Echoes from a Wishing Well

Ritch Christopher 'Echoes From a Wishing Well' Chapter 11

All rights reserved. Copyright held by the author. If you are underage or are offended by gay fiction, containing graphic sex and explicit language, please exit now.

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"Echoes from a Wishing Well"

Copyright Ritchris, 2007

A Story

by Ritch Christopher

literary enhancement

by Les Martin

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chapter eleven

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The next morning, although Trent and Angio awoke at about the same time, neither opened his eyes fully. Lying facing each other, about two feet apart, first one would peek to see if the other was awake yet, but in the split second that one looked, the other had already closed his eyes. This game of cat and mouse went on for possibly ten to fifteen minutes until their peeking got out of sequence and each looked into the other's eyes at the same time, occasioning a simultaneous giggle.

"How long have you been awake?" Angio asked quietly.

"About as long as you have," Trent replied with another giggle.

"How do you feel?"

"Mostly with my hands, but I have a sense of touch on all parts of my body," Trent joked.

"You asshole! You know what I meant!"

"Yep, and I answered you..."

"Idiot! I mean how do you feel about--about what we did?"

"I don't look angry, do I?"

"No..."

"Sad?"

"No..."

"Agitated?"

"Not really."

"So...?"

"Look, Trent, I want to know if you feel guilty."

"Angio, both my parents are dead. My only living blood relative is Granny Dee and she's about eight-hundred miles away and I don't have to answer to her, so the only person who I might have to feel guilty to...is myself."

"What about Ronnie? Do you feel guilty towards him?"

"Angio, let's get one thing straight between us...I did not fall in love with you. It might have been only for two weeks, but Ronnie was my boyfriend. Before Ronnie, all my life, living in Weston, Tennessee, I never had a best friend. When I was five or six years old, I used to write Santa Claus every Christmas...and the only thing I ever asked for was a brother or a best friend. When I started growing up, I was reasonably convinced that my mother and dad were never going to have any more children, so I stopped asking Santa about a brother. Then after I found out about Santa Claus, I used to pray every night that God would send me a best friend."

"And your prayers were never answered?"

"Not until Ronnie came to visit Uncle Dean and Uncle Cyrus. I thought, at long last I had a best friend, but I knew that Ronnie would only be in Weston for two weeks...and I wanted a best friend who would be with me a long time. Then the first night that Ronnie and I spent the night together...and he kissed me.... I knew for sure that Ronnie was something more than a best friend. He was my boyfriend."

"I...I kissed you last night! But do you mean I can't be your best friend?"

"I think maybe you can...but like I said, we're not boyfriends, even though we kissed. We kissed in the scene from 'West Side Story' and if we stay in the theatre, we're gonna be kissing a lot of people...mostly girls."

"Yes, but the girls we have to kiss on stage or in rehearsal..you won't be doing the things with them that you and I did in the bed last night, will you?"

"Lord, I hope not!"

"So...those things we did...what did they mean to you? Anything?"

"The way I feel about them...they're what boys do with their

friends. You asked me if I ever fooled around with friends at school...andI never had...or have."

"So we didn't make love, huh?"

"Heck no, Angio! We just did things to make us both relax. We've both been very tense since Ronnie died. I mean, if I had a backache and you rubbed it and gave me a massage, that's the kind of thing a friend would do...to ease my back and make me feel better. So if we're tensed up and need to do what we did to relax one another, it...it's only natural!"

'Damn! I thought I was supposed to be your teacher. Now we've switched roles."

"But that's not to say that, sometime in the future, if one of us needs help relaxing, that I'd see anything wrong about repeating what we did."

"'The sadder-but-wiser-guy-for-me'..."

"The sadder but wiser girl...it's from 'The Music Man'!"

"I know, dummy. I just didn't want to offend you by calling you a girl!"

"Angio, I want one thing made clear between us and you've got to promise!"

"I'll promise. What is it?"

"What we did together last night, or whatever we might do in the future...even if it's no more than a hug, or if we should ever decide to go all the way, it's gotta be kept between us, never revealed to anyone!"

"That's what I want, too, Trent!"

"With that understood, do you still want to be my best friend?"

"Only if you'll be mine, Trent. Like I told you, I've never had a best friend either."

"OK! Let's hug on it!"

"You bet!"

The boys were locked in a heavy embrace when a loud knocked on their door separated them abruptly, Art's voice asking, "You guys up yet?"

