by Ward, Alice
He studied me carefully. “Alright,” he said after a few moments, “the musicians should be here, let’s get started.
***
The rehearsal was perfect; Dylan and I moved flawlessly from scene to scene, our voices blending perfectly during our vocal numbers. I hit every cue and stage direction, and lost myself into the world of The Four Seasons. I was amazed by the chemistry Dylan and I shared on stage. It was if we were reading each other’s minds, anticipating the other’s movements a split second before they happened. As Frankie and Lorraine fell in love, I felt my heart melt with a glance from Dylan. When they broke up, I felt as if I’d lost the love of my life as well.
“Fantastic!” Bruce kept calling out from the first row. “This is what I wanted to see, Harper! Fantastic!”
Dylan and I belted out the final lyrics of Bye, Bye Baby and Bruce jumped to his feet with applause.
“That was fantastic!” he bellowed. “We’ll do a full run through with the rest of the cast tomorrow, and you can take over performances as soon as wardrobe is finished with your costumes.”
“I haven’t…” I began.
Bruce interrupted with a dismissive wave. “I know you haven’t been measured yet. That’s where you’re going now… costuming and then make-up. They need to do a dry run on your colors, make sure that your features pop onstage.”
“Alright…” I answered nervously. Serena worked in a different part of the theater, but I knew that she was friends with all of the other cosmetologists. A large part of me feared that the Jersey Boys make-up artist would make me look awful on purpose, as a sign of solidarity with her friend. “I don’t know where I’m going.” I confessed with a nervous laugh.
“The rooms are next to each other, I’ll show you.” Dylan answered quickly.
“Great job today, Kate,” Bruce said again. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.” He ambled up the aisle as Dylan and I walked backstage.
“You don’t seem too excited about this part of the job.” He said with a smile. “I thought every little girl loved to play dress up.”
“I’m far from a little girl,” I reminded him, “and it’s not the dressing up that I mind.”
“Your friend… the one from Kinky Boots that you were waiting on that day? You think that she was behind the article, don’t you?”
I sighed. “The truth is, any number of people could have been behind it. I haven’t made myself too popular since I arrived in the city. Apparently it’s some kind of sin to sign with a good agent… but yes, I know that at least one of the unnamed sources was Serena.” I finished with a sigh.
“And that’s why you don’t want to go to the make-up room.”
I shrugged. “I’m sure the women in there already hate me, but they have to do their jobs, right? I just hope they don’t make me look like a fool.”
“That’s not possible.” Dylan laughed. “But I’ll make you a deal. If you ever come out of that room looking anything less than phenomenal, I’ll tell you and I’ll make them fix it.”
“Thanks,” I laughed. “That makes me feel better.”
“Then my mission is complete.” He smiled. “Here we are.”
“Do you know where I’m supposed to go first?” I asked. “I forgot to ask Bruce.”
“There’s one way to find out.” He replied, knocking on the door of the costume department. The door swung open; a tall man with mocha skin and dreadlocks smiled at Dylan.
“Hey man, what’s up?” He asked.
“Hi Carter, this is Kate Harper. Bruce said she had appointments with you and with make-up, but he didn’t say which was first.” Dylan explained.
“Hi Kate, it’s nice to meet you.” Carter smiled. “Dylan has told me wonderful things about you; I can’t wait to get started. I’ll take you first, Mica can wait.”
Dylan turned to me. “I’m leaving you in excellent hands.” He smiled. “I’ll be in my dressing room when you’re done. Come show me what Mica does with that beautiful face of yours.” He turned away and I blushed uncontrollably; Carter was kind enough to pretend not to notice.
“Step into my office, Kate, I need to take your measurements.” He instructed. “You’re about the same size as Poppy, I should be able to alter most of her things to fit you.”
I entered the room and stepped up onto the small, circular platform. He pulled out a soft measuring tape, a small notepad, and a pencil, and proceeded to take what seemed like hundreds of measurements. I had no idea why he would possibly need to know the distance between the top of my head and my elbow; I was about to ask when Carter announced that he was finished.
“Already?” I asked. “I don’t get to try anything on?”
Carter shook his head. “The costumes would look horrible on you right now. Trust me, let me make the alterations before you try them on.”
“Alright… then I guess I’ll go to make-up.” I remained rooted to the platform.
Carter took me by the elbow and guided me to the floor. “Look, Kate, I try to stay out of other people’s business, but I hear everything that goes on around here. I know what some of the other actresses and crew have been saying about you. You hold your head up high and ignore them… I’ve known Dylan for a long time. He may be a bit of a lady’s man, but he’s serious when it comes to his career. He wouldn’t have fought so hard to get you here if you weren’t talented.”
“Thank you, Carter.” I said with a smile. It was a relief to know that I had one more friend at the theater. “I guess I’d better get the make-up part over with.”
“Yes mam, I’ll have someone call you when I’m ready for your fitting.”
I stepped out into the hallway, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door of the make-up room. A perky brunette girl greeted me with an exaggerated smile.
“Hi!” She gushed. “You must be Kate. I’m Mica, come on in.” I followed her into the room and she shut the door behind us. The cramped space held a wall length vanity on one side and a row of sinks and dryers on the other. Mica pointed to a stool near the door and I took a seat.
