Abide with Me

by E. Lynn Harris

  “Good morning. What time is it?” Yancey said as she rubbed her eyes and searched for the clock.

  “It’s almost noon.”

  Yancey leaped from the bed. “I’ve got to get rolling. The day is half gone.”

  “Relax. Did you forget we don’t have a show today?”

  “I know that, but I need to get in touch with Nicole so I can get a ride to Grand Rapids,” Yancey said.

  “Don’t worry ’bout that … you can ride with me,” Devin suggested.

  “Naw, I can’t do that. I promised Nicole and Jared I’d ride with them,” Yancey said as she looked for a robe. She was wearing a taupe-colored silk T-shirt which was clinging to her body like a second skin. Yancey located her robe and sat at the dresser mirror to work on her hair, while Devin sat up in the bed staring at her.

  “So you think we got time for one mo’, before we check out of here?” Devin asked with an easy sexual assurance.

  “I don’t think so.” Yancey smiled like an annoyed cosmetics consultant. For a moment she studied Devin’s angular, unshaven face, with his well-defined mouth and round, mahogany eyes. He was not handsome, she thought, but interesting-looking in a strong, sensual way. He had a muscular, not massive, dancer’s body. Yancey thought about the night before when her body had arched to accommodate his manhood, as she enjoyed the throbbing warmth between her legs.

  “We might not get that many chances in Grand Rapids,” Devin said.

  “Why not?” Yancey asked as she started to brush her hair.

  “ ’Cause you’re going to be back with Nicole and I’m going to have a roommate. You know how long this show is going to last, and I’ve got to save the Benjamins for rainy days,” Devin said.

  “You have a point there, but don’t worry, mister-mister … I can get rid of Miss Pret—I mean Nicole, when I want to,” Yancey said.

  “So you ladies got a system?” Devin asked as he watched how Yancey’s arms rose gracefully as she pinned her hair back.

  “Yeah, we got a system. I just tell her I’ve got to take care of some personal needs. She might be square but she ain’t dumb.”

  “You two get along pretty well?” Devin asked.

  “I guess so. It’s not like I’m going to move in with her once we get off the road, but I know I can learn a lot from her.”

  “Yeah, she’s been around awhile, and she’s very, very talented. I saw her in Jelly’s Last Jam and in a show that never made it out of workshop called To Tell the Truth.”

  “And was she good?”

  “From what I can tell. I mean, I think she was nominated for a Tony one year, but she didn’t win. She has the reputation of being a real trouper. The kinda girl who comes in and takes over when the divas move on.”

  “How many shows have you been in?” Yancey asked. She thought she might as well learn a little bit more about the man who brought her such sexual pleasure.

  “Three Broadway shows—Five Guys Named Moe, Smokey Joe’s Café, and Tap Dance Kid—and the national company of Miss Saigon. Seems like just when the unemployment checks are ’bout to run out, something comes along. What about yourself?” Devin asked.

  “I was born to do this. You could say it’s in my blood, and it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do,” Yancey said.

  “I guess you’ve got big plans for yourself. What … winning a Tony and an Oscar?”

  “You forgot the Emmy and Grammy, sweetheart. Trust me, I plan to have my name on each one of them before I leave this earth. I’m also going to be on the cover of Essence, Ebony, Vogue, and, of course, on the cover of People magazine’s Fifty Most Beautiful People issue,” Yancey said confidently.

  “So Miss Yancey got it all planned, just like the great Miss Dena Jones,” Devin said, referring to the character in Dreamgirls Yancey felt she was destined to play.

  “I sure do. But unlike Dena, I’m not going to let a man get in my way. I ain’t looking for a Curtis Taylor, Jr. How did you get into acting and dancing?”

  “Literally by accident,” Devin said. He decided he wasn’t going to get Yancey back into bed, so he stood up and searched for his underwear.

  “Accident?”

  “Yeah, I ran track in high school and played baseball. Got hurt training. Took a dance class as part of my rehabilitation and found out it was a great way to meet ladies,” Devin said. He reached down and pulled his boxers out from under a blue-flecked bedspread.

