In the Fullness of Time

by Sabra Brown Steinsiek

  As it became quiet, he looked at them and said, “So, what are you all in town for?” The laughter rocked the room again.

  Elodie efficiently took over running the show, bringing up winning fans to accept autographed prizes and have pictures taken with the man of the hour. A gift check of money from fund-raisers, marking the end of this run in the show, was presented to Taylor and the local representative of his charity, Shelters For Children. He made a gracious speech thanking them for all their support.

  “Now, I promised you an announcement. I hope you’ll all find it as happy an announcement as I do.”

  “A tour?” “New show?” “Another CD!” excited guesses rang out across the room.

  “None of those but something definitely new for me.” He turned and stepped down from the stage, taking Laura’s hand to lead her back up the steps to stand beside him.

  “I’m taking up a new role,” he said “Laura and I want you to be the first to know that in two months, we’ll be parents again— starting from scratch this time!” His face glowed as he put his arm around his obviously pregnant wife. “We hope that you’ll join us in celebrating our blessed event by giving gifts to the charity. We promise you that our child will want for nothing and hope you will honor him…or her…with gifts for children who have so little.”

  A brief silence filled the room. No one had guessed this news! Then the applause started and grew and someone began a chorus of Happy Birthday for Baby Morgan. Taylor laughed and leaned down to kiss Laura…an act that broke more than a few hearts and set at least one set of teeth grinding.

  Someone called out above the noise, “Is it a boy or girl, Taylor?”

  He smiled and answered, “Yes!” bringing another round of laughter. “Thanks to all of you for being here today. The news will be public tonight on ET so you can run off to your laptops and announce it. Just don’t be late for the show!”

  With another wave, he escorted Laura from the stage where they and the girls were whisked out a back door to the safety of the waiting car.

  * * *

  “Well, I think that went well,” Taylor said as he loosened the tie he had worn to the party. “You’re all right, Laura?”

  “Stop fussing, Taylor. I’m fine. And it did go well.”

  “I can never get used to all that…that…” Betta was at a loss for words.

  “Pheromone deluge?” Meg asked dryly.

  Pierce burst into helpless laughter. “That’s it exactly! I’m surprised you can walk out of there at all, Taylor.”

  “It’s a little difficult sometimes, Pierce. Guess you FBI types don’t get that kind of adoration much.”

  “Ever!” he said, as the car pulled up to the rear entrance of the theatre.

  “Then I think I’ve definitely got the better job,” Taylor said with a grin as he kissed Laura. “You—go home and rest. You two,” he said to his daughters, “you see that she does. I’ll see you all tonight before the show.”

  Laura’s eyes met his and he could see the faint shadow of worry there so he leaned over and whispered, “Nothing’s going to happen, Laura. I love you.”

  “I love you, too. Go get some rest yourself before everything starts happening. We’ll see you in a few hours.”

  Chapter 20

  The ending of a show was always a time of mixed feelings for Taylor. He’d given a lot of his time and energy to “John Ridd”, as he did with every character he brought to life. Each cast was like the formation of a new family for him and it was hard to move on.

  Still, he was tired. Not as young as he used to be, he mused, as he walked the empty backstage corridors. It was time for some quieter time, for a new life and this new responsibility of a baby. Deep in his heart he was scared to death of the idea but he’d never backed down from a challenge in his life.

  He passed his almost empty dressing room. Most of his personal things had been packed up and taken home already. All that remained on the dressing table were the picture of his parents that had traveled with him all these years, a photo of Laura in Venice on their honeymoon, and senior portraits of Meg and Betta. Those would go home with him tonight.

  He went out on the empty stage. The silence was overwhelming but he could hear echoes in his mind of laughter and music and applause from this show and all the others that had come before. Despite the ghost light, the stage was crowded with the spirits of the generations of players who had come before him and the promises of those who would come after.

  “Saying goodbye, Taylor?” The voice came from the stage right shadows but he knew who it was.

  “It’s always a little hard to let go, El. You know that.”

  Elodie stepped from the shadows and waited as he walked over to her. “So what are you going to do now? I can’t see you staying home playing Daddy all day.”

  “Really? The funny thing is that I can see me doing just that. I’m really looking forward to a ‘normal’ nine-to-five life for a while.”

  “You’ll be so bored, Taylor. This is what you were born to do,” she said as she swept her arm across the empty auditorium. “Can you turn your back on it?”

  “For now, anyway. I have time to think about what comes next.” He put an arm around her shoulder, the gesture of an old friend. She felt the difference from the protective arm he’d wrapped around Laura at the party earlier and a surge of jealousy went through her. He should have been mine, she thought. I’d have never held him back this way.

  Taylor started walking back to his dressing room. “Nice party this afternoon. You outdid yourself this time. The check was way more than I expected. It’s going to help a lot of kids. Think the fans will fall in with the plan for the baby gift?”

  “I think so. They were pretty excited after you’d left. I have the feeling that a lot of those donations are going to come wrapped around baby booties.”

