Day — Q1

Day

908

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

The sharp Ohio wind drove the cold to my bones. I stood in front of the door that was the threshold to everything. I paused and pulled the ring from my pocket and looked at it again. The pain was still there, the wound, just as sharp. Should I be here? The question pulled at me - begging me to go home and sit in front of the screen binge-watching some thriller. I pushed the thought out of my head and returned the ring to my pocket. I was here for her, and I was going to see this through.  

My hand, having found the door handle, pulled. I went inside, head down. 

The obvious smell of old beer hit me as I headed toward an empty table in the back. It was a busy night for the middle of the week. Sitting, my eyes quickly scanned the room. This wasn’t an early-twenties crowd. From what I could see, the youngest-looking in the room must have been at least mid-forties, which would make me the youngest. My eyes hit the bar and I did a quick re-calculation. The bartender was younger than me. A pretty blonde with her hair up in a bun - too busy to participate in the regular bartender banter, at least for the moment.  

I laid my tablet on the table in front of me and turned it on. I opened up the mail app and began typing.  “Dear Verity,”

♦️♦️ Sage ♦️♦️ 

“Thanks, Sage!” Hank nodded as he walked away with his drink. He was my steady gin and tonic. When you've bartended at a place as long as I have, everything is familiar. The flicker of the lights tells you what time it is. The pungent smell of brass polish lets you know when it was last done. The number of empty seats tells you which night of the week it is. So you notice when something is off.  

On a Tuesday night, it should have been six empty chairs - but tonight I counted five. I took a recount, and that's when I saw him - sitting in the back, unnoticed at first, but filling a seat that was supposed to be empty.  

There are two things that bartenders know above all else: drinks and people. Training my eyes on the surprise visitor, I quickly summed him up. This guy was a zombie if I ever saw one. A little bit fruity on the surface, but something potent underneath. It was in his eyes as they darted back and forth. He tried to focus on his screen, but was obviously looking for something — or someone. There was something about him — maybe his eyes — that looked familiar, but I’ve seen a thousand faces. This one was new — maybe?

I started wiping the counter. It makes me feel better when I’m nervous. I stopped when I got to where Joe was sitting.

“Hey, Joe. What do you make of the guy in the corner with the tablet? You know who he is?”

“I’ve never seen him, Sage, but I know why he’s here.”

“Yeah? You think he’s one of those?”

“I’d give him a few days, but if he’s still hanging around, yeah. Yeah. He’s one of those.”

I chuckled, feeling a little easier about it. “Those” were easy enough to handle and they didn’t generally stick around anyway. But when they did it always got weird, and I had to make a call.

♣️♣️♣️

I finished the email and darkened my tablet’s screen. I looked around and realized that I was the only one in the place — with the exception of the bartender — that didn’t have a drink. If I was going to stick around for any amount of time, I was going to need to make myself at home. I headed toward the bar.

I got a half-inviting smile from the bartender, but the other half asked what I was doing here. So I answered.

“I’m William. I’m here for…”

“I’m Sage, and I know why you’re here,” she responded curtly.

“…a Guinness.” I finished.

“Oh — oh, okay,” she flustered, putting her head down — obviously having a different idea of my needs. “I would have taken you for a screwdriver type,” she muttered, attempting a recovery.

“No. Just a Guinness. Thanks.” I wasn’t friendly.

“I haven’t seen you before, William.”

“Yeah — I’m waiting for someone.” She passed the Guinness across the bar. “I’ll run a tab.”

Drink in hand, I headed back to my table.

♦️♦️♦️

He ordered a Guinness. “That’s a curve,” I thought. I was sure he’d be something…less. I got a glass ready.

“You’re new,” I accused while attempting a smile.

“Yeah. Waiting for someone. Thanks for the beer.” Curt and to the point, he took his beer and went back to the table. I wiped my way back to Joe.

“You’re right, Joe. He’s here for her.”

Day

913

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

I looked around the bar. The beverage napkins on the floor, the spilled drinks, the loud drunks, and the quiet drunks. “This isn’t my scene — at least not without friends,” I thought to myself. My eyes wandered in Sage’s direction. Undeniable beauty, even after working long shifts dealing with noise and belligerence. A little bit of admiration for her began to rise in my chest. “Could she be an ally in an unfamiliar world? Could she make this place more palatable if I got to know her?” The thoughts pushed into my mind, but then she looked up and the same old scowl — the one that had been there since the first night in the bar — came at me like a harpoon. “This isn’t my scene…” I thought again.

♦️♦️ Sage ♦️♦️

My eyes caught William looking at me — almost with a hint of admiration in his eyes. That’s when I knew it was time to be direct. I headed over to his table.

“Look, William," my voice rose. "You've been here five nights in a row 'waiting for someone who never shows up. Cards on the table. You're here for her, aren't you?"

His eyes went to the table, but not naturally. One would expect a little shame or embarrassment, but this seemed forced - like he was trying to give me what I wanted.

“Yeah,” he muttered. “Yes. I’m here for her. And I’ll be here for as long as it takes. So go ahead and bring me another Guinness, thanks! I haven’t hassled you, and I’ve always paid. You’ve got no reason to have a conflict with me.”

“My conflict isn’t with you. It’s with your motivation,” I argued. “You aren’t the first one to come in here for her. You won’t be the last. But most of them stop coming when I call them out on it. But those that stay — the longer they’re here, the harder it is for them to contain their weirdo side, if you know what I mean. I’ve learned not to give them long enough to get that far.

He didn’t respond. I looked him up and down — and relented. I turned to go get him another Guinness. As I started back to the bar, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Sister goes and gets A-lister status in Hollywood and I get to deal with all the crazies.” I shook my head. Day

917

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

The bar was the same tonight as it was the night before, the night before, and the night before. I took a sip of my Guinness and turned on my tablet.

Dear Verity,

I’ve been here five days and every day is the same as the first.  I don’t know if this will even work, but I won’t be able to move on if it doesn’t. I’m not going to give up, no matter what obstacles are put in front of me.

I still miss you.

I turned off the tablet without hitting send.

♦️♦️ Sage ♦️♦️

It was an unusually slow night, but William was here. He had been here without fail for over a week, and my patience was wearing thin. He seemed obtuse enough, but he was looking for an ending that wasn’t coming, and to be honest, it was starting to feel a little pathetic. I poured him a Guinness and joined him at his table. He seemed surprised when I sat down but didn’t say anything.

“You know,” I started, “you’re number 539 to sit in this bar waiting for my sister to walk through those doors. What makes you so compelling that she'll show up here for you, but not for any of those other 538? What's the secret that makes you so desirable?”

“You want to know what makes me special? Let’s go out. We can go to dinner and dancing. How about that? Then you’ll know what makes me special.”

I looked him up and down. I was convinced he could eat, but this guy was no dancer. "No thanks," I refused flatly. "You're not my type. But that's it. Tonight's going to have to be your last night."

"Or what? I haven't done anything..."

"If you come back tomorrow, I'm going to have to call my dad — and I’m sure you already know he owns the place.”

♣️♣️♣️

I furrowed my brows. “Your dad? There isn’t really any reason to get him involved, is there?”

“If you won’t leave on your own, yeah. He’ll have you trespassed. I’d do it myself if I could,” she replied.

“You know, I don’t take up a lot of space, and you have plenty of regulars here. Why am I different than any of the others?”

“Because you’re here for Sarah. Regulars are here for the beer or other booze, conversation, and every once in a while a little bartender therapy. But if everyone that came for a chance to meet Sarah got to stay, this place would just be a bunch of goofs waiting around for their shot. It’s not personal.”

“OK. I’m not here for Sarah,” I retorted.

“Yeah, OK. Whatever. Consider this Guinness your last call. I wish you all the best in whatever life holds for you. It just doesn’t hold it here.”

With that statement of finality, she rose and went back to the bar.Day

918

♦️♦️ Sage ♦️♦️

I scanned the room and for the first time in over a week, things seemed to be back to normal. The brass was two days post-cleaning, and it had just the right amount of fingerprints on it. All the right seats were empty. After a short sigh of relief, I noticed that one bar light had gone out.

“I’ll take it! I thought to myself. Changing a light bulb is a lot easier than trespassing on someone.” I retrieved a bulb from the storeroom and started the swap.

“How many bartenders does it take to change a lightbulb?” I heard Joe ask.

“Two. One to turn the…” I trailed off as I looked across the room. My earlier optimism faded as I saw William enter the bar. He was later than usual, but he was here. I watched — a little more surprised that even I would have thought — as he walked across the room. There was no hesitation or apparent apprehension on his part. It was just like any other night to him — but not to me.

I walked back to the bar without acknowledging him as he took his usual seat.  Reaching for the phone, I made the call.

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

I had to admit to myself, as I took my regular seat, that Sage’s warning from the previous day had given me pause. But I wasn’t here for her, and I knew if my resolve weakened, that it had dire implications for all of us. I started to pull out my tablet, but was met with a voice that hadn’t been directed at me before.

“Hey, man. You might want to reconsider.”

I knew his name was Joe, but this was the first time he had any time for me. “Reconsider what?” I asked.

“Look, she’s just about to call her dad to have you trespassed. He’ll have to come down here. The police will have to come down here. No one is going to like you after this.”

“You didn’t like me before,” I responded.

“Meh. I was indifferent before, but you know, not everyone sitting in a bar is really that comfortable with the police. Sage will give them fair warning, but they won’t be happy about having to leave early if you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said as I went back to pulling out my tablet, “but this is bigger than any of that. I’m not going anywhere.”

♦️♦️♦️

I was fuming. I hadn’t had to do a trespass warning for something like three years. This guy was going to make me call the police over something so stupid! I had given my dad a heads up a few days ago, so he was ready to come by — I shook my head — so unnecessary.

“Listen up!” I started from behind the bar. “I’m about to make a call, and you all know what that means. You may not want to be here in thirty minutes.”

I texted my dad and then reached for the phone to call the police.

♣️♣️♣️

I watched Sage reach for her phone after her short speech to the customers. About six guys got up from their tables and headed for the doors. Two others from the bar followed them. Each of them gave me various levels of scowls as they did. One told Sage that he’d see her in about an hour when the coast was clear.

It took about 15 minutes for the police to arrive and for Sage to walk them to my table. The two officers stood on either side of me with their hands on their hips and heavy eyebrows.

“So, William. What’s the story here?” Began the good cop.

“No story, officer,” I replied. “I’m just waiting for a Guinness.”

“You’re not getting one!” Interjected Sage.

The officer put his hand up to indicate that he would take care of it.

“Well, I like a good Guinness now and then,” he continued. “But this isn’t the only bar in town. Is there a reason you have to drink it here?”