  “So all the gay guys don’t bother you?”

  “Not at all. I let them know right up front what’s what, and they leave me alone. I love being one of the few roosters in the henhouse,” Devin said slyly. Yancey noticed the trace of a smile touch his eyes as he pulled his jeans up and moved toward the dresser, where she was still sitting, preparing to put on a rose-colored lipstick. No matter how great Devin was under the sheets, she thought, after his last comment, she would make him wait a long time before he got back into her henhouse.

  “I guess you want a kiss before you leave?” she asked.

  “Would that be asking for too much?”

  “Could be … could be not,” Yancey said with a slight chill in her voice.

  Devin rubbed his hands together and asked if that was a yes or a no. Yancey stood up dramatically and said, “I’d love to kiss you, Devin, but I’ve just combed my hair.”

  Nicole was scraping seeds off a sesame bagel when she realized that after a weekend of lovemaking and just enjoying her husband’s company, they hadn’t spent much time talking. “Baby, what was the exciting news you had?”

  “Damn … I forgot to tell you,” Jared said.

  “Tell me what?” Nicole asked, spreading grape jam over the toasted bagel.

  Jared took a sip of his orange juice and said, “I got a call from a surrogate agency, and they think they’ve found a match.” His voice was suddenly excited and anxious.

  Nicole took a sip of her coffee and asked with a strained smile, “They found somebody black who’s willing to carry our baby?”

  “Not exactly. But she’s not white either,” Jared joked. He noticed the stress in his wife’s face.

  “She’s not black … not white. What then?” Nicole asked.

  “She’s Hispanic, but I think she might have some African-American roots,” Jared said.

  Nicole didn’t respond. She took another bite of her bagel as an awkward silence filled the room. Nicole was thinking of some of the beautiful Hispanic women she saw in New York, with their thick, curly black hair, olive-colored skin, and big eyes. Women who were beautiful, but who didn’t look like her. If there was going to be a surrogate, Nicole wanted her black!

  “Are you all right?” Jared asked.

  “I’m fine. I’m just thinking about how our baby would look,” Nicole said softly.

  “It will look like us and it will be beautiful,” Jared said with assurance in his voice.

  “But is now the right time? I mean, my career is just taking off again.”

  “I know, and I’ve thought about that. But you won’t always be on the road. I mean, if this show doesn’t come back to New York, then there will be other work for you. And if push comes to shove, we could always hire somebody to help out.”

  “So you’ve got it all figured out,” Nicole said.

  “Now, Nicole, you know for something like this, we have to both agree. I mean, I don’t even know if this young lady is going to work out. It’s just an option. I asked the agency to send me some more information, and when you get back home, we’ll meet her and take it from there,” Jared said. He reached for Nicole’s untouched glass of orange juice and finished it with one long swallow. Nicole was thinking about what to say next when the phone rang. “Hello,” she answered.

  “Hey, darling, you been having a good time?” Yancey asked.

  “Yancey, are you all right?” Nicole asked. She thought she detected a sadness in Yancey’s normally perky voice.

  “I’m fine, but I’ve missed having you as my roommate,” Yancey lied.

>   “That is so sweet. How was your time alone?”

  “I wasn’t exactly alone,” Yancey said.

  “Devin?”

  “You got it, honey.”

  “Is that getting serious?”

  “Pleeze … not on your life. I’ve got work to do. Have you guys had your morning coffee?” Yancey asked.

  “Yes, darling, we ordered room service. It’s not as good as the coffee you’ve been bringing me every morning.”

  “Do you want me to bring you guys some?”

  “No, that’s all right, we’ve both had enough. How are you getting to Grand Rapids?”

  “That’s why I was calling. Is Jared still planning on driving you?”

  “I think so,” Nicole said.

  “Can I get a ride? I mean, if it’s not asking too much. If you two want to be alone, I’d understand.”

  “Don’t be silly. Jared and I would love for you to ride up with us,” Nicole said as she looked at Jared, who was making a funny face and moving his head from side to side like he was dancing.

