The Nutcracker Ballet was a nice Christmas gift to the community, and a chance for Brandon to see what a coordinated technical effort could do for an otherwise lackluster performance. Dennis could only imagine what a professional ballet company would do with something like this, but it was way over the community theatre's ability to produce.

Whereas life in the control booth was good, especially when Ted was there, backstage was chaos. Jimmy Tolliver and a newbie junior named Brad Abrams ran the fly system, all the scenic ups and downs were theirs to control. Fortunately neither of them was as dumb as the cast on the stage below.

Brad was an interesting fellow, already having two years of a Cabot performing arts education, except he had been in the film program. He had switched to theatre at the beginning of the semester because he wanted to build scenery. His father was a contractor and Brad had worked the summers with his father doing detail carpentry. Dennis figured he was a blessing in disguise for the shop.

Time and again during the show Vince had to call a halt to backdrops descending as some cast member stopped to tie their shoe right in its path. It was usually a kid, something that Casey Jr. was supposed to take care of and didn't. The fifty pounds of steel pipe in the bottom of a backdrop would hurt, if it didn't break something.

Dennis was so glad that the lights were all overhead, especially when they discovered that the six people in mouse costumes couldn't see a damn thing when they wore the large bulbous heads. From way up overhead Dennis and Brandon could only watch the disasters as they were about to occur, there was nothing they could do to prevent them.

It got to the point that during the battle between the toy soldiers and the mice, Vince had crew members standing by on either side of the proscenium. That was in case someone got too close to the front edge of the stage like they did during the dress rehearsal when a mouse performed a swan dive into the orchestra pit.

No one was hurt during the run of the show, but it was close, and there was a general sigh of relief when the final curtain came down. Brandon lay down his headsets and laughed.

"Where's my reward for suffering through a community theatre show?" He said.

"All in good time, at least you got billing in the program. After graduation no one will know what a dismal show this was, you certainly won't tell them," Dennis said.

"Oh hell no, resumes always lie," Brandon said.

Ted had stayed home this night knowing full well that Dennis would be out until two in the morning taking down the set. But Vince had a plan and no sooner was the cast off the stage then it began. The props and small set pieces rolled into the wings and the backdrops came down to be folded into their storage bins. An hour after they started the scenery was ready for the truck which would return tomorrow.

The lighting could wait for a lab session after the holidays, which meant Dennis and Brandon could shut it all down and go home. It was barely midnight when they left the building and Brandon's mother was waiting.

"Three months and I get the license…then I'm a free man," Brandon said as they walked towards the car.

"That's just how I felt," Dennis said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Dennis…I'd kiss you but my mom will think I've gone gay or something."

Dennis laughed. "Yeah, it's that 'or something' you have to worry about."

Brandon nodded. "I'll…well, I'll tell you about it tomorrow."

"Fine, I'll be here for you…have a good night," Dennis said.

The truck was sitting in the loading dock when Dennis arrived in the morning, but he was early and Vince was nowhere in sight. The truck driver was asleep in the cab so Dennis smiled and snuck into the theatre. Brandon was sitting on the floor in the back hall, his laptop open.

"Morning…you're here early," Dennis said.

Brandon closed his computer and stood up. "Can I buy you a coffee?"

"Sure," Dennis said.

The cafeteria had just opened and they went thru the line, pulling two cups of coffee and a couple of bagels. Dennis took them across the room towards the windows; he could see the parking lot from there. Vince would be along and Dennis couldn't let the guy struggle with loading the truck by himself.

Brandon sat down and smiled. "I'm sorry for being so vague last night, but I would have kissed you if my mom wasn't there."

Dennis nodded. "I hug and kiss my friends, but then I'm gay…we act like that."

"I know, Ted's very lucky to have you. I haven't been looking for anything, probably because I don't know what I want."

Dennis bit into his bagel and chewed while thinking. "If you don't know does that mean you don't care?"

Brandon shrugged. "It's just indecision, but I think being bisexual is a cop out."

"I don't know, I think some people are just into everything…the partner doesn't matter."

"I can't play it that way," Brandon said. "I couldn't sleep around just to fulfill some absurd fantasy of finding out who I am."

"Whoa there, who said anything about sleeping around?" Dennis laughed. "I had my fantasies for several years before I got my wish, and even then it wasn't what I needed. Forget the sex, that you can do anytime, try to focus on finding someone you can love."