"Oh, gosh! It's Daddy Art! Let's mess up the other bed so that he won't know we slept together in the same bed."

"That's all right, Trent. He doesn't care if we sleep together!"

"What do you mean.?" "He said so in that restaurant last night. He said if we wanted to become lovers or wanted to have sex with each other, we'd have his permission!"

"Yes, but still...

"Let the other bed be, Trent. Just slip on your underwear while I put mine on and go answer the door!"

Trent managed to get one leg into his white briefs and the other foot got hung up as he hopped to the door to answer it. Trent finally got his briefs up to open the door only to discover he had put his briefs on backward---the pouch was over his buttocks! Feeling like an idiot, Trent opened the door, smiled, and gave Art a big hug, hoping that Art wouldn't notice his hurried dressing faux pas.

"Good morning, buddy boy!" Art said, picking Trent up off the floor to whirl him once around. "I didn't know you when you were young enough to let me do that to you, I thought I'd do it once, just for old times sake."

Angio was busy making the bed and trying to hide any body fluid that might be visible to Art's naked eye. "Morning, Uncle Art!"

"Good morning, Angio! Don't I get a big Italian hug and a kiss?"

Angio smiled and called Art's bluff. "I'll give you the hug, but

you gotta tell me where you want me to kiss you!"

"You mean I get a choice?"

"Well, in my house, I kiss my dad on the mouth, I kiss my cousins on the cheek, but when I kiss my mom, I stick out my tongue like I'm gonna French-kiss her, and she pulls away, saying, "Kiss my ass, you dago!"

Laughing loudly at the boy's wit, Art replied, "Since I'm gonna be your uncle, a kiss on the cheek will do."

Angio put his arms around Art and kissed both cheeks!

"Uh, sorry to interrupt, but would you two love birds excuse me? I gotta go pee!" Trent said as he ran to the bathroom.

Art walked about the hotel room and quietly said to Angio, "Only one bed has been slept in, I see...?"

"Yeah, Trent wanted to mess up the other bed before you came in..."

"Well, as Steve Sondheim wrote, 'Love is in the air'---could it be...?"

"Not that kind of love," Angio replied, but then added very softly, "unfortunately."

"Give him time, Angio. It'll work out for the best!"

"I hope you're right!"

"You hope he's right about what?" Trent asked, returning from the bathroom, still drying his hands.

"I...I was telling Angio that it looks like the rest of the run in

Boston is completely sold out!".

"Oh, that's wonderful, Daddy Art!"

"Well, are you boys ready for breakfast?"

"I am! I'm starved!" Angio said.

"I could eat a bagel, I suppose," Trent said.

"You two go hop in the shower...preferably together to save time, then get dressed and we'll go eat!"

"You want us to shower together?"

"There's nothing wrong with it...unless you two don't trust each other. Ronnie and I used to shower together just for fun. He liked the way I lathered his hair and massaged conditioner into his scalp...and there wasn't anything wrong with it. I knew Ronnie was gay and he knew I wasn't, so we had no problem about showering together. I...I don't think you two are lovers or boyfriends...but good friends shower together after gym, after rehearsals, sports, work-outs..."

"OK! Daddy Art, you've proved that there's nothing wrong with two friends showering together. We'll do it"

After the two boys went into the bathroom, heading for the shower, a huge grin of satisfaction covered Art's face. If Trent and Angio weren't aware how much they needed to help each other get over Ronnie's death...then it would have to be up to Art to convince them.

In the bathroom, Angio turned on the shower, chec the spray until the temperature of the water was just right, then he shed his briefs. Trent just stood by the lavatory looking at his best friend without moving.

"We aren't really going to shower together, are we?" Trent asked.

"Sure, why not? I have no objection!" Angio replied, one foot already inside the shower enclosure.

"It seems like Daddy Art wants us to have sex or become involved, doesn't it?!"

"You've gone bonkers! Do you think we're showering to have sex? We both need a shower to get rid of last night's evidence. Art doesn't expect us to have sex. He's in the next room and can hear everything we do---and you learned last night what a screamer I am."

"I remember. That's one thing that worried me." Trent's face broke into a wide grin.

"Trent, drop your drawers and get into the shower with me. I

promise not to touch you below your waist...and you do the same! Don't forget, it was you who instigated our little session last night. I kept my promise then and I'll keep it now."

"Angio, did he really tell you that he wouldn't object if we...well, you know...?"

"Cross my heart!"

"Okay, scoot over but nothing below the waist touches...hands or nothing!"

