The Amateur Players (Closed for TheWorldBuilder)

[AndreaSubbie]

Andrea

She'd only wandered round to the Skipton Little Theatre on a whim, because the window of her new bedsit overlooked it. She was a bit lonely. College didn't start for a couple of months and she'd aways enjoyed singing in the chorus at school productions.

Now that she'd finally left school she missed the constant companionship she'd known as a boarder from a very early age. She didn't know anyone in Skipton, and hadn't met any of the other students about to start at the College.

She'd hardly spent much time with Mum who was still in the Army and Dad had remarried, giving her a half-sister, Sarah, barely a year younger than herself, and also blonde and mildly curvy compared with Andrea's dark slim, shorter figure. But though they might look different they were good friends and talked a lot on the phone or by email and text. It was nice having a sister, and Andrea hoped that Sarah might move closer than Loughborough where she lived with their Dad and Sarah's mum.

So that's how she'd joined the Company, but with their July Production already well advanced into final rehearsals there wasn't much for Andrea to do except tidy the one large Dressing Room or do Wardrobe, Props, Tearoom or Front of House. Maybe the September play might give her a chance? Probably not, since the other ladies of the Company, all married and older, seemed to have carved up everything interesting. Maybe she would leave after the September gig.

But that would mean having to talk to Paul the Director Producer, and although he seemed nice, he was even older than the ladies and she found him a bit intimidating.

As she wandered in for Rehearsals Andrea felt a bit down and could hardly wait for the start of College.

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

Paul

Leaving his office, Paul almost knocked the slender girl across the foyer. He reached down with one strong arm and, effortlessly it seemed, guided her back to her feet.

“Oh, I’m so sorry…..” He’d heard the Knitting Circle calling her by a boy’s name. Now what was it? Ronni? No, she was the impressionist his friend Jon had brought to the Observatory. Never mind that now, she was looking at him as though Malham Cove was about to drop on her head.

“Let’s get you into the dressing room….” he continued, as he guided her into the single large room that all the Players shared backstage. The coffee urn was bubbling away and Paul poured a mugfull into one of the mismatched array of crockery next to it. “Milk and sugar?”

The girl’s nod was almost imperceptible as she sat down. He added the items and placed the brew onto the long illuminated dressing shelf between her and the wall-length mirror. As she sipped the hot, syrupy sludge, colour began returning to her cheeks. He leaned back and took a good, long look at the girl who had recently joined the Players. Tiny, was his first thought. She was about 6” or 7” shorter than he was and he’d be surprised if she was half his weight. That was something he kept meaning to address. More time sat in the office and less walking the Dales and Lakes was starting to show on his waistline.

“So you’re….?” he asked, in his deep rumbling voice.

Her face had just begun to relax, but now she looked like a young doe in the headlights of a car on the Ribblehead road.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"Oh, um I'm Andrea, sir, but most people call me Andi?"

She sipped the sweet indeterminate brew, both hands wrapped round the mug for comfort and security. Of all the people she could bump into, it had to be him.

Not only was she a bit scared of him, but he was probably the most important person in the Company, not that there was a strict heirarchy. But Paul seemed to be the key decision maker and everyone deferred to his opinion.

And of course there was her intention of dropping out after only just joining. She couldn't see him being too impressed with that. Not that he even knew her name, or had probably even noticed her before. She was sure he'd forget her in a second once he'd done the decent thing of putting her back together after knocking her flying.

"I'm new here, just joined? Going to College shortly? I kinda do the background jobs and stuff, well for now anyway?"

Andi felt that was incredibly brave of her, and again distracted herself by sipping what passed for coffee in the Dressing Room. It was the butt of a lot of jokes, and she'd learned some new very rude words listening to the earthy chatter among the players. It had been fun, being part of the group even in a small way. She was going to miss it.

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

“I kinda do the background jobs and stuff, well for now anyway?" she meekly ventured after telling him her name.

“That’s how we all started,” he growled, “it takes a while before you find rôles that fit you. Some of the Knitting Circle didn’t do anything except gossip for years.”

