~OPENING NIGHT~ by Catherine E. Chapman Published by Catherine E. Chapman at Smashwords Copyright 2014 Catherine E. Chapman Smashwords Edition, License Notes Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support. Also by the author All The Trimmings Braggot Park Brizecombe Hall Clifton Danburgh Castle Elizabeth Clansham Kitty Rhiannon The Beacon Singer The Hangar Dance The Ramblers Three Romances

Opening Night The phone rang. I answered it. “Lisa!” It was Maddie. “Hi there,” I replied. “Exciting news!” “What’s that?” “I’ve managed to get us tickets for the first night of the show. Just what you need: a night on the town to lift your spirits…” This was true. It had been eighteen months since my split with my long-term partner, Dan. I knew myself I’d let things go; given up on the prospect of life being fun again. Maddie was a good friend who was concerned enough to try to set things right.

Our big night soon came around. Maddie arrived in the late afternoon and we headed into town in a taxi. We’d decided to push the boat out and eat before the show. Typically, Maddie had chosen the most trendy-looking place she could find. “Are you sure about this?” I asked as we went in. “It used to be the Co-op,” Maddie advised me, “back in the days when they had department stores.” “I know.” (As if I’d forget a thing like that.) “I wanted to see what they’d done to it.” The bar was actually quite nice – clean and airy. It turned out to be a real find on Maddie’s part: lovely food and great service. Before we knew it, our meal was over and we headed off to the theatre. *

*

*

I love musicals, as Maddie well knows, and our local amateur dramatic society is one of the best in the country, I’m told. Maddie wasn’t wrong in claiming she’d done well to get tickets for the opening night – the house was packed. Inside the auditorium the atmosphere was electric. And we weren’t disappointed by the performance. Everything about the production was great: cast, music, costumes, set. I was so impressed that at the interval I looked through Maddie’s programme for details. I was struck by the name of the show’s director – Jason Aimes. Could this be the Jason Aimes I’d known as a girl? He’d always had a passion for the stage but had emigrated to the States with his family in his late teens. I read on and, remarkably enough, I found it was the very same person. The write-up told of how, having spent a large part of his life living in America, work had now brought him back to his hometown. He’d remained active in amateur productions whilst in the States, and the dramatic society was very proud to now be able to reclaim him. At the back of the programme I found a picture of Jason. I marvelled at that relaxed, self-assured smile he’d worn since being a boy. “Not like you to be such a bookworm,” Maddie observed. “Come on. If we don’t get to the bar soon, there’ll be no time left for a drink.” I followed her out along the aisle. I was tempted to tell Maddie about my discovery but something made me hesitate. In the bar Maddie immediately began to scout around the throng for familiar faces. However, I spotted Jason at the other side of the room. I stood gazing at him, astonished. To my amazement, he turned and caught my eye, and, with a beam of recognition, strode across the floor and embraced me. “It is you, isn’t it!” he exclaimed. I felt he was about to lift me off the floor. “Yes,” I replied, overwhelmed, “it’s me.” He kissed me; then stepped back and looked at me, smiling radiantly. “I can’t believe it!” he declared. Neither could I. “I just saw your picture in the programme,” I said foolishly. We both laughed and carried on looking at one another, smiling stupidly. I’d forgotten everything and everybody else around me. I was brought back to reality by the sound of Maddie clearing her throat. “Jason, this is my friend Maddie. Maddie, this is my friend (from way back), Jason.”

I suddenly realised there was another person present too. And as soon as I looked at her, I was astounded that I hadn’t noticed her sooner. She wore a tight, pink dress and had a large, black feather boa draped about her neck. “Darling, we have to go backstage,” she said insistently to Jason, in an American accent, beginning to drag him away. “Give me a moment, Alice,” Jason said. Then he turned to me. “I’m so sorry,” he said sincerely. “It’s been lovely seeing you again. We must keep in touch.” And he was gone. Maddie was intrigued. “I had no idea you had such glamorous connections,” she observed. “He’s really no different to us,” I pointed out. “He grew up here in the town.” I explained that Jason and I had been friends at a youth club in our teens. We’d lost touch when he’d gone to the States and seeing him mentioned in the programme had been the first I’d heard of him for over twenty years. There was no way I could come entirely clean with Maddie. I couldn’t tell her that Jason had been my first boyfriend, that his going to America had almost broken my heart and that, until Dan came along, I hadn’t thought I would ever recover from the loss of him. The rest of the show was wonderful but I couldn’t really concentrate – I was thinking about Jason. Would we become friends again? He’d said we should keep in touch but he didn’t have my contact details – he’d probably assume I was married. I supposed I could try to contact him through the am-dram group. But –and here was what really niggled me– who was Alice? It appeared that Maddie had been pondering this question too and had reached her own conclusion. “It’s depressing,” she commented as we were leaving the theatre, “the number of blokes of our generation taking up with younger women – nothing more than girls, really – your friend must be in the throes of a mid-life crisis.” There was little I could say in response to that verdict. It was obvious that Maddie assumed their relationship to be amorous too – and no wonder, given how attractive Alice had been. So, whether she was his wife, his girlfriend or the wardrobe mistress, it seemed she must be something to Jason – and if I were to get in touch with him it would, surely, result in my heart being broken all over again. *