"I won't promise not to shampoo your hair though. I'd love to run my fingers through that healthy mop of yours. You can shampoo mine, too, if you like!"

With that, Trent stripped off his briefs and stepped into the shower with Angio, pulling the shower curtain shut. Trent knew they both needed a shower when he had noticed an unpleasant odor coming from his underarms as they had both worked up a heavy sweat during their late night session.

They both kept their promises, washing each other's backs, fronts, and everything else above the waist...including heavy shampoos, which led to loud laughter. Nothing sexual happened, not even the hint of a kiss. They took turns rinsing under the shower head, then got out and took turns toweling each other off...again, only from the waist up. Neither had thought to bring fresh underwear with him into the bathroom, so they wrapped huge towels around themselves and came out to where Art was sitting watching TV. WBOS-TV had begun giving the entertainment news and had unreserved compliments about last night's preview of 'La Di Da'. Trent and Angio both stopped dressing long enough to hear the mini-review and all three looked at each other before they broke out in a huge cheer.

Once dressed, Trent and Angio went down to the hotel dining room with Art for breakfast. The main topic of conversation was a rehash of the show and what had impressed Trent and Angio the most. Through the entire meal, Art's smile never left his face. Was it the show...or was he pleased about something else?

"Did you guys pick out anything you wanted to see or do this afternoon?" Art asked.

"No, not really. We never even thought about it," Trent replied.

"Good. A couple of my good friends came up to Boston last night from New York to see the show. They're staying at the Fairmount. They asked if we'd come by for a few minutes this afternoon."

"Sure!" Angio and Trent replied.

"Both of them are in show business---and both have Tony Awards!"

"Oh? Who are they, Uncle Art? Are they famous?" Angio asked with excitement.

"Have either of you ever heard of Rob Hawley?"

"Rob Hawley? He has two Tony's...one for 'Green Dolphin Street' and another for the revival of 'Brigadoon'. I played both original casts back home at Weston High!"

"Who's the other person, Uncle Art?"

"Rob's longtime companion, Tim Woodrow!"

"The conductor? He won the same Tony's for conducting Rob's shows!"

"Ah, you're so astute...both of you! I might have known that you'd be familiar with both names!" Art said proudly.

"You mean they came to Boston just to see your show?"

"That's what they told me..."

"Daddy Art" Trent asked, "you said that Tim Woodrow was Rob Hawley's longtime companion. You mean they're roommates or that they live together?"

"Well, both! They've been roommates for many years, but 'longtime companion' has a different connotation. They're lovers."

"You mean like Uncle Dean and Uncle Cyrus?"

"Exactly."

"Uncle Art, everybody knows about Dean and Cyrus. Do they know about Rob and Tim?"

"They've never tried to hide their relationship...so, yeah, I suppose everyone knows."

"And none of the Tony voters held it against them when they won their awards?"

"Trent, son, Broadway is so much different from Hollywood. I'm sure you've seen how different Broadway is from Tennessee. Well, in Hollywood, if an actor or actress is known to be gay, he automatically has a black mark against him and it limits the roles he can play. I'm sure you know that Rock Hudson was gay, but he wasn't outed until his career was practically finished. He was the number one box-office star for nearly a decade...but if the public had known Rock was gay before he contracted AIDS, his career would have been finished almost as quickly as it began. You'd be amazed at the number of big stars who were gay or the large number who are gay now...but don't dare come out. I'd say one out of every three male film actors are gay but, if they want to keep on working, they'd better keep their private lives private. Whereas, on Broadway, if an actor is known to be gay, crowds of theatregoers flock to see him because they know a Broadway actor, especially in a musical, has talent and the ones who buy tickets are determined to get their money's worth, to see pure talent."

"You mean if I were gay, I'd be a bigger Broadway star than if I were straight?" Trent asked.

"No, not necessarily, but it wouldn't matter if you were gay! You could still audition and win roles without your sexual orientation hindering your career."

"That seems so stupid! I mean, movie tickets are seven or eight dollars and a good seat for a Broadway show costs close to a hundred dollars!"

"Yes, Trent, but remember, movies are shown in Tennessee and Alabama where being gay is not as accepted. New Yorkers don't give a damn! There have even been gay off-Broadway shows where guys actually performed fellatio on one another and the theatre sold out every night!"

"That's another strange thing about movies, Uncle Art. You can go see an 'R' rated film and a woman can show her pubic hair, even her vagina, but if a man shows his pubic hair or even hints at showing his penis, the movie gets slapped with an 'NC-17' rating!"

