by J. Rosemary Moss
Genre: Slash Fiction
Rating: Mature Content
LINK TO PART ONE: http://jrosemary.blogspot.com/2007/12/my-shadow-in-sun.html
~
Jeremy stayed in his shell on the ride over to Dana's house. I didn't mind, except that he was riding shotgun. I made a stab at conversation, but received only a shrug in response.
To be fair, I think he would have preferred to sit unobtrusively in the back. But Sean had made a big show of giving up the front seat for him. Now Sean was sprawled comfortably in the back and Jeremy was sitting next to me, staring out the window. I rolled my eyes at that and glared at Sean in the mirror. Sean just winked at me in return.
Dana was waiting for us with coffee, hot chocolate, bagels, croissants, sandwiches, pickles and chips. Sean and I exchanged satisfied glances. We scheduled meetings at Dana's house whenever possible.
Dana didn't blink an eye at Jeremy's awkward gait or cane. I performed the introductions as we sat down at her kitchen table. She gave Jeremy a warm smile--for a moment, I feared that she would get up and hug him. Dana is very much the hugging type. Fortunately she resisted the urge.
Jeremy, for his part, made due with a nod. If Dana thought that was cold or unfriendly, she didn't show it. She went straight to business instead.
"Are you set on Elizabethan costumes, Rob?" she asked me as she pushed her plate aside and brought out her sketch book.
"Not at all," I assured her.
"Good," she said. "That would feel wrong--Richard lived a couple of generations before Elizabeth, after all. I made some sketches from his time period, but we don't have the right clothes in stock. And I'd need more than three months to put together costumes that wouldn't look farbee."
"Farbee?" Jeremy asked. Apparently the unfamiliar term forced him to find his voice.
"You'll have to excuse Dana," Sean explained. "She's into living history and reenacting. As far as she's concerned, all historical costumes have to be a hundred percent accurate."
I nodded in agreement. "She uses 'farbee' to mean inauthentic or anachronistic."
Dana laughed. "Supposedly the word is short for, 'Far be it from me to comment on the authenticity of your period clothes, but....' I don't know if that's true, though."
Jeremy smiled--Dana's warmth was thawing him. "But they can't be a hundred percent accurate," he said as he picked out a sandwich. "They have to stand up to stage lighting, don't they?"
"They do," Dana acknowledged. "And we have to be able to get in and out of them fast. But I do my best."
"What about modern dress?" Sean asked, in between mouthfuls of potato chips.
Dana grinned. "That's what I'd prefer. Does anyone here hate the idea?"
Jeremy didn't answer that. He gave me a curious look instead, as if he were waiting to judge me by my response.
In truth, I don't mind modern dress for Shakespeare. There's nothing new about using contemporary costumes for his plays. In fact, it's traditional. I have a picture of a late 18th century production of Macbeth--it shows Lady Macbeth dressed much like Marie Antoinette.
"I'm all for modern dress," I admitted. "Jeremy?"
He stared at me. "It depends on the production," he said at length. "And it depends on the director."
I raised my eyebrows at that. His words could have been neutral, but they weren't. There was a distinct challenge in them.
I wasn't mistaken--one glance at Sean and Dana confirmed that. Dana was suddenly staring down at her sketch book, absorbed by a smudge. And Sean was leaning back in his chair with his head cocked at Jeremy, regarding him with unabashed interest.
I couldn't decide whether to laugh or to grit my teeth. This awkward boy--with cold manners, little conversation and no experience in our community theatre--was ready to judge me as a director.
A couple of hours ago, I reminded myself, I had to assure Jeremy that his mother hadn't purchased the lead role for him. Apparently he'd already forgotten that. He was too busy wondering if I'd make the grade.
I folded my arms across my chest. "Do you have plans tonight, Jeremy?"
He shook his head.
"Good," I said. "We'll start rehearsing with you and Sean this evening. That will give you a feel for how I direct."
LINK TO PART ELEVEN: http://jrosemary.blogspot.com/2008/01/my.html
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