My mouth opened to answer when the bad cop nudged his partner and said, “Pat’s here.”

Both officers turned toward the door and Sage walked toward her dad.

♦️♦️♦️

I stood next to the two officers as they worked at getting William to head toward the door when my dad walked in. I stepped in his direction.

“Is that him over there?” Dad asked.

“Yeah.”

Dad walked toward the officers when he suddenly stopped, staring at William.

“Wait!” He started, and then walked more purposefully toward William. When he reached the table, he extended his hand. “William Mercer?? THE William Mercer In my bar? What are you doing here?! Shouldn’t you be somewhere else recording your next album?”

He turned to me, “Sage! Get William a drink.” He dismissed the officers and pulled a chair up to the table.

My head tilted and jaw fell, but I turned toward the bar to pour a Guinness.

♣️♣️♣️

I watched as the officers walked away and Sage returned to the bar. There were days in the past that I would have felt a smug satisfaction at this outcome, but I haven’t felt that way in a long time. It was, however, a good thing for me that Pat was a jazz fan. I didn’t know the man, but he obviously had good taste.

He pulled up a chair and took my hand in both of his, shaking heartily. “It’s nice to meet you! I have all your songs in my playlists, but you haven’t put out anything new in a while.”

I made an attempt at a friendly smile and said, “Thanks.”

“No. Thank you for coming to my bar. Maybe we can make you a regular — I could totally have a stage built in over there where you could play your sax. It would be an honor to have you here on a regular basis, but what brings you here anyway? Sage thinks you’re here to meet Sarah, but what’s really going on?”

I directed my look at his face. “The truth?”

He returned my look and nodded. “Nothin’ less.”

“Well, the truth is,” I started. “The truth is that it’s a long story and I have to go back to Day 1 to tell it. Maybe it’s too much truth?”

“I’m an old man who has nothing but time. This bar pays my retirement, but I don’t work it. That’s up to Sage. So, yeah. If you’ve got a Day 1, let’s start there.”

So I did. Back to Day 1 — the day my life truly began.

♦️♦️♦️

I dropped William's Guinness at the table and shuffled back to the bar, still unsure about what just happened. This was an unexpected twist and it felt like a proper moment for outreach. Grabbing my phone, I pulled up my old messages. Scrolling back to Labor Day to find whom I was looking for, I typed.

Hey, Sarah - Does the name William Mercer ring a bell? Day

1
part I

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

“Sorry, Mr. K, your show has been CANCELED!” arm mimicking an axe.

“SORRY, Mr. K, your show has been canceled,” head down and sullen.

“Sorry, Mr. K, but YOUR show has been canceled!” Chest out, proud.

“Sorry, Mr. K, YOU have been…” hands around script strangling pages.

I stopped practicing my line mid-sentence as I heard someone pull out the chair from the desk next to me. Taking in the surprisingly pleasant scent of perfume, I could tell it was a woman without looking. I took in the scent trying to imagine what she looked like. I sat very still while painting a portrait in my mind. She was blonde. No… Strawberry-blonde. Her eyes were green and she had freckles. She was slim and quite tall,  5’ 9” give or take an inch. Her lips were pouty and her eyes were bright.

I didn’t dare turn in fear of ruining the image I had built in my head. I’d done this before — trying to imagine what someone looks like from the sound of their voice, or the scent of their perfume. I was always wrong, and I was always disappointed.

My thoughts were interrupted by the clattering of a pen to the floor. From the corner of my eye, I could see it resting between our desks. My mind did the back and forth wondering if it was close enough that I would be rude not to pick it up — or if I could get away with ignoring it. While pondering, I saw a hand stretching toward the pen in an effort to retrieve it. I gave in.

“Thank you!” she said as I reached up to hand her the pen. When she took it, I saw her for the first time. In that moment, the vision I had created faded into history. Sitting before me was a woman that made my vision a candle against the sun — and my voice abandoned me. I was grateful to just be able to get out a weak grunt and nod of my head in response before quickly turning back to face the front of the room.

I could feel the heat in my face as it must have turned three shades of red. Simultaneously, my mouth went dry, and my stomach twisted. I could only hope that she wouldn’t try to talk…

“My name is Helen,” I heard her say. I turned my crimson face toward her and choked out, “I’m William. Cool pen!”

❤️❤️ Helen ❤️❤️

I walked into the room with a bit of anticipation and great fear. It was my first day of acting class. I’d done some commercials and some local plays when I was living in Missouri, but my agent said it would be a good idea for me to have some classes under my belt — particularly after moving to California. He also said that making contacts was half the job.

I scanned the room for a place to sit. There were eight rows of desks with five seats in each row. Most of them were still empty — a benefit of being early. My goal wasn’t an empty seat, though. My goal was a friend. It’s hard enough taking these classes, much less doing it alone. I was drawn to the left side of the room where a couple of young guys were chatting away. They were both easy eights, and I took one step in their direction.

I shook my head. “No. No boyfriends. Need to focus on this class. I’m just looking for a friend,” I reminded myself and kept looking.

On the right side of the room was a group of three women chatting away.

“Too difficult to join a group,” I thought to myself.

I checked out the middle of the room. There was one guy sitting a couple of rows back from the front. “Hmm… late-30s? No romantic threat. Alone? No group to break into. Choking paper? Bit weird, but I’ll give it a shot,” I concluded. I walked up to the desk next to him and sat down.

I put my backpack under my desk. The paper-choking stopped. He just kind of sat there looking at the stage. “Time to make a friend,” I said under my breath and struck up a conversation. Well — I dropped my pen, which generally does the trick. At first, he just sat there, so I prompted him, pretending to try to reach for it. It took him longer than I thought it would, but he reached over and picked it up for me. As he returned it to me, I sized him up. I might have been wrong about the late 30s, but definitely mid-30s. Not unattractive. Bright blue eyes, with wispy blond hair. He had a gentle face, and he was bashful — definitely the shy type. He turned back around quickly after he handed me his pencil, but I needed a friend and I wasn’t giving up. He was as good a choice as any — and after looking around again, I was sure he was better than most.

“So I’m Helen,” I said. He said his name was William and told me that he liked my pen. I admit I’ve never heard that before. I couldn’t tell if it was a pick-up line or if he was lost for words. Judging from the crimson in his face, I would guess the latter.

“So have you been acting long?”I persisted.

“About 30 minutes,” he replied.

I grinned, and was about to ask him another question when several more students came into class and took their seats. The instructor bounded up to the stage, and I was out of time.

♣️♣️♣️

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Acting 101.375. I’m Raoul Richards. Today, I’m going to get to know you a little better and assess any natural talents you may possess. This includes singing, dancing, and pantomiming — well, not pantomiming, unless you’re really good at it. Anyway, before I get to know you, you need to get to know each other. I’m going to give you thirty minutes to find a partner and get to know each other. You will be working with them throughout this course — not exclusively, but close, so choose wisely. Oh, and preferably someone that you won’t mind kissing.”

“Did he say kiss?” I thought to myself. “I’m 39. No one here will want to kiss me, acting or not.” I quickly scanned the room. I was clearly the oldest there, and I don’t think the next in line was any closer than ten years younger than me. As I scanned the room, it was clear that no one was looking in my direction. I began looking around when I suddenly felt a hand on my wrist.

“I’m sorry, Harold. I already have a partner.” I turned around. Helen had taken my arm and was telling another man that she was with me.

“Hi, I’m Tom.” I heard and turned around again. “Would you like to be my partner?” I looked at Helen who was pleading with her eyes. I turned back to Tom. “Sorry. I already have a partner.” He shrugged and walked off in another direction. Helen’s Harold remained.

“No, you’re going to be my partner,” he said as he looked at the clock. “You have about five minutes to figure that out. Which shouldn’t be too difficult. Look at that guy. He’s got to be at least fifteen years older than you. It’ll be like kissing your dad.”

I could tell Helen was uncomfortable, but I didn’t know what to say. I turned to Harold and said, “You know, Harold, I’m not her dad, but I am an actor. How about I play her dad, and you play the guy that couldn’t take a hint?” He looked me up and down twice and slowly turned to find someone else.

Helen looked at me and apologized. “I’m sorry for volunteering you to be my partner, but he was creeping me out.” I thought about my near fate and answered her. “No worries. I’m afraid you got the short end of the stick anyway. I’m 39.”

“Don’t worry about it, William. I’m going to be 37,” she said with a grin.

I knew she was kidding, but it was a nice way to temper my disappointment. I wouldn’t have put her over 23, but it did make me feel a little less like a creep.

❤️❤️❤️

The room filled up quickly when it was time to begin. The teacher was on stage and speaking before some of the students had found a seat. I could hear him talking, but my mind wandered to the room itself. It was an old warehouse — nice for having enough space to do what we wanted, but it was going to be hot during the middle part of the day. The class was only for 12 weeks over the summer. The ceiling fans and the ventilation from the broken windows helped, but it was going to get warm pretty quickly.

It wasn’t long, and he was telling us to choose partners. I’m always up for meeting someone new, but then he said something about kissing. That took about 75% of the class out of my preferred choices. Even though William seemed like a nice guy, kissing someone that much older than me would seem a bit weird. I looked around the room. My eyes returned to the couple of guys near the door that might have worked, so I started toward them. Before I had taken two steps, another man was standing in front of me, blocking my way. “Hi! I’m Harold, and I’ll be your partner for this class,” he said.

“Um, no,” I replied as I backed up toward my desk. “You won’t be my partner.”

“Come on. You know I will. We only have thirty minutes, and I’m not letting you get past me to those guys over there,” Harold said as he nodded in the direction that I was headed.

“I wasn’t headed that way anyway. Why would I be going over there when I already have a partner?”

“Exactly.”

I reached behind me and grabbed William’s arm. “William is my partner.” Harold’s eyes widened, but he was not deterred. He tried to pull my hand off of William’s arm about the same time William turned around. He made some comment about William’s age, and William persuaded him to leave. Even though he had left, I was guessing this wasn’t the last I would hear of Harold.

“Thanks,” I told William. “I’m sorry for volunteering you like that, but I didn’t want to have to kick Harry’s ass on the first day.”

“No worries,” he replied and smiled, “He’s probably harmless, but either way, you’re getting the short end of the stick. I’m 39.”

I smiled, “It’s okay. I’m going to be 37.”

“Really?!” he asked in surprise. “I wouldn’t have put you over 23.”

“Yeah, well, it’ll take a little while to get there, but I have every intention of being 37 someday.”

William gave a crooked smile as I admitted I was 24. He seemed like a nice guy. I was glad we met, but I confess I’m not all that confident about having to kiss him. On the flip side of things, I sure as hell wasn’t kissing Harry.

