Annie said yes, but she felt a little overwhelmed. It sounded intense. In her mind, she asked herself again, What have I gotten myself into?
Annie thought the meeting was ready to wind down, but the professor had more to tell them. “I’m going to give each of you a small packet of papers I want you to read and study.” That was Felix’s cue to reach into his box again and pull out a stack of papers. He passed them around the room as the professor continued to speak. “This is something that I give to all my beginning students, to help them acclimate themselves with the basics. In particular, I want you to learn the special terminology we in the theater use. You should understand terms like stage right, stage left, upstage, backstage, proscenium, grid, and so on. If I ask you to sit in the house, please do not go home—I’m simply telling you to sit in the area where the audience sits.” There was light laughter among those seated around the table.
“By the way, everyone,” the professor continued as Felix moved among them, “this is Felix Bordman, my right-hand man, who will also be acting as our stage manager.”
Felix made a small bow, but said nothing, and the professor didn’t ask him to describe his job, but took on that task himself. “The stage manager’s duties involve organizing and scheduling. He keeps an up-to-date production calendar with all the deadlines and rehearsals and performance dates that we need be aware of. Besides that, he is in charge of the master script and keeps notes about all the changes that occur during rehearsals, whether it’s to the script or the lighting or anything else. It’s a huge responsibility, but Felix is up to it.” Annie thought the professor sounded as if he was referring to Felix with some amount of affection, though he really didn’t seem to treat him very well. Felix didn’t seem to mind, but since she didn’t know either of them very well, she decided to reserve judgment on that.
“And now I want to present to you a former student of mine and our playwright, Jacob Martin.” The professor applauded, and the others joined in. As Jacob stood up to speak, the professor took his seat for the first time since the meeting began.
Jacob did seem a little shy, as Kate had said, as if he didn’t often speak before groups of people and didn’t really care much for being in the spotlight. His tone of voice was low and soft, but nevertheless his words came out clearly. “I just want to thank you all for being here today, and for being willing to be involved in such a huge undertaking, even though most of you have very little experience in the theater. As you may know, my wife, Ophelia, died of breast cancer last year. She was the love of my life, and I owe everything that I am to her—and I don’t just mean my livelihood, though it was because she believed in me and encouraged me to become a playwright that I can call myself that today. But it wasn’t that really; it was that she was an example to me every day of what a good and kind person should be. She was an individual of immense courage too. She was the inspiration for the play, but I wanted it to be something that would benefit other women in the future. I look at our daughter, and I pray that she will never have to go through the same ordeal as her mother. So, I thank you again for volunteering your time and talents.”
With that, Jacob sat back down in his chair. The professor stood and made a short speech that was designed to inspire them, but to Annie, that was unnecessary. Jacob’s few words didn’t have the flair of his former teacher’s, but they were modest, heartfelt, and to the point. It was Jacob’s speech that had finally reminded Annie why she had become involved with the play. With all that had happened, between Mary Beth’s very personal news, and discovering the tapestry, and then this meeting with Professor Howell, she had momentarily lost sight of the goal. She decided that she would remind herself of that goal every day. If she became discouraged, she might stumble, but she wouldn’t fall—at least not to the point that she couldn’t get up again.
****
Apart from rereading the play several times and taking notes, Annie’s participation in the production of the play would really not begin in earnest until rehearsals started. That wasn’t true for the other members of the Hook and Needle Club. The others were busier than they had ever been. The next Tuesday-morning meeting was too soon for all of what they had taken on to sink in, but by the following week, things were in full swing. Though they continued to work on their current needlework projects at the hour-long meeting, the conversation was taken up with reports of what they had accomplished in their individual tasks for the play so far.
Mary Beth had contacted Professor Torres at the college and had begun making phone calls among her musician friends in Stony Point to see if any of them would be willing to volunteer and to find out when they could begin practice sessions.
Peggy was excited that her sister, Mitzy, was going to be working on the play as well. Mitzy, too, had been given books and assignments to learn about hair and makeup for the theater. Peggy had already begun learning the part of Abigail. She only had a few lines in the play, but by the measure of her enthusiasm, she could have been the star. Peggy was nearly always a bubbly personality, but combined with not having to worry about finances that winter with the steady income of Wally’s position, and having been given the opportunity to stretch her wings doing something that she loved, she was extra happy, and that happiness seemed to stream from every pore of her being. Emily’s dance recital had gone very well, and the others teased Peggy that she was another budding superstar in the family.
Kate had been busily studying and sketching ideas for costumes in her free time, and she showed the others the worksheet that Vanessa had developed on the computer. It had spaces for an actor’s body measurements and shoe size, along with an area to list every bit of clothing and accessories his or her character would require. Vanessa had printed out enough copies of the worksheet so that there was one for each actor. Kate had also contacted several ladies from church, including Reverend Wallace’s wife, June, to see if she could enlist them as seamstresses when it came time to produce the actual costumes.
