First jobs, and new roles.
It would be just after 9.30am on the Sunday morning of that eventful weekend that Dante would receive the anticipated text from Lachlan. He was already sitting at the kitchen table with his two fathers, and so, after sending the confirming text to his boyfriend, stating he was also ready and wishing him good luck, he took a deep breath, and spoke…
"Okay, so here is the news you have been waiting for. Lachlan and I talked, and it turns out that he doesn't know if he is ready to move out of his current home yet, even if he is only going to the bottom of the garden. He thinks that his parents will be expecting him to budget there, and pay all of his own bills…"
"To be an independent adult, as if he was away at school basically," interjected Beats.
Dante tried not to laugh as Elliott then shushed his husband, and nodded at Dante to continue. "I think that is exactly what they are thinking, although it would be without the benefits of a basic housekeeping service and a meal plan. He had even wondered if the main reason they were happy to let me move in was because they know I am good with cash, and well, I could be the one that did all of the budgeting and stuff…"
"I sincerely hope that isn't true!" exclaimed Elliott. "I mean, you manage your allowance very well, but household bills are on another level…"
Dante laughed as Beats coughed markedly, and looked pointedly at his other dad, who had the decency to blush for interrupting so soon after he had scolded his husband for doing so. "I realise that, and so does Lachlan. Anyway, we also came to the conclusion that we will have to learn to deal with all of that at some point, and well, we decided that the best place to do that might actually be at the end of the Rosenfelds garden…"
There was a moment of silence, and then Beats spoke, desperately trying to keep the emotions he felt out of his voice. "So you are going to move in with Lachlan after all?" He kept his eyes down, and was very glad when he felt Elliott take his hand under the table…
"Yes and no. We have decided that we need to trial it before we make it a permanent thing. We will stay together for a night, then a weekend and so on, just to see how it pans out. If it turns out we aren't ready, then hopefully I would still have a bed here…"
"This will always be your home, and you will be welcome whenever you need us," said Elliott.
"We also decided that if we are going to be living together as a couple, then we need to be responsible and less dependant on either set of parents for cash. To that end, we both agreed we need to find a job…"
"There is a position at the Spotlight if you want it," responded Elliott at once. "I can guarantee that there is no singing involved if your prefer…"
"That is good to know, and it isn't that I am not grateful, but I would rather not. If I am going to be facing the world as others do, then I need to go out there and face the gamut of resumes and interviews, not take a job that some might say I got because I'm your son. However, I will mention it to Lachlan, and see if he wants to apply for it, if that is okay…"
There was little else to say, and they all exchanged hugs. Then Dante anxiously checked what had happened across at the Rosenfelds. Lachlan responded that his parents had been a little stunned, but proud that he had been mature enough to speak up, and to realise that he needed to start supporting himself more. With that said, Dante arranged to head over and see him. "We can have a proper inspection of the house," he said when he told his dads, "and then we can go out and scope out all of the 'Help wanted' signs in the neighborhood."
"Well, you could try The Strand bookstore," said Beats. "They usually take on a few new staff around now, and Sebastian worked there when he was first at NYADA. He always said that it was a great place to work."
Dante nodded, and mused, "That might be just the kind of job that would suit me. I do love books. Anyway, I mentioned the job at the Spotlight, and Lachlan will be putting in an application. He wants to be treated like any other candidate though. I should also point out that although he can sing, he is very shy about it, and would never be a soloist. He says he doesn't have the confidence for that."
Elliott smiled, and then Dante was gone to get ready to head out. He turned round to look at Beats, who was looking thoughtful, although not quite as distraught as Elliott might have imagined. "Well, we haven't done too badly as parents when you think of what he was like when we first met him; we have raised him from a troubled boy into a mature, sensible young man," Elliott said gently.
"I will miss him being around all the time…" replied Beats quietly. "I do still feel old because of this, but well, I am thinking that the pride that I am starting to feel over how sensible they are being will help me overcome it, and even outweigh the sadness I feel…"
Elliott nodded, but added, "I still think we will both cry the day that he leaves for good…"
"Yeah, we will; but he will as well," added Beats.
