The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part III
In the midst of all the cheering and general celebration, the door to the diner swung open once more to admit Cooper. He had stopped by on his way from Grace's office in Lower Manhattan to the theatre, in the hope that he would find some of the people that he valued the most gathered in the Spotlight as usual. He knew that his all but brother-in-law Nick was there for sure, as Grace had told him that was where he had been heading once they had witnessed Mike's performance. He also had high hopes that his tenant, Sebastian, might be there, and most importantly of all, his 'little brother', Sam. He wanted them all in one place so that he did not have to repeat his speech over and over again. He was slightly taken aback by the fact that he appeared to have walked in on a celebration of some sort. For half a moment he wondered if the news that he was about to impart had already leaked out somehow, despite of all the reassurances that he had been given by the new production's media people. After all, the only other people that he knew that had any knowledge of what was happening at the moment were Grace - and he trusted her as a lawyer to have said nothing; his mom, who wasn't even in contact with any of the others as far as he knew, and now that she wasn't drinking, could keep a secret; and of course, Blaine. He had wondered how he was expected to keep a secret from Kurt, but he had promised that he would try, as long as he didn't have to for too long.
He was disrupted from his train in thought by the arrival of Elliott at his side. "Hey Cooper! How are you? We don't normally see you this far downtown at this time of day…"
"No, I had a meeting with Grace, and I decided to take a walk back uptown; I was passing and I just felt I should pop in and see how you guys were doing. So, what's going on here? Are we celebrating anything in particular, or is it just youthful exuberance?"
"Yeah, we are celebrating. Mike has come top of his graduating class, as we could all have told him he would; and Sebastian has managed to land himself a very minor part on Broadway this summer. As Brittany put it, he is going to be a Mormon!"
Cooper looked puzzled for a moment, then realised what she had meant and smiled. He was also very pleased, as it meant that his own secret had not been disclosed - yet. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "Two fantastic bits of news on the one day! The thing is though, Elliott, they always say that things happen in threes, don't they…" With that, Cooper strolled off in the direction of the stage, leaving a curious Elliott staring at him.
Cooper made his way up on stage, and strolled over to the spot where the friends were all gathered round Sebastian and Mike, congratulating them still. "So, I hear that we have a new star in the world of ballet, and that someone has managed to find religion and end up on Broadway," he said, and was at once greeted warmly by everyone. "So for today at least, we all seem to have dodged the misfortune that often dogs us. I am also pretty sure that very soon we will feel the familiar draught of angelic wings, as I am sure that they too will want to congratulate the three of us…"
"Three? So who is the third person that has had a good day and needs our congratulations?" asked Brittany.
"I think that it might be Cooper, my sweet," said Santana, with a smile. "So go on then, Broadway star, tell us all why you have had a very good day too…"
"Well, it is kind of a secret at the moment, so I need to ask all of you to come somewhere a little more private for a moment. Once we get to Monday, it will all be out in the open, but until then it has just to be a selected few of us in the know…" He pointed to a quiet corner of the diner, and beckoned them all to follow. Intrigued, they all dutifully did; after all, gossip was gossip.
Once they had all assembled, Cooper knelt down next to Artie, as the other surrounded them. He stood up for a moment, to check that they were not being observed.
"Ok, so you are going to be working as a spy, and the message that you are about to tell us all will self-destruct in a few seconds," said Kitty. They all turned to look at her for a moment, before they turned their attention back to a smiling Cooper.
"Ok, so a couple of month's ago," he whispered, "I was asked to go for a meeting with a producer from London…"
"London!" exclaimed Tina. "Have you been offered the chance to go and star in the West End?"
"No, but that is not to say that it will not happen one day…No, there is a show coming here from London next year, and the producer was looking to start recruiting the cast for the Broadway production. He had already seen me in action in Kinky Boots, and I might also have been suggested to him by a certain Carmen Tibideaux…"
"And it was thanks to her that I got my part!" interjected Sebastian. "She's the best!"
"Yeah… Anyway, to cut a long story short, he proposed something to me and I decided that I should take a chance and accept his offer. The news will be in the ether on Monday, but I wanted you guys to know first… My new role, as of next spring, will be the adult lead in the Broadway production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You are looking at Broadway's Willy Wonka."
