The End of an Era Part I
As it happened, it would not just be Nick and Jeff that would find themselves in an optician's office in the next few days. The fact that someone that they knew had experienced the trauma, albeit on a temporary basis, of losing their sight, had spurred them all into action; it suddenly became an imperative to check that their own vision was free of any lurking defect or impairment. By the end of the week, as they all began to secretly converge on New York, half of the alumni Warblers had been for an eye test. Thad was not totally surprised to be informed that he was showing some signs of eyestrain, and soon enough there was a pair of glasses on order for him for the close work that was such a part of a teacher's lot; he had to mark all of those homework exercises and essays after all…
As for the others, all of them bar one would emerge having passed their tests without issue or the need for glasses; that one was every bit as surprised as Jeff had been. Like the blond man, Sebastian had never experienced any difficulties, but under the rigorous tests of the optician in Maplewood, he came to see that whilst he could read scripts to learn them, and see the licence plates on the cars in front of, and behind him, on the highway, he could do both so much better with a pair of glasses. Then he began to realise that the vision that he now had with them on was exactly how his own sight had been; the glasses a sign that he was no longer in the first flush of youth.
That it did not depress him to realise that, as he would surely have expected it to when he was a schoolboy, was a sign of his maturity. Age was something that came, and had to be dealt with, and indeed, embraced. He ordered two pairs of glasses, with two different sets of frames, which would be ready for him the following week. He was glad of that; he would not start to wear them until he was safely in Ohio. The glasses would be part of Sebastian Karofsky-Smythe, the former Broadway star, now living with his family in suburban Ohio…
Sebastian would of course tell Dave about his need for glasses, but he said nothing to anyone else, and Thad did not either. Jeff would however post a photo of himself on Facebook on Thursday, wearing them, with a brief explanation of what had occurred. There was of course a certain amount of surprise, but they all agreed that he suited them. Nick was glad to read all of those kind comments, as it made his husband feel so much better about the new addition to his appearance; he was all the happier that all of them had come without him having to prompt people. Sebastian would call to speak to them on the phone that evening; seeing that he was not the only one to have to wear glasses now made him feel a lot better, and when Nick told him in confidence that he would be wearing them to in a short time, well, he almost confessed that he would be too…
What held him back from doing so was the fact that he was leaving the city, probably for good, in less than a fortnight, and there was still not so much as a hint of a gathering being held in his honour by his friends. He was starting to contemplate moving sooner, and not telling anyone; only Dave constantly telling him that there were such things as surprise parties, and they still had a weekend to go stopped him from doing so…
On that Friday, he received a phone call from his 'Aunt' Bette, who for once came straight to the point; she was going to be out of town from the middle of the following week, and thus would not get a chance to say farewell to him properly then, so she was wondering if he and Dave would be free to have dinner with her the following night. Given that he knew of nothing else he would be doing, Sebastian did not hesitate to reply in the affirmative, but then was left a little shocked when she asked them to join her at the Plaza Hotel, instead of her apartment…
"I know how much you love coming to my place, but the fact is that we met at that hotel, so where better for us to say au revoir?" she said, and when he thought about it, it did seem highly appropriate. With that agreed, she asked them to meet her in the lobby at the stroke of 7pm the following night…
Mrs Carr agreed to come and look after the children for them without a hesitation, and had he been paying closer attention, the fact that she did so would have been a surprise to Sebastian; he would have noted that she almost seemed to have been expecting their request….
Had he been on the ball, and checked the hotel's website, he would have seen that the Palm Court was closed for a private party….
Had he still been checking the Broadway websites, he would have seen that both Bert and Mr Banks were to be played by their understudies on Saturday night's performance of Mary Poppins. Marley had been invited to the same gathering as her two co-stars, but she had demurred; she was less close to Sebastian, and in any case, having three leads absent on a Saturday night was unheard of….