We found a spot to sit down, and I asked him to tell me his story.

Day

1
Part II

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

We headed over to the side of the room to get to know each other better per the teacher’s instructions. As we walked, I took the time to appreciate my situation. Here I was with the most beautiful woman in the room, and it wasn’t even close. We were going to be partners for the next few weeks. I looked at her. The way her long brown hair framed her face and neck, her beautiful brown eyes…there was no way to describe her beauty with any kind of justice. Even though I wasn’t her first choice as a partner…I still couldn’t keep the crooked grin off my face.

We sat down and she asked me for my story. I told her I don’t really have a story.

“Everyone has a story, William,” she said. “Here, I’ll start.”

“You know my first name is Helen, but my friends call me by my middle name.”

“Oh? What’s your middle name?”

She smiled, “Friends only.”

That took me aback a little, but maybe I make friends a bit too easily. I could feel myself blush a little, but quickly recovered. “OK. Fair enough. My friends call me by a special nickname. But it’s secret too, you know, until we’re friends.”

“I can wait.”

I furrowed my brow. “You’re not supposed to say that. You’re supposed to say ‘I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.’”

“Or I could have patience.”

“OK. You win, but you should know I intend to be your friend.”

“You’re off to a good start. So are you ready for the ‘talent contest’?”

“Oh,” I replied. “Of course. Well, except for the singing part. I don’t sing.”

“What??” she asked. “Why not? Are you that bad?”

“I’m mediocre, but it’s not my talent that keeps me from bringing tears to everyone’s ears. It’s the trauma. I’ll tell you the story, but you have to promise not to laugh too much. It isn’t really that funny.”

“Nothing more than a snicker — I promise.”

I gave her a sideways glance and began, “When I was in college, I went to a karaoke bar with some friends. I wasn’t too keen on singing to begin with, but after a beer or two and a couple of buddies saying they would sing with me, I decided it wouldn’t hurt anything. So halfway through the song, one of my buddies starts moving behind me. I didn’t notice until it was too late. I was pants’d. Everyone in the bar saw my paisley boxers. Since that day, I’ve refused to sing publicly.

A sound came out of Helen’s nose.

“OK…that was a snort.”

“No way,” she grinned. “That was a snicker.”

“Nope. Everyone knows a snort when they hear one.”

“OK. I’m sorry, but I could just picture the look on your face. Have you had counseling?”

I gave her a quick scowl and said, “My turn. Are you ready for the ‘talent contest’?”

“I think so. I’m all right with singing, and I can hold my own when dancing…”

Before she could finish, Raoul called us back together as a group.

“I hope you’ve all learned a little bit about each other. It’s probably the most truth you’re going to get out of each other the rest of the time we’re together. We are actors, after all.”

“What I need you to do now,” he continued, “Is for one of you to come up to the stage and pick up a script for you and your partner. We’ll be using it to work on our acting skills. It’s quite an inspiring screenplay, as you’ll find out. And I should know — I wrote it. While you’re getting your script, please add your name and your partner’s name to the sign-up sheet on the table. I will be using that to call you up for your debut.”

We all kind of looked at each other and hoped for the best. I went to pick up the scripts as did Harold. He was heading back as I was approaching the stage and he bumped my shoulder with his. He grabbed my arm and said, “Sorry,” in as threatening a way as that word can be said.

“As you are looking over the scripts, I’m going to be calling you up one team at a time for a quick talent evaluation. I want to know what your strengths and weaknesses are,” Raoul continued.

❤️❤️ Helen ❤️❤️

I watched William go to get the scripts and saw Harry bump into him. I couldn’t help but shiver a little. Harry was trouble, and I wanted nothing to do with him. I looked back at William. He had let the incident go. I appreciated that. I didn’t know him well yet, but I was fairly convinced that William was friendship material.

We sat and talked a little while as we waited for our turn on stage. As one team at a time auditioned, I couldn’t help but notice that there were some very talented people in the class. The more time went by, the more worried I was about embarrassing myself. I asked William what he thought.

“Well, it’s definitely possible to embarrass yourself, but I wouldn’t worry about it. I haven’t heard you sing, but I’m sure you’re great. The dancing will be a two-person deal, so as long as we can keep up with each other, it should be fine. Although I am a bit worried that I won’t pass the photogenic test.”

“Photogenic test?”

William smiled. “All actors have to pass the photogenic test, right? I mean,  dancers can stand in for actors and, if needed, an actor can lip-sync. It’s the face that has to be right.”

“Good point. Now I’m more nervous.”

“Don’t be. That’s one test you pass with flying colors.”

I think it was my turn to blush. I didn’t say anything, but I appreciated his encouragement.

♣️♣️♣️

Helen and I talked for a while as the other teams were completing their talent evaluations. In an effort to take our minds off the wait for our turn, I brought up the point that regardless of our talent, it was our face that would be what merited the most interest.

“Great. Now I’m even more nervous,” she responded to the idea.

“Oh, you’ve got nothing to worry about there,” I told her. “You’ll pass that test easily.”

She blushed a little, and I felt like maybe I had said the wrong thing. I debated trying to correct my error, but didn’t know how. In the end, I let the awkward silence stand.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before we heard Harold and his partner, Alison, called to the stage. We hadn’t paid much attention to the others, but Helen and I both had an interest in seeing what he could do.

They began with the dance. It was clear from the beginning that he and Alison weren’t on the same page. The poor woman was trying to follow his lead, but he wasn’t leading very well. In spite of his poor leading, he seemed to be angry at his partner for their mediocre performance. I was watching him closely, and it looked at one point like he had balled one of his hands into a fist. He left it at his side, however, and it was subtle enough that I doubted whether I had actually seen it happen.

Alison’s voice was okay, but nothing exceptional. When Harold began singing, I admit that his talent surprised me. His voice was the best that we’d heard since the evaluations had begun. The group applauded his performance, and he and Alison stepped down from the stage.

❤️❤️❤️

Helen and William, you’re up!” Called Raoul.

William and I got up and headed in his direction.

“Hi, Helen, William. How are you both today? I’m going to be assessing your talent level to see which role you are best suited for in this class. I’ll want to see how well you dance and listen to you sing. As you know, the rest of the class will be listening and watching. As with the other groups, we’ll begin with the dancing. Just give me a second to get the music ready.”

I could tell William was nervous.

I put my hand on his arm. “Don’t worry. I’m a pretty good dancer,” I reassured him. “Just let me lead, and we’ll be fine.”

When the music began, William took my hand, and we began to dance. It’s true I can hold my own as a dancer, but William was out of my league. The music began with a waltz, then the tempo picked up. William didn’t miss a beat. I kept wondering if he could keep it up at his age, but he barely broke a sweat.

As the music ended, the room broke out in spontaneous applause. I think it was as much out of surprise as it was appreciation. But either way, William deserved it. He can dance.

I looked over at him. As the applause died down, it was time to begin the singing part. His face had turned ashen, and I wished there was something I could do to help him. I grabbed his arm and told him that he could do it. He looked at me to thank me, but I could tell it hadn’t helped.

Day

1
Part III

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

It was time for the dance portion of the talent review. I was glad we were starting with this. I had taken two years of dance classes of all kinds. It wasn’t for any specific reason other than being single affords more time for things like that. The music began, and I took Helen’s hand. She mentioned something about leading, but once the music started, everything became automatic for me. She didn’t seem to mind once we had started.

I enjoyed dancing while I could, but soon enough, it was time for the singing. I was glad now that I had told her my karaoke story. At least she would understand why I was suddenly trembling and pale. She grabbed my arm and told me that I could do it. I appreciated the attempt at comforting me, but I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.

“I’ll go first,” she said. I knew she was putting off my turn so that I had time to compose myself. I was trying to psych myself up to go when she began to sing. As her voice began to fill the room, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked. It was the most incredible sound I had ever heard. There are good singers, there are great singers, and then there is Helen. We were all captivated from the first note to the very last. Her five minutes blew by and it was soon my turn again — although I did get a small reprieve until the applause died down. She came back and looked me in the eyes.

“You can do this, William. I know you can.”

I looked at her and said, “Helen, no one can do that.”

A soft clearing of his throat and Raoul had my attention. It was my turn. Helen stayed where she was and I spoke in a soft voice to Raoul.

“Hey, man. I can’t do this.”

“Are you an actor?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Then pretend you can do this.”

I looked at him. He had no sympathy in his eyes.

“Everyone will do this,” he said.

“I’m sorry. I just can’t.”

I could tell he was frustrated, but he wasn’t going to waste time arguing with me either. He looked at Helen and said, “You and your dad can go sit down. Toni and Jordan. Come to the stage, please.”

Helen and I returned to where we were sitting before we went on stage. Neither of us said a word.

We listened to the rest of the groups perform. I was the only one that did not sing. While no one else’s singing came close to what Helen did, Harold was probably the second best in the class. All of us sat around while Raoul looked over his notes from the singing and dancing. Finally, he spoke.

“Everyone, we are almost at the end of today’s class. Before we leave, I’d like to thank you for your patience while I evaluated each team. I have videotaped each performance and will take those home to review. I will need a few days, but it is possible that by the end of the week, I may need to rework a few of the teams. I want to give everyone in the class the best chance at success, and to do that I need to match talent levels as best as possible. Tomorrow we will begin working on the scripts. If there are no questions, class is dismissed.”

With that, everyone walked back to their desks and began packing up their belongings.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t sing,” I said to Helen.

She looked at me and smiled. “It’s all right,” she said. “Maybe some other time.”

I could hear a tinge of disappointment in her voice, and I felt bad. She took her bag and headed to the door with a quick “bye.”

I picked up my items and put them in my bag and headed toward the door too.

❤️❤️ Helen ❤️❤️

I headed toward my car. I was disappointed that William hadn’t sung, but more than that I was disappointed that I couldn’t figure out some way to help him get past his fear. With my mind elsewhere, I didn’t notice the motorcycle approaching me in the parking lot. I did notice it when it had come between me and my car. Harold glared at me from the seat.

“Hey, what are you doing tonight?”

“Going home,” I said.

“Oh, don’t be lame. Hop on the back, and I’ll take you for a ride.”

Something about the way he said that sent chills up my spine and made my hair stand on end. “I really need to get home. I have other things to do today.”

“Where do you live? I’ll give you a lift.”

“I have a car.”

“I hope it still works.”

I glanced over at my car. It didn’t look like anything had been done to it, but now I was worried.

“Come on. You know you’re gonna be mine. Why fight it?”

“Hey, you forgot your pen.”

Harry and I both looked over to see William standing there with a smile and a pen in his hand.

“That isn’t my…Thanks!” I said. That’s my lucky pen. I don’t know what I would have done without it.