"They used to be rated 'X', Angio!"

"Why is it all right to show a vagina and not a penis?"

"That's been discussed for years, Angio. The consensus of opinions is that ninety-nine percent of Hollywood producers are men. They don't mind exploiting a female's genitalia, but somehow, it embarrasses them if they produce a movie showing a man's endowment! Some people have joked and said that all Hollywood producers have little dicks and don't want to be shown up by their male movie stars!" This statement brought a huge laugh from Trent and Angio.

With a snicker, Trent said, "It could be for another reason, Daddy Art..."

"What's that, son?"

"Did you ever see a Tom Cruise movie, 'All The Right Moves'?"

"No..."

"Well, Tom Cruise plays this high school jock and in one scene he takes this girl to bed...and they both get undressed. Then for about half a second, the audience gets a quick look at Tom's penis...and it's about two inches long. Maybe other Hollywood stars are as shortchanged as Tom Cruise, so they refuse to show their penises on screen!"

"You might have a point, Trent! You might have figured it out!" Art laughed. "Two inches, huh? Poor guy!"

"It might even have been shorter than two inches!"

"That might explain why his first two wives didn't get pregnant!"

Angio added. "He couldn't get deep enough inside to make a baby if he could get it up! He probably got as far as her pubic hair and couldn't get in any further!" At that, all three laughed heartily.

"Are you two ready to go meet Rob and Tim?"

"Boy! I'll say!"

"Now look, both of you...if Tim wants to hear either of you sing, don't be shy! Tim is always looking for young talent. Who knows? Either or both of you might audition for Tim one day!"

"Gosh, I'll be a nervous wreck!" Trent said.

"No, you won't! I'll be there with you."

"If Tim asks you to sing, how would it be if the two of you did your scene from 'West Side Story' for them? I haven't seen it, either, you know!"

"You mean with the kiss and everything?" Trent asked.

"Why not, jughead!", Angio laughed. "You heard Uncle Art say that both Tim and Rob are gay! Do you think we're gonna shock 'em with a kiss?"

"I guess not...only..."

"Only what?"

"Only...no tongue, Ange!"

"Oh, for Pete's sake! I didn't tongue you Friday, did I, you jerk?"

Art put an arm around each of his boys and led them out of the restaurant, all three with hearts full.

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The desk clerk at the Fairmount quickly said that Art was expected and directed them to the elevator. Flinging the door open, Tim and Rob met Art with hearty hugs and embraces. Trent and Angio stood in the hallway in awe of Art's closeness and familiarity with two big Broadway names...both two-time Tony winners to boot.

"Come in, Mister Director!" Rob said, loudly. "When are you gonna be free to direct our next show?"

"Just say the word, Rob!" Art replied. "Tim, don't just stand

there, invite me and my boys inside!"

"Sorry, Art!" Tim said. "...and who are these young men? Two future Broadway stars?"

Art took a step backwards back into the hall and put an arm around each boy and walked them inside the hotel room. Rob and Tim took one look at Trent and both gasped. "Go ahead, take a good look and get it out in the open!" Art said. "Everyone who meets Trent has the same reaction when they first see him. This is my newly 'adopted' son, Trent...Trent Matthews!"

"I'm so sorry, Trent, about my behavior but..." Rob said, putting out his hand for Trent to shake.

"It's okay, sir. Even Ronnie was just as surprised when we first met," Trent said, taking Rob's hand.

"It's just that you look so much alike!"

Tim stepped forward, offering his hand, "Hi, Trent, I'm Tim."

"Yes sir, I know who you are!" Trent replied. "...and this is my new best friend, Angio Marcano."

"It's nice meeting you too, Angio!" Tim said. "Please! Please, everyone come inside and find a seat."

"Sorry that the room is in such a disarray," Rob apologized. "Tim and I wanted to sleep late, so when the maid came by to straighten up the room, we just let her knock and kept the deadbolt locked."

"We didn't make up our bed...beds either," Trent, quickly

explained.

"We heard you came all the way from New York to see Uncle Art's show last night?," Angio quickly added.

"Indeed we did!" Tim said.

"Well, don't stand there like the ghost of Walter Kerr! What did you think of it?" Art said, anxiously.

"I know what the early reviews said before you got to Boston, but, Art, you've got a sure-fire smash that'll run on Broadway for years!"

"Art, the show is perfect!" Tim said.