There was silence for a moment, and then very quietly, there was a wave of congratulations being expressed. "You know what this means, don't you," said Santana once all the other voices had died down. "You will be originating a show and a character on Broadway. It will make you eligible for the most coveted of all awards. You could be nominated for a Tony…" As the others gasped in delight, Cooper nodded and hoped that the fear did not show on his face. The fact that he could get a Tony scared him…
They all agreed that they would not reveal Cooper's secret to anyone - well, with the exception of Thad, David and Mercedes in L.A.; Flint, Beats and Ethan in Princeton; Trent and Rory in Washington; and Rachel, naturally. Admittedly when Sam said that everyone had stared at him, and Santana might have mumbled something about just putting it on a billboard instead, as it would be quicker. Cooper himself told Elliott, who promised that he would not even tell Josh - but that was mainly because Cooper could tell him himself as they lived in the same house. Cooper had laughed at that statement, and had agreed.
It was still a source of pain for Elliott that he could not have his little brother living with him now the danger from their father had passed. His search for a bigger place that was convenient for work and school, and within his price range had so far proved fruitless. He was trapped between those two needs; if Josh came to live with him, then no doubt Scott would too, and that meant he needed ease of access to NYU. He also liked his own short journey to work, and the thought of having to sit on the subway for hours every day filled him with dread. Someone had suggested to him that he consider moving to the other side of the Hudson, but both he and Josh had dismissed the idea of moving back to their home state, as their family was still there. Elliott had even considered Staten Island, but it was too far, and they would be reliant on the ferry. The fact remained that short of selling himself for medical experimentation, Elliott could not afford to rent a two bed place in his current neighbourhood, and worse, thanks to his father, he was looking at a big rent increase on his current place. The landlord had not been impressed by the damage caused to the plaster by a low flying Beats. It was going to take a miracle to get what he wanted, and those were few and far between. He would have to compromise in the end; maybe he could stand the long journey to work if it meant that he had his kid brother close again.
After telling Elliott, Cooper glimpsed at his watch, and on seeing the time, knew that he would have to hurry to get to the theatre in time for another performance as Charlie Price. He took his leave, and started his journey north. As he walked, he knew that tonight he would also have to tell the cast that he was leaving them, and the reason why. They would be pleased for him, of course, and he was certain that his understudy would be chosen to step into his knee length shiny red boots and take the part. He couldn't help but feel a little trepidation about the future; it was unchartered territory after all. He would be opening the show on Broadway, and he could bend the role slightly to suit himself. He knew that as before, Blaine and Kurt would support him as best as they could, but this time his performance would be planned out in rehearsal rooms, and not by him watching those that were already performing his role. And then there was that scary prospect that this time, this role could actually garner him one of the most glittering and coveted awards in the theatre world. 'A Tony! Me with a Tony!' he thought as he hurried north. Although it frightened him half to death, he already knew who he would thank in his acceptance speech if by some stretch of the imagination he did manage to claim it. He would dedicate it to the memory of the two young men who had inspired him onto the Great White Way - Kurt and Blaine.
Back at the Spotlight, Sebastian was now sitting patiently, awaiting an arrival of his own. He had received at text from his brother to say that he was on his way into town, and could spare him some time for a catch up before he headed out to dinner with Isabelle. He had responded with his location, and all he could do now was sit and wait. As he did in a quiet spot, he felt a draught, and he waited to see which one of them it was. He was not shocked at all to see that it was Wes, although the fact that he had Blaine at his side was a surprise at first; then he glanced over to see that Kurt and Finn were congratulating Mike on his own big news, and he understood.
"So, you've done it. You are going to be in a Broadway show," said Wes, "albeit in a very minor capacity. Still, I always knew that this day would come; the day when one of my flock would grace the most illustrious of stages, although…"
"…you never imagined that it would be me?" finished Sebastian. "If it hadn't been for he that shall not be named, then it probably wouldn't be. It would be the angel at your side, or Kurt. I mean, the part of Elder McKinley would kind of be perfect for Kurt, in my opinion."
"I could see my husband in that part, yes," said Blaine. "You as a Mormon was a much more difficult image for all of us, at least at first."
Wes laughed, then smiled. "It was, but then, when I started to really consider it, I realised that had the show come along earlier, it would have been perfect for the Warblers to perform selections from. After all, it would have been up to date; had roles for everyone; and might even have got the Warblers through to Nationals. Yes, I would have used it at some stage…"
Sebastian could suddenly picture the whole thing in his mind's eye, although there were a few notable absentees in his vision of the opening number - Wes and David for a start, relegated to the wings to press the various doorbells, although David did provide the voice of the senior Mormon that scolded Elder Cunningham, who was played in his vision by Blaine; he himself was, naturally, Elder Price. He could almost immediately envision Nick and Jeff as Elders Grant and Young; Thad as Elder Smith; Flint as Elder Greene…and yeah, it might just have worked out for them. If nothing else, it would have been a lot of fun to perform, and all the costume that they would have required would have been their uniform, minus the blazer…
"Of course, there are a few songs in it that we never could have sung in public," said Wes, bringing Sebastian back to the real world, "but I am pretty certain it would have worked."