Harry scowled at William and asked, “How long are you going to try to ruin things for us?”

♣️♣️♣️

I walked out the doors into the sunny parking lot to see Harold sitting on a motorcycle blocking Helen’s path to her car. I could see that she was uncomfortable, and Harry looked like he was enjoying himself a little too much. I pulled a pen out of my pocket and headed in their direction.

“You forgot your pen,” I said to Helen. Without missing a beat, she responded.

“Thanks! This is my lucky pen. I don’t know what I’d do without it.”

“Hey, man. How long are you going to keep showing up during my time? Class is one thing, but it’s after hours now. Give Helen a chance to hang out with a real man.”

“I’m sure she’d love to, but it looks like you’re sitting in her way. If you move, she might go hang out with a real man.”

“Oh, she’s going to hang out with a real man, real soon.”

Helen’s face made it clear that she had had enough. “Harold, I’m not going to hang out with you. I’m not going to date you, I’m not going to the prom with you, and I’d be happy to never see you again.”

“You’re only saying that because he’s here,”Harry said, pointing to me. “Why don’t you take a hike, man?”

I stepped up to Harold. “Listen, man. She’s not interested. She just told you so. Hit the road.”

“Or what?”

“Or we’ve been dancing around this all day long. Step off your bike, and we can clear the air over you running into me earlier today.”

He looked at me, but didn’t get off his bike. He looked at Helen and gave it a quick rev, finally leaving in a shower of gravel. The rock pinged several cars as he left. I felt a couple hit my legs. I looked over at Helen.

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. Thanks for the pen.”

“Sorry if I stepped in when I shouldn’t have.”

“No,” she said. “I don’t want to deal with that guy alone. He scares me a bit.”

“Yeah. Understandable. Anyway, have a good night. See ya tomorrow.”

“Sure thing. Get some rest. Tomorrow we work on our lines.”

I chuckled. “Good thing. My lines need some work.”

I stuck around until she got her car started, and then I headed home.

❤️❤️❤️

I pulled into the bookstore parking lot shortly after 6 p.m. I walked into the coffee area and sat down across from the man who was already sitting there.

“Sorry I’m late,” I said as I kissed him on the cheek.

“No problem, dear. Glad to see your smiling face. How was class?”

“It was interesting to say the least. They had us pair up for the class, then we were evaluated on our singing and dancing.”

“It sounds intense,” he responded. “How’s your partner?”

“He’s interesting. Older, but a nice guy. Good friend material, I think.”

“How much older?”
“He’s 39.”

“Hmm… are you okay with that?”

“I am as a friend. I wouldn’t want to date him or anything. Besides, we were sort of thrown together.”
“How’s that?”

“Well, there’s another guy in the class. This guy named Harold. He’s got it in his mind that I should be dating him. I think he thinks I’m the love of his life.”

“I assume you made it clear to him that you aren’t?”

“I tried, but I don’t know if he’s the kind to get it.”

“You want me to come to class and convince him?”

“Daddy, I’m 24. I have to handle some things on my own.”

“This is true. You make sure that your bank account is current and you don’t have any overdue bills. If something is going to get physical, I don’t want you trying to take him on yourself.”

“He tried to get me alone after class, but William came over and got rid of him.”

“Who’s William?”

“He’s my partner. The 39-year-old.”

We finished our coffees and our conversation.

“Well, honey, you keep me posted on this Harold guy and let me know if you need me to step in.”

“I will, Dad. Thanks. I love you.”

“Back at you, kid.”

A quick hug and peck on the cheek, and I went home.Day

919

♦️♦️ Sage ♦️♦️

I unlocked the door and looked down at my watch. 3 p.m. was really too early for my shift, but I needed the bar ready tonight. Everything I thought I knew last night turned on a dime, and that made the bar uncharacteristically unfamiliar to me. I spent the night in a haze as Dad laughed while William went on about some acting class. I brought drinks to the table as I needed to, but I avoided lingering.

Arriving early was an attempt at setting things in order before what promised to be another long night of chaos in what I had considered my safe space. I dipped the rag in the brass polish and started to work on the million fingerprints.

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

Three times I had re-entered the hotel, deciding not to go to the bar tonight. But I was back again — same table, same Guinness bottle. One more night in this chair on a mission that hadn’t changed, even now that I’d been recognized. And after last night — after sharing the day my life started with Pat — I couldn’t tell if the bar was lighter or heavier. He was coming back for more of my biography tonight. A story full of memories and sweet melancholy. Melancholy and pain. It was the pain that made me question all of this. But then all of this was the remedy for that pain. I had to finish what I — what we — had started.

♦️♦️♦️

“Phew! You did the brass today!” Hank loudly stated the obvious to Sage as he came back for another gin and tonic.

“Looks good, doesn't it?”

“It wasn’t my eyes that told me,” Hank held his nose.

Sage placed his drink in front of him, and they both looked over at William. Hank spoke, “Well, that was a twist.”

“Yeah…” answered Sage, “but no lime. I don’t like it.”

“You never know. Maybe he’s a good guy. Maybe your dad really can convince him to start doing weekend sets here or something.”

“Hank, this bar has been the same since I started working in it 15 years ago at age 16. No reason to change it now. Besides, I Googled this guy. He’s really popular in the jazz world, but his personal life? Nothing. It’s like someone on the internet is trying to avoid a spoiler.”

With a chuckle, Hank grabbed his drink and walked back to his table. Sage turned her back to the bar and began cleaning bottles and washing bar glasses when she heard a slight buzzing on the bar.

Pulling out her phone, the screen lit up with one text message — from Sarah.

“Hmph,” she thought to herself. “Wasn’t expecting a response before Easter.”

She opened her messages and read.

♣️♣️♣️

Pat arrived before I finished my second Guinness. He was a nice man. He wasn’t at fanboy status, but he did seem genuinely interested in wanting to hear my story without any sort of ulterior motive. Rare in this world that someone isn’t expecting something in return.

“William! How’d you sleep? That was a crazy story last night, but it explains why you’re on the saxophone and not the microphone, eh? So what happened with you and Helen? Did you get booted from class for not singing? Spill the beans!”

“Well, the next couple of days were okay. Helen and I worked on getting to know each other, read some lines together. That was about it. I will say the more I got to know her, the more I realized how kind and supportive she was. But I had no idea until the day that Raoul gave us the results of our talent evaluations.”

“I’m all ears!”

♦️♦️♦️

I opened the message and read it.

“Yeah — isn’t he that jazz guy that Dad likes to listen to sometimes? Why are you asking??”

“Two question marks?” I pondered aloud.

The next thought I kept to myself. “This coming from someone who’s good for a ‘hbu’ once in six months? Something’s up!”

I responded. “He’s here…in the bar — waiting for you.”

“Just waiting?”

“Like all the other hundreds, yeah. He’s just telling Dad his life story.”

“Life story? What is he saying exactly?”

I began to respond, but her questions disappeared. What is he saying exactly? was replaced with Oh, That’s nice. C-ya later!

“Strange,” I thought as I scrunched my nose and furrowed my brows. Day

5

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

“Class! Gather around. It took some time, but I reworked some of the teams that you have formed. This is based on your individual levels and what I think will help each of you achieve your greatest potential. So please when I call your name, come up to the front of the stage.”

He pulled out a sheet of paper and began calling off names. “Amanda, Tony, Frank, Harold, Helen, William, Alison, Susan, and Eric.”

We all approached the stage. He began by speaking to Helen and me.

“William, your dancing was superb. No one else even came close to what you did up here. But then you refused to sing. It’s one thing for someone to lack talent, but it is something else altogether to lack courage. I am afraid that I have to give you a different partner for this class. And frankly, I’m not sure you’re cut out for this kind of career if you can’t handle your fears. Alison! You and Helen switch partners. You will be William’s partner and Helen will be partnered with Harold.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was mortifying. About halfway through what he was saying, I zoned out. I vaguely heard something about giving me a different partner, but I was stunned.

❤️❤️ Helen ❤️❤️

I looked over at William. So he didn’t sing. He didn’t deserve being called out like this in front of the whole class. Then I heard Raoul say that we were switching partners. I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer. Then he spoke the words, “…Helen will be partnered with Harold.” I spoke out in protest.

“Raoul can I have a different partner? Harold and I don’t get along.”

“Hello, class,” Raoul dripped sarcasm, “You are actors. Pretend to get along.”

I was stunned. I looked over at Harold. If I didn’t know better, I would say I saw him lick his lips. I wasn’t sure what I was going to…

My jaw dropped. Everyone’s jaw dropped. I looked over and William was on the stage! He wasn’t a great singer, but he was singing. I couldn’t have kept the smile from spreading across my face if I’d wanted to. I looked back at Harold and moved toward William.

♣️♣️♣️

It was like an out of body experience. I watched myself from the floor as I took the stage and started a cappella. This wasn’t the plan, but here I was belting out broken note after broken note. I knew when I saw the look of fear on Helen’s face that I had to do something. The look of relief that washed over her as I started almost made it worth it. As surprising as my singing was Helen joining me on the stage. Our voices could hardly be described as blending, but her voice balanced the unique flavor of mine. Standing there together, I felt her hand move down my back as she grabbed a belt loop and pulled up.

“Don’t worry,” she said between notes, “I’ve got your back!”

From my out-of-body vantage point, I could see the silly ear-to-ear grin I wore throughout the entire tortured melody. I sang until Raoul waved his hands indicating to stop.

“I see, William. You have found your courage. It is not your singing ability I am so much interested in as it is your ability to step out of your comfort zone. I am impressed, but there is nothing like a pretty girl to help a man find his courage, eh?” he said as he grinned. “You two can continue to be partners. The rest of you come see me and we will sort out who will be partnered with whom.”

Helen was standing in front of me. Behind her I could see Harold seething. He was not a happy man. I turned and looked to Helen. She smiled and pulled my ear to her lips until I could hear her whisper, “You can call me Verity.”Day

920

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

Dear Verity,

I shared your middle name yesterday. Your real name — our name. I hope you don’t mind. It’s the only way I can tell the story accurately. Calling you Helen feels like a lie even now. After everything. I know I can’t send this. I know you can never see it. But I have to write it. I know you of all people would get that.

Pat seems like a decent guy, and I’m glad he’s a jazz fan. I almost got trespassed. I had a plan, but being recognized has sort of made this whole thing at least a little easier. I don’t really know how long this will take, but I promise I won’t let you down. Doing this without you is so hard. You were always there to guide me when I lost my way — I will try to stay true to your voice, but…

Anyway, I love you — I guess I never said that enough when I had the chance.

William

I added the email to my drafts folder and closed the app. I put my tablet down and took another sip.