"Yes, but why the hell weren't we offered the show?" Rob said, feigning envy.

"I'm afraid I didn't have anything to do with the casting. George, being a big Hollywood director wanted complete control of the show, including all the casting," Art said.

"Well, believe me, there's nothing wrong with your cast..." Rob said.

"...only you think you could've played the male lead better?" Art joked.

"Well, I have been known to get a few good reviews and sell a few tickets!" Rob retorted.

"When in hell have you ever wanted a role that you didn't get?" Art asked.

"I can think of a few he wanted but didn't get!" Tim said.

"Oh, yeah? What?"

"'Dolly', 'Mame', 'Rose', 'Desirée Armfeldt'...only to mention a few..." Tim joked.

"Dammit, Tim, do you have to reveal all my secrets?" Rob asked.

"Only the ones I can mention in public. What you do in the

bedroom...well, I'll take those secrets to my grave!"

"If those secrets are all you take with you to your grave, that means there'll be plenty of room to spare in your casket!"

Art laughed heartily, "My God, it's so good to see you guys. I've really missed you!"

"Well, it's not our fault that you chose to be a stage manager, working your ass off eight times per week! Now that you're a director, once the show opens, you can sit back and collect your royalties."

"You mean you're gonna have more free time, Daddy Art?" Trent asked excitedly.

"Oh? Hold on! What's this! 'Daddy Art'?" Tim asked.

Turning to face them, Trent said, "My real dad is dead and

since I'm gonna be living with Art, I asked if he'd let me call him 'Daddy Art'!"

"Yeah, and he said it's okay if I call him, 'Uncle Art'!" Angio

added.

"Looks as though you've adopted a brand new family, Art...all grown up!" Rob said. "Art, Tim and I both want to express our condolences about Ronnie. We both loved him...as you well know."

"Thanks, Rob. It's still like a bad dream to me, but then, since Trent came into my life...looking so much like my Ronnie, he's actually helped me accept the fact of the sudden loss."

"Can I ask how Trent came into your life, Art?" Tim asked.

"I...Trent, I hope you won't mind my telling tales out of school, but, well, Ronnie went down to Tennessee to spend a couple of weeks with Dean and Cyrus and Trent was...well, all but sitting down there waiting for Ronnie. It seemed destined that the two of the would meet since they seem to be cloned from the same mold. They hit it off big right away. Trent is a fantastic singer and Ronnie and he would sing and play show tunes every day and it became Ronnie's dream for Trent to come to New York and go to the High School For The Performing Arts with him. Then Ronnie was attacked and Trent came up for his memorial service and I suggested that he stay and go to the High School in Ronnie's place."

"That's where I met Angio!" Trent added. "He sings, too!"

"Well, now! How much encouragement would it take for both of you to sing for Tim and me?""Just hit 'em with a spotlight and a four-bar intro and nothing'll stop 'em!" Art said.

As he turned to look at the room, Trent's eyes bulged out. "Wow! You've got a piano in your room! I didn't know hotel rooms had pianos!" Trent said.

"That was Tim's idea, Trent. Tim can't sleep well unless he plays the piano for an hour before bedtime. When we arrived yesterday, Tim called room service and asked if they had a portable Yamaha piano that they used for private parties. Ten minutes later, room service knocked on our door and rolled in a piano!"

"By the way, Trent, how are Dean and Cyrus adjusting to the bucolic life? Have they ditched music and each other for milking cows and shucking corn?"

"No, they still play! In fact, Dean and Cyrus are home writing a new show! Good lord, Trent! We totally forgot that we were gonna call them last night!"

"A new show? You've got to be kidding! ! I thought they swore they'd never write another show!"

"That's before they met Trent and heard him sing, Rob," Art said.

"Then Trent, you must really be good to get those old curmudgeons out of retirement."

"Do you really want Trent and Angio to perform for you?," Art asked.

"They don't leave this room until they do!" Rob said as Tim went over to the piano and sat down.

"What would you guys like to sing for us?"

After a quick glance at Angio, "Do you know the score of 'West Side Story'?" Trent asked.

"I should--I conducted the revival for six months. I know that score backwards and forwards. What'll it be, 'The Jet Song' or 'Officer Krupke'?"

"How about the balcony scene?" Trent asked.

"Tony and Maria's balcony scene?"

"Yes."

"Don't look so alarmed, Tim. Trent and Angio performed the scene for the student body and faculty at the High School on Friday."

