New Directions - closed

[silken_dreammaid]

Please note: this is a closed thread for lordofbliss and silken_dreammaid.


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Heloise Nairn stood on the bustling street and looked about her with satisfaction. For so many years she had dreamed and envied those who had been so lucky to experience this. Now, 20 years too late perhaps, it was her turn.
In her late 30's, ok nearly 40 - well 2 months from being 40, she had finally become free to travel, to see the world, or Europe at least. Her children had finally moved into homes of their own, her marriage had long since passed into divorce and the loose change and the long years of saving had given her a modest amount with which to enjoy a slightly less extragavant version of her dream.
Before she had left, she had applied for work visas so that if needed she could earn some extra money and not be so reliant on her limited funds. The look on the custom's officer when he had read them had been worth the extra effort. Heloise could have read his thoughts so obvious his expression had been. But the thought of a nearly 40 year old woman going on a working holiday didn't seem so unbelieveable to her. After all, she was here now, in Germany and looking for work.
She was not very fluent in foreign languages but English was usually used everywhere so the language barrier was only a small concern of hers.
Actually the barrier that had stumped her had been her age. Places offering casual employment had found excuses for it but the main reason as one man had bluntly said to her, "Women your age aren't what we want. 20 years less and you'd be perfect."
But she wanted to work. After two weeks of sight-seeing and playing the tourist, Heloise had become bored and just wanted to be doing something in between all the sights and tours.
She wandered down the street and stopped in front an old stone building, a theatre judging from the bills posted outside the covered entrance.
The wind ruffled her fringe, her auburn hair hung plaited half way down her back, and her faded blue eyes scanned the stonework, almost seeing history and age seeping from it.
"I wonder," she thought as she noticed the main doors ajar. "No harm in trying, is there," she whispered to herself and began to walk up the low steps to the doors.
A dimmed foyer greeted her eyes as she peered around, doors leading off in all directions and an ornate staircase positively gleamed through the shadowed room. Her quick ears picked up a sound and looked to where a thin young man was moving around behind the ticket windows.
The carpet seemed lush under her feet and muffled her footsteps as she walked slowly over. Mirrors picked up her shadowy reflection as she passed by carved wood panels and gilt edged tables. Petite, or short as it used to be called, slim almost to the point of skinny and a face she had always seen as being on the normal side of ordinary. Her hair was her joy, it's natural colour and thickness and the length pleased her.
"Umm, hello..?" Heloise said quietly, in a hesitant manner. He looked up and his rapid response had her blinking in incomprehension at his fast German.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand. Ummm, do you speak English?..English?" She repeated, speaking slowly and clearly in a low tone.
"Does anyone speak English? I'm looking for a job, for work?"
Suddenly a roaring seemed to come closer and a door slammed against the wall as it was pushed open
violently. Heloise jumped and turned to look and saw a tall man, shouting as he stormed through the door and crossed the foyer in quick strides, heading straight towards her.
For a frozen second Heloise thought he was shouting at her and then realised he hadn't seen her, his eyes were fixed on the man in the ticket box.
Shouting with what sounded like frustrated anger, he stood, waving his arms around in his excess. Heloise
bit her lip and decided that maybe this was a good time to leave as she saw the younger man almost cowering as he stammered in reply. As she shuffled back a step, trying to be as unobtrusive as she could, his head turned to her.
"Wer sind denn Sie?!"
"I was just leaving, I was looking for work, I'm sorry for intruding, I'm just leaving." She said quickly, taking another step back at the sharpness of his tone, understanding precisely why the box office guy had been shaking. He seemed overwhelming in his anger.
Unaware that she did so, Heloise smiled, her sense of humour being it's usual wayward self and her mouth kicked in before her brain could do anything.
"And what was that you said anyway?"