*

*

I continued fretting for days after the show. I was annoyed with myself. I’d wanted to regain control of my life – start going out and having fun again, as I knew Dan would be doing. One thing was certain though: it was wisest that I shouldn’t try to contact Jason Aimes. Two weeks passed and life settled back into its usual pattern. But, in spite of all my efforts to stop moping, I had to admit to myself that I was still feeling miserable. I was feeling miserable because Jason must be so nearby but I couldn’t see him. And nothing could be done about it. As a last resort I rang Maddie and proposed a shopping trip. We went into town on Friday afternoon. Maddie thoroughly enjoyed herself and got several bargains. I bought nothing and still felt down in the dumps.

When we’d finished shopping Maddie, sensing that I needed cheering up, suggested we have a coffee in her favourite new venue. I was reluctant but she insisted, saying she’d treat me as she’d done so well in the sales. When we entered the old department store building, Maddie looked around to see if she recognised anyone – silly, it was full of youngsters as usual. Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Hey, Lisa, lovely to see you! This is a great place!” Alice put her arms around me and kissed my cheek. I felt overwhelmed. “Jason’s at the bar,” she said. “Can I get you ladies a drink?” I was about to decline the offer, make my excuses and leave, but Maddie piped up, “That’s very kind of you. We were going to have a coffee but if you’re having something stronger…” At that point I certainly felt I needed something stronger. Alice ushered us to the table where she and Jason had been sitting and went off to the bar. I felt utterly defeated. Maddie seemed to be enjoying the drama. Within moments Jason came over. He said hello to Maddie and then extended his hand to me. “Don’t get up,” he insisted, sitting down opposite. “Alice’ll be along with the drinks any moment.” I couldn’t find words and Jason seemed to sense my distress. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I know she’s a bit of a whirlwind! But the theatre’s in her blood. I suppose it’s my fault. Like father, like daughter,” he mused. My ears pricked up. “And since her mother and I separated, I guess I’ve indulged her,” he admitted. Maddie looked at me and raised her eyebrows. Suddenly Alice reappeared with a tray of drinks. “Oh Lisa,” she began as she placed it on the table in front of us, “I’m just thrilled to meet you properly at last – Daddy’s told me so much about you…” *

*

*

Thank you for reading this story. If you’ve enjoyed Opening Night, please visit Catherine E. Chapman’s Smashwords’ profile page and consider reading some of her books: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/CatherineChapman Catherine’s books include: Brizecombe Hall & Kitty - Regency romances – novelettes available on Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/75187 http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/338206 The Hangar Dance - a WWII romance – novelette available on Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/277501

Brizecombe Hall, Kitty and The Hangar Dance are now also available digitally and in print as a collection of Three Romances: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/356113 Elizabeth Clansham - a contemporary novel set in the Scottish Highlands – available digitally on Smashwords and in print: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/68015 The Beacon Singer - a contemporary novel set in the English Lake District – available on Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/111240 Clifton - a contemporary novella – available on Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/387978 Danburgh Castle and Rhiannon - Medieval romances – novelettes available on Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/269771 http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/155276 For more free tasters of Catherine’s contemporary writing, read All The Trimmings and The Ramblers, short stories available to download from Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/369854 http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/180502 For news, including current promotions, follow Catherine’s blog: http://www.romanceornotromance.wordpress.com Catherine is also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Catherine-E-Chapman/434999469868920 Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5202084.Catherine_E_Chapman and Twitter:

http://twitter.com/CathEChapman

opening-night.pdf

Sign in. Loading… Whoops! There was a problem loading more pages. Whoops! There was a problem previewing this document. Retrying... Download. Connect ...

87KB Sizes 1 Downloads 248 Views

Recommend Documents

No documents