Soulshine (15 page)

Evan awoke with a start as he noticed the old lady near his bedside. “Who… where"s Michelle?”
The old lady dropped the basket she was carrying and stooped to pick up its contents to refill it. Evan looked to see if she was a nurse that he wouldrecognize but could not see the lady"s face. “Um… you mean that lovely little child? She… um… received a phone call and went out to the nurses" station to take it. You"re in love with her, aren"t you?”
“I
do
love her… very much. Why do you ask?”
“Oh… she said something about you and her
practically
being married, whatever that means.”
“We just never had a formal ceremony, but we
are
committed to each other. She"s twenty-nine, by the way... not a child.Listen… can I bother you for a pen and paper? I would like to write a letter to mail. Oh… I could use an envelope and enough stamps to get it out to the States too… if I could.”
“I just happen to have tablet paper and a pen in my basket. I"ll leave it right on the table at the foot of the bed,” she said as she rose, placed them on the table, and continued out the door without providing him a good glimpse at her.

“John,” said Mary as she came out of the den, “I just got off the phone with Michelle. She"s kind of stressed but says that she"ll keep us informed ofwhat"s going on. Would you believe they put off moving Evan until… John? Where are you, John?” She noticed a note on the kitchen table…
Mary, I should be back in a day or two. Don’t worry. I’ll be good. I just have a father’s responsibility to fulfill.
Mary wondered and hoped to God that John"s anger had subsided and that he would not make things worse for their daughter.

Eric sat on a bench reading a book while waiting for Andy. He had been meeting Andy practically every afternoon in Central Park for the past three months.Andy was Eric"s latest reclamation project, work he always thoroughly enjoyed. Despite his sophistication, he believed action to be the best sermon, and the simplicity of Jesus" two commandments was still the brand of Christianity he embraced. At odds with establishing relationships was his ever-present need to plan his next sojourn. New York is a city one can lose himself in, so Eric elected to remain in the big city for as long as he could. He considered another name change, but his new full-time thespian role at the Metropolitan Theater was contingent on a referral from the Regal Repertory, so he had to sacrifice a new anonymity by keeping the same moniker. The new job was well worth it.
“Eric!”
“Andy, my friend… it"s good to see you. How did it go at

the Metro?”
“I got the job, and I owe it all to you.”
“Don"t mention it. It was also my good fortune to land

something right on Broadway. The best part is that I"m going in as an actor, not a backstage hand.” Eric did not add that the Regal was his last link to Bryan, Jean and the rest of his acquaintances who could possibly force him to answer for his eternal youthfulness.

“For me, the best part is gettin" to see all the shows for free.”
“Yes, that
is
a fringe benefit of being an usher in a top theater, isn"t it?”
“I remember sneakin" into the movie houses as a kid, but I never went to see the plays.”
“Well, now you"ll get to see some of the better plays… written by the best playwrights.”
“No cartoons or adventure serials before the plays though, huh?”
“Uh… no, sorry.”
“Ah, that"s okay. Now that my Bums left Brooklyn, I don"t go to see many ball games anymore.Maybe I"ll take a likin" to the theater.”
“That"s right. It must be a boring summer for you now that the Dodgers left for L.A.”
“I still can"t believe they would leave the city that loved them, especially after all those series against the Yanks. You ain"t a Yankee fan, are ya?”
“No, but I did become a baseball fan along the way. Until this year, there were plenty of games in the city, weren"t there?”
“Did you follow any certain team?”
“I liked the Giants… mostly because of Willie Mays though. He"s the best player I ever saw play… but the Giants moved to California too. I guess the Yankees are the only team in town now.”
“Yeah… it makes me sick. We could have gone to the Dodger/Giant games together. I hate the Yankees.”
“It was better when we had the three teams to follow… and we could root against the Yankees while still having a home team. Maybe I should move out to California and look for a Hollywood acting job.”
“Yeah… that"s where all the teams are movin" to. Hey… if
you
go, maybe I"ll go with ya.”
Eric chuckled. “Until then, my friend… I"ll see you at the Metro. I need to get ready for tonight"s performance.”
“Yeah… and I"m the one with the butterflies.”
“You"ll do fine. And once you"re firmly on your feet, you"ll be able to take on the apartment all on your own.”
“I don"t mind sharing the space
and
the expenses, Eric.”
“I know, and I don"t mind sharing the apartment with a friend… but I tend to get restless after a couple of years. By then, you should be fine. Who knows? Maybe I will end up in San Francisco watching Willietrack down those fly balls.”

