owed some days vacation by Dalton, and had flown around the world to Auckland. He had booked a room in the same hotel as Niff had stayed in, and he agreed with what they had said; it was convenient for all of the main sights in town, something that he did on the Tuesday afternoon of his arrival. The following day saw him heading for the mud baths; it had not originally been on his itinerary, but he had listened to the two younger man wax lyrical about it, and when little Wes had added in his own comments about it, he decided it would be silly not to try them whilst he was there…
Like his friends, he was allocated his own private mud pool, but was left a little startled when, as he settled into the warm silky mud, he was suddenly aware of a draught, and then the sight of his angelic husband, clad in only a pair of swim shorts. Then Wes sat down beside him, sighing deeply as he felt how good the mud was. "It seems that the cameras on this pool have failed," Wes said, with a wink, "and they won't disturb us, so I asked, and Elizabeth said it was okay." He winked, and then picked up a handful of mud and smeared it on Thad's cheek. He immediately returned the favour, which made them both laugh…
Then on the Thursday, a day which was not a holiday in New Zealand of course, Thad made his way to the Sky Tower. After taking a stroll round the narrow, high-level walkway, encouraged as did so, being safely attached to the building by a cable, to lean right out over the edge, which had no safety rail. Thad then headed over to another spot, where he was attached to a lengthy cable, before he literally stepped off the side of the building… He fell, seeing the city below rushing up to meet him, and then in perfect time he slowed down, and landed with precision on a blue mat that sat at the side of the building. Had he been permitted, he would have headed straight back up to the top to do it all over again…
That was not allowed, but he was able to relive the experience all over again as there was a camera attached to the safety helmet that he had been wearing, and there was also footage from others placed on the way down that captured his descent; the completed videos would be e-mailed to him by the following morning. They arrived as promised, and as he ate breakfast in his hotel room, he watched them, feeling the same adrenaline rush as he did so. He decided to e-mail them to David, along with his best wishes for Thanksgiving - a little late for that perhaps, but it was the thought that counted…
When the message arrived on David's phone a little before 5pm on the holiday, he opened it, and shook his head slightly as his friend pointed out he was eating his breakfast and it was Friday morning in New Zealand, then was jealous of the fact that the temperature was a good twenty degrees warmer where his best friend was. He read on, and smiled at his description of the mud bath, having already seen the photos that he had put on his Facebook page earlier that week. That was when he noticed there was a video attachment, and he pressed play. As he did so, Mercedes came into the room, and she watched as her husband's eyes widened, and his face took on a slightly green tinge…
She hastened to his side, and asked, "Are you okay? Has there been an incident somewhere involving people we know?"
"No, it was just a video that Thad sent me," he replied in a hushed tone.
"That doesn't exactly explain why you look as if you are going to be sick, my love."
David motioned her to sit at his side on the sofa, then he pressed replay on his phone, this time looking in the opposite direction. He heard his wife gasp, and then she fell deathly silent. When he was sure it would have played out, he said, "There are moments when I think that we should have him certified as insane. He literally walks off the edge of a building, when he is 629 feet above the ground, and then proceeds to plummet to the earth below!"
"Well, he is attached to cables, so it is reasonably safe…"
"It is still absolutely crazy! You would never catch me doing that in a million years! Something could have gone wrong; a wire snapping, a harness coming undone, and then what!?"
Mercedes smiled at the passion and love in her husband's voice, then couldn't help but reply, in a mischievous tone, "Then he would have become Thad Montgomery, and gained a pair of wings…"
"That is not helpful!" snapped David in reply.
"Well, nothing did go wrong, and he will be home before you know it, and you can give him a lecture on safety then. Now, shall we get back to the festivities? I came to tell you that your mom was about to serve up her pumpkin pie…"
David nodded, the thought of a slice of his mother's pie erasing the worry caused by the foolhardy nature of his best friend, at least for now….