Looking around the bar, there were a lot of empty seats tonight. Pat wasn’t going to make it either. I opened the news app on my tablet and settled in for a boring evening.

♦️♦️ Sage ♦️♦️

It was a slow night and I was tired of wiping the bar. I pulled out my phone and opened Spotify.

“You see that, Hank? William Mercer — 728,343 monthly listeners. Is that a good number?”

“I don’t know. How many does Elvis have?”

“Haha. Um, oh! He’s at over twenty-one million!”

“Well, he’s been dead for awhile and he’s still winning.”

“Yeah, maybe I should look at someone maybe less iconic for comparison?”

“Hmm… try Hank Williams? I’m named after him, you know?”

My eyes widened, “We’ll, Hank, no one is as iconic as you — at least not here. But he’s sitting at a little under a million and a half.”

“Still,” I mused mostly to myself, “fancy a listen?”

Hank looked at me as a grin crossed his face. “How bad could it be?”

“Well, my dad’s tastes are a bit eclectic…this could go either way.”

I opened the bluetooth on the bar speakers and hit play.

♣️♣️♣️

I stopped reading mid-sentence. My eyes moved slowly from the screen to the bar where Sage and Hank were looking at her phone. It was the first time I’d heard music played over the speakers since I’d walked in that first night. It had always been sports or some other television show.

My mind went back and forth between the idea that this was to embarrass me and the thought that she might genuinely be interested in the music. I got my answer mid-song when it cut out and the television came back on.

My fingers pressed into the table as I began to get up - then relaxed as I changed my mind. It was best to leave things unspoken. Sage and I weren’t on any better terms since her dad had entered the bar. And truly, they seemed to deteriorate at that point. I’ve only heard the same two words from Sage since that night, “Your Guinness.”

♦️♦️♦️

Hank and I looked at each other as the song played.  He gave me the “gag” sign and laughed. I grinned and cut off the music.

“Definitely not my thing,” Hank chuckled. “Give me a guitar over that any day!”

I laughed, “Haha. Yeah.” I turned and lowered my phone below the bar. I took a quick glance around the bar and at Hank, then pressed Follow on the screen.Day

923

♦️♦️ Sage ♦️♦️

I looked around at the bar. It was home again. William hadn’t stopped coming, but his presence was finally a part of the routine. The number of empty chairs fit again and after two weeks things felt normal again.

My phone buzzed with a new message from Sarah.

Hey

What’s the latest?

This was not what I was expecting after our last conversation. I picked up my phone and typed.

Who is this?

Oh stop! What’s new at the bar?

No.Seriously — you never text.

I’m just curious. Why is a jazz musician hanging out there for me?

I don’t know. Why don’t I give him your number and you can call him to ask.

No! I mean I don’t think…why would I do that? He’s like all the others.

Then why are you texting me and asking about him?

I’m just curious. Humor me!

He’s telling Dad his whole life story. He’s been talking for the last two days about reading lines with someone named Verity. I don’t know.

So nothing…interesting?

Not really. There’s some guy named Harold. He seems like a jerk. I don’t really hear much. I just drop off the drinks and come back to the bar.

You should start listening and keep me posted.

It’s really not that interesting. What’s up with you?

Ok. Well, G2G.

That was it. She was done, and so was I.

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

“William!” Pat pulled up a chair as I closed my tablet. “Hey! So where were we? I think you had just told me about how the cliques were kind of forming in class.

“Yeah — it wasn’t really about cliques, but there did seem to be some kind of loyalties forming in the classroom. Harold certainly had his acolytes. There were a couple of pretty good sized guys that hung out with him quite a bit, but they seemed more interested in his money than him.”

“Still,” I continued, “they were pretty chatty — but Harold just gave off a bad vibe. Short tempered, demanding his way — small things, but definitely noticeable. Most people tried to avoid him, but poor Alison was stuck with him. I don’t know how she got stuck with him as a partner. He must have been the only one left.”

“Did you and Verity spend much time with him?”

“No. We did our best to avoid him. He tried, but we were able to avoid him for the most part.  Anyway, things were pretty routine for a few weeks, but we all knew that one day was looming. There was some tension around it.”

“Oh?” Pat leaned in, “what day was that?”

I began to tell Pat about day thirty when I noticed that Sage had begun wiping a table nearby. Unusual - she usually left the tables until after closing. Still, I continued.

Day

30

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

Sitting at my desk, I looked up at the clock. It was 7:43 a.m. Class started at 8:30, but I had to be early today. No way to avoid what was coming, but what time was it? I pulled out my phone. 7:45 a.m. Yeah, this isn’t helping. Standing up for a walk, sitting down because I don’t need to walk. But I do. Getting up again, I walk to the stage. Climb the steps - back down - back up. 7:46… Not helping.

I took a deep breath and went back to my chair. I pulled the script out and read the scene again. Today was the day. Verity had to kiss me. I know we’re friends, and we’re trying to become actors, but can she fake that?

I realized I was saying that aloud as a fellow student entered the room. No more burning off energy - it’s going to be a long day.

❤️❤️ Helen ❤️❤️

I walked through the doors knowing what today brought. I thought about being “sick,” but sometimes a person just has to do what they have to do. I let out a sigh and walked into the classroom.

I looked over, and William was already here. I bit my lip…it’s not that I can’t kiss him. I’m an actress - it’s not an issue. But he is older…by almost 20 years. And worse than that, I like him. We’ve really become good friends, and I don’t want to lose that with him. I began to think that maybe I should have chosen a different partner, but that thought was fleeting. He’d been a good - no, superb - partner. He’s always been there for me when I stumble, and I’ve been able to do the same for him.

A little shiver woke Helen from her thoughts, and she headed toward her seat.

“Alright, class, let’s get started. I’m going to give you an hour to rehearse your lines, and then we’re going to hit the stage and check out your chemistry. Let’s see what you’ve got!” Raoul called out.

♣️♣️♣️

“Oh, man - here she comes. OK. A breath - better. Another breath…okay. I’m ready…”

“Hey, William,” she interrupted my thoughts. It wasn’t her normal upbeat tone - understandable.

“Hey.” I responded, diverting my eyes as she took her chair. “So guess we’ve got an hour.”

“Yeah. OK. So here’s the thing, Will - we’re going to just have to go for it. It’s who we are. It’s why we’re here.”

I looked across at Verity and watched in horror as she burst out into laughter…so…much..laughter. She put her head in her arms on the top of her desk, but the shudder of her back gave away that she hadn’t finished. She looked up at me again with tears in her eyes - head back down, laughter anew.

❤️❤️❤️

I said hello to William as I sat down. I took a breath and tried to break the tension. “Look, William, we’re just going to have to dig down deep and do this. It’s not real. We’re actors, right?”

I looked over at him to confirm that we were on the same page. I was floored. What?? I couldn’t stop laughing. He’s such a moron!

When I finally recovered— nearly wasting a quarter of our hour prep time— I was able to speak.

I wiped away the tears and asked, “I’m sorry. Are you diseased? What happened to your lips?”

“Diseased?!” Replied William. “No - nonono! These are fake. They’re wax. You’ve never seen wax lips before?”

I burst out in laughter and tears again. I struggled to speak, “No, no..nope, never, but I can tell you they won’t help us today…Here, maybe this instead.

♣️♣️♣️

When she finally recovered, she spoke. “Do you have a virus? What are those??”

“Wax lips! You eat them.” I said, biting off the edge. “Mmmm!” It was laughter all over again.

“Those…(laugh stifle)…won’t…(snicker)…help. Here - try this instead.” She said as she pushed a mint across the table.

Ouch! Pride crushed.

❤️❤️❤️

I appreciated William’s efforts. The laughing did help, but it didn’t stop this moment, I thought as I looked at his face. We were up first - felt like a spectacle. I scanned the tension in the room. It was ripe.

I looked over at William again. Shy, beet red - a flashback to Day 1 when we met. It was endearing. Remembering that day - it seemed so long ago - but Will had really been there for me then, and every day after that. He deserved better than my hesitation. He deserved a partner that helped him shine. This was it!

♣️♣️♣️

I remember being in my seat, but somehow I was now on stage. Teleportation seemed unlikely - it must have been a blackout. Whatever it was, Verity and I were here - the whole class was watching. I took a quick peek. Suspense hung in the air. Could we nail it, or is this a flop? My eyes stopped on Harold. I don’t think you can literally see jealousy, but if you could - it was there.

I shuffled my foot a little, uncertain how to approach this without moving back to Helen’s status. I shuffled the other foot. A quick glance at Verity.

The first sensation was her hand running through my hair, pulling me toward her. Her lips on mine - passionate - calming - electric? A little longer than expected…?

❤️❤️❤️

It was a strange kiss. I grabbed him, kissed him, and then it was over - but it wasn’t… I meant it to be, but my lips lingered longer than I expected - was this too…easy?

I let go of his head and stepped back. His face. It was normal? He was still red, still embarrassed, maybe - but a little confident as well? Not the result I had expected, but nice! We did it.

Breathing easy now. Done. Time to give others the chance to shine - and glad to be off the stage!

♣️♣️♣️

Verity and I walked back to the audience to watch others as they took their turns. I suggested that we rate their stage presence during their attempts, but she wasn’t paying much attention. She seemed to be lost in thought for most of the event.

“Harold - Alison!” Your turn.” Called Raoul, rousing Verity from her thoughts. This she wanted to see - and I was in the same boat.

They approached each other quickly. Alison attempted to give Harold a quick peck, but he grabbed her and kissed her hard. She halfheartedly pushed away at him, but let him have his kiss his way. Verity turned her head away along with another third of the class. No applause for this performance, but a lot of sympathy for Alison.

❤️❤️❤️

I tried to watch as Harold and Alison took their turn, but Harold was Harold and a person can only watch so much. I had to turn away. Suddenly, there was a loud “Enough! I quit!”

Alison walked off the stage and told Raoul that she was done and stormed out of the building. Still on stage Harold quipped, “Couldn’t handle a kiss from a real man, I guess,” with a smiling sneer as he turned and looked directly at me.

♣️♣️♣️

“Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Verity responded. “Thanks. It was a good day, but glad it’s over! You?”

“Yeah. A bit of a roller coaster. I guess Harold stole the show.”

“Oh…uh, yeah. That was big,” she responded as though expecting something else.

“I mean we did it! Right? Barring Harold’s blow-up, we were definitely the highlight of the day,” I said reassuringly - but too late.

“Yeah. Well, I’ve gotta go. See you in class tomorrow?”

“Yup. Wouldn’t miss it. Want me to pick you up a pair of lips while I’m out? I need to replace the ones I ate earlier.”

A half-grin flashed across her face as the thought fluttered through her mind, “No thanks. I’m fine.”