  “We’ll send them on to the charity, too,” he said with a laugh as he stopped at the door of his dressing room. “Where will you be sitting tonight, El?”

  “Second row center,” behind your wife she thought bitterly. “I think the fans have most of the first ten rows. You’d better have a speech planned for the ovations.”

  “I do but it won’t be easy to deliver. Thanks for stopping by but I think I just want to be alone for a while. I’ll see you at the party tonight.”

  “Break a leg, Taylor,” she said as she kissed him on the cheek.

  Her hand lingered a moment on his shoulder before she turned away so that he couldn’t see the tears in her eyes.

  * * *

  Backstage began to fill up as cast members arrived. Everyone had a word for him and he was running late with changing into his costume when the door opened. “Taylor?”

  He peeked out from behind the screen and leered at his wife. “I’m getting dressed. Want to help?”

  “Running late?”

  “Yeah. Curtain may not make it up on time tonight. It will be the first time but everyone’s been by to say something and will you look at these flowers?” He stepped from behind the screen to the mirror and checked his makeup.

  “You know, I never thought my husband would wear more makeup and spend more time in front of the mirror than I would.”

  “Occupational hazard, Mrs. Morgan.”

  There was a knock on the door. “Five minutes, Taylor” the stage manager called before he made a general announcement. They could hear the flurry of activity outside the door as people ran for places and lost props were located.

  “Are you sorry, Taylor? To be leaving?”

  “Sure. But I’m excited about us. It’s time we had a life like other people. I’m looking forward to actually going to bed with you instead of hoping you’ll wake up when I get home in the middle of the night.”

  “Me, too. I’d best get out there. A kiss for luck?”

  “A kiss because I love you—you’re all the luck I ever need.” Another knock at the door and a call for places broke them apart. “Later, love,” he said a
s he ran out the door. She hurried around to the auditorium entrance, taking her seat just as the curtain rose.

  * * *

  “Bravo! Bravo!” The auditorium was filled with cheers and whistles as Taylor made yet another curtain call. The ovation showed no sign of stopping. Once again he took his leading lady’s hand and led her to the apron to take another bow. This time she held up her hands to try to quiet the crowd and they slowly took their seats waiting for the farewell speeches.

  “Oh, my,” she said, her voice choked with tears. “I promised myself I wouldn’t cry but I evidently didn’t listen. Taylor Morgan has been my partner now for years—graciously loaned to me—to us—by his wife, Laura, and his daughters, Megan and Betta. He has been everything I ever dreamed of when I came to New York and I thank him for sharing his expertise and company with me. Taylor, we will all miss you. Not just the cast but all of New York. And we’ll be here waiting when you decide to come home again.” With that, she couldn’t hold the tears back any longer and the audience rose to its feet again when he hugged her.

  Finally, they fell silent again as she stepped back to join the ensemble, leaving Taylor alone in the spotlight. The tears flowed freely on the faces of cast, crew, and audience and he could see the tearful smiles of his wife and daughters in the front row.

  He never looked past them to notice that Elodie had already fled, her tears, her disappointment, and her anger too much to handle in this public arena.

  “I guess this is good-bye then—at least for a little while. I’m going to be taking some personal time now for a while. My daughters will be going off to college this fall and Laura and I have a new plan of our own. In case you haven’t heard the news, we’re adding to our family in about two months.” Another wave of applause shook the theatre and he waved and smiled his appreciation.

  “This will probably be the most difficult role I’ve ever had to fill. I may be begging to come back after my first few sleepless nights and diaper duty. But it’s time for me to move on, at least for now. But there’s too much greasepaint in my blood now for me to even think of saying good-bye forever. When the right role comes along, I’ll be back.”

  When the applause quieted he went on, “My thanks to Llewellyn for the magnificent music he wrote for ‘John Ridd’.” A spotlight picked out the composer sitting in the front row next to Laura and the applause rose again. When it died down, Taylor continued, “My thanks and love to these folks up here with me. They are every bit as much my family as those down there in the front row. I thank them for taking me in and giving me a place to play.” Turning to his cast mates, he threw them a kiss. “You’ll be forever in my heart.”

  Turning back to the audience he said, “Goodnight, my friends. I wish you great dreams.”

  As the audience rose to their feet once again, Taylor took a step back into the ensemble, leading them in a final bow before the curtain descended and it was, finally, over.

  Chapter 21

  The reality didn’t sink in for Taylor until he read the reviews of his replacement’s opening night. There were the inevitable comparisons to his own performance but his successor had held up well. Taylor felt a sense of loss as he realized the character he created was no longer his.

  He was at a loss for what to do with his time so he threw his energies into finishing the nursery. He and Laura took long walks and spent the evenings catching up on movies they hadn’t seen.

  He was there to see Betta and Meg off to their senior proms. He’d missed all the other dances. When they came in dressed for the dance, they took his breath away and he said goodnight to their dates with a fierceness he hadn’t expected to feel.

  When the door had closed behind them, Laura came up and put her arms around him. “A little fatherly jealousy, Taylor?”