Brandon sighed. "Both sexes are a challenge. When did you decide you were gay?"

"I had feelings for guys when I was twelve…thirteen. A bad age to discover something about yourself that seems so far out in left field. I think everyone wants to feel normal and it took me a while to understand that being gay was normal for me. There certainly was no love interest back then, that took several years to develop." Dennis smiled. "Coming here made things a whole lot easier."

Brandon nodded. "It was part of my decision too. The way Corky talked about this place, the way everyone is so accepting of the difference people have here…I had to see it for myself."

"Look, don't think you have to make any decisions now," Dennis said. "Let the others get to know you, let them see how you work. Being accepted here is based upon your contributions; everyone will respect you for that. There are plenty of gay boys around and the girls are probably the most unique bunch in the county, let them find you."

"I didn't even know you were gay until Ted started coming around."

"What I share with Ted is pretty obvious, but there were two other gay guys working on the show, did you know that?"

"No…well maybe, Jimmy is gay, isn't he?"

"Yes, and he's out to everyone who knows him. I don't know what kind of guys you find attractive," Dennis said.

"Uh…yeah, I don't know either," Brandon said.

"I think you just need to go about your business here. Next semester you'll climb the ladder a little higher and that will attract attention. I'll make sure you get to meet a lot of people in the dance department, that's where you'll find the most interest. Until then, relax…and stay ahead on your academics."

"I'm already doing next semester's work," Brandon said.

"Good, the spring tech schedule will eat up all your spare time. I'm just about finished with my academic work thru next May."

"Really? Wow, can we do that?"

"Sure can. If I don't then I lose time with Ted, which do you think I prefer?" Dennis laughed.

Brandon smiled and a little blush crept into his cheeks. "Thanks for being my friend, Dennis…are there any more single guys like you around?"

The boy was so cute when he got flustered. Once Brandon became known in the other departments things would start to happen for him. The shaggy brown hair and the deep green eyes made him simply adorable; he wouldn't be on the market for long.

"I'm pretty sure you can do better than me," Dennis said. "Even if you don't know it, you're a hot commodity."

Now Brandon fully blushed and Dennis laughed. Yeah, absolutely fuckin adorable.

They loaded The Nutcracker back on the truck and it was on its way, now it was time to settle down and meet the academic needs at semester's end. Next Wednesday was Christmas Eve and Friday they would be off to Tahoe. To his great delight Dennis had discovered that Ted had only been skiing once, that put them on equal ground.

Dennis didn't want drive the Volkswagen into the mountains in case they encountered snowy roads. His mother was willing to give up her SUV for three days and it had four wheel drive, so he cleaned out his car for the swap. It was amazing how much dust could collect in one place.

Dennis would have two Christmases this year, the first with Ted and his father. Small gifts were exchanged on Christmas Day, and then Dennis went home to dinner with his family. Ted had already laid out his clothes for the trip; he would fit right in with Mike Stone and the crowd. Tomorrow they would find out.

Dennis drove them south of the airport, skirting all the traffic on back roads until they reached Route 50. Like it had with Bobby, the trip took three hours, some of it driving in snow. They stopped for lunch around eleven to slow things down since the invitation said any time after noon. It was a good chance to reiterate for Ted the way things would be at the event.

"Just forget any notion you might have of fame, these are just plain folks to you and me," Dennis said. "Don't get me wrong, when I saw Vince there I almost freaked."

"Vince who?"

"See, that's what you have to avoid, no last names allowed. He's just a handsome movie star who happens to be a nice guy."

Ted laughed. "OK, I won't ask for autographs. Vince who?"

Dennis shook his head. "Vince Delaney."

"Oh My God…really?"

"They don't talk about their fame, but they do tell enormously funny stories about the business," Dennis said. "Just remember, you are not here to collect stories for publication."

"Got it…can I drool a little?"

"Yup, I'll share a towel with you," Dennis laughed.

The Brown Bear Lodge was a huge rambling affair buried in the pine forest at the edge of the lake. Dennis pulled into the driveway and immediately came to a stop, there was a guard standing next to a security vehicle with a clipboard in hand. The man approached with a smile.

"Good afternoon, the lodge is close for a private event…do you have an invitation?" He asked.