 

[lordofbliss]

Abelard van Imo was having one of his notorious fits of fury when he saw the redheaded woman for the first time. He had just fired the third assistant-director within ten days. The "incompetence of this young idiot" had made him hurl a chair into the (fortunately) empty orchestra pit. He stormed from the stage leaving a shocked cast of singers and musicians behind. In search of the production-manager - whom he considered just as stupid as the three assistants he had fired - he crossed the foyer and nearly bumped into a small person standing infront of the ticket concierge.
"Wer sind denn Sie?"
Van Imo, an impressive "homme de theatre", six feet tall with a wild mane of greywhite hair and burning black eyes, was a frightening sight. But this little person calmly looked up at him and stated that she couldnt understand German spoken so fast.
She was looking for a job and...(with a gleam in her eyes)...
"What was that you said anyway?"
The furious director was obviously confused.
"A job? What qualifications do you have?"
"This is a theatre, isnt it?"
"It is."
"Then I have none."
The director was losing some of his steam. How unique!This Aussie (that funny English!), this woman, atleast forty years old, was standing infront of him in the foyer of the "Gärtnerplatz Theater" in Munich and was looking for a job!
Van Imo was most amazed by his own behaviour when he wasted more of his indespensable time asking her:
"Dear lady, what makes you walk into a German theatre without any qualifications and without any knowledge of the language looking for a job?"
She considered his question for a second, shrugged her shoulders and said:
"I just sensed that there is a lot of life in this building and was wondering if I couldnt be a part of it."
This astonishing reply left van Imo speechless for an instant. He took a closer look at the little person. So frail, so delicate. Lovely red hair. And those blue eyes that looked up at him with such calm serenity.
He grabbed her wrist and practically dragged her through the foyer and the elegant vestibule into the huge red velvet auditorium of the theatre with its four galleries. From the ramp of the stage the cast stared down at them.
"This is my new assistant...What is your name?"
With obvious amusement he saw the bewildered little redhead blush.
"Heloise...Heloise Nairn."
He tossed a fat piano score on the table infront of her.
"Get to work, Heloise!"
The title on the score was "Falstaff".
She was working for an opera-company.
Van Imo wasnt paying attention to her anymore. He was ordering his singers around on stage, describing their characters to them and demonstrating gestures and poses. To Heloise amazement he had completely lost his rage and was calmly and gently guiding the cast through the scene with great authority.
Heloise followed the rehearsal with awe. What concentration! The beautiful music of Giuseppe Verdi, played on the piano by this marvelous accompanist! This fascinating man sitting next to her in complete control of this huge stage and all of the people on it! The many repetitions of tiny phrases of music to get the steps and the gestures perfect!
Suddenly she realized that she wasnt working. She quickly opened the score van Imo had given her. Between the note pages there were blank sheets on which her predecessors had documented van Imo's staging.
"So I am sort of a script-girl!"
She soon figured out the symbols they had used to indicate certain motions and gestures of the singers and went to work...

 

[silken_dreammaid]

Heloise sat at the desk, thanking the years of motherhood that allowed her to have two trains of thought going at once. The score in front of her looked complicated with bars and bars of music, the little coloured notations for actions coded for each performer above the lines.
She watched and learnt quickly, thankful to find half the opera was in english and because the cast was internationally drawn, english seemed to be spoken most often.
The coloured pens were uncapped and she dotted and numbered at the, hopefully, correct times. She had time to make sure she was doing it correctly as time and again they went over and over single words and small phrases.
Heloise leafed through the earlier pages, looking for anything to give her a handle on what she had just found herself in.
"Abelard van Imo" was scrawled across a cast list attached to the script. Heloise looked at the man beside her. Was that who he was? In his impetuous rush, she didn't recall hearing his name spoken. So tall, so strong too, she thought, still feeling the imprint of his hand around her wrist. Never had she seen anyone move as fast as he had. She had heard of artistic temperaments but this was the first time she had seen one. She had felt dragged along in his wake, totally bemused by him and his manner.
He hadn't even asked her name or anything before announcing her as his assistant. And what did an assistant to a director do? she wondered. Especially one with no experience, no knowledge and a very basic appreciation for opera.
Heloise sat there, watching as he went up to the stage through the raised orchestra pit to correct some motions. His hair was rampant in the lights and his hands ran through it often, but he never seemed to lose his cool.
Heloise couldn't figure this out. In the foyer he had been totally irate, now he was as gentle as a lamb. A controlled lamb, to be sure, but she couldn't see any of his earlier frustration that he might have been holding onto.
After what seemed like ages, but in reality was barely an hour, he called for a break and the cast mingled on the stage, some disappearing behind the curtains backstage.
He turned and left the stage, walking purposefully towards her and sat down in the chair beside her, his hand pulling the script in front of him. As he scanned the pages, he muttered under his breath before raising his voice slightly and asking her about herself.
Heloise spoke hesitantly at first before easing back in her chair as he seemed satisfied with her notations. Well he wasn't making too many changes at any rate.
She spoke lightly of her marriage, smiling as she spoke of the being free after the kids had grown up and of wanting to do the European Tour that everyone else seemed to have done.
She laughed slightly as she spoke of the custom's officer's expression to her work visa.
"Which I assume, you do want to see and my passport or whatever to make sure I am legal."
He merely nodded, his dark eyes glinting as he looked at her before looking back at the script.
Heloise fell silent for a moment looking around the stage and theatre, before she said, "This is a beautiful place. And the sound is wonderful. I've never really followed opera, actually I've never been to one, only seen them on tv." She grinned as she remembered how incomprehensible some of them had been.
Then she paused, slightly horrified, her grin frozen on her face. Ohh god, she thought, he'll boot me for sure for saying that.

