A Scheme to Avoid Boredom
As everyone knows, there is no greater influence on the lives of birds than the seasons. The changes of the weather inspire epic patterns of migration, the avian creatures flying en masse from those areas in which winter is the hardest to the more balmy climates nearer to the line of the equator.
For those human birds, the Dalton Academy Warblers, the weather was, of course, of little concern. However, at the end of May each year, they all felt an instinctive pull back to the nest in which they were fledged, to mark the departure of the latest group of young songsters that were moving from school to college. The task of organising this event had once been centred on the Carmichaels, but they were not getting any younger; the task had therefore fallen onto the plate of the current Head Warbler, Thad Harwood. He did not shirk from the mammoth task, although at times he did wish that he had someone with whom he could share the job. It came on top of his other jobs as Head of History, Housemaster of the Warbler dorm, the musical director of the Warblers, and a general sounding board for the majority of his widely scattered flock.
The one comfort that he took as the date of the graduation of 2025 came into view was that there was no background trauma; this time last year, Seth had been dying, and that had cast a huge shadow over the whole event. Although his absence would still be keenly felt, there was an overriding theme of optimism this year; the only side trip that the alumni would be taking this year was to the site of the hospice that was being built in Mr Kennedy's memory…
Before that came, though, Thad had managed to arrange a minor coup for his current group of Warblers; indeed, it was an event for many of the other students at the Academy that had an interest in the worlds of music and drama. He had begun to drop hints to Sebastian the moment that his move back to Ohio had been confirmed; it was only once the Broadway star had taken up permanent residence in Westerville again that Thad had been really able to get to work on him, however, and he had also been able to get Mrs Carmichael to work on him too. It had taken them five weeks between the two of them, but the younger man had agreed to give a talk to the handful of people that he believed would be interested in hearing the story of his life on the Broadway stage.
The response to the news of the talk had been immediate, and it soon became clear that the initial venue, one of the school's largest classrooms, would be inadequate, and it had been moved to the auditorium. The news had been both a shock and flattering to Sebastian, and he even agreed to sing as long as Thad was prepared to sing alongside him. It was without doubt the most hotly anticipated event of the month at Dalton; it came the Friday before graduation, when the diet of examinations was finally over, more or less. It was finally agreed that as well as the talk, there would be a selection of performances, including some of the current Warblers performing Hello! from Book of Mormon, alongside Sebastian himself; he would then sing songs from both Young Frankenstein and Oklahoma!
Thad would still say that he was still a little worried about Sebastian in general though. Dave was of course back at work, coaching football, and from all of the gossip and reports, he was making a very favourable impression, but it did mean he was out of the house for most of the week. Mrs Carr had also settled in, and was enjoying her new life in Ohio. She had joined a couple of social groups to give herself the opportunity of making new friends, and of course, she had the chance to spend more time with Paul Karofsky; they were meeting now for coffee and dinner as well as his regular visits to see his son, son-in-law and grandchildren. She still did the majority of the child care, as that was her job…
That of course left Sebastian at a loose end for much of the week. The theater in Columbus was pleased to have him in town, but they already had a full season planned. Even if they had not, Sebastian did not wish to be parachuted into roles that should go to deserving local talent just because of his star status. The children's theater group that he had heard of had also finalised its season and casting for the year; although they were keen to have him on board, they could not accommodate him until 2026.
Thad knew that a bored Sebastian was not a good thing, and he had plans for him after his talk was over. He had to pull off his tenth anniversary celebration with Dave, but once he had done that, he would have little, if anything, to occupy his mind. That was why Thad had come up with a notion that would relieve his friend's boredom, and at the same time help improve his own work/life balance no end. He had decided that he would try and hand over the role of musical director of the Warblers to Sebastian. He would sell it to him as a favour to him, to prevent him collapsing from sheer exhaustion from pressure of work. There was, of course, every chance that Sebastian would see through his ruse, but it was a risk worth taking in Thad's opinion. He also had the backing of his angelic husband for what he was proposing as well…
To say that Sebastian was nervous about the prospect of his forthcoming talk at Dalton as it grew ever closer would not have been an understatement. He was used to performing to large audiences, that much was true; he was used to standing up in front of a large audience and playing a part. That was a totally different concept to what he would be doing at Dalton. He would have no other members of a cast on stage with him to back him up, support him if he missed a cue, or worse, forgot his words. He would be up there, alone, apart from those brief interludes in which he would sing.