Dennis smiled and handed over his invitation card with a smile. The man looked at the name and checked it off on his list. Then he pulled an orange parking pass out of a shirt pocket and handed it over.

"Please leave that on the dash board if you will, you'll need it if you go in and out of the lodge grounds. Enjoy your weekend." And he returned to his truck.

"OK, that was interesting. Why do you suppose they need security?" Ted asked.

"Last year this event was on private property, I imagine they're trying to keep the media away from here. Celebrities often attract the wrong kind of attention," Dennis said.

"Paparazzi?"

"Could be, let's go find out."

The parking lot in front of the lodge wasn't even half full; more people would arrive later on. But Ted pointed at the jumble of different cars, some of them quite expensive. They each had an overnight bag and so Dennis parked and then they walked towards the entrance.

The lobby was huge and dominated by a ten foot high wood carving of a bear. Dennis noticed there were no stuffed animals, no sign of animal hunting which would have offended some people. They walked over to the desk where a man waited to greet them.

"Hello," Dennis said, and he handed over his card.

"You must be Dennis; I'm Frank…one of the hosts for this weekend."

"Frank…this is Ted."

"Mike is wandering around here somewhere. Here's a key to your room, second floor, nice view of the lake. There's a small buffet set up in the garden room at the back if you're hungry, some of the guests are already back there."

"Thank you, Frank," Dennis said.

They took their bags up to the room. The curtains were open, the room warm with sunshine. A large four poster bed covered in a patchwork quilt and an attached bathroom.

"This is kinda nice," Ted said. "Very homey."

"Agreed, let's go meet some people and get you past the shock stage," Dennis laughed.

"I don't shock easy."

"We'll see, I hope Gloria is here…I want her to meet you," Dennis said.

The garden room was filled with plants and furniture. As promised there was a luncheon spread out on a table, a bar with beer and wine. But already some of the rich and famous were gathered together. Mike stood up as they entered.

"Dennis…so glad you could come," Mike said, and they hugged.

"Mike, this is Ted…my partner," Dennis said, and Ted beamed.

"Ahh, what a handsome lad," Mike said, and then he hugged Ted. "Come on in, can I get you something to drink?"

"Hmm, a little early in our day. Is there coffee?"

"Right over there, help yourself. But I think someone is dying to see you again," Mike said and he nodded towards one of the couches. Dennis took one look and hurried over.

"Gloria, I'm so happy to see you," Dennis said.

She looked older and now there was a cane by her side, but the smile said she was happy to be there.

"Hello, sweetie," Gloria said as Dennis leaned down to kiss her cheek.

Ted stood there awkwardly, looking at the others in the room. Faces and names he'd seen before, some of them on the movie screen. Dennis stood up straight and everyone looked his way.

"Hello everyone, I want you to meet Ted…the love of my life."

Ted blushed and Gloria laughed, patting the couch beside her. "Come sit down, Ted…tell me all about yourself."

Dennis went and shook hands. Vince, Connie and Steven he remembered from last year. A few new faces had come to the party, faces that were familiar and one that made him grin. Her photo was on the board outside of Brady's office.

"Hello, Taffy, we haven't met before…I'm so glad you're here," Dennis said.

She raised her glass of wine. "And why would that be?" She asked.

"I go to Cabot Performing Arts, need I say more?"

She laughed and nodded. "Wonderful, small world, isn't it?" And then she turned to the others. "I'm guest directing there this spring, of all things…The Mousetrap."

Vince smiled. "I love that old play, but as I recall Dennis is a technical student."

"I am, but I need to act in something as part of my academic standing. I'm going to audition for her play so any acting pointers I can get will be greatly appreciated."

There were groans and smiles. "Don't do it, acting corrupts the soul," Connie said with a laugh.

"Ahh, the voice of experience," Mike said.

Connie stuck her tongue out. "Yeah, honey, you have the edge on all of us." And there was laughter.

Taffy gave Dennis a smile. "I suppose we'll have to talk turkey later on."

Dennis fetched coffee and sat down with Gloria and Ted just in time to hear her tell the boy how she had been ailing this past year.

"I turned an ankle on the stairs at home, fortunately Macy was there. She's my constant companion these days, looking out for the old lady she says. She's the half sister of my cousin Ed. I think it was his idea to send her over. You'll meet her later on."