Wes then moved off with a smile, leaving Sebastian alone with Blaine. "So who would have dared to have imagined this back at Dalton? Who would have thought that you would be the first of us to grace a Broadway stage?"
"I might not ever even end up on the stage in this role, to be honest. The role is essentially back up for the back up. Someone to step in if there is a gap."
"You'll probably have to learn more than anyone else then; all of the script, the songs, the choreography, just in case, as you say, something happens. I mean, if something really major did happen, you could still end up playing a named character," said Blaine with a grin.
"I guess," said Sebastian, as he suddenly realised that there was a heck of a lot of truth in what his angelic friend was saying. It might well be a good idea for him to learn everything that he could, just to be on the safe side, as it would also increase his chances of getting up there in front of the audience.
By the time that the door finally opened to admit Julian, Sebastian had also received the warm congratulations of Kurt and Finn. Despite the differences that they had had with each other in the past, they were both pleased for him, and the well wishes that they gave were as warm as Wes and Blaine, Kurt even going so far as to help him out when he needed to learn lines and lyrics, for which he was glad. Kurt had also been told about Wes' sudden vision of what the Warblers could have done, and he had been forced to agree that it would have been a good fit for that group of boys, and that he could have put a great comedic slant on the role of the Mormon leader in Uganda. He and Sebastian were almost at the point of bursting into a quick chorus of Turn it off when Julian walked through the door, and Kurt quickly took his leave.
"Hey Bazzy! So, what is it that you needed to talk to me about so badly. Is something wrong with Dave? Has dad been up to his old tricks? Or have you just seen Elvis somewhere?"
"None of the above, thanks - and I can do things other than see the King! I still haven't completely forgiven you for the naming of those kittens, by the way. I can forgive the kittens, as they are sweet; I can forgive Isabelle, as she is blameless here. You on the other hand - let's just say I will get my own back one day…"
"Ok, little bro, I consider myself duly warned. So if it is none of that…?"
"Well, basically, I have just scored myself a very, very small part in a musical this summer, one that even you might have heard of. I am joining the cast of the Book of Mormon."
Julian sat very still for a moment as he digested the statement, but then jumped up and with a whoop of delight, pulled his bemused but happy little brother up and into a hug. "This is… You are going to be on Broadway! My little bro is going to… You've made it, and you are still in school. Please, though, don't quit NYADA! Please tell me that you aren't, because that would be an error of monumental proportions…"
"Calm down Jules. I am not going to quit school, given that I am only joining the cast for three months as holiday cover. I am not getting a big part; I am just there so that the people that normally stand by can get some time off. It isn't as if my name will be up in lights on the marquee; I will be very lucky if I even get a mention in the playbill, if we are being honest."
"It's still Broadway, little bro! Can I tell Isabelle? Please? Please?"
"You can tell her," said Sebastian with a chuckle, shaking his head at his brother's antics. "I mean, I have told my mom already, and she might have cried, but she didn't have a complete overreaction, unlike some people! There is no point whatsoever in telling daddy dearest, as he wouldn't care, even if he wasn't spending his every waking moment sucking up to The Donald…"
"Don't remind me!" Julian groaned. "I take it though that the spoiler campaign you guys have instigated against Mr Duval is taking shape nicely?"
"Oh yes! Sue Sylvester is a formidable lady once she gets started. It looks like being a Battle Royale, and the poor unsuspecting Democrat may actually win by default once the blood is cleared up. That would be an even bigger upset in that part of Ohio than Sue actually winning the election."
"I bet," said Julian smiling. "Oh, I am just so proud of you right now, Bazzy! You are actually starting to live your dreams, and I could not be any more pleased for you! Just promise me that if one day you do happen to get a bigger part, you will let me know, and get me a ticket, because there is nothing in the world that would make me miss the first time my brother appears on a Broadway stage." Sebastian could only nod happily in reply.