“Hey, you know, I saw the way that Harold looked at you after Alison left. Do you need anything?”

“Nope, I’m good,” she said, putting on a brave front. “Anyway, I have to go meet my dad. See you tomorrow.” And she got into her car.

❤️❤️❤️

I told William goodbye and left him standing in the parking lot. Today was a lot to take in, and I needed to talk to my dad. I headed to the coffee shop.

“Hey, honey!” His usual greeting as I walked in. I gave him a quick hug and sat down.

“How was your day?” He queried.

“It was bizarre, to be honest. Today was kissing day to see how well we could act with our partners.”

“Didn’t go well? I know you and William are good friends, but sometimes it’s difficult to put aside personal feelings in situations like this. Especially when an awkward result could put your friendship on the line.”

“That’s what I thought too, but that’s why it was bizarre. We were both nervous, but I decided to go for it. He’s been a good friend to me, and I want us both to be successful in this business. There isn’t any reason we couldn’t both be adults about it and roll with it.” Helen replied.

“Absolutely. You’ve got the talent to fake it,” her dad said.

“Well, that’s the weird thing, Dad. I’m not sure I did fake it.”

“Oh… That’s new. Why do you say that?”

“Well, we kissed. I kissed him, I mean. He probably never would have kissed me. But, Dad - he’s a good kisser! And I think he might know that I didn’t hate it.”

“Why is that? Did you tell him?”

“No, but I think we were both surprised by how long the kiss lasted.”

“Well, first off, in terms of the kiss being good…he’s probably kissed girls before. And in terms of lasting too long, who measures kiss length? I’m sure he isn’t thinking anything of it.”

“But what if he does? What if he is? What if this ruins our friendship? What if he wants to switch partners after this?”

“Honey, don’t worry about it. If any of that happens, you’ll do what you always do - you’ll take in stride, and things will work out marvelously for you. You’re just that kind of person.”

“Thanks, Dad! I love you. I’m always glad to know that you’re here for me! Love you!”

“Love you too. Have a good night, sweetie.”

With that, I left the shop and headed home.Day

924

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

Dear Verity,

Pat and I have become pretty good friends. You and he would probably get along pretty well, but maybe in another life. I am worried, though. I’ve been telling your story to Pat. Well, our story. But I’ve come to the day that I don’t know if I can tell.

I know the past is the past, but this one hurts. I have truly enjoyed telling the highlights, but it wasn’t all wonderful. Even so, if I didn’t tell the bad parts, it wouldn’t be our story.

Love,

William

I turned my focus to the door as I put down the tablet. Pat was due any time and I was going to need help to tell this one. I headed to the bar.

♦️♦️ Sage ♦️♦️

“Hey.”

I looked up to see William standing across the bar. “Hi. What’s up? You usually just wait for me to come by your table.”

“Yeah. I — I need a whiskey tonight.”

“Why? Are you all right? What’s up?”

“I’m fine, but your dad will be here soon, and I’m not sure Guinness will get me through the night. Just a whiskey please.”

I reached for a glass and filled it for him. With a nod and a thanks, he headed back toward the table. It wasn’t long before Dad walked through the doors.

♣️♣️♣️

“I don’t know, Pat.”

“Well, if you guys both had feelings for each other, you have to go for it! You can’t slow walk passion!”

“It wasn’t that easy. The kiss was real enough. I felt it…and I found out later that she felt it too. But…it just wasn’t time. I was so much older, and I wasn’t sure how she felt about it.”

“Well, I guess that’s understandable, son. Anyway, what happened next? How did you follow up the kiss?”

“I didn’t exactly,” I started as I took another drink of the whiskey. “Nothing really happened the day after the kiss, but two days later changed everything.”

“Well, spill it. What happened?”

My finger traced the outer rim of the whiskey glass as I looked up at Pat. It was then that I noticed Sage had taken a seat next to him, not even pretending to wipe tables anymore. With a deep breath and release, I told the story of day thirty-two.

Day

32

❤️❤️ Helen ❤️❤️

“Well, I’ve never had to write a song before - interesting!” I said to William as we walked out of class.

“Interestingly - or maybe not - I have had to write a song before,” he replied.

“Oh, really? Do tell!”

“Hmm… sure. Hold on though, I left my iPad. Be right back.”

I shook my head as I continued walking to my car. Pulling out my phone to check the weather, I bumped into someone. “Oops. Sorry,” as I looked up.

“Well, hey! Nice to see you, Verity!” Harold rasped at me.

I looked at him - shaken, but not retreating. “That name’s reserved.”

“Oh, come on. You let Willie call you Verity. You’re not going to deny me the same. Anyway, I saw that kiss the other day. Pretty nice, but you and I could blaze. C’mon, let’s give it a try.”

I swallowed my lunch again as it tried to come up. “Nope. Get out of my way.”

“You know, you really should be more friendly to me.”

I shifted left - Harold blocked. I shifted right - the same.

“You’re not going anywhere until I get my kiss,” he said, as he grabbed me. “I bet you’ve never been kissed like this before,” both hands on my arms, digging in, holding me. He put his lips on mine and pressed.

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

I reemerged into the sunlight after retrieving my iPad. Verity had gone toward her car, and I could see her being blocked by Harold. I made my way toward them when Harold’s two fanboys moved in front of me.

“Out of the way,” I said.

“Come on now, Willie. Let them have their moment to shine,” laughed one of them. I tried to go around, but they blocked me. I tried to go through, but the same. I couldn’t get to Verity. I tried to push through again. Then I saw Harold grab Helen and kiss her. With renewed enthusiasm, I tried to get past, but with two there, I wasn’t going to make it.

The kiss released and Harold sneered. A hard slap from Verity as my heart cheered her on. “You go.” I thought. Then he punched her. Crumbling knees sent Verity to the ground as he continued to stand over her intimidatingly.

I gave up trying to get to Verity. There was no way around these guys. I knew if I couldn’t get to her, I’d have to get to something else — something more important to Harold than Verity. I headed toward my truck and they followed, retaining the barrier.

“Yup. Go home. Nothing for you here.”

❤️❤️❤️

I wasn’t expecting the punch. He had gotten his kiss, the slap was even - but Harold had to win. It was who he was. The punch knocked me to the ground and he took a step toward me. He pulled his leg back as if to kick me.

As I watched from the ground with my arms up to defend my face, I saw Harold’s head turn ever so slightly as though he heard something - then a yell, and Harold was gone. I tried to stand.

♣️♣️♣️

Another swing - mirror to the ground. Another swing, another dent. I looked over at my two classmates lying on the ground holding their knees. Another swing more metal crunching.

“My motorcycle!!” Harold yelled. “What are you doing??”

I stopped swinging and turned to look at him. “Just giving it a kiss - from a real man!” As I raised the bat.

“Man, you’re nuts! I’m calling the cops!”

I looked over at Verity struggling to get off the ground. “Totally worth it.”

Harold followed my glance and put his phone away. I took another swing at his bike knocking out the headlight. “See you in class, Harry.”

❤️❤️❤️

I struggled to my feet in time to see Harold take off on his damaged motorcycle and William heading my way.

“I’m fine. I’m okay.” I said before he even got to me. “I had it all under control.”

“I know you did,” he said. Then he winced. “Let’s get you over to my truck for a minute.”

Truck-side, William pulled out a cloth from his aid kit and gently wiped my mouth where I could taste the blood pooling. I looked up at him. Then over at the two “eights” I noticed on the first day of class still lying on the ground. Wincing as the cloth found it’s mark, I gingerly spoke. “I didn’t need your help.”

“Yeah, no. That wasn’t helping you. I was getting in some batting practice. I have a game on Friday.”

I tried to grin, but my face hurt.

“Can I take you home? I can come back for your car with a friend and we’ll drop it off for you - if you trust me with your address.”

My pride wanted to say no, but in this moment, as William was tending to my wounds, emotionally, it was just easier to say yes - with a twist.

“Okay, but I don’t want to go home. Can you drop me at the coffee place about a mile that way? I want to stop in and see my dad,” as I pointed sort-of east-ish.

“Sure. Anything you want.” He said.

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

I asked if she wanted me to take her home, and she said she’d rather go to a coffee place down the road. I was up for whatever would make her feel better. She took a seat in the truck as I tossed the bat in the back.

As I buckled, she asked, “So what’s up with the bats? You just carry them around with you? What are you, bat-man?”

“Haha - no. I coach little league on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Were in season now, so I generally have some equipment in the bed.”

“Oh, I see. I guess it came in handy today.”

“Sure did!” And we headed out.

❤️❤️❤️

Hopping out of the truck, I told William I’d see him in the morning, and I ran in to see my dad. I went to our usual table and he greeted me.

“Oh! What happened, honey? Are you okay?” He asked as I sat down.

A moment of reflection - my head fell to my arm on the table. Tears began to stream, and the pen fell from my fingers to the floor - tears streaming on to my journal, soaking the page. “Oh, Daddy! I wish you were here!”

Day

33

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

“Hey, you owe me fifteen-hundred bucks, man!” I heard behind me as I entered the doorway to class. I turned to look and Harold was heading my way. A glance right - and left. Verity was not around. I stepped out of the doorway to the side of the building where Harold poked a finger in my chest and restated his demand. “Fifteen hundred for my bike!”

Mouthy Harold and no Verity to see…I grabbed his shirt with both hands and slammed him against the wall. I pressed my forearm against his left cheek as the wall pressed his right. I put my mouth to his ear.

“Yesterday never happens again. No touch, no smell, no taunting - nothing. You hear me? If you intimidate Verity from a thousand miles away, I will know about it and I will kick your ass. And if you don’t think I can do it, ask your buddies. Or we can just do it now. You really think you’re going to get any kind of reimbursement from me? Sure! The day you lick Verity’s boots.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Verity’s car pull into the parking lot. I gave Harold an extra press to the wall, and let him go.

I walked toward Verity’s car, not bothering to give Harold another look or any more of my time.

❤️❤️ Helen ❤️❤️

I pulled into the parking lot to see William headed toward me. I put my face down a little. I don’t need him protecting me all the time. I’m a grown woman. Does he feel like he needs to walk me to my car every day? A little space would be nice. I pulled into a spot and put it in park.

“I’m fine, William,” as I opened my door, head still down.

“I know you are. You’re strong, and I’ve never doubted that. I um…it’s…Oh! I never told you my songwriting story!”

“Not today,” I said as I hurried to my seat. I looked over at Harold as I walked in. Not worried, but curious what today would bring. Ice right at me following me with his eyes and then sudden stop. Weird, but nice that it ended. I took my seat and resolved not to look at him the rest of the day. In fact, I resolved not to look at anyone the rest of the day.