“Ah… San Francisco!” exclaimed Evan as he and Michelle stepped off the cruise ship after their return from Hawaii.
“I"m exhausted,” Michelle replied, trying not to collapse. “Can we sit and rest for awhile?”
“Sure, love. We can sit on one of the piers and watch the sun set over the bay. It"s quite a sight.”
“It"s not very far, is it?”
“No… I can see a pierfrom here. I"ll carry you if you like.”
“Oh, sure. That would make everyone stop and stare at us.”
“Michelle, they do that every time we share a hug or a kiss. Why not give them something else to look at? Maybe they"ll see true love for the first time.”
“And who will carry our luggage while you"re carrying me?”
“Hmm… good point. This isn"t the first time that my love has clouded my logic.Let"s check into a hotel so we can get some rest. Then we can go out for a relaxing dinner at a restaurant on the wharf and make our plans for… hey, how would you like to stay in San Francisco through the spring?”
“It might be nice.”
“Oh, you"ll love it. This… uh… may sound silly, but… I"d like to take in a baseball game at Candlestick Park. Of course, the Giants don"t play there until April.”
“It"s not silly… but you never talked about liking baseball before.”
“It"s just that the last time I was here was a long time ago, and in between… actually shortly before I moved to Riverside… I had a friend named Andy in New York. I write to him now and then. You see, I didn"t know him long enough for him to even notice thatI wasn"t aging. He probably thinks I look a lot older… it"s been about ten years. Anyway, he liked the Dodgers and I liked the Giants… and I had joked to him once that I may very well end up in San Francisco watching Willie Mays play centerfield after the Giants left New York. It would be a hoot to tell him that I"m writing to him from Candlestick.”
“How did you know Andy?”
“I met him when he was down and needed a friend. I got him a job at the Metropolitan Theater. He"s still there… worked his way up from usher to managing the ushers.”
“You"re the best… you know that?”
“Now don"t go giving me a big head. For someone who has lived as long as I have, I had better have developed a good moral conscience. I hope I find the time to help out people while still devoting all my time to you.”
“That"s easy. We"ll do all those things together. I"d like to do some nice things for people.”
“That"s why I first fell in love with you. You have a good heart, Michelle. Never believe for a minute that you won me as some sort of prize. You attracted me with a sweetness I had never seen in… well… you know how long I had been looking.”

Oliver Hawkings couldn"t pick up the phone fast enough when it rang on his desk at three o"clock in the afternoon. “Hello! This is Brother Hawkings.” There was no need to give any further identification. Very few people on the outside of the cloister had the phone number or even knew of the hermitage in the hills of New Brunswick. And Oliver was expecting the call.