To try and overcome this unnatural stage fright, he had considered writing what he would say down as a script, something that he could learn and repeat until he was word perfect at it, but when he tried he found that he got no further than a brief set of notes, mere bullet points… There was a moment when he seriously considered telling Thad that he had had a change of heart, but it was fleeting; he was a seasoned Broadway performer after all, and he had never missed a show in his career yet…
With a week to go until his talk, Sebastian found himself driving the short distance to Dalton to attend a planned rehearsal with those senior Warblers that would be backing him in what had been his first Broadway opening number. He arrived early, and took a slow walk through those familiar corridors en route to the Senior Commons, the scene of so many significant moments, good and bad, in his life to date. It was empty when he stepped in, the room still the same as it had always been in his lifetime. The only change since his schooldays was that there was now a wing armchair in one corner close to the Council table, which he knew was the spot from which Thad watched the group as he mentored their performances. Sebastian smiled, then headed over to the windows to look out. In some ways, the quiet of the room and his surroundings was a little unnerving, more than loud noise would have been. It had been this silent here after all on the night that he had come in to the room and discovered Niff after Hunter had finished torturing them…
He jumped when he heard the polite cough behind him, and he turned on his heel to see a young man standing in the doorway in his Dalton uniform; a look was enough for Sebastian to recall that he was the current Deputy Head Warbler, and if he was correct, his name was Alex…
"Good afternoon, Mr Karofsky-Smythe. The others are on their way, but Mr Harwood has asked me to apologise on his behalf, as he will be a few minutes late in arriving; he has some examination paperwork to complete, and then he has a meeting with the Principal about something that has cropped up unexpectedly next week."
Sebastian nodded as the other young men that he would be singing with filed in, and tried to recall all of the names. He was still doing so as he saw his nephew walk in, closing the door behind him; he smiled, as Peter was not supposed to be here, and it would be an unexpected pleasure, not to mention useful…
"Mr Harwood asked me to come along and sing his part for him so that you could begin to rehearse instead of delaying for his arrival. The Principal has been held up in another meeting, and there is another issue that has just arisen in relation to one of the exams last week," said Peter, with a smile at his uncle.
"Well, given all of that, and with you here, we can make a start," said Sebastian, trying not to sound nervous. "I take it that you will have gone through the piece a few times already?"
"We have done it twice, and learnt a little of the choreography," said the current Head Warbler apologetically, whose name was Chester, if Sebastian recalled right. "I'm afraid that we ran a little short of time last week. Mr Harwood was held up in arriving by the end of an exam, and then he had to cut things short as there was an issue with the plumbing in our dorm."
Sebastian nodded, not having realised just how complicated and time consuming all of Thad's jobs were. "Okay, let's see what we have so far then. As they say, practice makes perfect…"
Outside in the corridor, in earshot of the closed door, Thad smiled happily as he heard the sound of voices being raised in song. Yes, he felt a little guilty that he had asked both Alex and Peter to lie for him, but the lies in question were the whitest sort, and Peter was behind his plan to keep his uncle occupied. He checked his watch, then decided that there was time for a coffee in the staff room before he had to rush in and join them, full of apologies…
It would be exactly 25 minutes later that Thad would rush into the Senior Commons, clutching a wad of loose papers under his arm, and with his facial expression set to his best performance of stressed. "I am so sorry to be so late! I must admit that you sounded really good as I came down the corridor there!" he gasped as he rushed in.
"Indeed they were," replied Sebastian, "and if we now work on the steps, they will all be absolutely first rate for next week."
"How was Peter as a substitute for me? Was he up to scratch?"
"Given that he had not even attempted to sing the part before day, he was brilliant."
"I am so glad, because I think that he should take the part over from me, if he is agreeable to that, of course. I'm afraid that my workload at the moment seems to be growing ever heavier, and I just do not have the time to give it the justice that it needs. I can be the Chief Mormon, the President of the training establishment, because that is an off stage part, and I won't need to spend time practicing that."
"I would be willing to do it, if it would help out," responded Peter before Sebastian could speak up.
"Well, that is settled then," answered Thad. "Now, shall we run through it again, now that you have a fresh pair of eyes in the room to check it out?"
For the next hour they went through the steps and the music again and again, Sebastian demonstrating all of the choreography that he had learned in that summer so long ago; he had, after all, learned every possible step, given that he was a spare cast member that had to able to take up any part that was vacant. Eventually though it was time for the boys to head off, which they did with smiles and thanks, and he found himself alone with Thad.