“This is where you’ll get hair and make-up,” she explained, “and for future reference, you don’t have to knock… so, welcome to Jersey Boys, how are you liking things so far?”
“Everything’s been great,” I lied.
Mica nodded knowingly as she covered my face with thick foundation. “You know, I read that Times article this morning and I just got so mad… I mean, you’re not sleeping with Dylan Matthews, right?” She laughed casually.
I saw right through her; I knew that she was trying to act like my friend in the hopes that I’d give her the real dirt, something to share with the next reporter that came snooping around the theater. “I have a boyfriend, and I’m not going to dignify that article with a response.” I told her sharply.
“Of course not,” she quickly agreed. Mica finished my make-up in awkward silence, commenting every now and then on my smooth skin or high cheekbones. After what seemed like hours, she pronounced me finished and spun my chair around to fact the mirror.
I looked fantastic. She’d made my blue eyes pop with a band of gold eyeliner, and my cheeks were defined with bronzer and a dusty rose blush. My lips were pink and plumped to perfection.
“You’re amazing.” I told her sincerely.
“Thanks,” she laughed. “We won’t bother with your hair run through, I think I have a feel for your hair type… it holds curl really well, right?” I nodded. “I thought so,” she continued, “so the big barrel curl look will work perfectly. You’ll come here three hours before show time, every performance.” She instructed. “Do you know when you’re debuting?”
“As soon as Carter finishes my costumes.” I answered.
“It shouldn’t be too long then, Carter is fantastic. I guess I’ll see you soon!” She said with the same exaggerated excitement she’d greeted me with.
As I stood, the door to the make-up room swung open. Serena walked in, looking down at a list in her hand.
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“Hey, Mica, we’re out of a couple of things in the other room, do you have any spare…” her voice trailed off as she looked up and saw me. “Never mind, I’ll come back later.” She said before darting back out the door.
‘Enough of this.’ I thought. I excused myself and rushed after her. “Serena!” I called as I chased her down the hall. “Serena… for the love of god would you just talk TO me instead of ABOUT me for once!” I screamed. She turned around and sneered at me.
“I don’t have anything to say to you.” She spat. “I took you under my wing, I shared ALL of my connections with you. And you convinced everyone that you were a sweet, innocent Midwest girl. I know better, Kate.” She said with an evil smile.
“Serena, what do you think I DID?” I asked her. “It’s not my fault that they wanted to cast me, I DIDN’T sleep with Dylan. I ran into him in the hallway that afternoon. My stomach grumbled, I was mortified, and he insisted that I join him for a snack. I didn’t know that we were going to his dressing room until we got there. I ate a granola bar, drank a sparkling water, and then left to meet you. It was NOTHING, we just talked.”
“You had a shit eating grin when you got back to the make-up room that day,” Serena argued, “I knew that something was up. I asked you what happened, and you lied. If you didn’t have sex with Dylan, why didn’t you tell me that you met him?”
I sighed. “I didn’t want to make a big deal about it… now I wish to god that I had. But I promise you, Serena, I’ve never slept with Dylan Matthews! You know I’m not that kind of person, we talked about it all the time!”
“You can play innocent all you want, Kate, but I know EXACTLY who you really are. And I promise you, no matter how long it takes, I am going to make sure you get what’s coming to you.” She hissed.
“Are you threatening me?” I asked her in disbelief.
“Consider it more like a warning.” She replied. “I’m watching you, Kate, and I’m not the only one. You’ll mess up eventually and show everyone who you really are… and when you do, I’m going to make the world come crashing down around you.” She gave me one last smug smile before darting down the hallway.
***
I’d promised to show Dylan my make-up job, but first I went back to my dressing room. I fetched my phone from my bag and saw that I’d missed eight calls: two from Marion, one from Janette, four from my mother, and one from Max. I sighed and dialed in to my voicemail.
Marion had left one message, assuring me that she was doing everything she could to get the paper to print a retraction. She reiterated Dylan’s point that all publicity was good publicity and promised to stay in touch.
My mother’s first message was calm and casual. “Hi sweetheart, I just wanted to call and make sure that you are all right. Don’t let those silly New York reporters get you down, you know they’re all a bunch of liberal storytellers. Call me when you can.”
Her second message was less reserved. She’d been on the internet and had read stories about “that Dylan boy’s reputation.” She insisted that I call her as soon as possible; four minutes later, she’d called again.
“Kate, I am really getting worried about you.” She said, her tone now slightly panicked. “I trust you, of course, but after everything I’ve been reading I’m not sure that you shouldn’t just come back home… call me as soon as you can.”
The fourth message was even more frantic. “Kathryn Elizabeth Harper, if you don’t call me back right now, then when your father and I come up next week we are going to pack your things and bring you home with us. I don’t care how old you are, I am your mother and you are going to talk to me.
I sighed. Like most people, I always knew I was in trouble when my mother used my full name. ‘What did she mean when she said when they come down here next week?’ I wondered. Instead of listening to Max’s message, I decided to call my mom and face the music; she answered on the first ring.