 

[lordofbliss]

"I've never really followed opera, actually I've never been to one, only seen them on TV"...
Van Imo smiled at the startled look on her face after she had uttered these words. He observed the brief rush of blood to her face - a tiny blush that went so well with her hair...It was a training of his profession of being able to read faces with amazing accuracy. His sensitivity to the smallest notions in eyes and on faces made him so exceptional at what he did. For some reason he had the growing desire to invade this little person with his will, to make her do what he wanted her to do. He was puzzled by this feeling. Didnt he have the control over so many people? Wasnt he getting his will all day long from everybody surrounding him? What did he want from this little Australian? Why did she fascinate him?
She was talking about her passion for reading. He started asking her about authors, testing her....quick questions, an interogation.
Laclos, de Sade, Büchner, Brecht, Joyce, Beckett, Lawry, Austen, Wolff, ...She was quick, she knew most of them. She even knew Browning by heart!...She was aware that he was testing her. He could read her face like a book. She was behaving like a girl at school who desperately wants to pass a test. The evil and mean part of van Imo's soul took over: he asked her about composers and music...
"I am sorry, that has not been my field in life - so far."
The stage-manager was calling all back to rehearse. Van Imo continued with the second scene of the first act...The mezzo singing "Meg" was missing. Van Imo had the little Australian...(what was her name? Heloise!) stand in for her. He ordered her around on stage with the three other women and watched her while she tried to follow all the quick musical cues precisely. She sure was quick at understanding what was demanded. But she definitely wasnt an actor.
At one o'clock the rehearsal was over. Van Imo thanked all for their work and ordered his assistant to follow him to his office...

 

[silken_dreammaid]

Heloise felt buffeted by his quickness and intensity. Ohh sure, this was a fast place, all the people running around, doing this, jumping there, but his attention was always so focussed and hard to slide away from. It was like being a butterfly pinned to a board when he stared at you. She swore she could feel the weight of his gaze.
Moving around on the stage, trying to keep up with his directions was tiring. How she managed to keep up, Heloise wasn't quite sure, but she did, somehow. And sincerely hoped she wouldn't have to do that too often, if ever again. Heloise felt amazed at the way the others worked, moving and placing themselves just-so, while she felt herself always lagging a halfstep behind.
When he finally called for the end of rehearsal, Heloise sighed in relief, her feet aching and her mind spinning.
She made her way back to the table where the script was and wondered if she had to make any more notations on it. Actually she wondered if she could borrow it to read it and get some idea of what the opera was all about.
Herr Van Imo's voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked at him as he called her to his offfice.
"I feel like 18 again," she muttered. First his testing of her knowledge earlier and now what sounded like a summons to the mat. At least she knew she hadn't done too badly in her answers, reading had been her one passion after the kids, she had read everything and anything she could. Her stomach grumbled, making her aware that she hadn't had anything to eat since a small continental breakfast hours ago.
She took a deep breath and gathered up the script and her bag and began to follow him, having to hurry to catch up to his long strides.
Despite his abrupt manner, she wanted to keep this job. It was a whole new world she had seen this morning. Theatre and opera had been a closed book to her. Of course she had read Shakespeare at school, who hadn't, but this glimpse behind the scenes, seeing how they made the words lift into action, this had her fascinated.
And let's face it, her chances of finding another job on her permit would be slim. This seemed ideal in so many ways. She looked at his back as he turned through an open door. And then there was him.
Heloise wasn't sure about him. He seemed to see her as a performing dog, she thought with a grin. Sit there, walk that way, fetch this. There was something in his manner that made you want to follow, Heloise just couldn't figure out what it was though. She entered his office and saw the paper scattered desk he moved around to sit behind. Shelves filled with manuscripts, sheet music and books lined the walls, a leather couch stood against one wall and a coffee pot stood on a small fridge in the corner.
Heloise seated herself in a chair placed just in front of his desk, the script laid over her lap as she slid her bag from her shoulder and placed it near her feet.
"I've sent for some food, you must be hungry." He shifted some of the papers to clear a space, filing them neatly together. Messy the room may look, Heloise thought, but I bet he knows exactly where everything is.
"Yes, I am hungry, thank you." Heloise felt a bit disadvantaged, it had been a long time since she had felt this unsure of her place.
"I want to discuss exactly what I expect of you in this position," he carried on.
"Ohh good," Heloise said. "I realise I have no experience with theatre and my arrival was hardly orthodox, was it?" She smiled, thinking back to his precipitate actions earlier, and hoping to see him smile too. He looked rather solemn and she wanted a lighter tone, as well as hoping he would overlook her lack of experience and keep her on as an assistant.