“Oh, thank goodness. I was starting to wonder if we would hear from you.”
“Well, I needed to be certain. It wasn"t easy getting a good look at his face without him seeing me.”
“Well, is it he?”
“There"s little doubt in my mind that it"s him. We may have alittle problem though.”
“Oh? What"s that?”
“There"s a younggirl sticking by his side like glue.”
“A younggirl?”
“Well, heclaims that she"s twenty-nine and that they are as good as married, but she is definitely a child of thirteen… fourteen tops.”
“As good as married?
Is
he married or
isn’t
he? Perhaps the woman is a dwarf?”
“No… her body is proportional, and it is also certain that she is nota midget. She"s a cute little thing. I"m kind of shocked that he would be involved with her and telling obvious lies about her age to boot. Twentynine? Why didn"t he just say that she was eighteen? Even
that
would have been unbelievable… but twenty- nine is completely ridiculous.”
“It sounds like you"re jealous. Are you sure you can help us out?”
“Absolutely… whatever is best for the patient. And for your information, I"m
not
jealous. But she needs to be separated from him so we can give him the help he needs.”
“Does she have any family?”
“Her mother called her on the phone.”
“Good. We can only do our best work if fewer people know about us. You said that the girl"s mother called the hospital… so the mother obviously knows that she is there?”
“Obviously. At least someone knows where she is… but I have a feeling that she will want to be with him when he is transported to Fletcher University Hospital.”
“That is fine. I had a feeling that a diversion may be needed. That"s why we have two drivers ready to help. We will just need you to help ensure that everything goes smoothly. Mr. Troy"s life is in our hands.”
“I"m nervous enough as it is. You should have seen me in his room when I thought he might recognize me.”
“Let"s hope that tomorrow morning brings about your finest performance.”

Michelle turned to see Bren da Croshere in the room. “My mom… again? I just got off the phone with her not that long ago.”
“Well, she said that she"s your mom. When did you get the other call? When I was away from the nurses" station?”
“Yes… another lady came to get me. She wasn"t a nurse and kind of creeped me out. She kept trying to see Evan and asked too many personal questions.”
“Hmm… do you mean Auntie Blue? Did she have gray hair and a candystriped outfit?”
“Yes, she did. She"s your aunt?”
Brenda laughed. “No… we just all call her that. She"s sort of like everybody"s sweet little aunt. She picks up the spirits of every patient she meets. She"s been volunteering with us for many years now… at least fifteen years… it was well before I started here.”
“Oh, well, I"m sorry if I got creeped out by her,” apologized Michelle. “Maybe her nosiness was her attempt at being nice. She
did
say that she is very good with patients who are very ill.” Michelle picked up the phone. “Hi, Mom.”
Mary sounded frantic. “Michelle… I didn"t know who to call so I called you.”
“What"s the matter, Mom?”
“It"s your dad. He left a note saying that he"s going to be gone for a few days. I… think that he"s heading to Ottawa.”
“He"s coming
here
?”
“I think he"s probably heading for Fletcher University Hospital. I never did get the chance to tell him that Evan wasn"t being moved until tomorrow. As soon as I got off the phone with you, I went to tell him… but he was already gone… and then I read the note.”
“He must be flying up here.”
“He may not be, sweetheart… you see… I don"t want to scare you… but there"s something else you need to know. Do you remember that gun your dad kept for protecting the house?”
“Yeah, the one he never used?”
“Yes, well… I happened to notice that the drawer he kept it in was open… and… it"s not there!”
“Who do you think… oh no… he
wouldn’t
. Do you think he"d…?”
“I"d like to
not
think so, but it"s obvious he took it with him for a reason. I"m contemplating alerting the Ottawa police, but of course I would hate to get him arrested in case he ends up deciding not to use it.”
“Don"t call the police, Mom. I"ll watch out for him and get to him before he does anything. Oh, my God. Does he hate Evan that much?”
Mary hesitated.
“Mom? Answer me please. Would he…
kill
Evan?”
“I… think it could be a possibility. He… has verbally expressed his wish that Evan would… not make it.”

Eric Townsend was a crowd favorite at the Metropolitan Theater. His run of leading roles made him reminisce about his multiple stints at the Royal Shakespeare Theater. He was on top and hoping to enjoy his success for many more years. He took to coming to work with his makeup applied so he could give the illusion of someone who may be naturally graying at the temples. When he would leave the theater long after his performance with the coloring removed from his hair, it could easily be assumed that he died his hair dark brown again out of vanity. No one needed to know that the gray, not the brown, was the illusion.