Professor Howell had arranged for Kate to meet with the two college girls, Sarah and Vera, who would also be working on the costumes. So, after Vanessa got out of school one afternoon, the two of them had driven over to Longfellow College. The professor had also arranged for the student actors who had been cast in the play to be present, so that they could be measured for their costumes, and Kate would have a chance actually see the actors in order to make the designs fit them better.
“What did you think of them?” asked Peggy.
“They were a friendly bunch,” said Kate. “There seemed to be a well-developed sense of camaraderie among them.”
“Oh,” said Peggy, looking a little concerned.
Kate looked at Peggy quizzically. “Isn’t that a good thing?” she asked.
“Yes—it is a good thing. It’s just that if they’ve worked together a lot, for me, it will be like coming to a new school after the year has already started—you know, two or three weeks after it starts and everyone else is already in pairs or groups of friends, and you’re just sort of left out,” replied Peggy.
“Don’t worry, Peggy,” said Kate. “I don’t think they’re like that. They treated Vanessa and me like old friends. They’re very casual and not snobbish at all.” Kate continued, “I am a little concerned about when we’re going to get to meet Dolores and Cyril Fortescue. I can do outline sketches for their costumes, but without measurements and without being able to actually have an idea of their body shapes and sizes, it will be hard to nail down the designs.”
Apparently, neither Professor Howell nor Stella were sure when the Fortescues would be returning from a trip to Florida, where they had gone to escape some of the winter weather. Annie hoped they would be back before the first rehearsal, for Kate’s sake. As the other members of the club continued chatting, Kate asked Peggy to stand to one side of the comfy circle of chairs so she could take Peggy’s measurements and get them written down, as it wasn’t always possible for Peggy to get away from work during the day.
> Gwen related that several new sponsors had been signed up. She also showed the group the artwork that one of the college students had already completed and that Professor Howell had approved for the cover of the program. She had contacted a couple of different printers to get quotes on printing the posters. They needed to get those out in the surrounding areas to make people aware of the play, even though the first performance was a few months away. “The professor suggested that we might start a Facebook page too,” said Gwen. “I guess I’m going to have to catch up on all this new technology. It does sound like it would be a good way to reach a lot of people.”
Stella had exciting news in her capacity as producer of the play. “When we began the Cultural Center project, we received funds from the Maine Arts Commission. When it was decided that we would produce the play, I immediately sent in forms requesting a grant, and though the funds won’t be available right away, it looks like we will be receiving some assistance.”
“That’s wonderful news, Stella,” said Alice. “And I’m really glad to hear that everyone is coming along with their assignments so well. I can report that I’ve spent most of my free time reading the books that Professor Howell gave to me. I made a few general sketches that I brought to the meeting with the professor, Wally, and Carl Johnson last Friday at the Cultural Center. Carl took my drawings to work up a computer model, and then he and the professor will tweak it to make it look the way that they want. Carl’s going to be designing everything structural—the walls, the doors, the windows, and so on, and I’ll be filling in the decorative details. Apparently, the computer program Carl uses even has the capability to work out a detailed materials list, so that should be really helpful to Wally.”
“Wally was impressed with him,” said Peggy, her arms stretched out to each side as Kate measured the circumference above the bustline under her arms. “He said that Carl really understands about construction and woodworking. He gave Wally some good tips about placing the heavy-duty tools in the shop to make it more efficient.”
“That’s great,” said Alice. She sighed deeply. “I’m still a little nervous about everything. I look at Carl, and he’s so young and so well-educated in his field. He knows all this computer stuff and seems to know everything about set design. He’s really a nice young man. I guess I’m just a little intimidated. I wonder if I can measure up.”
Annie reached out and patted her friend’s shoulder. “Seriously, Alice, you have the talent to do this. You have a wonderful eye for what works and what doesn’t. There’s no reason for you to have a crisis of confidence. Just do your best—that’s all any of us can do.”
Stella said, “Professor Howell would not have given the go-ahead if he didn’t think you could do it—remember that. He told me himself that he was impressed with all our little group had to offer to the play. And that’s after years of experience as an actor before he started teaching at the college.”
“He was an actor too?” asked Peggy.
“Yes. It’s been many years ago now,” answered Stella. “In his middle years he decided he wanted something a little more stable than going from one acting job to the next, so he went back to graduate school. He’s taught the theater arts at Longfellow for a long time now.”
“I can imagine him as a young man on the stage,” said Kate. “With jet-black hair, just the opposite of what he has now, and about forty pounds lighter, he must have been quite a hunk in his day—what do you think?”
The others laughed, but Stella didn’t look all that amused. “I think he’s quite an attractive man as he is,” she said. Looking down at her knitting, she got a puzzled look on her face. She must have dropped a stitch because she started ripping out her last row. That never happened to her.