Dennis nodded. "I'm glad you have the help."

"It's just like me to take in strays, Macy needed something, this is a trade off. I suppose it's better to employ a partial relative, I don't know if I can trust total strangers," Gloria said. "But enough about me, I want to know about Ted…how did you meet?"

There was a sparkle in her eye, and Dennis remembered the last time they were together. She had told him that he had to let Bobby go, but that he would know the true love of his life when they met, and now he was here with Ted.

Dennis let Ted explain their meeting and the times that followed. At some point in the conversation she slid a hand over and grasped Dennis' wrist, her fingers were soft and gentle. He knew it was her sign of approval, she felt that Ted was the right one for him.

In return for Ted's honesty she gave the boy a glimpse of her own life. Ted had been confused at first and slowly it dawned on him just who she was, and his eyes became warm and affectionate.

"I remember seeing you in The Long Way Home. It was the first film I ever sat through, and I cried," Ted said, and then he smiled. "I was only five. I felt so sorry for the little girl and my mother had to explain to me that it was just a story because I thought it was real."

Gloria chuckled. "Then I suppose I have to take that as a compliment, I made you believe. I grew up on a farm in Ohio, I had no idea I'd ever have a glamorous career. My mother brought me to Hollywood for that audition and there were hundreds of girls there, it was so frightening. The director was there that day…Martin Pounds, very famous, very old and intimidating.

"All these young girls had experience in front of the camera, I knew nothing. But I remember my mother led me into this large room and there was a goat standing there, I had to play the scene out talking to this goat." She laughed at the memory. "I knew goats were such cranky beasts. My father had several and I used to avoid them because they were so unpredictable.

"But the director assured me this goat was trained and would do its best to ignore me; just like I'm sure it had with dozens of girls who said the lines before me. I was more afraid of the director than the goat. So I stood close to the animal with the script pages in my hand for the read, and wouldn't you know that darn goat started to eat my papers. I could see the director was amused so I ignored the lines and started talking to the goat.

"I told him he was a bad goat for eating my script, and I swear he understood me. I reached down and scratched his ears and then under his chin. Before it was all over I had hugged the goat and he rubbed himself on my arm, we were buddies. The moment had a profound effect on the director; he hired me on the spot.

"So my advice to you when you audition for a part in Taffy's play…be sure to scratch the old goat." And she broke up laughing, and so did the others who had been listening in. Ted thought it was hilarious and so did Taffy.

"I don't have any old goats in my play," Taffy said.

"I meant the director," Gloria replied, and there was another round of laughter.

By five o'clock they were all comfortable with one another and new people kept arriving all the time. The wine flowed and even Ted shared a glass with Dennis. He was always cautious of alcohol because of his meds, but one glass wouldn't hurt him.

"I've set dinner up for six-thirty," Mike said.

"You really went all out for this," Dennis said.

"Traditions are important, this has become a ritual. I have a surprise to show everyone at dinner, I just hope everyone gets here on time."

There were thirty people for dinner, and a few more came in as they ate. Ted saw faces he never expected to see in person and he was delighted to meet Brenda Nichols, although he was barely confident enough to call her Brenda.

"Wow, a real award winning actress…she's sweet," Ted whispered in Dennis' ear.

"Hey you two, save it for upstairs," Vince joked.

Dennis grinned and stuck out his tongue. "Jealously will get you nowhere, Vince."

"Ahh, young love…I remember it well."

Brenda reached over and patted his hand. "You were never young, sweetie…Hollywood took it all away from you."

"Damn, I think you're right," Vince said.

"Hey, I'm young and in Hollywood," Tom said.

"You're sixteen, what do you know about being young?" Vince asked.

"Uh…you're right, I'm completely out of touch," Tom said. "I watch my peers from a distance through the tinted windows of the studio limo…it sucks."

"The key is to make millions and retire at eighteen to the beaches on the Med where no one will recognize you," Brenda said. "That works if you're a guy, those of us with boobs can never disappear from the limelight."

"Accepting the award for disillusioned actress of the year is…" Taffy said.

"Me," several of the women said at once and they all laughed.

The surprise was a short video of Bobby standing on a stage in New York surrounded by the touring cast of Rent. Frank rolled in a large video monitor and they all gathered around.