After this night" s bows in acknowledgement of a gracious audience"s gratitude, he made his customary wave as he briskly walked stage left to the dressing rooms. One woman stood, seemingly awestruck, at the rear of the theater. “Excuse me,” she said to the distinguished-looking gentleman standing near the theater doors wearing abright red coat, “could you tell me the name of the lead actor? He gave an excellent performance.”

Andy Lowery turned to the handsome lady and said, “That"s Sir Thomas Edwards, lady. He tops the bill nightly here.”
“Sir? Is he knighted?”
Andy shielded the side of his mouth with his hand and softly said, “It"s a stage name. He"s not even British.”
“Then what is his real name?”
“Ah… well, lady… nobody knows that, do they?”
“May I go backstage and meet him?”
“Sorry, lady. No one is allowed back stage.”
The woman walked away to look at the lobby posters, keeping an eye toward the back entrance. Suddenly she heard someone say, “Goodnight, Andy.” It was Sir Thomas Edwards.
She thrust herself into the entrance. “Eric?”
Eric was caught naked without his makeup. His youthful face was exposed for Jean to see. “Jean, I… don"t know what to say except… hello.”
“You could say something about why you moved out without letting Bryan know where you were going, and why you haven"t tried to contact me in three years.”
“I… felt that you should meet other men… and I was just in the way.”
“Don"t give me that, Eric. You know I"m not about meeting men. We were friends, Eric. You were the one man who convinced me that you would always be my friend.”
“I am, Jean. I… had been thinking about my whole façade… how I made you all think I was older when actually I was much younger… just to keep appearances so people would think I had all this theater experience when…”
“What exactly
is
the truth, Eric? I saw you on stage. Do you only wear makeup when you are
off
the stage?”
Eric nodded, hoping to convince Jean. “Vanity is a strange thing, isn"t it? I"m more of an actor
off
the stage, I guess.”
Jean reached out and touched his face. “No makeup
there
. Bryan was right… there"s something about you, isn"t there?”
“There"s a lot about me, Jean. There"s a lot about everyone, isn"t there? Surely I"m not the only enigma.”
“Did I do something to make you not want to be my friend anymore?”
“Not at all, Jean. I…”
“You were looking for something more from me, weren"t you?”
“No… I never cared about that.”
“Look at me. I"m looking for straight answers from… an actor.”
Eric shrugged his shoulders. “Jean… when I finally meet the one that I will want something more from, she will be the one I want to give something more
to
. These conversations of doubt will no longer exist. I… haven"t found her yet.”
Jean wanted to cry but kept a stiff upper lip. “I guess I"ll be getting home. Goodbye, Eric.”
“Goodbye, Jean.” As Jean left the building, Eric turned to Andy. “Well… everybody"s gone but you and me.”
“Was that your girlfriend?”
“For a brief moment some nine years ago, I wondered if she
could
be. But since then, I knew she could
never
be. I hung around trying to help her overcome her fears. Lesson learned… I can do that for a man… but not a woman. It"s just… too awkward. I swear that my next close friendship with a woman will be the last. I think I finally know what I"m looking for. Now I just need to find her.”
“I"m not sure I follow ya.”
“That"s okay. I think I was speaking more to myself than to you, my friend. It"s time for me to leave the big city. What I"m looking for is far away from here. A small New England town sounds nice, doesn"t it?”
“You talkin" to me… or yourself again?”
“Both, I guess… but only
my
reply is really needed. I"ll keep in touch, Andy. I"ll write.”
“But you"re the star here at the Metro.”
“That"s not important. I"m sure there will be theaters where I"m going… but maybe it"s time for reality again. I"m tired of acting. Please let them know that I needed to go, will you Andy?” He shook Andy"s hand, gave him a hug, and walked out the door of the Metropolitan Theater for the final time.