As for Adam, he was just nervous; as it happened, given how small his role was, he was also the understudy to Mason, and he would be performing as Bert for the first time that Saturday night. He did not want to let anyone down… Lawrence had promised to be in the audience, and that was a comfort - and a source of stress in equal measure! Had he also known that when Sam had found out about it he had contacted Lisa Kudrow, and that she was also going to be in the audience, he would have been even more stressed…
As for Santana, she had always intended to be at Sebastian and Dave's leaving party, but she had not been so certain that her wife would be there with her. Brittany had found herself torn between her love for Sebastian, and her newborn son. In the end she had talked to Kurt, and then Blaine, and with their advice, had informed Santana that Friday night that she would attend the party, as long as they could leave early. Santana had not found that a difficult request to agree to. Like most people, all she wanted was the love of her life at her side for the duration of the gathering…
It was not just those in long term relationships that were anxious to have company that night. Roderick had been out on two dates with Hilary since they had first really talked to each other in the emergency room of the hospital, but he had never been more convinced that he had finally found someone that he could happily spend the rest of his life with. He had gone out with people before, albeit infrequently, but he had never felt the sort of connection that he did now. He had been invited to the party almost the moment that it had been planned, and the invitation, when it arrived, had stated 'plus guest'. That had made him laugh when he first saw it. Now, however, he felt emboldened, and so he decided to ask Hilary if she would join him. He did so knowing that there was every chance that she would decline, saying that it was too soon for them to go to events together, that it was too soon for them to make their relationship public. Some people would have decided against asking at all for that very reason, but Roderick had decided on a nothing ventured, nothing gained, approach these days. He had also approached the host of the event, and asked if he might also invite her brother Barnaby to join them, as Hilary might appreciate having her sibling there as well…
When the time came for him to ask, Hilary went very quiet, and he wondered if he had blown it. However, she then smiled, and said, "Yes, I would like that. We will have to tell the world eventually, because I have fallen for you hard, and what better way to do it than at an event where so many of the people we know will be present? As for Barnaby, it is kind of you to ask, but he might already have plans of his own; he is also in a relationship."
"Well, the host did say that I could invite as many friends as I wished, so he could bring them along too," replied Roderick.
He failed to spot the moment of panic on Hilary's face, before she said, "That might not be possible, but I guess there is no harm in asking." It was one thing for her to let the world know that she was dating, but quite another for her brother to be revealed as being part of a ménage a trois after all. Then she wondered if she should invite her cousin Matthew to join them too…
Saturday saw a flock of Warblers surreptitiously descend on Manhattan; they did not head to the West Village, the Spotlight Diner, or any of their other regular haunts. It was also only in the middle of that afternoon that Nick sat down with his son and told him that they were going to a party that night. Although Wes understood the concept of a secret, he did slip up from time to time, just as his papa did when he was excited about something. That was another reason why Nick had kept a strict radio silence in the direction of Sebastian for the last week, and why he had done his utmost to ensure that Jeff did so too. He had been aided in that by the whole affair with the glasses, as his husband was still not too happy about the fact he would have to start wearing them.
When he was told, Wes was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Is the party so that we can say goodbye to Uncle Sebastian? I don't want him to leave, so I will be very sad, so I think that I will just stay at home…"
Nick smiled, then said, "I am very sad he is going too, but sometimes we can't let our feelings show. He has to go away because Uncle Dave has a new job, and that is something that we have to be happy about after he was so sick. We will still see him, just not as often in person. He will be making more video calls I am sure, particularly as he will not be working every night any longer…"
"So he will call us more often?"
"I am certain that he will, and if you ask him to, he will say yes. There will also be a couple of parties this summer that he will be at too. It is going to be ten years since he and Uncle Dave married this year, and they will be having a big celebration that we will all be going to."
Wes looked thoughtful, then said, "I suppose that I can manage to smile for the party, and I will try and make sure that papa smiles too. And as it is not a school night, I can even stay up a little later…"
"Oh, that is a given, and Evie will be there too for company…"
The Warblers and other guests had followed the instructions of the hostess of the party to the letter, and began to arrive at The Plaza for 6.30p, making their way to the Palm Court, to be greeted by Bette, who was enjoying every moment of the role. That she was in charge of the party was a stroke of genius, as she was the one person that Sebastian would never have expected to be the organiser. She had taken total charge of affairs, and she had ensured that she had not just invited those that had once worn a Dalton blazer and their partners; she had invited everyone from his circle of friends. Then there would be his family, including his maman and father…
Bette had also arranged for guests from France, François being first on her list, and had paid for them all to come herself, knowing how much the friends he had made as a lost boy in Paris still meant to Sebastian. Then there would be a number of his previous Broadway co-stars, and also his directors, including Mel Brooks. It would be the presence of that latter group of people that would leave Hilary frozen and speechless as she walked in with Roderick, not used to being in the company of stars she had read about for years…
She was therefore glad when Roderick gently guided her towards the spot where Mason was standing with Jane; she would spot that Roderick was not alone first, and then she saw the way that he was holding her arm, and she smiled. There would be words spoken, and then Roderick was being hugged by Mason, so pleased that his friend was able to announce that he and Hilary were together. The young man that was being touted as the new Prince of Broadway was overjoyed that his best friend had finally found love. The four of them would continue to chat quietly, aware of the appraising eyes focussed upon them, but were glad when the door opened, and all attention turned instead to Barnaby, who had just walked in, arm in arm, between a couple, all three of them showing that they were together.