  “I guess I just hadn’t ever realized—let myself realize—that they’re really grown now. They’re young women and I know exactly what those boys were thinking!”

  “You’re probably right. And you can’t do anything about it.”

  “I know—but if this baby is a girl, I’m locking her up ‘til she’s thirty.”

  Laura laughed and shook her head at him. “Then I guess maybe I had better start hoping it’s a boy.” She yawned suddenly. “I’m sorry, I just can’t keep my eyes open. I think I’ll go on to bed. You’re not going to wait up for the girls, are you?”

  “Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?”

  “Not when they’re going to an all-night party after the dance. They’ll be home after breakfast tomorrow.”

  “Then I’ll read for a while.” He put his arm around her and walked down the hall to their room. “Are you feeling all right? You’ve been exceptionally tired the last few days.”

  “I’m just ready for this pregnancy to be done.”

  “Are you sorry, Laura? Do you regret that our plans were all blown apart by this baby?”

  “Sometimes. It’s a big change. But this baby is a part of you and me. And she’ll be the most important thing we’ve ever accomplished.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and held her close until he felt her yawn again. Chuckling, he said, “Into bed with you, Sleeping Beauty. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  * * *

  The apartment was quiet—too quiet. And Taylor was restless. This leisure stuff was hard to get used to. He had just settled in with a book when the phone rang and he reached to catch it before it could wake Laura.

  “Taylor, it’s Sean.”

  “Sean, good to hear from you. Is everything all right?”

  “’Tis. Maybe more than all right. Is Laura around?”

  “She’s gone to bed. Her energy level seems to be pretty low these days.”

  “Maria was the same. Slept for hours before Tomás was born. But it’s you I wanted to talk to, anyway. This needs to be between you and me for the moment.”

  “Sounds interesting, Sean. What’s up?”

  “What are you going to do with your time now, Taylor? Other than being a new dad?”

  “I hadn’t really thought that far. I’m going to need to find something. All this quiet is driving me nuts.”

  “I thought it might be,” Sean said with a laugh. “You’re not known in the family for being the shy, retiring type. So, I have some news for you that might solve your problem. There’s an opening for a visiting professor in the theatre department here at UNM. They want to hire someone to run a two-semester course on musical theatre and they were hoping to get someone with some experience—an actor—to come in to teach it. The department head’s a friend of mine and she suggested your name. The committee loved the idea and asked me to talk to you about it.”

  “Me? Teaching? I’ve never taught before, Sean.”

  “No, but you’ve lived it. You know the ins and outs. Laura’s mentioned some of the workshops you’ve helped with there for the performing arts school, and the inner city groups you’ve given time to. I think it would be a good thing for you.”

  Taylor could feel a spark of excitement building. This could be exactly what he was searching for and would have the advantage of taking Laura back to her beloved New Mexico. With the baby, being near her mother would mean even more to her.

  “I don’t know what to say, Sean. The idea’s certainly exciting.”

  “Any chance you could fly out for a couple of days? I know you don’t want to leave Laura but since the baby’s not due for another six weeks or so, it should be safe. And, Taylor, it’s not really any of my business, but I hope you won’t discuss it with her until you make up your mind if you want to consider it. I don’t want to get Laura’s or Maria’s hopes up. I hope you understand.”

  “I do. It wouldn’t be fair to either one of them and I know it must be hard on you.”

  “Well, I have to say I wouldn’t mind being around my grandchild on a daily basis.”

  “Set up a meeting for me, Sean. Let me know when. I can do an overnight trip and tell Laura I have a meeting with producers in C
alifornia.”

  “Is the California thing a possibility? Movies?”

  “There have been a couple of nibbles but I don’t feel like it’s really what I want to do. I’d really like to come out and talk with the University before I consider anything with them.”

  “I’ll call Kris Straub right now. She should be home and I’ll try to get back to you this evening. I’m glad you’re considering it. I hope you know it’s not just having my girl and baby home—I’d like to spend some more time with my son-in-law, too.”

  “I’d like that, too. Let me know as soon as you have some information for me.”

  Chapter 22

  “Morning, Taylor,” Laura came into the dining room the next morning not looking a lot more rested than she had the night before. He noticed her face looked a little puffy and she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring. She’d had some swelling problems with her hands before and had had to leave her ring off when it happened.

  “Morning, love. How are you feeling?”

  “I don’t know,” she said as she pushed her heavy hair away from her face. “I feel a little off this morning. I have an appointment with Dr. Bernard this afternoon and I’ll talk to her then, so just stop before you even start to lecture me.”

  “Me? I wouldn’t do that.”

  “Only if you got a chance.”

  “Sit down and I’ll get you some breakfast. Fruit and toast, again?”

  “I think so. Would you ask Rosina if there’s any of the cantaloupe left?”

  As Taylor left the room, Laura acknowledged that she really didn’t feel well. She had a headache and her hands and feet were swollen. This baby couldn’t come too soon to suit her, she thought.