"I am so sorry that I was so late, Sebastian, and that I passed the part to someone else without really consulting you. To be frank, my workload seems to be growing every day, and I am not as young and full of energy as I was. I think, between the two of us, that the time has come for something to give before I collapse in a heap, and that something is my role in here as the musical director and advisor. I will need to find someone that can take over first though, and they need to have a good knowledge of both music and the way that Dalton and the Warblers operate. That is going to be a tough one, as there isn't really anyone 100% on the staff right now…"
Sebastian nodded, then responded, "Well, if you have to give it up, that's understandable, but a great shame; the Warblers' performances have been substantially better since you came here and started to give your input. The system of the council and the democratic vote is the best one, there is no doubt about it, but the flaw with it is that what the group like might not be what the audience as a whole are wishing to see. However, I will admit that you do look a little tired and stressed, and if I am being entirely truthful, you haven't been yourself this year. I'm actually relieved to discover that it is pressure of work and not something more serious that is ailing you."
"That's all it is, trust me; being the Head Warbler is a lot of pressure on top of a full time teaching job," Thad chuckled in reply. "The only thing it ends up giving me health wise is heartburn. You are correct though that the boys do perform better when they have a little bit of direction from someone with more experience behind them, a person that can nudge them in the right direction when it comes to choosing songs and the allocation of the solos. My hope is that I can find a responsible person to watch over them; someone that has the time to spend with them, and ideally a healthy knowledge of both music and dance, and who understands just how important the whole underlying ethos of the Warblers is… Anyway, enough of my worries - how are you? Still at a loose end most of the time, with nothing to occupy your day?"
Sebastian sighed, and nodded. "Yeah… I honestly don't know how I am going to fill my days once I have all of the stuff for the anniversary party sorted out. I am toying with the idea of seeing if any of the bookshops here or in Columbus are hiring right now. I used to enjoy my job at the Strand when I first moved to New York. I just need to have a reason to get out of the house and do something useful!"
Thad nodded, and then using all of his acting skills, pretended that he had suddenly had a thought. "Do you know, I think there is a way that we could help each other out with our dilemmas. What if you came here and became the musical director for the Warblers? I mean, we would not be talking a huge salary, but it would get you out of the house, and it would give you a role in something that you have a shelf full of Tony Awards to prove you are good at. And, it isn't actually a teaching position per se, so that isn't going to be an issue…"
He paused then, and waited for Sebastian to say something, but he didn't; he just looked at him with a mixture of bemusement and shock. "Right, so I will need to head off for now. I still have a few test papers to mark up, and they need to be finished ASAP. Think about taking over from me in here though; it is a job that you would be good at, of that much I am certain…"
As Sebastian drove himself home from Dalton that afternoon, Thad's suggestion was all that he could think about. It would definitely be something that he could do, that much was indeed true. He might only have been a cast member in any of the Broadway shows that he had appeared in, but that did not mean that he had not worked hard and made suggestions behind the scenes to those in director and producer roles so that the finished product was pristine and perfect. Thinking on it, he had to admit that on his Broadway debut, he had actually cast the roles of the Mormons based on the strengths of his friends as both people and singers. It would not be all that much of a stretch to do the same thing with a group of teenage boys…
Then he realised that there was one potential issue with him taking the job, and that was his nephew, Peter. People were all too keen to decry anything that they perceived as nepotism, and the fact that he was the boy's uncle could be used against them unfairly if too many solos went his way, or if their song choices favoured his vocal range. On the flip side, Peter would not be at Dalton forever, and if he did agree to take on the role, then it was unlikely to be one that would last a few months, or even just a year; Thad would continue to need the support for some time to come. He resolved that he would talk over the idea with Dave when he got home that night, and see what his take was on the whole idea.
It would be quite late that evening when Dave finally arrived home, smiling and happy, his new job surpassing all of the expectations that he had had of it. The team had boned well under his coaching and he was being treated with the greatest of respect by everyone at the club. They all knew who he was, and what had happened to him; how his career had been destroyed in a moment by the actions of another player. He was the youngest of the coaching staff, but he was older than most of the players. They were still close to him in age, and they knew that he had been where they were now a little over a year before.
He was also bonding strongly again with his father, the two of them closer now than they had been at any time before. It helped that he was a big fan of his father's burgeoning relationship with Mrs Carr as well; the smiles that he saw on both of their faces when they were together was all he needed to approve of where that was heading…
His one concern now about the whole move to Ohio was his husband. Although he would never come out and say it, he knew that Sebastian was struggling with everything, not knowing where he fit in anymore, a little rudderless and lacking in direction. However, on arriving home that night he saw a different look on the face of the man he loved, one that was a little more hopeful. He knew that something big had to have happened for that to have been brought on, but with dinner, and then putting the children to bed, it was sometime before he finally got the chance to sit down with him on his own quietly and ask him how his day had been.