Thad of course sent the video to everyone in time, and the reaction he received from the others was split exactly 50/50 between those that thought he was mad, and those that would love to do something like that themselves; the reactions often saw couples on opposite sides of the fence. Nick and Jeff were in agreement however; they were glad it was something that they had never considered doing whilst they had been in the city earlier in the year. Sebastian had paled considerably as he had watched the video, much to the amusement of Dave, as his husband was usually quite gung-ho and daring on these sort of things. Behind them, young Peter had seen it all, and was full of admiration for his teacher…
Trent would surprise everyone with his comment, in which he stated that it looked quite thrilling, and had to be a bit like doing a parachute jump. Rory, on hearing his husband express that view, immediately began to pray that the President was never invited on a state visit to New Zealand, and that if he was, Trent would not be invited to go with him. His heart would not be able to take the sight of his husband falling off a skyscraper, no matter how secure it was…
Beats and Flint would also agree that it looked like fun, and the former was delighted when his husband conceded that he seconded that sentiment. Overhearing Elliott confess that much, Dante began to wonder just how much a family trip to New Zealand would cost, and if there was a minimum age for taking the plunge, so to speak. He assumed that Ty would be too young, and even if he was of an age himself, there was no guarantee that Lachlan would consent to join him in doing it…
Thad would return home the next day to receive a lecture on recklessness from Mrs Carmichael; the following week, with classes resumed, he discovered that the video was circulating widely amongst the boys, and that he was now quite an action hero in their eyes. Principal Lefevre was not exactly pleased that the footage had somehow made it onto the school's internal web network, and she had strong suspicions that it had done so through the actions of a young relative of the four men still known as the musketeers, but she could not prove it. Thad of course had to share her disapproval in the staff room, but if he was honest, he did like the way that most of the school now looked at him with awe and respect…
December was soon upon them again, and with one holiday just over, the thoughts of most had to turn to the next. Flint wondered how he was going to marry his wishes for his daughter's first Christmas to the fact that his mother was making a lot of noises about coming for a visit again, and he only hoped that his father could persuade her otherwise, perhaps by suggesting that making the trip two years in a row, at the same time, might have some thinking she was celebrating Christmas in New York…
Nick of course had already started on his welter of baking, and he was in the throes of feeding his already made Christmas cakes with brandy, as the recipe he used stated. He also had to prepare his menu for Christmas lunch, as he was hosting for the whole family this year. He was quite enjoying winding them all up by saying that he had seen a lot of recipes for goose, and that he was convinced it would make an excellent main course. As the whole family expressed their concern about a meat they had never tried, he had ordered his large beef roast from the butcher, and would serve it was the full British trimmings of Yorkshire Pudding, roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in bacon, and of course, lashings of brown gravy. He, Jeff and Wes had always enjoyed those traditional Sunday meals in London…
He was eternally grateful though that someone had suggested anonymously that the annual Warblers Christmas gathering should be held in the same venue as his and Jeff's anniversary party earlier that year. He was busy enough with work and his own Christmas prep without having to prepare party food for a group of young men whose appetites appeared not to have diminished at all as they had aged. Then again, he half suspected that the change had only been made to get him in a good frame of mind for when they asked him to cater for the farewell party that Jeff was hinting at as being vital when Sebastian and Dave headed off to Ohio. His only hope was that his workload at the UN might be less by then, or he might have to seek caterers…
The approach of the festivities also made it a very busy month for the stores in Manhattan, still attracting the crowds even in the world of Amazon; those crowds would then converge on Broadway each evening, just as they had gathered in the stores during the day. Sold out notices were the norm at each theater, and all those in the circle of friends that were involved in the world of show were busy as extra performances were scheduled to take advantage of the demand. Mike was at the centre of the City Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker, dancing the part of Hans-Peter, the titular role, with a grace and style that had all of the critics lavishing him with praise.
His biggest fans ended up being little Wes and Evie, who were escorted to the ballet one Saturday afternoon by Jeff and Mrs Mackenzie; she had warmed a lot to both the artist and his son. Jeff no longer felt intimidated in the presence of the powerful business woman, as he could see that she was a very doting grandparent. As they watched the show, back in the West Village, Nick, Drew and Ethan were taking delivery of the desired Christmas gifts for their respective youngsters, taking advantage of their absence to wrap the presents then hide them away safely, to be produced on Christmas morning.
Nick found his work being supervised by Caleb, who on seeing the shiny wrapping paper realised that the tree would soon return to the hallway, dominating the foot of the stairs, as would the twinkling lights and the coloured glass baubles in which those other cats lived; cats that miaowed when he did, but did so silently. He decided that he was too old now to attempt to climb the tree when it arrived, but he knew deep down that when it appeared, his inner instincts would have him running up the branches anyway…
For Sebastian, the approach of Christmas felt a little bittersweet. Waiting for Godot was hardly the most festive of shows, and had it not been for the draw of its two male leads, it might well have struggled to sell even half of its seats. A part of him wished that he was starring in something a little more jolly, but then he reminded himself that not everyone in the city would be celebrating the 25th, and those people needed somewhere to go to escape a world filled with Rockettes, and White Christmas, and all of those similar things. He had initially thought that Russell might wish to head home for Christmas, and that he might have to go on with a stand in. When he asked, the Englishman stated that he had thought about doing so, but had concluded that flying home would have taken up most of his day on Christmas Eve, and he would have had to return after two days at the most. It just was not worth all of the jetlag or expense, and then there was the environment to consider…
With that knowledge, Sebastian had extended his co-star an invitation to join him and his family in New Jersey for Christmas lunch, but to his slight surprise, he found that he was declined.