He stopped leaning and stood straight, towering over Andrea as she sat in the make up chair. “Now I’m the one gossiping,” he boomed, moving back towards the door.

Back in his office, after checking the day’s revenue, Paul thought of his choice for September. A four-hander, the actors already thoroughly comfortable with each other’s style and timing. Yes, that cute little button would have to wait a little longer. She’d certainly be in the chorus for this year’s panto.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

Once Paul had gone and Andi confirmed that yes, she had indeed survived, she got busy helping out with the Wardrobe and refreshments and the thousand little things that needed doing, swapping jokes with the stage hands and the guys on lights, and generally enjoying herself.

She did catch on to one new thing, though. Some of the ladies were gossiping about their next production after the next one, maybe a November play? It seemed there might be something contraversial about it, though she didn't know what. It was just that she heard them agreeing that they couldn't play the part, some that they wouldn't even if they could, but they kind of went quiet every time Andi got close enough to hear properly or even join in.

She had no idea what the fuss was about, and didn't dare ask in case she shouldn't even suspect what she did. It was also likely that she just got the wrong end of the stick.

Anyway, by then she'd be at College and would have moved on to new things. She probably wouldn't need the Players, with all that would be going on in College, so it wouldn't really matter. But she might try and get to a performance if her studies allowed the time.

Singing happily to herself while she sorted costumes, Andi nodded, emphasising her new decision. She would only be doing College in November.

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

As the final curtain fell on the last night of the run, Paul knew that the traditional piss up would only be a brief respite from his planning. September was well in hand, with his experienced core of regulars to rely on. November, on the other hand, would be more challenging. The feminist theme wouldn't sit well with some of the more conservative hill farmers and he still hadn’t finalised the chorus, one of whom had to be young, slim and prepared to go topless for a few minutes.

The noise in the green room was as loud as he expected. The last few stragglers must have heard it as they left the auditorium. A keg sat at one end of one of the long dressing shelves and half a dozen bottles at the other, alongside various fruit juices and mixers. Paul picked up the litre bottle of fresh tomato juice and poured half of it into a pint jug. The cold liquid was intensely refreshing after the heat of the stage lighting. Even in these days of LEDs, there were enough coloured incandescents to put out plenty of heat.

The spouses of the ladies he affectionately referred to as the ‘Knitting Circle’ were joining them and rapidly emptying the keg. He ought to bring the second one up from the half-cellar under the stage. He didn’t drink himself, but his size made him the obvious dray horse.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

It was a good party.

Everyone had worked hard, the play had gone well, the local papers were apparently going to say nice things, and Paul appeared to be satisfied, though he didn't seem to be as relaxed as everyone else.

Andi made sure the drinks were flowing and was washing up glasses to keep the place tidy and to make sure everyone could have a drink if they wanted it.

It wasn't a drunken rout, just a good natured almost family celebration. Of course, Andi herself had never had access to so much available alcohol and had a glass of beer on the go. Funny how the level never seemed to go down. And she was also getting a lot of flattering attention from some of the husbands of what Paul called the Knitting Circle. She didn't mind, and it was all very open and in front of the wives so no harm done, but they seemed to like how she looked in her tight yellow t shirt and stretch jeans. It made her smile, and her positive reaction only encouraged them more.

Andi suspected that it wasn't just beer that was topping up her glass and hoped she wouldn't get too drunk. Maybe she already was, which was why she didn't tell the dirty old men where to go!

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

With all the spouses around, Paul knew that - however drunk the Players got - there wouldn’t be any of the clandestine fucking that sometimes went on in the darkened green room after rehearsals. With only the one dressing room, everyone was used to the nudity of rapid costume changes and the racks of hanging clothes on dollies down the centre did absolutely nothing to screen the nominally male and female lines of make up chairs. It was inevitable that affairs had developed between some of them. Ironic that he was the only one single and the only one who didn’t fuck around.