 

[lordofbliss]

While they shared a "Salade Nicoise", which he had sent up from the Opera Buffet, van Imo described the duties of an assistant director to Heloise.
"It isnt a job, it is a commitment".
Van Imo's sermon lasted for over a half an hour. Even during the meal he was restlessly roaming his office describing the joys and despair of "serving" an artist possessed by his work, of living 24/7 in subordinance, in constant attendance of his whims and moods, of being the first to feel his temper when things on stage were not satisfactory, or being the punching-ball for the entire cast and technical crew when they were furious about the way they were treated by the "chef".
While listening Heloise couldnt help but notice that this man was always putting on a show. At some point in life he had turned into an all-time actor, always on stage for everybody around him.
As exhausting as his presence was, she had to admit to herself that he was fascinating. She guessed him to be about fifty-five years old, with the well-trained body of someone who likes to move well. On stage she had witnessed his terrifying rage but also his laughter and his boylike smile.
Van Imo had finished his speech and was sitting across from her at his desk. He leaned forward, looking at her with burning eyes and with a soft low voice, stressing every word he said:
"This is your cue, Heloise. Your cue to exit. This is your one and only chance to leave, young lady. For I am warning you. Warning you of me. If you decide to stay, you will be used, abused and humiliated mercilessly. You will be my slave. I will exploit you, drain you. And all that for a modest salary and the doubtful fame of being the assistent of Abelard van Imo."
He went to the door and opened it. "This is your cue, Heloise Nairn!"
She sat for a moment, got up and quietly closed the door to face van Imo. Looking up to him she said:
"Teach me my duties."

 

[silken_dreammaid]

Heloise listened to his speech and diatribe with a hidden smile. For all his posturing, he sounded the epitome of a spoiled teenager. One who was so sure of himself and his place and wanted nothing more than to be worshiped and served by willing slaves who would praise him to the skies. Did she really want to go through all that again?
Actually, she did. Life after having had teenagers was so boring, so quiet, so monotonous. And here was no teenager, just one who had all the traits of one combined with an obviously theatrical temprament and the stability of a simmering volcano. Her trip to Europe had been one way to find a life after having had one and here was another way. He had done his best to make it sound the worst job in the world, but Heloise had always had a contrary streak in her.
Had he known that, he could hardly have found a better way to make her accept his offer.
He intrigued her a great deal, he never seemed to stay still, always having to move around and yet when he had looked at her across his desk and given her the cue, his self-control had been paramount. How much of him was real and how much was an act, she wondered.
"Teach me my duties" she said in a quiet voice. "I have only one condition."
"And that would be?" There was no trace of anything in his voice, but his eyebrow raised slightly.
"I have seen how easily you terminate people who do not perform to your standard. I want only to have it agreed that any time you fire me, I have the right to walk out and then walk straight back in again to continue working."
Heloise looked up at him, keeping her eyes calm and her breathing even. Working for him was going to be no picnic, she knew, and she wanted to have that security when he lost his temper with her, which she knew was bound to happen as she had so little experience.
And she honestly thought it would be better for him too, if he knew he wouldn't have to find a new assistant each time he fired her. He could have the freedom to lose his temper and she would have job security. It might be awkward at first, she thought, but it should work..if he agreed to it..