Hilary realised then that the conversation around her had stopped, and that even Roderick was staring at her in wonder; she probably should have warned him… She took a breath, and was about to speak when Roderick did instead. "So I decided I would call him up and ask him formally; I might also have told him that you and I were seeing each other, which he thought was great by the way. Then he said that if I was being honest, he would be do, and he proceeded to tell me all about his own love life. I must admit that I was shocked at first, but then he told me about how strong his urges were for both sexes. What he is doing makes sense for him as a bisexual. He is fulfilling both of his needs in this relationship, and from looking at them just now, I can tell that they both love him very much, and he feels the same…"
"He is going to be the talk of the town," said Hilary quietly in reply.
"Trust me, this will be a fleeting topic of conversation amongst this crowd. Never forget that in this room there are a few people that have secrets of their own, things which are not mine to disclose. I mean, strictly between us, three of the men in here have at one point or another in their lives, worked as male strippers…"
"Really! But they all look so, well, respectable…" she responded, staring at the faces of the men around the room.
"It happened due to circumstances; in two of the cases, it was started for monetary reasons. Now, I am not going to say anymore on the subject; in any case, we need to go and rescue your brother and his friends from Santana…"
They headed over, but where beaten in the chase by, of all people, Isabelle, who greeted Audra warmly. Hilary and Roderick were just in earshot when the Vogue editor started to wax lyrical about Audra's new shoe collection, and how stylish her designs were. Never one to miss an opportunity, she then asked if she would be interested in giving an interview to her magazine…
Hilary went over to her brother then, and whispered in his ear, "You never told me that she was a fashion designer!"
As Audra was introducing Clyde to Isabelle, her brother turned to her, and said, "And you never told me about Roderick! I must admit that although I knew she worked in the fashion industry, I didn't know she was a designer or what she designed until last week. Clyde is an architect by the way, so I am going to seek out Skylar at some point and introduce them to each other. It turns out that Clyde has heard all about the hospice that is being built at Dalton, and loves the design…"
By the time that 7pm approached, Barnaby had succeeded in finding Skylar, and the two architects were engaged in conversation, finding out quickly that they shared a lot of ideas in common, from design to the style of architecture that they liked; they both liked the individualistic sort of buildings, not the bland cookie cutter construction that so often dominated. Skylar was at the event alone, Julia having decided to stay in Ohio, as little Seth was now starting on teething, and was, as a result, very grizzly. She was also still concerned by the whole Christmas gift debacle, and knew that if she had allowed one set of grandparents to take care of their son whilst they were in New York, then the other pair would be upset. Had the Carmichaels not been on the guest list, then she could happily have left her son with them, and avoided the issue altogether…
Then Bette was calling for hush, as she had just received a text message from Dave to say that the cab that was bringing him and Sebastian up from Penn station was a mere two blocks away. Everyone knew at once what they had to do, and they all took advantage of the architectural features of the room, and the well placed furniture, to hide themselves as best as they could. Bette herself headed out to await her guests at the reception desk; once she was gone, with everyone comfortable, settled, and quiet, the lights were turned out, and all they could do was wait for the second part of Bette's plan to be put into action…
Sebastian walked in through the doors of The Plaza with Dave at his side, a smile on his face after being greeted by name by the doorman. He knew that his fame in the city would begin to fade now, and he would miss those little moments of recognition. To be greeted by name by the doorman at The Plaza was a sign that you were someone… He smiled even more broadly when he saw Bette waiting for them, then chuckled as he realised that the actress was actually wearing the exact same ensemble as she had been on that night when he had literally bumped into her. His choice then to wear his Dalton dress uniform that night showed that they were on the same page, and as soon as she realised it, she burst out laughing.
"I always knew that we had a psychic bond, dear boy. Now, we have a reservation for dinner in the Oak Room. I had hoped to eat in the Palm Court, but there was a private event in there earlier, and so it is out of use tonight."
"I have to admit that I like the Palm Court best as well," replied Sebastian. "I had afternoon tea there with my maman not all that long ago, and it was just magical…" He paused then, as his cellphone began to ring. "I am so sorry, I meant to switch this off sooner," he said, noting that it was Isabelle that was calling him.
"My dear, it is perfectly okay; you are a parent, so you need to be in touch. You should answer it," replied Bette.