Sebastian had taken a breath, and then said quietly, "So I saw Thad today, and well, he might have offered me a job…"
Dave looked at his husband with a surprised expression on his face for a moment, then asked, "What job would that be? I thought that you were quite certain that a career in education was not for you?"
"Teaching still isn't an option for me, and in any case, that sort of job would be for Principal Lefevre to offer out, no matter how senior a member of staff at Dalton Thad is these days. No, he is looking for someone to help him out with the running of the current group of Warblers, someone to sit in on their meetings like a kind of faculty advisor. He has been doing that himself up until now, but the workload from his teaching day job is only increasing, plus he has all of his Head Warbler stuff to do for the alumni… If I am being honest, he looks as if he is on the point of exhaustion, and I don't particularly want to be the one responsible for him falling over in a classroom completely worn out in a few weeks time, not if I can help him out. It would involve me being at Dalton three afternoons a week, just sitting in whilst the boys rehearse, giving them the benefit of my advice on song choices and choreography."
"Is it something that you think you would enjoy doing?"
"The more time I have had to think about it since Thad suggested it, the more certain I have become that the answer to that question is yes. I would be helping out one of my friends, and even if the offer of theater work comes along, I would still be able to do it…"
"Would you? I only ask because you would probably have to accompany the boys when they went to Regionals, and quite possibly Nationals after that…"
"Okay, that much is true, but I can put it into any contract I sign, and I don't foresee it being a major issue. We have Mrs Carr here to look after the children, and if I did have to go away, it would only be for a couple of nights at the most. You could even come with me, if you were able to get the time off…"
"Yeah, I guess that I could. Well, if it is something that you want to do, and it is going to make you happy, then I will not stand in your way."
"I am still not entirely certain that I will take it, even yet, but knowing that I have your backing is a great help. You really wouldn't mind?"
"Not at all. You seem happier tonight than you have been for weeks. If it is just the offer of this job that can do this to your mood, then you definitely need to accept it…"
Sebastian headed off to bed before Dave, which allowed the football coach to send a quick text message to Thad, telling him that their mutual plan had worked, and that he should receive a call in the morning from Sebastian, accepting the position. Thad responded a minute later, saying that he was pleased that their scheme had worked out. He had to admit that he had had doubts when Dave first approached him with the idea of letting Sebastian take a role within the Warblers, but the more that he thought about it, the more genius an idea it had seemed. It would give him more time for his work, and it would also give the boys a more attentive person to watch over them. His marking had been distracting him for too long when he should have been focusing on the Warblers; that might have been a factor in the fact that the Warblers had been relegated to second place at last year's Nationals.
Sebastian also had another advantage over him, and that was that he had been a professional performer on Broadway. The performance that he would produce with the boys would dazzle the audience, whereas all he could hope for was to get it just right enough. There was now only one issue that he had to deal with, and that was actually telling Principal Lefevre what he had planned. She might not exactly be pleased that he had gone behind her back and offered a part of his job to someone else. Yes, Sebastian was someone that was well qualified for the task, but even so, she would probably have liked to have been consulted on it beforehand…
Sure enough, Dave was proved correct the following morning, with Sebastian calling Thad first thing to accept the role; his voice was full of enthusiasm and he was wondering exactly when he would start. Thad invited him to come along to the Warbler's rehearsal on Monday, although it would not be a full blown affair, given the school year was almost over.
"That's okay, it will give me a chance to meet all of them properly if nothing else. I will need to learn names, and for those that will make up the council next year, it will be the perfect opportunity for us to get to know each other before I am sitting in the corner instead of you. I also think that we will need to address the whole issue of Peter as soon as we can too. They need to know that I will not be there to use my influence to ensure that my nephew gets any sort of advantage. He will have to compete for every solo like the rest of them."
"I am sure that they would not expect anything else from you, Sebastian. I will not announce anything to any of them until Monday, so just keep it between you and Dave for now."
Thad was happy to hear Sebastian agree and then he rang off. With the confirmation that Sebastian wanted the job, Thad headed downstairs to the office, where he knew that the school's dedicated Principal would be at her desk, even on a Saturday morning. She listened to him, saying nothing, and then smiled.
"Well, it's about time! I have been concerned for a while that you have too much on your plate, so this is the best news. Sebastian is an inspired choice, and under his guidance, the boys should be able to scale even greater heights. Now, I want you to rest up and relax a lot over this summer. You do not seem quite your normal self, and I would like it if you would schedule a full physical with a physician."
Thad nodded, but he had absolutely no intention of doing so. Yes, he had been tired, but he would soon be fine. It would pass…