Not that he wouldn’t like to. Especially with that hot little Andrea. He’d woken in the early hours a few times with a lingering image of her in his fading dreams. Her choice of outfit tonight was sending chills down his spine and fire into his abdomen. She was wearing jeans that hugged every curve of her slim hips and a clinging yellow top which was just too short to reach the pants. Between was a two inch strip of firm, taut, light brown skin which hit him straight in his adrenal glands.

He knew he’d never have the chance. She was barely out of school and it seemed like she’d been avoiding him since the day he knocked her for six, right across the booking hall. Mind you, she was necking the DoomBar tonight and he was sure Lee the electrician kept topping her glass every time she put it down.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

Andi noticed a difference in the room. The party was still going, the mood was fun, light and mildly flirty, but Paul had come in.

She noticed that her drink was still staying at the same level but she didn't bother trying to find out who was topping it up. It was more fun not knowing.

No, the difference seemed to be in the way the husbands and other guys were chatting with her. Less innuendo and cheeky humour. It was a shame, because she'd been loving the attention, and the various comments on her tummy. There had been quite a heated discussion at one point when one of the guys suggested she should get it pierced.

That lead to a whole very naughty conversation about body piercing which some of the wives put an end to, but hey, it was al in good fun.

But now that Paul was in the room it was like the guys kind of backed off a bit. Interesting. He still scared her a bit though, and Andi made sure that she was at the other end of the room to Paul as he moved around, sorting the beer kegs and checking on the other drinks. She was, however, very aware of his presence.

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

Even as he chatted to Polly and Mike, the married couple who would make things so much easier for the next two months, Paul’s eyes kept flicking towards the kitchen bar at the far end of the room. Now that he was deep in conversation, Andrea had gone back to washing glasses. Maybe his fertile imagination was getting the better of him, but he could swear that whenever he had circulated around the green room for the social niceties of the evening, she had found it necessary to collect a few more glasses.

Their distant, diametrically opposed, waltz had taken her to every one of the little cliqués that had formed and, especially with the male ones, she was chatty and flirty. One group had a very lively chorus which led Andrea to place her hand protectively across her exposed stomach. His approach seemed to abruptly end their conversation and she timidly skittered back to the sink. Since the curtain fell 90 minutes ago, he’d spoken to every single person in the room, except her.

Making a vague excuse, Paul left his old friends and strode directly towards the kitchen. “Hello Andrea, Andi, how have you enjoyed your first last-nighter?”

No, it wasn’t his imagination. She shrank, she cowered. He could barely hear her hesitant mumbles and the slight slurring wasn’t helping, either. He pulled up a loose chair and sat down, lowering his head to the level of her small, pert breasts. Keeping his eyeline carefully away from them, he sought out her own averted eyes.

“Andi,” he whispered gently, “do I frighten you?”

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"Ha ha, no, of course not!" she lied, finding it difficult to meet his eyes.

She carried on washing glasses but she was again hugely distracted by his presence. It had been bad enough in the Green Room, but in the kitchen with him so close, she found it a little hard to breathe.

Andi wasn't sure what was wrong with her. She didn't usually get easily frightened, and sometimes could be quite bold. There was just something about Paul that made her, what? Uneasy? Hesitant? Insecure? Uncertain? She didn't know, but she felt it in her tummy, which on top of too much beer made her a bit queasy. She wished someone else would come in and talk to Paul so she could just watch him from a distance. Yes, that would be much easier.

She'd tried to answer his polite enquiry about her experience of the this her first Last Nighter. And he'd even remembered her name which made her feel happy. She knew she wasn't making a good impression, and she did so want to. It would matter when she tried to get a part in the next available play. Whenever that might be. Her concentration was not at its best, but she remembered that the next play had all the parts sewn up by the regulars.

Forgetting her intention of quitting as soon as College started, she looked sideways at him and asked, "So will there be any parts available soon for the youngster in the group?"

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

Her rapid breathing told him more than the evasive reply. He wasn’t sure what he had done to make her so nervous around him, but he wanted to wrap her in his strong arms and reassure her that she was safe and no harm would ever befall her if she was with him.