"Hello boys and girls, this is Bobby in case you've forgotten my name. I'm here with all my friends in New York and we're about to leave on tour in just a few weeks. I had to say hello to Mike and Vince, Brenda and Connie. I hope Gloria is there, and Dennis, dear sweet Dennis. I miss you all and I'm sure Mike is throwing you a grand party."

He looked healthy, but his hair was dyed bright red which threw Dennis a little. They could all see he was excited and for good reason. Major show tours began in New York and when they were done many of the actors and dancers would be veterans, a notch closer to the bright lights of Broadway.

"So my friends and I are going to give you a little peek at what we've been doing, just don't tell the director we taped this. Are we ready?"

And they rolled into a swinging version of Seasons of Love, it was the right song for the moment, everyone knew it. But as they ran towards the end of the song Bobby moved forward and grinned into the camera.

"I miss you guys, but you can see I'm living the dream here. Don't feel sorry for me, come see the show. We're due to hit San Francisco and L.A. around July or early August and I want to see those smiling faces. All my love to everyone…it's snowing here too."

And Bobby backed up into the lineup as the chorus finished the song and took a bow. That was the end, and everyone started talking at once.

"God, did you see his hair…its super red," Brenda said. "He never did that before."

"Come on, you'd shave your head if a director asked you to," Vince said.

"I am not Sigourney Weaver…but I probably would. I'm so glad he's doing well."

"What do you think, Dennis?" Gloria asked.

"He's living the dream, I'm happy for him."

They all toasted Bobby and then broke up. Some were off to ski for the night, others to attend a party or two. Dennis and Ted escorted Gloria back to the garden room where a fire had been lit for their enjoyment. Macy joined them and Dennis was astonished at the size of the woman. The first stereotype that came to mind was biker chick, but a sweet one.

Dennis could tell that Ted was completely absorbed by Gloria and the stories she told, he understood the feeling. But as the evening went on Gloria had a final cup of herbal tea and went off to bed on Macy's arm.

"Wow, what a stunning lady," Ted said. "Where did everyone go?"

"Most of them went up Heavenly to ski, would you like to go watch?" Dennis asked.

"Watch?"

"Yeah, I can't handle night skiing, but we can go ride the gondola up the mountain and back. It's still pretty spectacular."

And so they went. A short drive to the gondola station and the fifteen minute ride to the top. All bundled up in down jackets, gloves and wool hats it didn't matter that they carried no skis; there was a lot to see.

The slopes were lit and figures danced in and out of the shadows on the snowy hills below them. Dennis took Ted out of the gondola and into the upper station where they bought hot chocolate, and then it was time to go see the sights. It was cold out on the observation platform as they huddled together, but Dennis could think of no place grander.

Skiers pushed off from the doorways of the station, shapes in bright colors, some more talented than others.

"I don't know about this, look how far down we'd have to go," Ted said.

"It's easy, you fall down and slide the whole way," Dennis said, and then he grinned to show he was just joking. "We would get off the gondola way down there, the bunny slopes are just a few hundred yards from the bottom, very easy."

"I'd never seen Bobby before, he's quite handsome," Ted said.

"He's nice looking, a dancer's body and all that," Dennis said. "But I was in over my head with him. Look at all this, Ted. He lives this life; he grew up with all this wealth and privilege. It isn't me."

"But we're here…why are we here?"

"Gloria would tell you this is all something we should aspire to reach. No matter how much you might hear Vince or Brenda complain they chose this life, and they love it. The challenge is greater the higher you go…it's just like skiing. We're on the bunny slopes, we may never get off of them, but we're learning to ski."

"I don't care as long as I'm on the slopes with you," Ted said.

"I don't need all this to be happy, Ted…I only need you," Dennis said.

Ted moved in tighter. "I'd love you even if we were just sliding down that hill."

Dennis smiled. "Keep that in mind when we strap boards on your feet tomorrow, I slid a lot the first time until Bobby taught me how to stand up."

Ted laughed. "Now there's a metaphor. You stood up and because of that you found me."

"I never thought I would meet the love of my life in a dusty closet," Dennis said.

"I was in the closet and you brought me out…OK, enough of that. I didn't know there was anyone in the world like you, and yet there you were. I had feelings the first moment we met, I didn't understand…"

"Hush," Dennis said. "Without paying attention to our feelings we don't take chances. I felt like kissing you was the right thing to do, I went with the feeling."