"I am flattered and appreciative of the invitation, but my presence is required elsewhere. When I was considering going home, I mentioned it to Daniel Radcliffe, as he lives here, and could easily have stepped in for me in my absence, and he agreed to that. When I decided I wasn't going home after all, he invited me to join his party instead. He is gathering all the waifs and strays from back home so we can enjoy a British Christmas together. In any case, this will be the last family Christmas that you have here, and so you don't need me there when things might get emotional."
Sebastian nodded in response, as he knew that his co-star had a point. Julian would be putting on a brave face, as he had done at Thanksgiving, but Sebastian knew that his brother was dreading the day that he actually left. The fact was that as the day grew closer, he had realised that he was not particularly looking forward to having so much distance between himself and his brother again…
Amongst those that had received an invite to the party that Daniel Radcliffe was holding was Adam, and at first he had declined; then he had been called by the man himself at the theater one evening, and informed that he would have access to the most British of Christmas Days; the sort with 1970s pop songs, vintage episodes of Morecambe and Wise, and The Two Ronnies… It was the mention of the fact that there would be After Eight Mints at the end of the meal that suddenly saw Adam feeling a rush of nostalgic thoughts that had him changing his mind…
His decision to head to the event after all meant that he was able to decline invites to join Marley & Ryder, and Mason & Jane with sincerity; he had also been invited by Cooper to join the celebrations at Nick and Jeff's, and went on to discover that his co-star had not asked his brother-in-law if that was okay first… He was grateful to them all, and was glad of their friendship, but he was worried that accepting an invite from one of them might upset the others.
He was however able to say that he would be able to join Dex and Lawrence for a drink on the evening of the 25th. Lawrence would be working at the hospital for much of the day, and his older brother had volunteered his services at a soup kitchen near the same building, and that way he would not be alone, or feel as if he was imposing on someone else who invited him.
Such delights would however have to wait, as there was the whirlwind of the pre-Christmas shows to get through first. Given that Mary Poppins was the big family show on the Great White Way that year, they were booked out months before, and that included the extra show each week, just a handful of day tickets being left available. It was at one of those extra shows that Adam suddenly felt that he was being scrutinised by someone that was sitting in the front row all too closely; it felt as if their eyes were burning into him every second that he was on stage. He dismissed the notion as highly fanciful, until the moment that he reached the end of the show. Having taken the usual bows, he was heading for his dressing room when the director stopped him, and asked him to head to Cooper's dressing room instead. There was someone there that wanted to be introduced to him…
Adam headed to his own dressing room first, as he wanted to get his stage make up off, and make himself look more presentable for a visitor; it was the one thing that he always did after a performance when he had people to meet, regardless of who they were. He did not take too long about it though, conscious that a visitor that was allowed backstage was probably someone well known, and it never paid to let them wait. With the make up off, he tidied up his hair, then headed along the corridor to Cooper's dressing room. He tapped on it, out of politeness, then stepping in, he saw Sam, and sitting beside him…
For Adam, who had been a fan of Friends back in the day, being in the presence of Lisa Kudrow was a definite fanboy moment, and he had to use all of his will power not to do something cringe worthy and embarrassing, such as saying Janice's catchphrase at the top of his voice, gushing about how wonderful she was, and then desperately hunting out a piece of paper to get an autograph. Instead he took a breath, and then said, "I am so sorry that I have kept you waiting, but I do like to get the worst of the greasepaint off the minute that the show is over."
"Oh, we get it, trust me," replied Sam. "When I was performing on stage, I was the same; straight to the dressing room to find something to wipe it all off. I should be the one that is apologising for not warning you that we were coming, but it was a last minute decision…"
"And the fact that we are here is down to me, Sam, not you," interjected Lisa. "I had heard so many good things about the show, and how hard it was to get a ticket, so when you hear that seats on the front row have opened up, you grab for them as fast as you can. It certainly lived up to all of the hype, and has put a shine on what was otherwise a very trying day, possibly in more ways than one…"
"The fact is that we had been running auditions all day for a major new part in my sitcom, but not one of the people that we saw was quite the right for the role," said Sam, the leaning forward, he whispered, "Between all of us, Darrin is getting a boyfriend next season, and he will be a long term one; that was the part that we were attempting to cast. They all looked ideal on paper, but…"
"They just didn't have the right chemistry with Sam to make it work," sighed Lisa.