Sebastian did, but before he had a chance to say a word, his sister-in-law spoke. "Sebastian, I need you to literally save my life. I was at an event in the city today, and I have left my tablet computer at the venue, which literally holds half of the secrets of Vogue on it. Now before you complain, the event was at the Palm Court at The Plaza. My dear husband informs me that you are there, meeting Bette for dinner, so could you go and look for it for me? I was at the table right in front of the main bar, and if I know the hotel, the room won't yet have been cleaned up and reconfigured, so it should still be there. In normal circumstances I wouldn't dream of asking you to sneak in and search, but there literally are top secrets on that tablet!"
Sebastian rolled his eyes, then shook his head. "It is a good job that you are my favourite sister-in-law, and that Bette is the most understanding of woman. I will go and check things out…"
Isabelle laughed, knowing that she was his only sister-in-law, and replied, "You are my favourite brother-in-law too. Let me know the moment that you find it!" With that, Isabelle ended the call, and went back to hiding silently with her husband and stepson behind the bar in question…
Sebastian meanwhile turned apologetically to his 'aunt', shaking his head. "Well, now I know why the Palm Court was closed. Isabelle was in there earlier on today, quite probably for a fashion launch of some sort. She called me there because she has just realised that she has left her tablet computer in the room; Julian knew exactly where we were going this evening, so now she wants me to go and see if I can find it for her. I don't know about going in and looking for it myself though; it might be much simpler to ask one of the staff to go in and look. Who knows, by now it might even have made its way to the lost property room in any case."
"I wouldn't be too sure of that; the housekeeping staff are usually quite busy at this time of night, turning down beds and all of that sort of thing, so if there isn't another event scheduled for the room tonight, they will leave it for the night shift staff to attend to," replied Bette.
"The thing is, I can't really just go in. If the place is not in use, then in all likelihood they will have locked the door. I'm going to go and find someone to assist us…"
"Nonsense! We will go and see if the doors are unlocked first, and if they are, then your husband and I can wait outside as lookouts whilst you search. I assume that she would have indicated where she thinks she left it anyway?"
"Well, yes, but I still think…" Sebastian's voice trailed off as he noticed that Bette was already heading off in the direction of the Palm Court, and that after shrugging his shoulders, Dave was following her. Reluctantly, Sebastian went after them, hoping that on the way they would bump into a member of staff. After all, this was a luxury hotel, and they had staff literally everywhere…
Naturally, he soon found himself at the side door to the Palm Court, in a deserted corridor, and had met no-one on the way. Bette gave the door a gentle push, and it opened. "See, not locked," she said triumphantly. "So, the lights are out, and if you are worried about getting caught, I would leave it that way if you can. Where was she sitting?"
"At a table right in front of the main bar," sighed Sebastian.
"Well that is perfect, as if memory serves me right, there is only one table there, and better yet, it is a straight walk, uncluttered with furniture, from any door to the main bar for easy access. You won't need the lights on to search, and you can be in and out of there in minutes, and then we can go and eat. Now hurry, walk straight, and try not to bash into any of the furniture." With those words, Sebastian found himself being pushed through the door into the room, with the door being pulled shut behind him…
He stood there for a moment in silence, allowing his eyes to become accustomed to the darkness. Eventually the room no longer seemed pitch black, although what he could see was a series of slightly darker shapes, which had to be the furniture, in the very dim greenish light from the fire safety signs. He stepped forward carefully then, praying that there was no random chair sitting in the passage, left there by one of the guests that had been assembled there just hours before…
He slowed down only when he realised that he was at the bar, then glanced over at the table that was right in front of it. In the darkness, he could not see anything on top of it, so he carefully felt his way over the surface instead, crossing his fingers that he wouldn't smash a glass in his haste. He did not, but he found no indication of a tablet either. He sighed, then wondered if by chance his sister-in-law might have set it down on the bar instead, or if it had been knocked onto the floor. He decided to try the bar first, as that was more dignified than crawling around on his hands and knees under the table, particularly as he was certain that any moment the lights would come on and security would walk in. He wanted to leave New York with his head held high, not as a story on the front of the New York Post…
Stepping over to the bar, he started to feel along the counter top, just waiting to knock over a glass with a smash; if he did, then he would be out of the room in great haste. To his relief, he suddenly found what appeared to be the tablet on the counter top, and he sighed audibly. He was about to pick it up and go, when he paused; it was a tablet, but what if it wasn't Isabelle's? What if it was one belonging to the hotel…?
He felt then along the side for the power on button, knowing what her screensaver was; a family group portrait. Finding the button, the screen quickly lit up. However, what he saw was not a family photo; it was a picture of a piece of white card with on word written on it - "SURPRISE!", and that was…