"Oh yeah, it was so right. Are we frozen enough now, can we go back to the lodge and warm up?" Ted asked.

"Yeah, the hot chocolate isn't half as sweet as you are."

They held hands on the gondola ride down. It was easy; no one else was in the car. They were about halfway down when the parade of lights began, the ski patrol sweeping in and out of the trees holding long orange flares. It was beautiful, magical and the mountain seemed covered in moving orange lights.

The security guard at the entrance waved them through and they followed another car into the parking lot. They both parked next to one another and got out. The man behind the wheel of the other car looked familiar and he smiled.

"This is Mike's party…right?"

"Sure is, I didn't see you at dinner."

"It was hell getting out of LA. I had some business to finish up. I guess everyone is off skiing. I'm Jim, by the way."

"Dennis…and this is Ted, we were just up on the mountain watching, but it's late."

"I suppose it is, maybe I can find a beer inside," Jim said.

"I'm sure you can, just ask for Frank…I think he owns the lodge," Dennis said.

"Great. You guys have a good night, see ya for breakfast," Jim said.

Dennis and Ted walked towards the doors as Jim unloaded his bags.

"Shh, don't say it," Dennis whispered.

"But that's…"

"Yeah, and only Mike would be big enough in the business to invite him. Doesn't mean he's gay, just means Mike likes him. Maybe he'll enjoy being with us normal folks."

"Dennis, he's so famous he probably owns half of Hollywood by now."

"Sure, and Mike owns the other half. Aspirations, Ted…aspirations."

All Dennis aspired to minutes later was to give Ted everything he needed, and then he got back tenfold. Their bodies were so in tune by now, a veritable partnership in lovemaking. But Dennis enjoyed the moments afterwards, sleeping together was the frosting on the cake.

Dennis had seen the way the others had looked at Ted, it made him feel proud. He had chosen a bright, handsome young man as his love. He was sure the others could tell he wasn't pining for Bobby. Bringing Ted here had been the right thing to do. It proved that he'd moved on in life.

Ted was still a restless sleeper, but by dawn Dennis had managed to capture the boy in his arms and hold him tight. Last year Bobby had held him like this and Dennis had thrilled at the touch. The attention and dominance of the older boy had made him feel worthwhile. But back then he had been in over his head, and now he wasn't.

Ted was capricious and kind, he rarely thought of himself first and always wanted to know what Dennis thought. It wasn't a subservient role; he genuinely cared about their partnership. All it had taken was one moment in time, a kiss, and Dennis knew his life was changed forever. The best part of it all was that Ted felt exactly the same way.

The sun was up; the light reflecting off the snow cover was brighter than normal and the curtains seemed to be holding back the day that lay ahead. Dennis leaned down and kissed Ted's neck just below the ear.

"Hmm, do that again," Ted moaned.

Dennis needed no second urging and he kissed that smooth skin yet again, resisting the temptation to take a bite or leave a mark. Ted rolled over and his normal morning aggressiveness asserted itself. Lips, tongue, teeth, Dennis felt like he was being ravaged until Ted slid low enough to capture his prize.

There was no timidity in the boy, especially since he'd had no meds. It was all wanton sexual aggressiveness and since it was directed at him Dennis didn't mind in the least. The hyperactive nature of the boy gave new definition to the concept of oral sex, but there would be more to come.

The objective was to take Dennis to the very edge and then Ted would switch from mouth to hand as he raised Dennis' legs and penetrated. By then they would both be in the heat of passion and achieve orgasm with wild abandon. It was the hottest sex Dennis had ever felt and Ted made sure he was at the very center of their pleasure.

It had been some months before when they finally abandoned condoms in their lovemaking. Dennis had said that it kept things from getting messy; Ted maintained that it was just a roadblock to pleasure. Now they avoided the little latex sheaths unless there was no opportunity for an after sex shower.

They went down to the dining room for breakfast, it was barely eight o'clock and they were surprised to see that Taffy and Gloria were the only ones there.

"Good Morning," Gloria said, "we must be the only ones who didn't stay up all night."

"It was too cold up on the mountain, we came back early," Ted said.

Dennis brought two coffees to the table and sat. Taffy gave him an amused glance and then finished her fruit cup.