“Kathryn Elizabeth, you have had me worried sick. Why in the world have you been ignoring my phone calls?” She demanded.
“I’m sorry, mom,” I sighed, “I was getting measured for my costumes, my phone was in my dressing room… I guess you’ve read the Times article?”
“Yes… your Mimi called first thing this morning. One of her sorority sisters lives in the city and she called to tell her about the article… she thought she recognized your name, but she couldn’t believe that someone from our family would behave in such a way.” My mother scolded me; I felt like I was five years old again.
“Mom, nothing in that article was true.” I insisted. “You can talk to Marion if you want; she’ll tell you that the casting director wanted me for the role. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Whether you have or not sweetheart, people are saying such awful things about you. Surely a role in some silly little play isn’t worth ruining your reputation.”
Rage fumed within me and I chose my words carefully. “Mother, as soon as I step onto that stage for my debut performance, everyone will know that that article was a load of horse sh… manure.” I caught myself before swearing. “I am good at what I do, and I am not involved with Dylan Matthews.”
“Well, I certainly hope that’s true… but I’m warning you, Kathryn, if I don’t like what I see next week, I’m packing your things and moving you home.”
“About that…” I hesitated. “You mentioned visiting in one of your messages… I didn’t know you and daddy were planning a trip.”
“Oh, FUDGE!” My mother exclaimed in one of her ‘polite’ curse words. “It was supposed to be a surprise… I got so worked up, I completely forgot.”
“Forgot what, mother?” I prompted.
She sighed. “That nice man you’ve been seeing called us after you won the part. He said that he’s planning a party for your debut night, and he invited your father, Mimi, and I to fly out and join you… I can’t BELIEVE I spilled the beans.”
“Max called you?” I asked; I couldn’t believe that he’d called my parents up, introduced himself, and invited them to the city.
“Yes, Kate, and thank God he did. If he’d left it up to you, we’d have found out about your debut months after it happened. Really, you must check in more… your distance makes me suspect even stronger that it’s time for you to come home.”
“Mother, I am home.” I said patiently. “I hope that you can see that, while you’re here. I’m glad that you’re coming.” I added softly.
“I may not understand what you’re doing, Kate.” She sighed. “And I may not always approve of it. But I am your mother… I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks mom. I love you; I’ll see you next week. I won’t tell Max that I know you’re coming… I’ll let him think he’s surprising me.”
“Thanks pumpkin, I love you… behave yourself.” She added before ending the call.
I dialed in to listen to Max’s message, a happy smile spread across my face. The smile disappeared as I listened to his words.
“Hey baby… we have a bit of a… situation. Call me as soon as you can.”
‘Shit!’ I thought. ‘What could have possibly happened now?’ I dialed Max’s number; he didn’t answer, but called back a few moments later.
“How bad is it?” I asked.
He laughed lightly. “It’s not terrible… it’s just that Fiona read the Times article… one of the kids at the Youth Theater brought it to class. Glory confiscated it, but not before Fiona had a chance to read it.”
“Oh god!” I groaned. “I hadn’t even thought about the kids reading it! Does Fiona hate me?”
“No, she called me and I explained to her that some people make up stories to sell more newspapers. I assured her that you and I are very happy together, and that Dylan Matthews is just a friend from your job. I think that it would help if you called and reassured her, though.” He added.
“Max, I am so sorry that you have to deal with this.” I sighed.
“Kate, have you been sleeping with Dylan Matt
hews?” He asked sarcastically.
“Of course not! You know that I love you… I love you so much Max. Dylan is just a friend, just like you told Fiona.”
“Then you have nothing to be sorry about.” He said simply. “If having you in my life means dealing with a little unwanted press, so be it.”
“Thank you, Max… what are you doing now? Are you free for lunch?”
“Kate, its five o’clock in the evening,” He laughed. “I just got to work.”
I was shocked; time had flown since I’d arrived at the theater. “Any way you could take off?” I asked hopefully.
“I wish… can I call you when I clock out? I’m scheduled to close.”
“I’ll be waiting for your call.” I told him with a smile. We hung up and I dialed Fiona’s cell phone number. I assured her that the newspaper man had gotten a lot of things wrong in his story, and that I loved her Uncle Max very much. She assured me that she’d known from the beginning that the article was “silly”. I ended the call with a promise to get matinee tickets for her and three of her friends; she proclaimed that I was the aunt she’d always wanted. I hung up the phone with a smile on my face.
***
A knock on my door interrupted my happy daydreams about my soon to be family. I reluctantly rose from the couch and opened the door; Dylan stood in the hallway.
“Not bad,” he whistled, examining my make-up. “Mica really outdid herself… of course, she had a beautiful canvas.” He added with that dazzling smile.
“You have to stop that.” I insisted. “We’re coworkers… we can be friends, but nothing more.”
“Oh, Kate, you need to lighten up.” He teased. “I’m just having a little fun.”
“The last thing I need is for someone to overhear a comment like that.” I told him firmly. “I’m sure the paper would be more than happy to print a follow up on the trash they’ve already reported.”
“You’re looking at this all wrong.” He told me. “What happened to the girl who didn’t care what anyone said?”