“Miss Helen,” however, changed my mind and I looked up. It was Raoul. “Come with me, Miss Helen,” and I did.

♣️♣️♣️

Greeting Verity at her car seemed like a good idea for about 3 seconds. I should have done better and given her some room to breathe. But sometimes I’m dumb. Today was one of those times. She tried to keep her face hidden from me as I walked with her to class, but it was clear there was swelling from yesterday. My blood boiled toward Harold again. We walked into the building and I saw his cold stare follow her toward her desk until he saw me looking. Then eyes down, book opening. Good. He got my message, even if it’s only impactful if he thinks I’m watching. I’ll make sure he thinks I’m always watching.

Raoul came by and took Helen backstage for something. I’m not sure what it was, but I think she was relieved to be able to get away from her classmates. I looked around the room and saw the eights limping to their desks from the coffee maker. It was clear that the dynamics of the class had changed, and I needed to be on my toes.

I heard a chair move behind me, and turned to see Verity taking her seat.

❤️❤️❤️

It was a quick conversation with Raoul. He knew what Harold did and he saw the results on my face. I was taken to a stool in the back where he told the makeup artist to do her thing. Hands flying, powder filtering through the air - magic in the back room. When she finished, I looked in the mirror. “Wow! Unbelievable!” I said, thanking her and Raoul for the boost.

I went back to my seat and looked over at William. “Notice anything?” As deadpan as he could, he replied, “No.” My heart was lifted.

I survived the day, and at the end, I just wanted to go home - but William was insistent on talking.

♣️♣️♣️

Helen and I got into my truck and I brought up what happened yesterday. It didn’t go well. I knew that yesterday was draining and she wouldn’t be over it yet, but I was a little taken aback.

“Thank you, William for protecting me all the time. Thanks for keeping this fragile little butterfly in your hands where I don’t ever have to worry about being hurt or damaged. The thing is, when you keep a butterfly in your hand, it isn’t free, is it? You don’t own me, William!” As her hand slammed down on the dashboard. “Besides. What if Harold retaliates? What if he and his goons do to your truck what you did to his bike? I don’t want you getting hurt because of me!”

I shot back. “So what if he wrecks my truck? It’s just a truck. I’m not in love with a truck, and I’m not trying to protect you. You certainly can leave “my hands” whenever you want!” I paused and shifted to face the steering wheel. “Except now. Right now we’re going for a drive.”

“What are you talking about. Where are you taking me?” She continued protesting while I put it in drive.

❤️❤️❤️

After William dropped me back at my car, I again headed to see my dad. I took a seat and we talked about the day and where I’d been.

“I’m sorry about yesterday, Dad. It was difficult. And then I blew up at William after class today. He didn’t deserve it. He was only trying to help. Although, I think technically after that he did kidnap me… I wasn’t interested in going anywhere, and I didn’t want or need him to be my hero. I want to stand on my own two feet. But he had a surprise for me, and I humored him. Actually not a bad plan in retrospect. He has a friend who teaches Krav Maga! I am now enrolled in self-defense classes! Watch out world!”

Day

925

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

Verity,

It was difficult. I mean not difficult. It was just damned devastating. Telling that story again — telling it knowing everything that followed. Everything that brought me to this bar and to this point.

I don’t know how much longer I can keep writing unsent emails to you. It’s ripping me up inside, and even though I know you can’t answer, every time I turn on this tablet or open my phone, there is silent hope that I’ll see a little “1” there.

I miss you desperately, but I know about moving on. And I know I have no choice.

I love you.

William

♦️♦️ Sage ♦️♦️

I watched as William turned off his tablet and turned it screen down onto the table. Dad was due to arrive soon and the story would go on. Although, looking at his sagging shoulders and heaving chest, I wasn’t sure William would. Listening to his story yesterday was a lot. I felt for Verity. It made me wonder if Sarah had ever gone through anything like that. Not now, but when she was starting out several years ago. I picked up the phone and texted,

Hey - are you okay? Just want to be check in. I took your advice and listened to William’s story. I do have to admit that it was eye-opening. Anyway, miss ya, Sis.

“Miss ya, Sis?” I thought to myself as I chuckled at the absurdity of that phrase  — at least coming from me. “She’ll think someone stole my phone.”

I pressed send anyway.

Looking up, I noticed that Dad had joined William. I grabbed my towel and poured a Guinness before heading that way.

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

“Hey, son. How’re you feeling today? That was quite a story you left us with yesterday, but krav maga? That was a good move! How did things go after that? Did Harold stay away from Verity?”

“It was all sort of like a dream after that day. It was like all motion was external. No one was controlling anything — we were just all floating on the waves of circumstance, hoping it took us somewhere good, but knowing all the time that wasn’t the direction we were headed.” I reflected. “But life did go on…”Day

36

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

It had been a mixed blessing of some sorts around the class lately. Harold hadn’t shown up since he hugged the wall outside the building. No one really knew what to think about it, but the air was cleaner when he wasn’t around. But the flip of that blessing was Verity. She seemed so lost after that day. Not lost to where, but who. Her calm confidence less than before. I tried talking to her, but clam city for the most part. Participation in class stuff, but the light was dim.

❤️❤️ Helen ❤️❤️

I tried. I really did. The conflict inside me was so strong. I read the lines, played the scenes, but it wasn’t me anymore. How could it be me? How could anything be me? I used to be calm and in control, and now it was a shadow controlling me. Harold had missed a few days of class, but the air weighed heavy of his presence. He was still…here.

William and I were in the middle of running some lines when Raoul called us over.

“Helen, William - something happened yesterday, that doesn’t directly impact you, but it involves you. I thought you should know, so if you’ll step into my office, I’ll tell you what happened.”

— Raoul —

I sat in my office yesterday reviewing video after class - making notes on suggestions for improvement. There was a rap on my door - “Come in.”

Harold strutted in.

“Class is over Harold, you can go home.”

“Not yet. We need to talk”

I looked him up and down, surprised at his swagger given the events of the last couple of days. “What do you want, Harold? I’m busy and you’re about my least favorite person.”

A sly grin crossed his face as he claimed, “All that’s about to change.”

I gave him a theatrical pause, waiting for him to continue.

Sliding into the seat across from me, he started, “Look, Raoul - you know that Helen and I are the best singers in your class. There’s no denying it. I don’t have a partner now, so it’s really in your best interest to pair me with the second best singer in your class. We could blow through Broadway.”

Looking up with hands spanning an invisible marquee, he continued, “Imagine - your name always associated with the act that was Harold and Helen.”

He stopped, waiting for my accolades. “Sorry, kid. You’re not getting paired with Helen. Not Helen, and frankly not anyone else. There isn’t anyone else in this class that wants to be paired with you Harold. Frankly, you should be glad you aren’t in jail after what you did.”

“Well, between you and me, Teach - I’m not going to jail. And if you won’t listen to reason about Helen and me, what about green? Everyone can use a little extra money. I could make it worthwhile to you.”

“Eh - Harold. This conversation is as boring as your acting. Get up and get out. In fact, don’t even come back to class until you can find someone outside of class willing to spend enough time with you to be an acting partner. This is, after all, a paired acting class.”

“Seriously though,” Harold said as he started pulling one hundred dollar bills out of his pocket.

“Keep it,” as I stood, pulled him up by the arm, and escorted him out of the room. “And go away. See you when you find a partner.”

I closed the door, and haven’t heard from him since.Day

926

♦️♦️ Sage ♦️♦️

Although I was thoroughly enjoying wiping down the liquor bottles, I was pleasantly interrupted by the buzz of my phone. It didn’t do it often, which made me appreciate the times that it did. It meant someone that I actually knew was reaching out. I picked it up and read a new text from Sarah.

Um…you never call me “Sis”. Who is this? What’s going on?

🤣 Sorry! I was feeling melancholy. William’s story sort of got to me.

Why?? What did he say? Did he say something interesting? Was it a good story or a bad story? Why melancholy?

He told me what happened between Harold and Verity. It made me think about you and your acting experiences. You used to take classes and I just hoped nothing like that ever happened to you.

I don’t even know what you’re talking about. Who’s Harold? Are you less suspicious of William now? Like you’re starting to believe him?

I don’t know. It’s hard to say, but he seems harmless, and his story
seems like it could be true — but I don’t really know. Why?
Are you suspicious? Have you heard things about him?

Sort of, but you would have too if you’d been paying attention. It isn’t
like he’s never been in the tabloids.

G2G — bye! (“Sis” *I am laughing out loud*)

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

I watched as Pat went over to the bar. They chatted for a minute and then both walked to the table and sat down. I knew what they expected, so I continued on with day thirty-eight.

Day

38

❤️❤️ Helen ❤️❤️

I reluctantly answered the phone, “Hello?”

“Hey, Helen, it’s William. What’s new?”

“What’s new? There’s this thing - caller ID. It actually lets me know who is calling before I answer.”

“Oh! You’ve got that? And you still picked up?”

A slight smile…”Okay, what do you want, goofball?”

“Well, I know you’re going to think I did this on purpose, and maybe I did, but it wasn’t conscious on purpose, but subconscious on purpose, so totally not my fault. I realized this morning on the way home from class, that I pass right by Krav Maga class. Would you be interested in me maybe picking you up after class and sharing a ride to Adventures in Acting? I just made that up, by the way - cause I’m a goofball in that lovable sort of way.”

“Eh - that’s something I’m going to have to think about and get back to you. I’ll let you know. Thanks.” I responded and hung up - with a furrowed brow, I thought to myself, “Did he call me Helen?”

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

I stared at Helen’s picture - my finger almost touching the screen. It had been several days since I introduced her Krav Maga, but the tension hadn’t eased. I don’t know if she didn’t trust me or if things were just uncomfortable from all that had happened. Harold’s presence had become a little less ominous, and his two friends avoided me outright, but she had been more Helen than Verity lately. I don’t know what she’s thinking. Torn - I pressed the green icon.

“Hey, Helen - how are you? It’s me, William. Oh - you know? I guess - yeah. You still picked up?” This seemed like a good sign, a sigh of relief escaping.

“What do you want?”

“Oh, um… this is probably dumb, but I pass Krav Maga on the way to class. Do you think you’d be interested in my picking you up after your morning class and riding to Adventures in Acting, together?”

“I’ll have to think about it,” was her terse response, ending the conversation.

❤️❤️❤️

The coffee sloshed into my cup as I poured - still half asleep. I tried to put forth the effort for this class, but it was becoming more and more difficult. A bump, and “Excuse me. I apologize. I was just trying to get some coffee.”
“No worries,” I replied turning. Curious - I’ve never seen her in class before. “I’m Helen.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Helene. Here, I brought you something.”