"So, this is how you spend your vacation. I don't image many of your fellow students get to hang out with celebrities," Taffy said.

Dennis smiled. "They're just good folks to me, celebrity is someone else's label." He looked over at Gloria. "Although some wear the label better than others."

"Thank you, dear," Gloria said. "But I stopped being a celebrity years ago, it made me feel old."

Dennis looked back at Taffy. "I'd love to know what I'm walking into next semester, what made you choose Mousetrap?"

"Agatha Christie, a classic who done it. We're going to set it in our modern America, that's been done before. English accents done poorly won't do the play any justice; we might as well skip that."

"How did you end up getting the directing slot?" Dennis asked.

Taffy laughed. "My agent set me up with that, said it would do me some good."

"I hope you trust your agent," Gloria said.

"I do, she's been my partner for twenty years."

Frank had set up a beautiful breakfast buffet and Ted got up to help himself. Other people began to arrive at the table, including the latecomer Jim. He seemed to know everyone and gave Gloria special attention.

"Hello, guys," Jim said, shaking hands with Dennis and Ted. He glanced over at Taffy. "We haven't met," He said.

"This is Taffy, and that's Dennis and Ted," Gloria said. "Jimmy and I worked on a film together sometime back in the stone age," She cackled.

"Oh, Gloria, he's not that old," Taffy said.

"I was six, my first film," Jim said, taking a seat at the table. "Gloria and I were almost killed by the bad guys. Final Glory…that was the name of the film."

Gloria sighed. "The B films come along either after a long career or at the beginning of a new one."

Jim nodded. "That pretty well sums it up. The film wasn't that terrible. We did quite well in it and I still have a copy. Pull it out every now and then to give my friends a laugh."

"How's the family?" Gloria asked, and Dennis could see Jim wince.

"Uh, on and off…sorry. Susan took the kids to Palm Springs for the winter, said it would give me time to think about things."

Gloria reached over and patted his hand. "I won't embarrass you in front of everyone, we'll talk later."

Jim nodded and then got up to get himself some food. Taffy watched him go and shook her head.

"Are you two related?" She asked.

"No, I'm the godmother of his children," Gloria said. "Despite our crazy Hollywood scene Jim is very much a spiritual person. Let's let it go and talk about happier things."

"He's producing now I hear," Ted said, and Gloria smiled.

"If you want to know how that works just ask him. I can't think of a kinder man in our profession," She said.

"Ted is writing for the school newspaper now," Dennis said. "Don't encourage him."

"My second husband was a journalist," Gloria said.

"What happened there?" Taffy asked.

"He was a leg man and I thought that was cute until he started collecting them behind my back. It was my fault, I introduced him around. I flew to Canada for a shoot and he stayed home ostensibly to work on a book. He forgot just one thing, he was my husband and the media had their eye on him the whole time. I read all about it in the magazines."

"What did you do?" Ted asked.

"I gave him the boot; he deserved it for being so stupid. He could have had his play toys, just not in public…the public was my domain," Gloria said. "Talk to Jimmy, he'll give you an inside scoop on what he's doing."

Ted grinned at Dennis. "Wow, this could be fun."

"I thought we were going skiing?" Dennis said.

"We are, I'll talk to Jim later," Ted said.

"Talk to me about what?" Jim said, sitting back down with his food.

"Ted writes for his school paper, I thought you would help him out," Gloria said.

Jim grinned. "Sure, I used to write short stories when I was a boy. One was about this glamorous actress with these hot legs…" Gloria threw her napkin at him and Jim laughed.

Dennis managed to drag Ted out the door only after Jim agreed to a talk during the afternoon cocktail hour. Jim wasn't skiing during this visit, something about breaking his new contract which forbids such dangerous activity.

"Is it that dangerous?" Ted asked.

"You've never seen me ski," Jim said. "I'd prefer Vale because they have the best powder, Heavenly is kinda tame. I might go out, but you guys go have fun, we'll chat later."

They rented ski equipment and rode the chair lift to the first stop where they got off. The man in the rental shop had shown them both how to get in and out of the ski boots and harness, it was still a bitch up here in the snow. Dennis did his best to explain what he had learned from Bobby, but the best way was to let Ted try it.

"Remember, keep your knees together and swivel at the hips," Dennis said, and then Ted was off.