It had been a busy day for everyone, and eventually, people began to think about making their way back home. For those that lived in Bushwick, this meant fighting their way on to an overcrowded 'L' Train, which then proceeded to move slowly along, stopping in the tunnel a few times just to add to the pleasure of the experience. Nick, Jeff, Mike and Tina found themselves pressed tightly into a corner as the temperature on the train rose and it began to become more and more stuffy. They knew though that there really wasn't any practical alternative to the long and torturous journey, at least not one that could get them home relatively quickly. The knowledge that the weather forecasters were predicting an exceptionally hot summer, and a heat wave by the end of the month filled them with a sense of impending dread.
As the train finally lurched to a halt at the station before their own, and the crush lessened just enough for them to spread out a little, Tina remarked "This is why all the wealthy people head to Long Island or the Catskills for the weekend at this time of year; to escape the heat and the crush."
"It would be nice," remarked Jeff. "To be able to just sit on the beach as the sea lapped in with a cooling breeze sounds like my idea of bliss right now."
"Well, I'm afraid that we can't currently afford that sort of luxury, my love," said Nick sadly. "We have to watch every cent if we want to be able to afford to leave Bushwick before the train stops. I think that a day out to Coney Island or the Rockaways might be our lot this year. And I do mean one day out."
"The same is true for me," said Mike. "I'll be busy with my new job anyway; Tina has to do practical work for a couple of months this summer, and I will be saving money too, to visit her and to make a contribution to our move to Pelham. They do have nice parks up that way; we could go apartment hunting and then go and relax in one of them afterwards."
Jeff nodded sadly, still thinking about relaxing on a sandy beach, or even by a pool. Nick could see the sadness in this eyes, and wrapped his arms around him as the train lurched to a start again. At least he knew that Mike was on board with the move to the Bronx; what the fourth of their little family, Caleb, would make of it remained to be seen.
As they walked up the stairs to the loft, Jeff already thinking about the tub of ice cream in the freezer that had his name on it (quite literally; it was a tub of the special cookie ice cream that Nick had prepared for him at the Spotlight.), the quiet was disturbed by the buzzing of Nick's phone. He stopped where he was, and allowed the others to go ahead as he picked it up and greeted his sister, first congratulating her on being engaged to the lead actor of a new musical on Broadway. She laughed for a moment, then admitted that she was very pleased for Cooper, although she was concerned that he would eventually start to act like an overexcited child as the time for the opening night grew closer. Then she told Nick the reason for her call - she needed to speak to him, and particularly Jeff about an issue that had arisen. It was nothing to worry about, she reassured her brother, just something that she did not feel she should discuss with them over the phone. Of course, such a statement made Nick worried and curious at once, but he did not push for more information; he knew when his sister was being totally serious, and this was one of those times. She suggested that he and Jeff come over to Murray Hill on Sunday morning, and she could explain it all to them then.
Nick agreed for himself, but he would need to check if his husband was prepared to come. "Nick, darling, he has to come. Look, I will say this; what I have to say is pretty big, and will change a lot, just not in what I think is a bad way. Please, just get him here. Tell him that I have invited you for brunch, and that I have promised to make all of his favourites. That isn't a lie, as I will feed you first."
"Ok, we'll come. Look, if it is bad, can you warn me, so I can prepare myself to deal with the fallout?"
"As I said, I don't think it is bad, more awkward. Or interesting, to put it another way. Jeff might not like what I have to tell him, and he may get defensive, but I have no choice; he has to be told, I'm afraid."
"Ok, so I'm now even more concerned than I was before, Grace! We'll come over for around 11, ok?"
"That's fine. Look, it isn't devastating, trust me. More bizarre. You don't have to worry."
"That is something that I will have to be the judge of myself," Nick replied. The two siblings shared a few more words before they hung up. He then began to walk up the stairs again, coming on to their landing to find the front door open, and Mike standing there waiting.
"Trouble?" said Mike, as he saw the furrowed brows of his roommate.
Nick looked around, and seeing no sign of Jeff or Tina said "I'm not sure yet. Grace wants to see me and Jeff on Sunday. Something had apparently come up which will be of special concern to him, Mike, and that is worrying. A lawyer wants to see my husband, which in my mind can only mean one thing…"
"Something to do with his father. I don't know, Nick; Gordon is dead, so how can he harm Jeff now?"
"There is one way; if I am right about Gordon Clarington, he will have left a will, and who knows what kind of craziness he has written in that? I would love to have just protected Jeff, and told Grace no, we aren't coming, but that would only put off the inevitable… No, we go, but I am saying nothing about the real reason for our visit yet. After all, though he won't admit it, Jeff is really stressed out about the end of year art show tomorrow…"