Saturday, November 28, 2009

A Surprise Engagement

The sun rose as it did every morning yet this morning the light seemed different, softer, warmer. Addy stretched her arms out from under the down comforter, 'wait a minute she didn't have a down comformter on her bed?' cautiously she pulled her arms back in and turned her head slowly to the side. 'oh good grief , what have I done?' she thought as she caught a profile of him next to her. "This is bad, very very bad."
 He smiled and stretched his arms wrapping around her... "mmm, good morning beautful" how cliche' can you be, good grief.
"morning," she wanted to run, and run fast. Then it hit her, the memory of yesterday came crashing back. The proposal, the dinner party, all of it... 'oh boy' she thought to herself, this is a lot to take in.. The satin edge of her nightgown wrapped around her toes as she curled them trying to figure out her next move.

"About last night, it is all still a fog" she wasn't sure she had all the details straight. The obvious detail sat glittering in the sun on her finger, the platnium and diamond engagement ring was more than beautiful, it was everything a girl could dream of.

"Don't worry about it, the details aren't important, we were surrounded by friends and everything was perfect. You didn't embarass anyone and you didn't do anything to be ashamed of. " He was confident and reassuring in his words. That didn't help as much as she would have liked.

Lifting the comforter out of the way, Adrianna stepped off the edge of the bed glancing around the room to get her bearings. 

"You don't have to rush into the office today, I already rescheduled our day, the meetings we had with the art staff has been rescheduled for 3:30.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

One Minute Writer Tuesday: Travel

What is the furthest you traveled from home as a child? Describe the experience.
So with the One Minute Writer word, "Travel" and the above questions, here is Addy's response.

Addy starred at the bookshelf in her office. Photos for various show openings and vacation albums filled the shelves mixed in with technical books and various binders filled with old scripts, journals, and such. Needing a break from the days reviews Addy decided to journing down memory lane for a time.  Back to 1983, her family had decided to take a summer road trip.  From there small town home to Southern California, two kids, a dog and her parents in a 1974 Datsun King Cab pickup towing a similar aged fifth wheel trailer. Addy and her younger sister sat in the back seat while the dog was in the back of the truck.  As far as Addy could remember it was one of the hottest summers, and no matter how often they stopped at a rest stop the trip seemed to take forever.  From Northern Oregon to sunny Southern California shouldn't take more than 4 days, of course when you add stops every 2-3 hours for potty breaks , stretching and feeding 2 cranky little girls a 4 day trip soon takes 5 or 6 days. This trip was really no exception. Addy thought to herself, remembering all the tourist stops they had made on the trip; Crater Lake National Forest in all its natural beauty,  Shasta and the ghost towns of the Gold Rush Era,  Pea Soup Andersen's with the huge windmill or at least it seemed that way to an 8 year old little girl,  interstate Rest Stops too many to count, but most had grass to play in , except one she could remember clearly  seems to be so dry and desolate that she couldn't imagine why they stopped other than both girls needed to take a potty break.  What a trip, it was not just a road trip but a family visit to her cousins and an adventure, Sea World Water Park was still pretty new.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

A Shadow of its former Glory

The moon light cast a rich eerie glow through the broken windows on the second floor, the gray clouds seemed to move freely through the windows and classrooms of the conservatory. Adrianna starred vacantly toward the building. Ghostly images running through her mind as the memories flooded back. 6 years of her career had been spent in these halls, as a simple matter of fact her theatrical career actually began in these halls. She began as a Photographic art student with an assignment to shoot the cast and crew of a production in the theater. Lighting and lighting tricks a specialty in her work, actually her signature style, creating mood lighting and image games she liked to think of it. Addy didn't know the whole story, but when she arrived on set to do the shoot, the director approached her about theatrical lighting seemed that the lighting person has jumped shipped with only 3 days until the opening. She had friends in the production and figured it couldn't hurt. Following a very crash course in running a electronic light board Adrianna began her theatrical career. Strange to look back and think it all started by chance. Although she had been in music and dance prior, but theater was another story.
The basement corner window seemed to call to her, the old darkroom. Even after she moved to a theater program Addy still took photography courses and used the darkroom, a safe artist haven. If those walls could talk the stories they could tell, the things that darkroom had seen would surprise people. The crumbling walls of the building seemed to cry out in pain, a sad sight to watch. Addy wasn't even sure what brought her here.
'I should go,' she thought to herself turning to walk back to her car (what kind of car?), a dark feeling grabbed at her holding her in her tracks.

unemployment and some other random thoughts.