Dennis watched as Ted cut a straight line across the face of the gradual slope and then swiveled his way back. Beginner's luck, the boy was a natural. He made it all the way to the bottom before losing his balance and toppling over; he had forgotten how to stop. Dennis managed to get most of the way down before crossing his skis and losing it.

By late morning they'd had enough of being cold and wet. Ted was pretty happy about the experience; Dennis just decided he would never get any better than he was at that moment. They drove back to the lodge and showered before returning downstairs to find some lunch. Frank had a nice spread out in the garden room so they helped themselves.

Jim found them sitting out there and sat down on one of the couches. "I love this place, so quiet, so peaceful. I spent the last three hours reading a book; it's been months since I had the chance to do that."

"Avoiding Gloria, huh?" Dennis said.

Jim smiled. "You got it, she's napping…I'm off the hook."

"If you would, tell me why you can't go skiing," Ted asked.

"Ahh, insurance policy for the new film. When you get a role the producers have production insurance in case something happens to a leading member of the cast. That way they can recover costs, we're talking lots of money here. It just so happens I'm producing the project so it would look bad if I'm in a body cast instead of being on the set."

"Makes sense," Ted said. "I really enjoyed what you did in Time of my Life, I like dark comedy."

Jim nodded. "Thank you, I wrote a good bit of that. What are you planning to do with your writing?"

"I don't know, this junior journalist business is supposed to help me figure that out."

"You have time; it's a great place to start. I was lucky to graduate high school because it was a pretty crazy time in my life, but I squeaked through. Then I went to film school and life changed, college is where you get to understand the possibilities. What about you, Dennis?"

"I'm at Cabot Performing Arts, going for the technical side of theatre. I'd really like to design; I think that would be pretty satisfying."

Jim smiled. "Finish your high school programs and then come look me up. We take in a lot of summer interns, and I'm sure I could find something for you to do."

"Really? That would be so cool," Ted said.

Dennis nodded. "Yes it would, what made you think of that?"

"Gloria thinks I should take an interest in you guys," Jim said. "I'm a pretty good judge of character and I think you'd work hard. It won't interfere with any college plans; it might even look good on your resume. Mike speaks well of you two, what else do I need to know?"

"Nothing, just leave me your phone number," Ted said. "Now tell me about this new film of yours."

That conversation went on for most of the afternoon as people came and went from the room. Dennis managed to ask Mike what they were planning for dinner, remembering the pot luck supper from last year. He was assured Frank would take care of it, and the man did by calling a dozen restaurants in the area and having them each deliver a dinner for eight.

The guests made a dent in Frank's wine cellar that evening and the conversation ran on into the night. Somewhere during all the fun it was decided that everyone should perform their favorite lines from a play or a movie. That sounded easy as the majority of those present were actors, but it proved to be quite funny when people started making up the lines.

"There's a difference between having favorite lines and remembering them," Taffy said when it was her turn.

"Excuses…excuses, get on with it," Brenda laughed.

"OK…uh, here we go," Taffy said. She stood and stared out the windows before she spoke.

"Now old desire doth in his death bed lie, and young affection gapes to be his heir. That fair for which love groan'd for and would die, with Juliet match'd is now not fair. Now Romeo is beloved and loves again, alike bewitched by the charm of looks…uh..oh damn, I'm sorry," Taffy said, and then another voice took over.

"But to his foe supposed he must complain, and she steal love's sweet bait from fearful hooks. Being held a foe, he may not have access to breathe such vows as lovers used to swear. And she as much in love, her means much less to meet her beloved any where. But passion lends them power, time means, to meet tempering extremities with extreme sweet."

Dennis had finished the speech that opened Act Two and everyone was staring at him as he slowly realized what he had done and began to blush. Taffy's face filled with the joy of recognizing a kindred soul and rushed over to kiss him.

"Flawless," Taffy said.

Dennis had to smile. "I sat in the wings and listened to that speech dozens of times. It's the moment Shakespeare chooses to foreshadow the great tragedy that lay ahead; it was the first moment every night that I had to struggle with my emotions. That sense of doom stayed with me until the prince says, 'For never was a story of more woe…than this of Juliet…and her Romeo.'"

Taffy nodded. "You come see me next semester. I want you in my play."


On to Chapter Twelve

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Exit Stage Left is © 2010 by Chris James.
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