Paul shook his head slightly as he felt himself drift back into those night-time fantasies that lurked at the edge of his consciousness. This nubile beauty wasn’t interested in some slightly chubby bachelor 30 years older, she would want boys her own age. His attention refocussed as she said, “will there be any parts available soon for the youngster in the group?"

“Perhaps,” he replied in his stage whisper, “I’m not sure, there might be something in November, but I don’t know if it’s right for you. You’re very young and this might not be a good way to begin.” He hadn’t even thought of Andi in the chorus of ‘Trojan Barbie’ until now. His preference had been Polly and Mike’s daughter, but her husband had made clear his displeasure at his new bride taking such a part so soon after their marriage. He spoke normally now, deep and resonant. “If I did consider you, Andrea, you’d have to trust me implicitly and stop this foolish nonsense.”

As soon as he said the abrupt words, he realised that they had been exactly the wrong thing to calm the timid mouse.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"STOP THIS FOOLISH NONSENSE!"

The words echoed round her mind ... FOOLISH ... FOOLISH ... foolish girl .. stupid girl ... immature girl ... child ... not a woman ... a child pretending to be a grown up ...

"I, er, I think, um, oh excuse me!" she dropped the cup back in the sink and ran out the room to the toilets, not having time to close the cubicle door. She emptied her stomach down the bowl, retching and puking as all the beer found its way back up to daylight.

Grabbing toilet roll from the dispenser she wiped her mouth and nose. Thankfully her ponytail kept her hair out of the mess.

She'd been more drunk than she thought. But it had been Paul's words that pushed her over. She felt sick with herself, not just with the beer.

Who was she kidding? She wasn't ready for the adult world yet, and suddenly she was embarassed at the mild flirting with the guys from the Players and the knitting circle husbands.

Flushing the mess away she backed to the counter with the basins and ran a bowl, just as someone came in. She so hoped they weren't going to be nice to her, that would just finish her off.

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

Polly

She could hear the retching of the distraught girl from the corridor. Opening the door to the ladies toilet, Polly saw Andi wobble from the stall to the row of sinks. Her balance was terrible as she attempted to run hot water, wipe her face and stop her ponytail dangling forward without enough hands for everything.

“Here, cherub, let me help,” Polly said kindly, “you’ve wound yourself into a right state. I don’t know what it is with you when you’re around Paul. He isn’t the fierce bear you have imagined him, he’s quite protective inside that gruff shell.”

As the older woman fussed around the smaller girl, she chattered on. “Oh, he can be quite persuasive at times and it’s hard to argue with him, and his temper, well I’ve only ever seen it once and I tell you my girl, never again, but he’s a good man and he certainly makes this place tick like clockwork and once you know him he’ll always be there and he’ll do little things unexpectedly and….”

It seemed that Polly could keep burbling on without a breath for the rest of the night. Andi just wanted to sleep, soon.

“….and you shouldn’t chase around doing everyone’s little errands, they’ve got feet, you’re not a slave, you know, stand up for yourself, and watch that Lee, he’s got his eyes on you, randy little bugger he is, lovely girl he’s with but he still wants to poke around, yes, you keep yourself for someone special, are you OK, oh, you’re dead on your feet child.”

Polly guided Andrea back towards the green room. “Does anyone know where she lives?” she asked the room as a whole.

“I’m OK,” mumbled Andi, “just round the corner.”

“Well you lean on me,” the buxom matriarch insisted, as she led outside into the midnight twilight of July in the upper Aire valley.

The sudden rush of fresh night air was a shock to Andi’s lungs and she was glad it was only a few steps round into Cavendish Street and the door of her little flat.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

Andrea woke the next morning with a head that almost exploded if she moved, and a horrid taste on her tongue.

Her body ached and she felt dirty. As her awareness grew she dimly recalled parts of last night. Of drinking, of guys flirting with her. Of flirting back. Of making a fool of herself in front of Paul.

And in front of Polly.

Oh fuck!

Andrea felt a wave of shame wash over her. Shit! Fuck! Bugger!

She'd made a right spectacle of herself. Would they ever let her back? She'd been thinking of quitting, but not like this. Did she have the guts to face them all at the next session? She was sure there was a kind of wash-up discussion due of how the show went, and to talk about the next Production. Should she attend or just slink away?