Unemployment wasn't what Addy that it was going to be... It was the pits. Yes she had time on her hands that she should be using to write, create, something... but the pantry was pretty light and the landlord was only going to be so forgiving. The printer sat quietly on the desk as if simply asking her to sit , plug in and print something. Was it that simple, she needed something to inspire her. In between jobs she really wanted to get something on paper, something that could be produced. Theater seats could be filled if that works was good.
The gray keys of the laptop called to her to grace their keys, to write, to create. This wasn't truly unemployment mostly it was her sub conscience blocking her, holding her back from her calling, her passion.


********

Each day a new day for some reason Addy held on to some pieces of the recent past. Relationships outside the boundaries of time; the relationship they built not so long ago that crumbled so quickly taking more than just her heart with it. Since then Addy built new walls around her heart to protect it while trapping her inspiration in those walls, her writing suffered.. Keeping herself protected from heartbreak simply meant she wasn't living. She existed but to what end? A change of scenery was in order. Something to refresh her vision. Theater and writing held more than sappy emotions to her , they were the center of her world, she needed to find a new path to that center.


****
“Lets move to center work. I'd like to try something different today.” Miss Tayna wasn't know for changing things up at all. Addy and the other girls looked at each other wondering what it meant?
“ This combination will start center in open 4th position....” she began demonstrating the combination to the group as she finished and posed the girls faces showed the surprise and the excitement with the new combination and style. “The music is an original piece that my cousin sent me last week, it inspired me to step outside of our classical ballet box, and yes I want this on full pointe when appropriate. Lets do this in groups of 3, Adrianna , Bree, and Julie up first, and 5,6,7,8.” the music filled the studio and the movements carried the three ballerinas to a new level. The new energy Addy felt at the end of the number was so invigorating that she wanted more, more ballet, more music, more whatever she could get her hands on.

****

Thomas Andrew Williams stood casually at the phone wall waiting his turn. This phone call weighed heavy on his heart. Addy consumed his every thought, would she wait for him, would she see him differently, would this be their chance? 3 months ago they left things so unfinished. She still had another year of school to finish and he heading to boot camp then on to training, their final words to each other stung his heart. Could he take his anger back, would she even answer the phone?

“Williams, WILLIAMS, you're up... don't waste our time if you ain't gonna call anyone....” the harsh ugly voice of Anderson snapped Thomas back to reality.

“Sorry dude, I'm calling her....”
“ Oh, I see... “ Anderson cracked half a smile as he chuckled walking away...
5 0 3 5 8 5 1 2 3 6, Thomas slowed dialed the numbers pushing each one with a heavy aching while building up a wall that would soon come crashing down.
The ringing on the other end lulled Thomas into a security , 'perhaps she wasn't even home'

“Hello?” Addy's voice was ( ), not recognizing the caller =id number she was cautious.

“Addy?” Addy stopped in her tracks, 'it couldn't be?'

“Thom? Is that you?”
“yes, sweetheart.. is is ok that I called you?”
“I guess so....” her heart skipped a beat, not sure what to say or how ...to respond....

“I don't have long, but wanted to talk to you... I miss you.” he really missed her, he should be calling his mom or sister but he is calling his ex-girlfriend.... The one phone call he gets this week and he is calling his ex-girlfriend.

“You do? But I thought we had left it , well you know...” she missed him too, not sure what she wanted to let on, or even admit to.

“I wanted to say, I'm sorry for what we said. I shouldn't have left things that way, it was cruel and hurtful.” his voice carried a sense of sincerity that melted Addy's heart.

' darn him.... why now, why did he have to call tonight, why.....' Addy struggled with her composure.
"I'm not sure what I am suppose to say. Seriously, I am suppose to fall over and forget it all happened? " She was letting her guard down, opening up and getting angry.
"OK, I'm with you... I just trying to clear the air." that didn't sound like he planned. He wanted her back, he didn't want to walk away, he wanted the proposal to be and for her to say yes, not the lets take it slow mentality they had previously had. "No, I didn't want to clear the air, damn it Adrianna, I Love you, it is that simple, I want you in my life, I don't want to let us go." There he said it.. nothing like dropping a bombshell from 1200 miles away... Not exactly the reconciliation he had dreamed of.
"What?" she had to catch her breath. " I can't do this right now, Thom I have an audition coming up. I have to stay focused this role will get me out of here. This is the roll I 've dreamed of. I only have a term left on campus then I'm free to move , free to travel." Addy put up her wall, high and with reinforcements. 'this isn't happening, not now... damn him... why did he have to change his mind, why couldn't he have kept it to himself. '
"Come on Addy, don't do this... I won't be home for another 2 months, you won't be done with school yet, we can see what happens." the shaking in his voice said more than his words.
He really meant it...
"When will you be home?" Addy decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"Week before Easter, Mom wants be to attend Easter Mass, but other than that I am leaving it wide open, hoping we can at least see each other and talk in person."
"Ok, my senior project will be closing that week so it should be fine. I'm not making any.