“Brought me something? I’m sorry? Me?”

“Yeah. Here.” She pulled something from a bag near her feet and handed it to me - a blanket.

“I don’t…why are you giving me a blanket?”

“Aren’t you cold?”

“No - why would I be…”

“Well, Harold said you were cold. So I brought you a blanket.”

Heart sinking, blood running cold - dizzy. I stumbled to a chair. She followed.

♣️♣️♣️

Solitaire - it’s good for those moments when, well, when you’re alone. I moved the 8 of spades on my tablet screen. Supposed to be writing a play for some presentation in a week or two - who remembers days at this point. Helen and I hadn’t talked much since the phone call. There was a friendly but distant “hi” when we sat for class, but as everyone else worked in pairs on preparing their play - we’re playing solitaire and getting coffee. I glanced over at the coffee bar and noticed someone I hadn’t seen before handing Helen a coat. “What’s that all about?” Did she leave her coat somewhere, or…

“Hello, Billy.” I spun around - Harold, hands in his pockets face oozing confidence.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, doing everything I could to keep my cool.

I looked over at Helen as she seemed to lose her footing and head to a chair. One foot forward - but I hesitated. Would she want me to? I was torn, and I didn’t want Harold following me over there causing her more grief. Better to deal with him here.

“Me? I’m in this class. What are you doing here? By the way, you’ll have to meet Helene. She’s wonderful. If you’re nice, I’ll introduce you,” a triumphant chuckle as he pointed in her direction. “She’s a real delight.”

In that moment I promised myself that Harold would not win one interaction with me not physically, mentally, or emotionally. No fighting this time. Today’s foil was mental and emotional, but Harold’s a lightweight in all those fields.

“Yeah, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me and my new partner.”

I chuckled, “Looking forward to it!”

“Looking forward to what?”

“Spending more time with you. So far it’s been a blast! Break down your bike, your face, very interested in what’s next.”

“What’s next is I’m going to wreck what you’ve got going with Helen to start.”

“That’s your mistake, Harold. You think you’re a giant of a man, when really you’re just an incident. It’s true that Helen is in a rough place right now, but that happens to people. Sometimes people are in motorcycle accidents, or maybe their head gets stuck between a rock and a hard place. What some people don’t understand - and clearly you’re one of them - is that these things that cause trauma are just incidents. Sure, you punched Helen, but she could have just as easily stepped on a rake, or had a tree fall on her. You just happened to be the thing that happened. Fair enough, but it still makes you just an incident. No one cares about incidents - they care about the people they affect. Your problem Harold is that you’re an incident, and nothing more. You strut around here like you belong, or like people should bow as you walk by, when you are literally the poster boy for “Shit happens.”

The scowl on his face and his balled up hands told me I’d achieved my goal. I walked to the far side of the room away from Harold — and from Helen.

❤️❤️❤️

My jello legs were draped over the side of the chair as Helene approached again. She jabbered on, but I couldn’t hear her. I was scanning the room for him - and there he was. Talking to William. I don’t know what was said, but William had obviously said something to make him angry. William started walking toward me - relief. Wait! He turned and went the other way. Why did he…William, I need you.

Day

927

♦️♦️ Sage ♦️♦️

Sarah! You should have heard the story. Harold’s a real piece of work. Someone that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy! So he assaulted
Verity (but also William called her Helen yesterday). Not sure what that’s about. I obviously missed something in one of the first stories. Anyway, so Harold brings someone named Helene to be his new partner and
antagonize Helen. It worked, because she was just devastated. This story
is starting to get to me. Anyway, I you asked me what the story was, so
that’s where we are as of this moment. I’ll try to keep you keyed in
when I can.

• • •

The dots came and went bouncing up and down on the screen, but they never turned to words. Sarah isn’t generally speechless, but we all have our moments.   

I headed over to Dad and William with drinks on my tray, but suddenly it hit me and I stopped cold in my tracks. The Guinness bottle tipped forward. The bottle went slowly horizontal and then vertical again as it hurtled toward the floor. I stood there, looking at the shattered bottle surrounded by scattered foam, but all I could think about was the name.

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

Pat had joined me and we were waiting for Sage before I began relating the events of Day 43. She was heading our way when she seemed to be struck with a sudden paralysis. Her legs and arms stopped, and the beer she’d been carrying careened off the tray toward the floor. Pat’s reflexes were surprisingly good for a man of his age, but he couldn’t save the beer. Failing in the attempt, he turned his attention to Sage. Her eyes weren’t looking at anything, but they were focused — not outwardly, but inwardly. Whatever she was thinking about, I knew it wasn’t good news.

Pat took her arms and coaxed her over to the table. By the time she arrived, she seemed to have recovered. She looked at me and just said, “Helen?”

Pat and I looked at each other and then back at Sage who seemed to be coming around. “I’m okay,” she said. Let’s get on with the next day. What happened with Harold, Helene, and Helen?

Day

43

— Raoul —

Ugh! I didn’t expect Harold to actually find a new partner. Now I’ve got his sicko attitude back in the mix. And finding someone named Helene! That’s ridiculous. I ought ride him out of town just for that.

A sigh as I walk through the doors again. Move to desk, bag down. “Hello class! Today should be very exciting! You will be practicing the lines from the play that you and your partner have written over these last two weeks - which I have not read, by the way. Let’s see them captivate and draw us in. Knowing how to deliver lines is crucial to chemistry. There is natural chemistry, but punching the audience in the face with a well-delivered line makes chemistry boil.

You will have two hours to practice your lines together and then we will hit the stage where we perform live. Let’s do it!”

♣️♣️ William ♣️♣️

I looked across at Helen. She wouldn’t even look at me. Eyes down toward the desk or looking back at Raoul as he spouted off some more of his daily nonsense. I don’t know how much more I could take. At this point, I was seriously considering asking for a new partner. Pondering it for another minute, I decided. Today is delivery day. Either something gives or it all breaks.

❤️❤️ Helen ❤️❤️

I can’t even look at William at this point. He’s stopped calling me Verity, and I don’t know why. I mean - I know why - but I haven’t been able to be the same me since Harold in the parking lot. William was as valiant as he could have been in the situation - I just don’t know where we stand - or stood at that point, even. We’re just friends, AND we’re actors. It shouldn’t be this hard to get back on track. Friends get past miscommunications like this, but I don’t know how.

♣️♣️♣️

I determined to give today my all. We would show the class what sparks looked like as we were on stage with the play we’d written together. Well, mostly together…I mean the stuff I started before all of this blew up. Neither of us had spent much time on the script since then, but I pulled it up on my tablet.

“Hey, partner, let’s practice.”

❤️❤️❤️

“Partner? He isn’t even going to use my name at all now? How far gone are we?” I asked myself in silence, then turned up my eyes. I suppose it was meant to be funny, but I didn’t laugh. William was wearing a red clown nose.

“William, I appreciate the gesture, but let’s not clown around today - pun not intended.”

“Haha,” he replied dryly, “obviously this is for our script read.”

“Oh! Oh, no! I heard Raoul say it, but it didn’t connect until now - I’ve never read the play that William wrote for us. Yanking my phone out, I pulled the script up and skimmed it.

“This is what you wrote??” I couldn’t believe this. “We’re reading for two clowns in a traveling circus?”

“Yeah - raising a baby elephant with a broken trunk. It’s very heartfelt - and also a bit sad.”

Hmm… was he describing the script or us?

“…plus the twist at the end is that it’s a balloon elephant!” He continued.

Maybe our friendship was a bubble - about to burst.

“Here, I brought you a nose,” - he slid it across the table toward me. I poked it and then picked it up.

I read the script through before we began. It was terrible. It wasn’t anything that I could put my heart into and I needed that today. I was so conflicted that nothing would have worked, but us as clowns? And a balloon elephant?

And it was our turn on stage.

♣️♣️♣️

I watched as she read the script. I could tell from her face that she wasn’t liking it, but I also wondered a little bit if maybe it was me that she didn’t like. I had only tried to help and I couldn’t understand why I was frozen out. I would never deliberately try to hurt her.

We tried to read our lines, but it just sounded cold and there was no emotion in it - although after reading it through again, I had to admit that I’d written a pretty stupid play.

A cup of coffee later, and we were up.

I looked across the stage at her. We had agreed to leave out the clown noses. It was her start, and I waited for her cue. She began.

“Butterflies need to be free,” she said.My jaw dropped at the pivot and I began scrolling through my script looking for a reset This wasn’t in there. Panic - what do I do now?

“So do elephants!” I replied.

“Elephants lumber, butterflies float,” she replied.

❤️❤️❤️

I was on stage, but I wasn’t ready to be a clown. I’d felt like a clown for the last ten days. I’m not a clown. I’m a butterfly.

“Butterflies need to be free.”

Poor William. I couldn’t help but feel a bit of angst for him as he scrolled through his script looking for a response when there was none. But I also didn’t care. He was part of these last ten days, and I needed to take back some control.

“So do elephants!” He said. What was that? Is he still trying to save his epic failure play?

“Elephants lumber, butterflies float,” putting the ball back in his court.

His face rose from his tablet and looked me in the eyes. “Butterflies? Let’s talk about butterflies!” He began to my surprise, his face sharp and determined.

“Butterflies are beautiful, but butterflies can also start a hurricane, or so they say. Does that make them friend - or foe? Think about it, though, butterflies and the wind - now there’s a pair.”

“Butterflies are amazing - I love butterflies.” He continued. “But sometimes butterflies need  the wind - a breeze to give them a little extra lift. The wind isn’t there to be beautiful in their place, or hold them back. The breeze just wants to help them reach their highest potential.”

“Easy for the wind to talk - it can’t be captured. It just slips through the fingers. Nothing can catch the wind,” I shot back.

“A butterfly can.”

His words stopped me cold. It was game, set, and match. It was too much, and I turned away - tears began. Then - a soft touch on my shoulder - “Verity…” I spun around and hugged him harder than I’d hugged anyone in a long time. Uncontrollable tears as he didn’t say a word and just held me - the only sound the applause of the class.

♣️♣️♣️

My heart broke as she turned away. I placed my hand on her shoulder and said her name…our name, “Verity.”

❤️❤️❤️

I think, Dad, that it was a lot of inner turmoil and some growing up that I needed. I knew William was trying to help, but in the moment, I felt so vulnerable - and Harold had made me feel so helpless. I needed to be the one in charge, and William didn’t mean to take that away, but to some degree he did and I have to choose to forgive him for that. Today I did forgive him. And I apologized after our stage debacle. I told him I was sorry for shutting him out. He wasn’t the one that had kicked this off. It was Harold. I think you’d like William a lot, Dad. I do.

Blog Post Title Two

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Three

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Four

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.