Then some of what Polly had been saying filtered back. 'Stand up for yourself. Don't be so wound up round Paul.' Basically act more like a grown up, not like a child.

As Andi made it to bathroom and turned on the shower, she realised the background noise of groaning was coming from herself, and after taking off her underwear that she'd slept in, and emptying her bladder she stood under the hot water until she started to feel better.

Once dressed in jeans and t shirt she made herself a cup of tea and started to think.

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

As Andrea sipped the hot tea, something large crashed against the front door of the flat - twice. She looked out of the window overlooking Cavendish Street but there was nothing extraordinary in view. Reluctantly, she wearily trudged down to the door. Through the small decorative panel near the top, she could make out one ear and some short, dark hair. Who would knock that hard, she thought.

Paul stood on the doorstep.

He was holding a bunch of cut flowers and a small yellow box. Andi wondered where he had got the items so early on a Sunday morning.

“Hello Andi,” he rumbled, “I thought I’d best not turn up before 10, you looked very tired when you left. Polly told me where to find you and I thought these might help.”

He held out the flowers and the box, which Andi could now see was a cold remedy.

Paul knew that puzzled expression, “Similar symptoms, if you’re feeling the way I think you are.”

The confusing mixture of thoughts and emotions jumbled in her head made Andi stand open mouthed for a moment.

“Well, I just wanted to make sure you were OK, I’ll leave you be.”

“No,” she gasped, “come up.”

 

[AndreaSubbie]

They climbed the stairs to her little room with its bathroom and kitchenette.

"Sorry about the mess, Paul sir, I wasn't expecting anyone, ha ha"

She was nervous and embarassed. There was the state of the room; bed unmade, dirty cup in the sink, yesterdays jeans and t shirt on the carpet. At least yesterday's bra and knickers were in the bathroom. But there was also her behaviour of last night. Paul's kind gifts seemed to make that part forgiven maybe, though probably not forgotten.

Andrea put the kettle on and offered Paul a cup of tea, making herself the cold remedy as fortification against the worst hangover anyone had ever experienced anywhere.

Carrying the drinks over to the two small armchairs that sat either side of a little wall-mounted tv, Andrea sat and sipped her drink, closing her eyes and counting to ten, then looked at Paul in the chair opposite

"I'm sorry I disgraced myself yesterday, sir. I don't know what came over me."

She looked down into the yellowy lemon hot drink, the swirling patterns of froth and associated whisps of steam soothing.

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

Even as she led him upstairs, Paul could sense her nervousness in the forced laughter at the end of her sentence. He glanced around the small room, trying to keep his eyes from fixing on the skimpy yellow top and tight jeans cast aside near the inviting three-quarter bed. Not that the almost identical set she had replaced them with didn’t make his pulse race again. The pure white of today’s top contrasted even better with her toned skin and his vivid imagination tried to insist that there was a small marble at the apex of each pert breast. No, his rational mind declared, get a grip.

She took the flowers and went towards the utility area by the rear window. “Sweet and milky,” he replied to her offer of tea, knowing that this was one of those times when he would have to accept the social convention. Anything else would only compound the young woman’s embarrassment.

He moved to one of the two seats and lowered himself onto its tiny frame. There was an anguished creak from the furniture but it managed to support him. He waited quietly whilst she completed the ancient ritual and brought the cups across. Her next words were a meek apology, "I'm sorry I disgraced myself yesterday, sir. I don't know what came over me."

“Andrea,” he growled gently, “the strong beer came over you. Have you been to a party with free drinks before?”

She sat silently, eyes demurely downcast into her lap.

“No,” he continued, “I didn’t think so. I’ll have a strong word with that Lee on Tuesday evening. He won’t try that trick again.”

Andi could sense his indomitable will, but knew that it wasn’t aimed directly at her. She still shuddered, her fertile mind imagining what Lee would have to face. Now she knew who the mystery glass filler had been.