"Dialogue and 'Tonight'? The whole scene?"

"The whole scene..." Angio said.

"This should be interesting!" Tim said as he began playing the underscoring music to set the scene.

With Tim at the piano and Art and Rob on the couch, the two boys got into character and began the scene. The three adults were stunned by the performances and couldn't believe how well the dialogue fit with two guys playing the lovers. Trent and Angio segued beautifully into the song and their voices blended as one during the duet.

Art and Rob couldn't take their eyes off the two young actors. Both men had tears in their eyes and streaming down their cheeks, they were so moved. When Trent softly uttered, 'Te adoro, Mario,' Art gasped.

The scene ended in total silence. Applause just didn't seem appropriate. It would have spoiled the mood with which Trent and Angio had flooded the room. Tim couldn't stop playing in order to wipe the tears from his eyes, but he, Art, and Rob were all speechless. Never had they heard Bernstein's music and Sondheim's lyrics portrayed so honestly and beautifully---with such quiet intensity.

"I...I don't know what to say..." Rob said, almost in a whisper.

"I don't either, Rob..." Art added.

"Trent, how old are you and Angio?" Tim asked.

"We're both sixteen..." Trent said.

"Unbelievable!" Tim said. "My God, Lenny would've had an orgasm!"

"And so would the New York critics!" Rob added.

"Trent, Angio, words can't describe the truth in what you two justdid. It put the 'mar' in marvelous!" Art said.

"Oh, we weren't that good!" Angio said, a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, but you were!" Art quickly added. "Jesus Christ! Had I known you had that much talent, we would have bypassed the High School For The Performing Arts and started auditioning! I mean, I heard you sing in my living room when Cyrus and Dean were up here, but...but when you were actually playing a character with lines and lyrics...it was absolutely professional!"

"Art's not kidding, boys!" Rob said. "Do either of you know the score from 'The Fantasticks'?"

"I do," Trent said.

"So do I," Angio echoed.

"Wanna sing a trio with me?" Rob asked.

"Gosh, yes!" both boys replied.

"Let's do 'I Can See It'. I'll sing El Gallo and you two divide

Matt's lines...taking turns, one line each and on the duets, we'll all sing together. Think you can follow those directions?"

"I think so," Trent said."

"You bet! Just try us!" Angio dared him, his confidence easily seen.

Tim began the slow intro as Rob stood up and Trent began singing, "Beyond that road lies a shining world..." and Rob followed with, "Beyond that road lies despair...". Angio sang the next line and the three alternated lyrics until the speedy refrain...and all three sang out, full voiced.

Rob's booming Broadway voice all but shook the walls while Trent and Angio did their best to match Rob's volume and projection. They created one of those rare perfect musical moments with Tim ending with a glissando down the keyboard. Art was beside himself, he had to stand and applaud.

Angio coughed and asked, "Excuse me, but could I have a glass of water?"

"Good grief! Where did I leave my manners?" Rob said. "You've been here all of this time and I haven't even offered anyone a drink or a snack. Would you like a Coke or some juice, Angio?"

"A Coke would be great, sir!"

"Trent?"

"A coke too, please, sir!"

"Did you hear that, Tim? 'Please'. You can tell Trent's not from New York."

"Ha! I don't think we've heard, 'please' or 'sir' since we left

Briarwood," Tim said.

"Briarwood? Where's Briarwood, Daddy Art?" Trent asked.

"Briarwood is like Brigadoon. Eventually, everyone who needs to go there, finds it. It's Tim's and my hometown."

"How's Roger? He must've cleaned up royally off his investment in your 'Brigadoon'!" Art said.

"As if he needed it!"

"Who's Roger?" Trent asked again.

"Roger Cole was the sole backer of Tim and Rob's last show. He could actually be the richest man in the United States if he ever took time to count his money!"

"Yes--dear, dear Roger...all the money in the world and he even lives with God to look after him!" Tim added.

"God?" Trent said.

Art spoke up to Trent, "You remember when I explained what a longtime companion was?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, Roger's longtime companion is a very renowned Anglican priest. He's famous all around the world as a theologian. Roger and Father Cliff, his partner, have done more to advance the search for a cure for AIDS than anyone in history. Roger built a research hospital for AIDS

research in Briarwood. They have about a dozen or two dozen young men who, with their special talents, have assisted Roger and Cliff in their work. They are referred to as the Briarwood Boys. Rob and Tim are both Briarwood Boys."