Nothing was mentioned about the events of the weekend, or the decision that Dante had made outside of the apartment. Beats had not even confided in Flint, something that Elliott had expected as he always did; by the same token, he said nothing to Dani about events. They all agreed that the news could be broken to those around them once the final decisions had been confirmed
Of course, for some in their circle of friends, final decisions on events that would shape their lives for some time had already been taken. The run of Mary Poppins was coming to its end, and the replacement for it in the theater that had been rumoured for some time was indeed what would take its place. The media also carried the rumour that the show in question was being revived solely for Marley, and there was an element of truth in that. That she would be cast as the novice nun that would alter the life of Captain Von Trapp was a no brainer, and if it meant that her career now seemed to be emulating that of Julie Andrews, who was of course linked with the two well known film versions, she wasn't going to complain.
Having said that, there was one drawback for her in all of it, and that was the decision of the producers and the owner of the theater to have only a very short break between the two shows, meaning the house would be dark only for the month of January. That meant that rehearsals for The Sound of Music had to begin whilst the schedule of the current show was maintained. All of that meant that in the run up to Christmas, Marley might as well have moved into the theater.
Of course, it was exactly the same for Cooper, who had been chosen to play the widower Captain that would at first be annoyed by the antics and ways of Maria, and the lack of order it would bring, but would then fall in love with her in all of her guises. They had broken the news to Ryder and Grace, and although neither of them were very pleased, they knew that as the partners of theater people, it had to be…
The other thing it meant for Cooper was a much more substantial role in the show than his current one. Mr Banks was a key figure in the show, but he wasn't on stage for most of the production; the polar opposite of Marley, for whom the title role meant an almost constant stage presence from curtain up. Although she would still have more stage time than him in the new show, his part was larger. Of course, there was also the fact that by the very nature of the story, he would have much more interaction with Marley, and much of that would be of an intimate nature, and that worried him…
That worry was not so much down to the age difference between them, but the fact that she had been at school with his younger brother, and was also a family friend; for that matter, so was Ryder. Now he was going to be in a position where he would have to kiss her properly every day of the week, at least once, except on a Monday. If Grace had been the jealous kind, then she might have objected to that, but she knew that it was only his job, and meant nothing. Ryder knew the same, and said it was fine, but that did not stop Cooper worrying that in the end, one of them might start to feel jealous. After all, it was one thing for him to kiss a stranger like that, quite another when it was a friend…
They would have to deal with that in due course, but now, at the start of the process, such scenes were not in the eyes of the director, with their first priority ensuring that the cast all knew their lines. Then there were all of the songs to perfect, those hits that virtually everyone in the world knew, and would have an opinion on the way they were performed. Then there was the choreography to get down, and with that would come the worst horror of all in the opinion of some in the acting profession; the Von Trapp children. It had been interesting for Cooper and Marley to say the least to have to deal with a revolving cast of children playing two parts… In The Sound of Music there would be six parts. It was a thought that had almost lead to Cooper declining the role, but in the end, he had his reputation to think of, and well, the money would be good…
Whereas Cooper Anderson had been a dreamer, Cooper Hummel-Warbler was a cautious and practical family man. He knew that he was getting older, and that a time would come when he would not be offered as many good parts on stage. It was said that there were more parts for older men than older women, and that was true, but there were also more men available for each part that came along. He was a big name on the Broadway stage, but it was increasingly the TV and movie actors that got the roles for older men, as they expanded their profile. He had no issue with that, as he knew he would do the same in their shoes, but it made his life harder. He was also realistic enough to know that he could never take on the older roles in Shakespeare. He did not imagine for one moment that he had it in him to portray King Lear, for example.
