Smiling, Danny stood on the stage, looking out into the
empty auditorium. He lived for moments like this, when rehearsals were going
smoothly and his words were actually starting to come alive. The only hiccup
they were experiencing was that that Herman’s cousin had backed on helping with
prop and set designs. Finding someone at such short notice was proving to be a
disaster, which meant Danny was going to have to do something he really didn’t
want to do but for the sake of the show, he’d swallow his pride and do it.
He just hoped that after the way everything had
disintegrated between them, Jax would say yes.
Footsteps on the stage alerted him to the presence of another, and he turned
his head to see Herman striding towards him with a grim look on his face.
“That’s it, we’re sunk, we’re gonna have to postpone. My
Uncle Dean was the last hope, and wouldn’t you know it, he’s in the Dominican
Republic with my Aunt Irene and won’t be back until sometime next month.”
“Isn’t he the one who hates the snow?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Herman grumbled.
“Then chances are he won’t be back next month either.”
Herman shook his head, the despondent look on his face
making Danny feel bad for blowing up at him earlier. It wasn’t his fault that
his cousin Thatcher had canceled on them in order to make way more than they could
afford to pay him. Just went to show that giving ones word and a handshake didn’t
go as far as it used to. Maybe in the future he should look to take a few carpentry
and welding classes when the continuing ed program offered them. At least then
he could build his own sets, or at the very least, help work on a crew that was
building them.
“Do you want me to call the theater director in the
morning or would you prefer to do it?” Herman asked. “I don’t mind doing it,
and telling her it’s all my fault, maybe she’ll be willing to find us a slot
without making us have to wait another year.”
“No, I’ll take care of it.”
“Danny, let me, I was the one who suggested we use
Thatcher.”
Clasping a hand on Herman’s shoulder, Danny gave him a
reassuring smile. Or at least, he hoped he was being reassuring, the truth was,
he was scared Jax would tell him to go to hell and slam the door in his face
this time and he wasn’t sure if he’d deserve it, or if he’d have reason to be
pissed after everything that had passed between them.
“There’s a chance, a slim chance we won’t have to cancel,’
Danny told him. “But I won’t know until I go home tonight and talk to Jax. When
I talked to him before about maybe helping with props he seemed open to the
idea, I’m hoping if I explain how much of a bind we’re in, he’ll agree to help
out at the same rate we offered Thatcher.”
“You think he will, after, well, you know?”
Danny shrugged. “One can only hope.”
“Shit Danny, I’m so sorry you have to do this.”
“It’s not your fault, stop blaming yourself. Shit
happens, I shouldn’t have freaked out so bad on you earlier.”
“I don’t even care about that right now. I know you had
no intention of ever talking to him again, and now, ‘cause of me and Thatcher,
you have to, and I just, I’m really sorry.”
“Quit apologizing, before I ask you to sing your apology
in front of our entire karaoke group, and you know I will.”
“Ohh fuck, seriously, not that, anything but that,
please, Danny, you evil bastard, that fuckin’ sucked when Simon made me do it.”
“Well then, listen when I tell you that its fine. I’ll
talk to him tonight, and if he says no, well, then I’ll call the director and
tell her what happened and deal with the consequences. All you tried to do was
help, so stop beating yourself over it.”
Herman nodded and hugged him tight, nearly squeezing the
air out of Danny who patted his back a bit awkwardly as he struggled to
breathe.
“Okay, okay,” Danny gasped, flailing a little until
Herman stepped away.
“That’s Danny, you’re the best,” Herman said as Danny
drew in a lungful of air and sputtered a bit.
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