"Yes, Trent, and you might remind Dean and Cyrus tonight that, when they finish writing their show, they should send a copy to Roger. He loves Broadway and has put his money in several shows."

"Do you know Roger?" Trent asked Art.

"When Roger finances a show, everyone from the swing dancer to the stage doorman knows him. He insist that he know everyone who's working for him...and in spite of Roger's billions and billions of dollars, he wants everyone to call him 'Roger', not 'Mr. Cole'."

"So Uncle Dean and Uncle Cyrus know Roger, too?"

"Trent, everyone knows Roger and Roger knows everyone. That may be why he's so successful. You don't just 'know' Roger---you love him! And Father Cliff's the same way. There's no two people on earth like them!"

"I hope I get to meet them some day," Trent said quietly.

"Me, too!", chimed Angio.

Through all this, Tim had sat quietly, looking a long time at Trent and suddenly asked, "Art, would you mind if I spoke privately with Trent in the other room?"

"Why, you letch!", Rob exclaimed, laughing.

"No, really, Art, is it OK if I speak with Trent privately?"

"Sure---as long as you both keep your clothes on...!"

"Art! I'm surprised you'd even think of anything like that! You're a dirty old man, you know that?"

"You know I'm kidding, Tim. Of course Trent can go talk if he wants to!"

"Sure, I'll go."

Angio raised an eyebrow. He knew that Rob and Tim were gay and now Tim was inviting Trent into the bedroom and Angio suddenly became aware of being more than just a little bit jealous.

Once Tim and Trent were in the bedroom, Tim closed the door. "Trent, what I'm about to say or ask you, I could do it after we both get back to New York, but your singing left me so excited, I decided I had to talk with you now before you leave."

"What is it?" The seriousness in Tim's voice stirred Trent's wonderment. "Are you familiar with the name Truman Capote, the author?"

"Sure, he wrote 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and he won the Pulitzer Prize for 'In Cold Blood."

"Great! Do you know one of his lesser works entitled, 'Other Voices, Other Rooms'?"

"No, I'm not familiar with that. Why?"

"Some friends of Rob's and mine have written a score and a libretto to turn it into a musical."

"Is it gonna star Rob and are you gonna conduct?"

"No, not exactly, but our friends are trying to find investors, or as we call them backers, or angels. So in order to sell the show to stockholders or backers, there has to be what we call backer's auditions. That's where several actors get together and read the script out loud and sing the score to show that it's good enough for a backer to want to invest money in the show. If he or she doesn't like the music or the story, he might just say 'no' and walk out, but if he thinks there's enough salvageable material, he might back it, or part of it, on the condition that new numbers will be written or the book changed to a happier or more logical ending."

"That makes sense, but why are you telling me? I don't have any money to invest!"

"No, but you've got a voice that would sell any song to any

prospective producer or backer."

"Really? So...?"

"So there's a part for a young boy about your age that the story centers around and I was wondering if we could interest you in helping our friends by singing the boy's songs and reading his dialogue in the play?"

"But what about my southern accent? I'm still not rid of it?"

"The boy in the play or musical is also from the south, so your accent would fit right in! But there's only one boy's part and I didn't know how to approach you without hurting your friend, Angio, feelings. I mean, sometimes best friends can become worst enemies when they're both vying for the same role."

"I don't think Angio would mind."

"Remember, you're not being cast in that role, you're just doing a backer's audition for our friends to get the money to hire somebody your age to play the role. Do you think Art would let you do it?"

"I'm sure he would, I mean, I don't really need Art's permission, but I owe him the respect to ask him!"

"I think it would give you a world of experience...the kind of

thing you can't get in the High School!"

"Wow!"

"Would you talk it over with Art privately, either tonight or

tomorrow, and give me or Rob a call?"

"Will I? You know I will!"

"Great!"

"Tim, how are we going to explain what we've been talking about in here when we go back into the living room?"

"Well, I saw you had no inhibitions about kissing Angio in front of us during the balcony scene. So how about we do a little improv and maybe raise a few eyebrows?"

"Sounds like fun! What do I do?"

"I'll go back first and then you come out a couple minutes later, pretending that you're having trouble with your zipper."

"That's all?"

"That'll be enough to shock 'em!"

"Okay!"

Tim came back in the living room with his head down, acting coy, and avoiding Art's, Rob's, and Angio's stares. All three heads turned from Tim to look at the bedroom door, wondering where Trent was. A moment later, Trent entered from the bedroom door tugging at his zipper and pretending to push his bulge to one side. Without looking up,Trent took his arm and wiped his mouth in a grand gesture and said rather loudly, "Thanks Uncle Tim! That was wonderful! We'll have to do that again...and often!"