  “You’re sure now? ’Cause I could ride with Devin or Cedric or I could be really country and ride the bus,” Yancey said. Jared was now putting his underwear on his head and doing his Stevie Wonder imitation, which always made Nicole laugh.

  “You’re riding with us. I’ll call you when we decide what time we’re leaving.” Nicole laughed.

  “What are you laughing at?” Yancey asked.

  “You’d have to be here. I’ve got to go,” Nicole said. She hung up the phone and rushed toward Jared, pulled the underwear off his head, and gave him a big kiss that led to another session of passionate lovemaking.

  35

  When the cast of Dreamgirls arrived in Grand Rapids, the city was damp and drizzly. That afternoon a fierce rain came and moved through the downtown area as though it had been prearranged. Rainy days and Mondays …

  Nicole was missing Jared and adjusting to yet another convention center hotel attached to the theater where they would be performing. Jared had rented a car and drove her and Yancey to Grand Rapids and then drove to Chicago and caught a late flight to New York on Sunday night. Nicole was putting some clothes in the dresser drawers when Yancey walked in with two cold specialty coffee drinks in a cardboard carrying case.

  “Honey, you’ll never guess what I just saw,” Yancey said as she carefully positioned the drinks on the desk. She had already sipped half of one of the drinks and gave Nicole the one filled to the brim.

  “Thanks a lot. I can never get enough caffeine,” Nicole said. “What did you see?”

  “Before I went to get our afternoon pick-me-up, I stopped at the gym, and there was this overweight lady walking on the treadmill in heels and a skirt! Now, if that don’t tell you how country this city is, then nothing else will,” Yancey laughed.

  “I kinda enjoy playing a town this size. You can rest assured that we will have full houses every night and standing ovations will be the norm. These people are so happy to see a Broadway show, and they’re not as jaded as New York crowds,” Nicole said. She sipped the cold coffee drink.

  “You don’t have any more of those brownies I gave you, do you? I’m kinda famished,” Yancey said.

  “No, honey, those things were good. And so is this. I ate two of them Sunday, and Jared had a couple also. But I need some real food. The restaurant looked interesting. Maybe we can go down and have some fruit or a salad before we have our walk-through,” Nicole suggested.

  “Yeah, that sounds good. What time are we supposed to be over there?”

  “Four o’clock. I don’t think we’ll be there that long,” Nicole said.

  Yancey looked at her watch and said, “Then I think I’ll take a quick shower. How are the towels? Are we talking Holiday Inn or Four Seasons?”

  “I think something in the middle,” Nicole said. Then she finished the last of her drink.

  Shortly after Yancey went into the shower, the phone rang. Nicole was hoping it was Jared, saying he had arrived safely back in New York, but it was Dennis, her agent.

  “Hello.”

  “Nicole, how you doing?”

  “Dennis, I’m okay. Ready to get back to New York, but I’m good,” Nicole said as she sat on the bed.

  “Are you nervous?”

  “Nervous about what?” She thought this was a strange question, since Dennis knew she could now play Dena Jones in her sleep.

  “Didn’t you get my message?”

  “What message?”

  “That some of the producers of Dottie are going to be at the show tonight, checking you and some other people out. I think they finally got the backing they need and they plan to bring the show to Broadway before the Tonys next year.”

  “Did you leave the message with Jared?”

  “No, I think I spoke to your roommate in Detroit. She didn’t tell you?”

  “No, I don’t think so. This is great news. But why on earth would they come to Grand Rapids?”

  “It’s funny. I think one of the moneymen is a big Amway guy. And I think Grand Rapids is the headquarters for Amway and he has a lot of family there. You know moneymen—cutting corners any way they can.”

  “Well, that’s great news. I was telling Yancey how the crowds will probably be great. They’re even doing an opening night party,” Nicole said.

  “Knock ’em dead, which I know you will. I’ll let you know what I hear,” Dennis said.

  “I’ll be waiting. Are they going straight to Broadway, or are they going to do a tryout in Boston or somewhere?”