 

[lordofbliss]

Van Imo nodded, accepting her condition.
He inquired where she was staying. When she informed him that she was at a cheap Pension he insisted on renting her a comforable "Apartotel" near his own hotel on Maximilianstrasse.
He sent her away to take care of her accommodations and ordered her to be at the morning rehearsal at 10 o'clock.
The following morning he greeted her with a cool smile The mens chorus was present for scene 4 and van Imo started to move the crowds on stage. Suddenly he inquired about a prop he needed, it was missing. Heloise immediately knew that she was in trouble. He had dictated a list of props to her the day before, and it was her responsability that all these items were presented by the props-departement for the next rehearsal. Van Imo was steaming. He cursed and roared standing right infront of the small woman who looked up at him with such brave clear eyes. He made it a huge show before delivering the final line: that she was fired.
The company watched these proceedings like watching an old film. There went the next assistant, she had not lasted even a day! The singers didnt even watch Heloise leave the auditorium, therefore they were completely flabbergasted when they saw her calmly walk back into the hall and sit down next to van Imo who was back to work, and silently continue to write notes into the Regiebuch. This was more than amazing! Incredible! Van Imo didnt show the least reaction, he continued to stage scene 4 giving his "fired" assistant instructions about props, sets and costumes as if nothing had happened. In the weeks to come the cast noticed that she never made another mistake about props again...

 

[silken_dreammaid]

Heloise enjoyed the morning rehearsal, including her 'firing'. She had walked out into the foyer, taken a deep breath and walked back in again. She was glad he had agreed, it definately made things easier.
When Van Imo called his chorus together for a short talk on the scene, she slipped back stage, feeling slightly bewildered by the array of scenery panels, cables and props. It took her a five minutes to find her way to the property room and then fifteen minutes to find out where the missing prop was and to ensure that it would be available the next time it was needed. Her broken German and Prop's broken english totally broke down and she ended up resorting to waving her arms around in an exaggerated fashion to get her point across. Finally it was settled and she made her way back to the stage, getting a cup of coffee for Van Imo and herself along the way.
When she returned, he was towering beside the table.
"And were you told to leave this table?" He began to take in a deep breath as if in readiness for a tirade.
"No, Sir." Heloise held up the coffee before him and placed it on the desk. She smiled brightly and said calmly, "Here, have a coffee and the prop is all sorted."
She sat down, trying to stay calm, thinking she may have been just a bit too nonchalant, when she heard his breath gust out.
"Very well." And he turned from the table and began to shout at the cast again.
Heloise worked hard, notating each movement on the score, until lunch was called. She rested her elbows on the desk and placed her head between them, her eyes focussing on the barlines inches from her eyes. Breathing deeply, she felt quite happy with her morning's work. She hadn't made any more major mistakes and had managed to fix the one she had made.
She lifted her head slightly and saw the coffee cups, still full and now cold on the desk. She smiled, things were obviously just too fast paced to be able to have coffee breaks here.
She looked up as Herr Van Imo tugged the book from her and gave her a list.
"I want these for this afternoon. By 1400 at the latest."
Heloise blinked as she took the list, then remembered. Europeans counted on a 24 hour clock. She looked at the list of props and stood up.
The next hour enlarged her vocabulary considerably as she and Props deciphered the list and managed to get every item ready and organised to go to the stage. Occasionally she saw Van Imo walking around, discussing lighting and scenery and a few times she looked up to see his eyes watching her. Just waiting for another chance to lose his temper, she thought.
Heloise was starting to like him, in a distant way. He had been very considerate in her accomodation and she hadn't missed the way his eyes had gleamed with hidden humour when he had 'fired' her earlier.
I can do this, Heloise thought and I think it will be great fun. She smiled to herself as she grabbed a quick plate from the buffet table as they were clearing it away and settled down at the desk for the next rehearsal.