Tim almost exploded, trying to keep a straight face; the three onlookers didn't know what or whom to believe...until Trent burst into laughter, joined Tim. Everyone soon relaxed and joined in the joke...since they were convinced it was a joke...or was it? Angio couldn't be sure.

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Ten days had passed since Boston, the 'La Di Da' previews, and Trent's all important meeting with Rob Hawley and Tim Woodrow. And Trent had indeed shown his respect for Art by asking his permission to do the backers' audition with Rob and Tim for 'Other Voices, Other Rooms' and the permission was quickly given.

He had gone to their apartment every night for a week to rehearse and learn the songs and during that time, he had become good friends with Tim and Rob. It would be to Trent's advantage to get to know both of them as Tim did at least one musical every theatrical season.

Trent had taken to the role of Joel Sansom as if Capote had written it for him to play. In the story, Joel goes to Southern plantation to search for his dad, whom Joel hasn't seen in nine years to find out why his dad had abandoned him. Joel's quest is interrupted by his cousin, Randolph, a homosexual who tries to seduce young Joel.

The songs were melodic, bordering on light opera. With a plot this heavy, there wasn't much comic relief in the libretto. Rob read the role of Randolph and when his and Trent's voices swelled into the duets written for their characters, Rob and Trent made the score sound even better than it was written. Had it not been for the duo's talent, the backers might not have been interested. However, they quickly agreed to finance the production with the stipulation that Rob and Trent play those roles, no substitutes. This put a possible quietus on the future of the show being produced and presented on Broadway. Rob had been offered two other potential Broadway roles which promised to be bigger and more commercial than 'Other Voices, Other Rooms'.

An even larger problem was Trent's involvement at the

High School. He was only a sophomore and if he quit school to pursue an early career, his education would be put on hold and possibly never finished. There's no such thing as a G.E.D. in musical comedy education unless it meant 'hitting the boards' prematurely.

Then there was another problem--even if the backers agreed to hire Trent without Rob, would Trent enjoy doing the show as much without having Rob as a security blanket? Then again, how many teenage boys were offered a lead in a Broadway show his first time at bat? It seemed Trent's friendship with Angiowasn't even a consideration. They would remain friends but not classmates and would see less of each other. But then, Trent and Angio were not lovers. It wasn't a matter of breaking up a lover relationship. Added to that, on a personal note, was the question of how jealous would Angio become if he remained in school while Trent starred on Broadway. So many things for a young man to think about and consider! Even though Trent had Art as a mentor, Trent wished he had Dean or Cyrus there to advise him...even a word of encouragement or discouragement would be a great assistance to Trent while making the biggest decision of his life.

Trent knew that Dean and Cyrus were writing a show for him to be produced he graduated from the Performing Arts school, so it wasn't a matter of not getting a chance to perform on the Great White Way. He felt that would happen eventually, even if Cyrus and Dean's show was unsuccessful financially. For the first time in a long while, Trent missed his mother and dad. Of course, the idea of going to New York would never have entered into Trent's young life if they'd still been alive. With his mother and dad guiding his life, Trent would've graduated from Weston High, only to marry someone like Wanda Sells, have six to eight children and tend to Granny Dee's farm from then on.

Decisions! What to do and when to do it? That was a lot

for a talented sixteen year old to contend with. What if he decided to do' Other Voices', quitting school and putting his education aside, and then having the show close out of town before it even came close to opening on Broadway? What would he do then?

Another pang of guilt came with the thought of him wasting Ronnie's tuition money. One thing was certain, when and if

Trent made his decision, he would no longer be a sixteen-year-old kid from Nowhere, Tennessee, Trent would become a man.....his own man!

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(To be continued in chapter twelve of "Echoes From A Wishing Well"

...next week).

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, I asked what you wanted me to do with this story last week. From Friday until the following Monday, I had received over eleven hundred emails. Only THREE asked me to end the story with chapter twelve. So I guess you can see what the decision of the majority was. "Echoes" WILL continue as long as the characters keep it interesting for me...and to you!

I asked for letters, but I had NO IDEA how strongly you felt. But now, I sure as hell do! Thanks guys...and gals!

Ritch

ADDENDUM:

Ritch passed away, but if any of his readers would like to comment, please contact me at follies71@att.net