  “From what I hear, they’re going to do a short workshop and then they’re heading to the Great White Way.”

  “That could be both good and bad,” Nicole mused aloud.

  “I heard another rumor. Is there any truth that you guys are going to get a new director?”

  “There have been some rumblings, but we haven’t heard anything definite.”

  “Well, I heard it’s going to happen—and real soon. I’m told the producers are bringing in an African-American director,” Dennis said.

  “I guess we’ll see soon enough,” Nicole said.

  “Any way it goes, you’ll be fine.”

  Nicole looked at her watch as Yancey walked out of the bathroom, wearing an eggshell-white hotel robe and a towel wrapped around her head. “Dennis, thanks so much for calling, but I’ve got to run. I want to get something to eat before I’m due at the theater.”

  As Nicole hung up the phone, Yancey removed the towel from her head and started massaging her hair. “Was that the hubby?” she asked Nicole.

  “No, that was my agent, Dennis. Did he call me when we were in Detroit?” Nicole asked.

  Yancey paused for a moment and a quizzical look crossed her face like she was thinking really hard. “What’s his name?”

  “Dennis Hopkins,” Nicole said.

  “Yeah, he did call. I forgot. I don’t know where you were since we’re together so much, but he did call. I’m sorry,” Yancey said.

  “Oh, that’s all right, but he gave me some good news,” Nicole shared.

  “What? Are we on our way to Broadway?” Yancey asked, fully aware of why Dennis had called.

  “It looks like they got the money to do the show Dottie, and some of the producers are going to be here tonight to check me out,” Nicole said proudly.

  “That’s great. But for which role?”

  “Dorothy, I hope,” Nicole said.

  Yancey was quiet for a moment and then asked, “Wasn’t Dorothy Dandridge mixed?”

  “No!” Nicole snapped. “Both of her parents were black. As a matter of fact, her mother was real dark. Even darker than me. She was also an actress who played a lot of roles as a domestic.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by that. I just remember looking at the cover of the book about her you were reading. And she kinda favors Halle Berry.”

  “She favors Janet Jackson as well, and we both know both her parents are black,” Nicol
e said.

  “Well then, they have to be considering you for Dorothy. Why else would they come to Grand funkin’ Rapids to see you? And what other female leads are there?”

  “There is the role of her sister,” Nicole said.

  “What about her mother?” Yancey asked.

  “They better not try to offer me that role. I ain’t ready to play nobody’s mama.”

  “I know that’s right,” Yancey laughed, and gave Nicole an airborne high-five slap.

  “Let me check my face and then let’s go and get something to eat,” Nicole said.

  “Okay. What are you going to wear?” Yancey asked as she walked over to her side of the closet and touched a light blue cashmere sweater, wondering if it was cool enough to wear it.

  “What I have on,” Nicole said. “It’s just a check-out-the-theater thing.”

  “That’s not what I heard,” Yancey said, pulling the sweater off the wooden hanger.

  “What did you hear?”

  “I ran into Cedric when I was at the coffee shop and he said we’re in for a big surprise this evening.”

  “What did he say?”

  “I think Dan is out as director. I heard they’re bringing in somebody black. And ain’t nobody seen hide nor hair of Dan since the last show in Detroit. For all we know he might already be out of the country.”

  “I hope that’s not true. I love Dan,” Nicole said as she brushed some loose hairs back into place.

  “I like him too, but maybe we need some new blood in this show,” Yancey said.

  “Like my daddy used to say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Nicole said. She pressed her lips together and decided she needed a new layer of lipstick.

  Yancey started to tell Nicole that there were a lot of things wrong with the show, like the fact that she wasn’t playing Dena. But Yancey decided Nicole would learn soon enough.

  Yancey and Nicole were running late for the cast walk-through of their first performance at the Devoss Theater. They’d had a light but filling dinner at the hotel restaurant, but skipped the coffee to get back on time.

  It was 5:30 P.M. by the time the cast toured the theater and made minor adjustments to key scenes to fit the new stage.