For that reason, his attitude was to earn as much money as he could now, before his career slowed down, and he had to take the smaller parts. He had invested in a pension plan from day one, and had been frugal with the money he had inherited. He often wondered what his old self would make of that, as then he would have had a very different outlook. Had he stayed in L.A. and the movie business, then, assuming he had survived the earthquake that had taken the lives of so many of the people he had known in those days, then he would have spent every penny. He would have expected to survive in the future on inheritances when his parents died…
He knew that he would never return to that kind of lifestyle now, even if that was possible. He had done the honourable thing in taking care of his brother in his final days, and had emerged from his grief after his death a changed man. Had he not done so, then he would never have met Grace, and never have been the father to the twins that he adored. He would never have been on Broadway and become the toast of the town. No, he would take every part he was offered, as each one could be the last. This one was a good one, and he intended to make the most of it, making it memorable for everyone. In the meantime, he just had to concentrate on each show, and not make a mistake; after all, Mr Banks suddenly bursting into a chorus of Edelweiss to Bert in the second act would not be good…
Marley had actually been in two minds as to whether she would accept the role when the offer came. Much as she had enjoyed every minute of playing the part of Mary Poppins, and had come to enjoy all that came with being part of a popular Broadway show, she was not sure that she wanted to jump straight into another major and iconic role. The engagement ring that Ryder had given her weighed heavily, their wedding delayed as the run of her current show had been extended. He did not mind that too much, or so he had said, as it gave them more time to save for the wedding of their dreams…
His love for Marley was strong, and he counted himself fortunate that he was the one that she came home to every night. She was a star, whereas he was a lowly junior manager, and there was always a small part of him that was waiting for the day that she realised that too. He was content with their current arrangement in any case; they lived together, and much like Beats and Elliott had been, a marriage certificate was just a bit of paper…
Nonetheless, Marley had still been in two minds over the role, but then she had discovered that the director and producers were more than happy for her to dictate the terms under which she would accept the engagement. Her first demand therefore was that she would have a two week break after the last performance of Mary Poppins when she would have no rehearsals, and be free to do whatever she wished. The response was not an outright no, merely a request that she cut the period to a week.
After negotiation, they agreed on ten days, and with that confirmed, Marley felt able to set her wedding date. The last performance of Mary Poppins would be on New Year's Eve; she would marry Ryder on the 2nd of January 2027. That would permit them a week of honeymoon somewhere warm and sunny before she had to return to rehearsals on the 11th of the month. That was essential, as that allowed them to start previews in February, and open fully in March, thus catching the award season…
Marley had also made those in charge quite aware that she was not willing to commit to the show for as long as she with Mary Poppins. There was something else that she wanted to do once she was married, and that to her was more important than any role. She loved being an aunt to other people's children, but she had suddenly realised that she and Ryder were now more or less the only ones of their generation of friends that was childless. Kitty and Artie were the parents of two; Mason a father of one, and rumoured to soon make that two as well, all things going to plan. Spencer and Alistair had adopted, and even Jake had a child on the way…
She knew that whilst she was still young, her biological clock was ticking nonetheless, and if she wanted to have a child of her own, then she could not put it off indefinitely. A pregnancy had been out of the question whilst she was playing the part of Mary, and it would be even more out of the question whilst she was playing the part of novice nun Maria. With that in mind, she told those in charge that she was committing to the role for a year, and that she needed to have a suitable replacement ready then; a committed understudy that could take over.
It was a bold decision, given that there was no guarantee that she would even fall pregnant at all, and she had essentially put herself out of work in a year's time. She had consulted Ryder first, a statement of intent to him, and he was a keen to be a parent as she was. He had already made it known to all of their friends with families that he was available to babysit any night bar a Monday, and he had found his hands full pretty quickly thereafter. He also knew that when Tina returned to work, he would find his hands even fuller. Even though Mike no longer had to perform as much in his new role, he still had to be there as the shows were performed, and that left gaps Ryder would happily fill.