Fortunately for Stella, Alice chose to change the subject at that moment. She started by clearing her throat. “There is something else I need to talk to you about, Annie,” Alice said, as she looked at Annie sideways with a bit of a grimace. “I know you haven’t made a final decision yet, but I mentioned the tapestry to Professor Howell, and he’d like to see it.” She paused and then added really quickly, “I also might have said that he could come over to Grey Gables to see it—if you don’t mind, that is. That way he could see the other things we found for props too. But I can tell him that he can’t come over if you’d rather he didn’t. I’m really sorry I didn’t ask you first, but I just sort of got carried away.”
Annie smiled at her friend, “It’s all right, Alice. It will be fine for him to come over to the house to see the tapestry, and the other things as well,” said Annie. “I’m still not sure if I want to let the tapestry be used in the production, but it can’t hurt for him to see it in any case.”
Alice looked relieved. “Thanks, Annie. I just really want to be able to do a good job on this, and right now I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.”
“I know how you feel, Alice,” said Annie. “At the meeting in the conference room at the Cultural Center, I felt the same way. It caused me to forget why we are doing this in the first place. It was Jacob’s heartfelt speech that brought back to me what it’s all about. I think if we all focus on the goal—raising money for breast cancer research—we can get through this. And I think it can still be fun if we approach it with the right attitude.”
“I agree,” said Mary Beth. “I’m learning how important attitude is in everything. But even though I know that, it isn’t always easy to keep a good attitude.” Everyone knew that she was talking about more than just the play. “When we have the volunteers from Stony Point that we need for the music ensemble, it will involve driving over to the college to practice in one of the music department’s practice rooms at least a couple of evenings a week. So, it’s going to be hectic for a lot of people. Fortunately, we can carpool and take turns driving, but … .” Her words trailed off and she sighed and said, “I still haven’t heard back about my test results, and I don’t know how to plan ahead. I hate to say I can play with the group and then have to pull out at some point.”
“Did you talk to Professor Torres about your situation?” asked Gwen.
“No. She’s very nice, but it just feels a little too personal to go into,” replied Mary Beth.
“I’d tell her, if I were you,” said Gwen. “You don’t have to go into great detail. Just tell her that you might have to take some time off if you aren’t feeling well. I’m sure she’d understand, especially if there are other flutists.”
“I think there will be at least a couple others who play the flute among the students who are volunteering.”
“Why don’t you wait until you get back the test results,” suggested Annie. “There may be no reason to tell her anything.”
“That’s a good point,” agreed Gwen.
Kate had just finished rolling up her tape measure, and Peggy had sat back down in her chair. Kate walked over and gave her boss and good friend a hug across the shoulders. “You’ve always shown me how to have a good attitude when I was low. I think it’s a good idea to wait for the test results before you say anything to Professor Torres, but no matter what the outcome is, I think you should go ahead and take part in the practice sessions. You love to play, and it will do you good to focus on something else for a while. Don’t take yourself out of the game before you’ve even begun.”
8
Alice had arranged for the professor to come to Grey Gables to see the tapestry the following Saturday afternoon. Late that morning, Alice came over to help Annie get all of the props set up for viewing, including moving the kitchen table and chairs so they could roll out the large area rug that had contained the tapestry on the kitchen floor. They also moved furniture in the living room so that the tapestry could be laid out across the carpet. In the dining room, Annie covered the table with a sturdy cloth, and they arranged various baskets, pottery, and a few other items they had found in the attic. Kate and Vanessa had taken most of the fabric and clothing they had found for the costumes home with them, but there were a few pie
ces of cloth that Alice had kept for use in the set design. In the library, Annie had earlier set up her grandmother’s embroidery frame, and there was also a trunk from the attic that the ladies had carried downstairs that evening, more than two weeks earlier, when they had discovered the tapestry.
After that evening, Annie had decided the best place to keep the tapestry was in one of the extra upstairs bedrooms; it was the only place she could think of where it would be safe and out of the way. She laid it, loosely folded over once, so it would fit atop the queen size bed and placed the muslin as a covering over the top of it instead of struggling to get it back into its protective pocket. Then Annie had securely closed the door to keep Boots from wreaking havoc with it.
Before Annie and Alice brought the tapestry downstairs to lay it out on top of its muslin pocket across the living-room floor, Annie had shut Boots up in the mudroom off the back of the kitchen. She made sure there was a soft cushion on the floor, fresh water and a bowl full of kibble. The mudroom was where Annie kept the litter box, so Boots was set, except for the fact that she was very unhappy. If Annie was in the kitchen she would occasionally see Boots’s paw sweep under the closed door, as if she were expecting to nab Annie and pull her over to do her will. Then, when that didn’t work, she meowed, making the most mournful sound she possibly could. It did tug at Annie’s heart a bit, but it didn’t convince her to trust that Boots would behave herself. She’d ended up with too many mangled balls of yarn that way, and she wasn’t about to risk the tapestry just to please a cat who seemed to think she owned the place.
The Tapestry in the Attic Page 7