"And at least half a dozen of them had either serious body odour or halitosis," added Sam cringing.
That made Cooper laugh, then he said smiling, "Well, I am glad that we helped you get over your day, although given what you have just said, there looks like there will be another one much like it in the offing."
"Maybe not," replied Lisa. "We could possibly have been blessed in coming here; we might actually have found the ideal person to play the part here, this evening…"
Cooper suddenly paled, worry on his face, because the idea of playing a boyfriend, to Sam's character was not one he relished; he saw Sam as a brother after all….
He almost sighed in relief when Sam suddenly spoke. "We know that you are in a long term role here, but have you ever considered a career in television, Adam?"
Adam said nothing for a moment, letting the words sink in, then replied, "It is not something that I have ever really thought about, but it is not something that I would be adverse to. However, I don't think that I would suit the role on offer, as my New York accent is non-existent…"
"I was hoping that you would say that, actually," answered Lisa with a grin. "The plan was always for Darrin's new boyfriend, his long term love, to be from out of town. I admit that at first I thought he would be from the deep South, or somewhere in the Rockies, but now I think that a cute Englishman sweeping him off of his feet would be even finer. I will warn you that I am pitching the character as a bit of a geek, and a goofball as well; when I saw you up on the stage tonight in character, you seemed ideal, so I just had to come and ask. Would you consider taking on the role? I mean, you would still have to do all of the screen tests, and come in and run a few lines with Sam, just so that we can check the chemistry works, although I feel absolutely certain that it will…"
Adam looked then to Cooper, and sensing that the younger man wanted advice, he said, "It can't hurt to try out. We both know that parts on Broadway don't last forever, even if the show does. The fact is that we are in a big hit show, and that presents you with an opportunity like this. Plus, if you do get it, then your family back at home will be able to watch you in it, and that has to be a bonus…"
"What if the audience don't like me? What happens then?" asked Adam.
"I would not worry about that," said Sam with a smile. "If my character likes you, and your character is treating me right, then the fans will adore you as much as they like me. Honestly, having you in the role will make things a lot easier for me too; you are a friend, but not so close that things would be weird. Rachel also knows you, and she is much less likely to get jealous and react badly if Santana winds her up…"
"More likely when, than if, with Santana," quipped Cooper.
Adam sighed, then said, "I guess that if you really do want me to audition, then it can't do me any harm to come in and run the lines. We don't have a matinee tomorrow, so if you were free in the morning…?"
"We will be; I will give you the address of the place that we use, and what if we say 11am? That gives you a chance for a rest, and still leaves you plenty of time to get here for the show tomorrow," asked Lisa.
Adam agreed, and after getting the address, Ms Kudrow and Sam took their leave, asking that neither Adam or Cooper said anything to anyone about what was happening quite yet. Once they were alone, Cooper turned to Adam, and said, "Well, Mr Crawford, that was an unexpected end to the evening. As I said, this is a golden opportunity for you, and if you get the role, then I think we can say that you will really have made it here…"
"I guess so," said Adam, but the tone in which he responded had Cooper worried. "I mean, it is a great opportunity, and my family would all love to see me on the television, as would the people that I went to school with; but if I take the role, then I am also restricting myself. I wouldn't be able to still play Robertson Ay eight times a week and film a sitcom on top. I love this show, and the immediacy of the theater, and I am just not sure that I want to give all of this up, however great the part might be."
"I wouldn't be too certain that you couldn't manage to do them both, actually," replied Cooper. "You are saying more or less what Sam said to me when he was first offered the chance to be Darrin, and as I recall, Ms Kudrow was so keen to have him onboard that she offered to work round his theater schedule. Sam also told me that they do all the exterior shots they require one day a week. You have an understudy who could cover you on that day, or that day could even be a Monday if it had to be. The studio is located over in Queens, but it is only two blocks away from the '7' train, and that would bring you right back to Times Square after filming. Yes, it would be tough, both mentally and physically, but not impossible." He paused to let what he had said sink in, then continued, "Go to the audition tomorrow, and then, if you pass muster, tell them what your issues are. They are pretty desperate to have you take the role by the sound of it, remember. Take advantage of that to get yourself the sort of deal that many in the industry would be envious of."
"You are right, and well, as I said, it can't hurt to try out," admitted Adam. "Getting the part would also let me stay in New York a little longer; getting an extension on my working visa will be a lot easier if I have a new role to go to. I am also very happy in the West Village; it's my second home…." Cooper smiled at that, knowing that it wasn't just the apartment there that Adam liked; from what his brother-in-law had said, there was a certain student medic two doors down that Adam was very keen on as well….