It was not long after they made their decisions that Marley and Cooper found themselves posing in costume for Jeff. He would do a lot of his work from photos, but he needed to have his subjects sit for him as well, and he arranged to do that in the theatre itself, for ease and convenience all round. The drawings he was doing now were a bit of a rush for the artist if he was being honest, as he intended to have these, his latest Broadway sketches, on display in his forthcoming exhibition. He also made a bold decision, and arranged for Adam to sit in his Bert costume next to a confused looking Sam, who was dressed in the style that Darrin favoured in the sitcom they both starred in; the confusion was no doubt because he was wondering why his boyfriend was dressed as a chimney sweep.
As for Marley, Jeff had her pose for him twice, one sketch of her with a bird on her finger, and another where she held her umbrella aloft, as if she was in flight. Cooper too agreed to pose twice, once as the stern and regimented Mr Banks of the start of the show, and the second as the dishevelled man at the end of the show, clutching a kite in his hand. Jeff promised all of his sitters a copy of the sketches he had made, and also issued them with an invite to attend the opening of the exhibition on the second Monday of November. The 9th suited him well, and by opening on a Monday, the day when the majority of Broadway was dark, he would get a good attendance.
Of course, he had also sent a note with the opening date and an invitation to attend at some point to the Royal Household in the UK, just to inform the Duchess of his intentions… There had been an acknowledgement that his message had been received and passed on, but no response one way or the other as to whether she would be able to attend the show when the time came. Jeff was not surprised by that in all honesty; she was a busy woman, and their schedules were booked up months in advance. If it did come about, then there would also be a lot of security protocol to be worked through. Someone from the British consulate would be sent to check the venue out, and that would be the first indication possibly that a royal guest would be attending…
In the meantime, the word hectic was an understatement to describe how his life was. He had a lot of sketches to finish up to his exacting standards, and then he had to take them to the framing shop that was working with them. He had been delighted to find that the one the gallery owner had recommended was also a new business, run by another couple of former classmates from his time at art college. They had not been the closest of friends, but they knew each other well enough to be on first name terms. There had been that open-mouthed moment when Jeff had first walked into their store but it soon dissipated as Jeff began to talk about the old days that they all recalled so clearly…
Towards the end of that first meeting, one of the framers said, "I have come across a few of our former classmates over the years, people that have made a small name for themselves, and they were all the same - arrogant and looking down on me because they had made it as an artist, and I was merely a framer. You, however, you're the same old Jeff, despite being the most successful of us all, and it will be a pleasure to do the framing for you. I will admit that the most conceited of our former classmates might have paid well over the odds for our services; you are definitely getting mate's rates…"
"Which I will not complain about," replied Jeff, "but don't run at a loss for my benefit. Of course, I will also pay you a bonus at the end of the exhibition, a commission on each framed sketch we sell, and your names will appear in the program. I have insisted that everyone involved, in whatever way, will get a name check…"
Of course, in a domestic sense, Jeff's busy time also threw up quite a few challenges. Nick had been busy behind the scenes to an extent, and had made some little changes that would simplify life for them all. He had spoken to Drew quietly, and he had agreed to take on more of the school run duties short-term, in the afternoon. A quick word with Mike had seen the dancer step in to do the one in the morning; he did not need to be at the Lincoln Center until 10am, so he could escort Wes and Evie each morning. It was only a small deviation, in his opinion at least, from his normal route. In the afternoon, Drew was available every afternoon but one, as he had a late team meeting that day. In a happy coincidence, Nick had discovered that Dex had no classes that afternoon, and a quiet word had seen the college senior take on the school run that one day…
It had been whilst Nick had been trying to cover that one afternoon that Dante's news had emerged, as he had been the first person the brunet had asked, and he had been told the truth by the young man; that much as he wanted to help, he would be leaving the street soon, all going well, to move in with Lachlan. He would be missed by them all, naturally, and not just because he had been a willing and useful child minder…
That news gave all the Warblers of Beats' generation a little start for a moment too, as they realised one of their number had a son leaving home. Fortunately, they all then thought about little Wes, and they felt less old. When Dante realised that he had had that effect on them all, not by going to college, but by moving out of his parental home, he had laughed. He had also taken great pleasure in informing Lachlan of the situation…
"My mom and dad feel the same way too, I think," his boyfriend had replied. "Of course, they do have at least a decade on Beats and all of his classmates. Still, I do sort of get it. I look at the first graders myself now and think how tiny and young they look, then realise that I was one myself not so long ago. The journey of life is not a slow one by any means…."