 

[lordofbliss]

He was impressed. She was intelligent, doing an amazing job of exploring everything about her duties. She was clever enough to keep strictly to the technical chores never uttering an artistic opinion. He grinned thinking of the "firing-game" they had shared which had startled the entire cast. He couldnt surpress the need to share more with this mysterious woman.
He continued to test her, was incredibly demanding, keeping her at work for twelve or even fifteen hours a day. He deliberatley spoke German or Italian at rehearsals to force her to learn the languages the job required. He was continuously giving her orders, never showing gratitude, chasing her from one end of the theatre to the other. She however just looked at him with those cat-like eyes, pressed her lips together and silently followed his orders.
The Maestro arrived. The young Italian conductor Alessandro Maldini joined the rehearsals. A brilliant musician he was also a notorious womanizer. While he coached the ensemble he immediately started to flirt with the singers of Alice, Meg, Nanneta and even Quickly. The Australian assistant-director however gained his special interest. She seemed amused by his obvious attempts to seduce her, smiled at him and laughed at his jokes. Van Imo watched these encounters carefully and was amazed by his own anger when she accepted an invitation by the Maestro to dinner. The following day, as much as Imo hinted at it, she didnt comment on this "date"at all. The frustrated director worked his assistant even harder than ever. If she noticed this brutal if not cruel treatment she did not show the slightest sign of it.
In a short break during a rehearsal while they remained in the empty auditorium alone he ordered her to massage her aching neck. Her hands felt good.
"That's where you belong, Heloise."
"I do not understand, Sir."
"Serving me. Noone else but me."....

 

[silken_dreammaid]

Heloise had never felt so exhausted, nor so alive in her life. Every night for the first week she had gone home and collapsed, sleeping dreamlessly in total exhaustion. The second week she had been less tired at the end of the day, but was learning to survive and manage herself better.
Many times she had gone home to kick a cushion to let out some of her anger at Van Imo. The man was an utter slavedriver, an unfeeling tyrant. And every morning she smiled as she headed to the theatre, determined not to let him get the better of her. She liked him, he was impossible and she liked the mean old sod.
The young Maestro's invitation had been the only chance she had had of seeing anywhere other than her rooms and the theatre, so she had accepted and enjoyed a pleasant evening that had ended when she had laughed, kindly of course, at his attempt to seduce her. After a brief talk, she had made him see that she was too old and too busy for anything and they had parted with a light friendship between them.
Heloise had not missed Van Imo's fishing attempts to discover what had happened, but she had intention of telling him and had ignored it. It was the only way she had found in which she could twist his tail.
Every day, he pushed her harder, always in her face. Heloise wasn't sure what he was aiming at or if there was some deeper game she didn't see, but her quirky nature was finding it enjoyable to take whatever he dished out and just go back for more with a smile. It seemed to annoy him no end.
At least, she thought, my accent has improved even if I can't remember all the words all the time. He had a nasty trick of making her repeat each phrase over and over til he felt her accent was acceptable. She feared though, that one time would come and she would lose her temper with him and while he had license to 'fire' her, she hadn't thought about needing the same.

Heloise massaged his neck, thinking 'personal masseuse' would soon be added to her growing list of duties. For once the auditorium was quiet, the voices mumbling backstage seemed muted in the large hall.
She smiled at his words.
"I thought I was serving you. These last two weeks, I have done little else."
She laughed slightly. "There hasn't been time to breathe most days."
Her fingers kept at his neck and upper shoulders, feeling them rather tense and working firmly to try and ease them.
Was it her imagination or did he sigh slightly? His shoulders shifted under her hands as if he had, but she wasn't sure.
"Do you like working here?" He suddenly asked.
Heloise frowned. This didn't sound like his usual manner.
"Yes, I do. It's been tiring and busy and exhausting, but it has been fun and I have learnt an awful lot."
"Do you like working for me?"
Heloise paused, thinking hard. What was he looking for, an admission of something, a denial, a what ? She wondered how honest she should be and then decided he could only 'fire' her again.
"Yes, I like working for you. You put so much into everything here, you work as hard as anyone else. You're an aggravating dictator and a total monster at times," Heloise paused as she suddenly realised what she was saying and blushed. She hadn't meant to be that honest. She felt terrified of his reaction as she felt his shoulders bunch tight under her hands, and suddenly felt a wild urge to laugh.