“Polly said that you would want to see me this morning and I needed to make sure you were OK, anyway. I’m not sure you remember asking me about a part in the November production, but I’ve been thinking about it overnight. It will be a challenge for you, especially as you are so shy, but I’m confident you can handle the rôle.”

Her eyes lifted for a brief moment, looking directly into his. Then, as if astounded by her own audacity, she tore them away again.

“What’s on your mind, Andi?” he enquired as softly as his booming stage voice would allow.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

Andrea thought for a moment.

What was on her mind? For one thing, she was still a bit fuddled with her her headache, though the lemon drink with all kinds of potions in it seemed to help. At least the drum kit had settled down to be replaced with a dull background of ache behind her eyes.

Andrea looked up again into Paul's eyes.

Polly was right. Although he seemed so gruff there was a hint of kindness behind it, and maybe she souldn't have been as scared of him.

"You have a role for me? For November? Something you think I could do?"

Although she'd told other people in the Players of her limited Dramatic experience, mostly just chorus work and singing, she hadn't exactly told Paul, and she wasn't sure if he knew how limited she was. Despite that, she did want to have some kind of a part on stage. At least before she actually quit the Company, not that she'd admit the quitting idea to Paul. That might bring out the gruff cross part of his character. She felt kind of sorry for Lee, assuming he was about to be on the receiving end. But then he shouldn't have kept topping up her beer. But then she didn't have to keep drinking it.

Oh dear, and her head still hurt.

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

“Yes,” he replied, “only a small part but you’ll be on stage for most of the play in the background. There’s just a couple of minutes when I need you at the front.”

For a moment, the pain vanished. ”on stage”

“You’ll have to trust me, Andi, because I need to see some confidence in you and if you say that you’ll do it I don’t want you running scared at rehearsals.”

She managed a slight nod without her head falling off. That seemed to satisfy him, as he broke into a wide grin. “Good, that’s settled, now do you need anything from Morrisons or will you be OK when your headache clears?”

Vague memories of youthful excess meant he knew the pain she felt in her head. He wondered if she needed any food. She sat quietly, her thoughts obviously whirling, as Paul looked at her with an expression she probably couldn’t decipher.

She isn’t, I’m not imagining it. Paul was fighting his base desires as he sat less than four feet from the slender nymph. He was close enough to have reached forward and gently rubbed his thumbs across those delightful little nipples, which stretched the thin fabric in front of him. He was certain now, in her hungover state she had forgotten her bra. He tried once more to relax and not frighten her.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"No, it's ok, I'll be fine," she managed a weak smile without moving her head too much.

"But on stage? For most of the play?" she repeated back to him, thoughts whirling through her still slightly fuddled brain. She noticed Paul staring at her boobs and wondered for a moment if he was actually going to try and touch them, but thankfully he kept his hands to himself; that would have been too creepy. But it did make her suddenly realise she wasn't wearing a bra! Of course, she hadn't expected company, but what must he think of her?

Getting back to he matter in hand, she had dismissed his comment about needing to see some confidence from her. What was the point of being on stage if you didn't have the confidence to see it through? And he'd said it might be a challenge for her? Maybe it was because there were some tricky lines to deliver? Not her strongest suit, but hey, she could learn? And anyway it couldn't be dangerous, not with Health and Safety and all that.

But a couple of minutes at the front? That sounded pretty good. Probably that was the bit that worried Paul the most; and also why he needed her to be confident, not shrink away and ruin the play by blowing her moment of exposure.

"Sure I'll do it. I'd like to. And Polly said I needed to be stronger, stand up for myself so yeah, I can be confident. I won't let you down. I'll take the part, thanks Paul."

And this time she managed a more natural smile, the ache in her head subsiding and a happy glow growing inside her.

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

The knock and the office door opening were virtually simultaneous. “Paul,” said Polly as she barged in, “we’ve got a problem with next week’s run. Northern Powergrid are digging up from Black Walk to Belmont Street and saying there will be some outages outside office hours.”

“Bloody typical,” he raged, “first I’ve bloody heard of it, where’s Andi?”

“At the sink, where else does she go? I’ll fetch her.”