Of course, for Dante and Lachlan, part of establishing themselves as fully fledged adults was getting jobs. Lachlan had headed to the Spotlight for an interview, and had been taken on after it with no reservations on his suitability. He was articulate, had a photographic memory, and had understood the importance of speed and accuracy in service at a diner. He had then shocked Elliott and Michelle by asking when his singing audition would be. The former had shrugged as his boss mouthed "He wasn't supposed to be able to sing" at him. She had sat back then, and told Lachlan to go ahead…
To the great surprise of them both, it turned out that he had a fine tenor voice. When he finished singing, he had shyly admitted, "I have always had a good voice, I think, and I do like to sing, but I have never been keen until now on drawing attention to that fact. If I had, my parents would have had me singing in the synagogue every Sabbath as the other kids do! It would have been hell for me… However, now that I am an adult, and have a degree of freedom, it is time to sing…"
"Does Dante know that you can sing like that?" asked a still stunned Elliott.
"No, and can we keep it like that. I would like to surprise him on my first day, assuming that I have the job…"
As for Dante, he had taken the suggestions to heart, and applied at The Strand bookstore. He had also been successful, and had secured a job working on the first floor, specifically in the mystery and thrillers section. He had always had a keen interest in that kind of genre, and he was able to talk with a degree of authority, not just about the current crop of authors, but also those of the past. He knew so much about the still undisputed Queen of the Crime novel, Agatha Christie for a start. He knew his Poirot from his Miss Marple, and the order in which both sets of novels should be read. He also knew full well that Curtain was the last title any fan of the little Belgian detective should read…
He freely admitted to Beats that he was nervous when his first day came, but he knew that it was just another step along the road to being an adult. He set his own alarm for the morning, as he had an early start, and Elliott would get up himself to discover Dante already in the kitchen, making coffee as his toast popped up. His son smiled at him, then popped more bread in the toaster for him, before taking his own to the table and eating it in silence…
"I remember my first job," said Elliott, just to break the silence. "I was a bag boy in the local supermarket over in New Jersey. Of course, that was back in what your generation would call the old days, and you don't really see bag boys, or girls for that, in this day and age. Even then, the store only had them because it was quite old-fashioned, and well, the older customers loved it. It didn't pay all that much, but it gave me a degree of independence. It let me be me, and well, that little bit of cash that I was able to save came in handy when I was cut adrift… Anyway, do you remember everything that I told you?"
"Yeah… The boss is always right, work hard, be polite to all the customers, especially the awkward ones that make you want to scream…"
"…and make sure that when you want to bitch and moan about them, that there isn't anyone around."
Dante chuckled at that, as he had when Elliott had told him it first, then said, "Okay, I had better go and get dressed, in something smart, but casual…"
Elliott smiled as his boy left the room, as the words he had just said were the ones that he had used last in the little pep talk the night before. By the time that he returned, Beats was also up, and both men laughed as Dante did the whole model on a catwalk act for them to check his outfit. Then he headed towards the door, but stopped when Beats cleared his throat…
"So, you haven't forgotten anything?"
"Err, no, I don't think so…" Dante began, and then saw the name tag he had been issued by the bookstore in Elliott's hand. He came back to take it, and said, "That would not have been a good start, turning up without that on my first day!"
"Which is why I made sure that I knew where it was, and checked that you had it. Now, go, and have a good day at work. Don't forget, that you are meeting us at the Spotlight for dinner afterwards." Dante nodded, and headed out, as his two proud adoptive fathers watched…