Paul let his anger at the utility company froth for a moment, then he controlled it and began to channel his fury towards the mitigation he would have to employ to ensure that their production of Kornhaber’s ‘Cumberland’ was able to continue. The set was minimal and the stage lighting could be managed creatively to portray the half-built house, it was all the front-of-house electricals that concerned him more.

The door opened again. “Ah, Andi, have you had a letter from the electric board?”

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"Er, um," she hesitated, wondering why there'd be a letter at the Theatre addressed to her. Then she realised that living so close, Paul must have meant, at home. At her little bedsit.

"Er, there was something that matbe looked like an electric bill, but mine is included in my rent so I ignored it? It's somewhere in a drawer, I think. Why?"

Andrea was more than a bit confused. One of the good things about the room she rented was it was all inclusive, none of the grown-up worries of bills.

"Um, what's the matter?"

Andrea had heard Polly muttering something about the Production, but really she had no idea what the fuss was.

"Do you still need me? Or shall I go tidy up?"

Although Andrea wasn't exactly scared of Paul anymore, there were times one had to be wary, like right now because he had his Angry head on. Best to be somewhere else when he got like that, according to the ever-wise Polly.

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

“Tidy up?” Paul roared, “You’re always bloody tidying up, let those idle bastards clean their own fucking shit for once. I need you here for a minute.”

He paused. Quietly, he continued: “You weren’t to know, sweet. That letter was to tell you about the electrical works. They have to tell households and businesses, but technically we’re a charity and slip through the floorboards.”

His massive frame loomed over her as he stood up. He strode to the opposite side of the room and hefted a large, old wooden chair with one hand. Two paces and he was plonking it down beside her, facing his big desk. “Well don’t just gawp at me girl, park your arse.”

Sit, or run? As she sat down, he continued, “We might have sudden losses of power next week. I can get a generator to run backup, but they’re usually noisy. It’ll have to go in the kitchen and I want you to help Lee with it. Just remember what the horny goat is like and slap him if he gets fresh. Now, the biggest problem is going to be interval. You’ll only have half the space for doing your pies and brews.”

“We don’t serve pies...”

“You know what I mean,” his gruff voice interrupted, “they’d be better than that poncy rabbit food the Committee insist we sell.” He mellowed again. “Can you manage in a smaller space?”

Seeing her slight nod, he continued, “Right then, now, Trojan Barbie, you’ll have heard the gossip from the Knitting Circle, no doubt?”

This time it was a shake.

“No, well, mostly you’ll be in the chorus, at the back or side, but you need to come forward at one point. There’s no dialogue, but as you step out of the line you’ll slip your tunica intima to your waist. You’re facing the Captain of the Guard at first, but then I move to speak to Mike and you’ll be front and centre. We’ll run through it Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting three weeks after ‘Cumberland’ finishes. Are you OK, Andi, you look a little pale?”

 

[AndreaSubbie]

Andi swallowed hard.

Wow, people actually did that, swallow hard, when surprised like she was surprised right now.

"Er, " she could feel her voice wavering, not quite under control. "Front and centre? Um, my tunic wotsit round my waist?" She hesitated, wondering how she'd feel being centre stage for up to a few minutes, like Paul had said. In just her bra!

Wow! Again. She understood why he didn't want her all shy and chickening out. But hey, it was no worse than a bikini at the beach. She could choose a nice t shirt bra all padded and discreet!

Pleased with herself, she quickly replied, "Nah, I'm ok. Sure no big deal. At the back or sides most of the show, then on cue I slip my tinicky thing to my waist and face you for a bit centre stage. Got it."

She hoped Paul caught her confident acceptance, and to kind of reinforce how it was no big deal, changed the subject.

"So Lee, huh? Well I'm sure he won't be much trouble after you talking to him about my beer and the party, ha ha! And sure I can manage the refreshments in half the space. I'll just have to be organised."

She prattled on a bit more about kitchen arrangements but inside she was excited. Only three weeks after they finished this production and she'd be rehearsing her first Stage performance. She could hardly wait!