The Drama Club

Once he had counted all the forms, he went through to see Jack and ask his opinion on ordering some more of some of the forms, not knowing how many he would use, or how quickly they would come in. Jack complimented him on planning ahead, and suggested stocking up on some of them, particularly the MRS ones. Then he said, "The GF and I and a couple of foremen go down the Mucky Duck for a beer on Fridays. Want to come?"

It took Paul a minute to work out that the Mucky Duck was a nickname for the White Swan, where he had been the night before with the Drama Club. "Other weeks, that might be nice, Sir - I mean, Jack - but I didn't warn Mrs. R that I might be late, so I'd better get home at the usual time."

"Aye, lad. I've heard she's a great cook, so you'll want it at its best, so another time then."

Paul suddenly realized, more so than he had ever felt before, that he was a man at work and no longer a boy at school. Authority figures were colleagues, not masters. Some respect was granted by dint of position, like the GF, but generally it was earned on the basis of results.

At this stage in the construction, with no houses sold, the site did not operate on a weekend. So Paul had Saturday to himself. He had decided that wearing a suit to work, like he had when in the Leeds Office, was a bit ridiculous in view of the mud, so on the Saturday morning, he took the bus to Brighton and went to Marks and Spencer's and bought some jeans. He also bought himself a nice dark blue V-necked sweater, which he could wear socially with the pants from his suit, or another pair of grey pants he had, as a more casual option than the suit jacket or his sports jacket. He also bought a thicker, warmer, grey sweater he could wear to work with the jeans.

He got home and tried the pants/sweater combo on over a nice clean white shirt, and even Mrs. R said it looked good. "Often do the pigs in a blanket on a Saturday when I have a lodger, as then I already have my Yorkshire pudding batter made for the Sunday roast. So as it's a beef roast with Yorkshire tomorrow, that's what you're getting tonight. Oh, and Carol and Mike are coming Tuesday evening on account of it being Pancake Day."

Paul had never had Pigs in a Blanket, which turned out to be sausages in a Yorkshire pudding served with mashed potatoes and fried onions, and loads of gravy. As soon as he cleared his plate, he mentally added it to his list of favorite meals!

After supper, he checked the Rugby League scores, and then headed of to St. Mary's Church Hall, which he had seen earlier in the day. There was a small 5 piece band with a woman singing. They looked and sounded like they had formed their band in World War II but, the music was good, the dance beat was consistent, and Carol wasn't there.

A small bar in the corner sold beer and wine by the glass, and he bought a half-pint of Pale Ale and moved to where he could see around the room, and in particular, the entrance. Several couples were dancing, but at this stage there were not many unattached ladies.

Then Carol came in. She was with Jenny, the funny girl who had done the asking for directions skit at Drama. Carol saw him and smiled, and she and Jenny came over. He offered to buy them a drink, but they both said they always bought their own. They said it stopped the guys getting ideas. Naïve as he was, Paul almost asked "What sort of ideas?" and then realized by their giggles that he knew exactly what kind of ideas.

They were by a table, so Paul put his drink down when a jive came on, and asked Carol for a dance. She said "Yes" and they made their way out on the floor. It was pretty obvious very quickly that Paul knew what he was doing, and could lead, and Carol knew what she was doing and could follow. They danced a wonderful jive together, with lots of under-arm turns and spins and some good footwork.

As Paul escorted Carol off the floor, she turned to Jenny, and said "He can really dance - you should try him out."

Paul smiled at Jenny. "This one's a foxtrot - want to try a test drive?"

Jenny laughed and said "Okay". They went on the floor and Paul took her in hold. They were soon weaving their way around the floor, slipping between the other couples without crashing. Jenny let Paul continue to hold her until the next dance, a waltz, started, and they danced that too.

"Do you like Carol?" asked Jenny.

"Yes, yes I do, she's fun."

"You know she's a lot older than you, don't you. Nearly 32."

"So?"

"So. The So is that I think she likes you too. She was looking for you when we came in. I've never known her do that. She even asked her Mum to come sit with Mike as he wasn't going to his Uncle Tony's, just so she could come out tonight. Her usual sitter wasn't available and normally she'd just stay home."

"I see."

"So see this. You hurt her and I'll hurt you. She's my best friend and I watch out for her."

"Jenny, she's the last person on earth I would want to hurt. Believe me."

"I'll believe you for now. But a man put her through a lot, and I watch out for her."

"Then she's lucky to have a friend like you."

The music stopped and they made their way back to Carol. "What were you two talking about so earnestly?" she asked of Paul.

"She praised me for not stepping on her toes, and told me what she would do to me if I did, that's all. And something about ending my dancing career or my future as a gigolo." All three laughed, especially Jenny.

Paul alternated his dances with both ladies, until a friend of Jenny's came over. Paul saw Jenny and Carol flash looks to each other, and then both nodded, and Jenny and the friend went off to dance. "What were all those looks and nods about?" asked Paul.

"Oh, just Jenny being Jenny. That guy, Dave, is one of her boyfriends - she always has a couple on the go at a time. She wanted to know if it was okay her leaving me with you. I think she's a bit horny tonight."

"Well, I promise to behave like a gentleman for as long as you want to dance with me."

"Behave like a gentleman and I may just want to dance with you all night."

And they did dance all night. The last dance was "Save the last dance for me" and the band played it really soft and slow. The lights were dimmed, and Carol seemed to gather Paul into her so they were very close. Her head was on his shoulder and somehow it seemed natural to give her a gentle kiss on her forehead as they danced.

Paul realized that dancing with Carol was going to have 'that effect' on him that it had in their scene. He couldn't back off and create space, as she was snuggled right in as close as she could get. As he turned his head after the kiss to look at her, she lifted her face, and with her hand on the back of his head, drew him in for a real kiss.

It lasted the rest of the song. Their mouths locked together, their bodies pressed together. And Paul just knew, absolutely knew, that the hard on he could feel must be felt by Carol too. The kiss was longer, harder and more intimate than the Thursday one, and 'the effect' was proportionally more too. Carol had to have felt it!

At the end of the song, the lights all came on. Paul noticed that Carol looked a little bit flushed, but he felt he probably did too.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening," said Carol. "Do you want a lift home before I go get Mum and take her home."

"Thank you, too," said Paul, looking at his feet in embarrassment. "I'll walk, it's a bit much taking me home and then getting your Mum. I'll see you again on Tuesday for the Pancakes."

"Normally it's not an issue - taking you home. My normal baby sitter is a woman across the road whose hubby works regular nights, so she can just as easy watch tele at my house as at hers. But tonight he was taking her out for her birthday. So, yeah, see you Tuesday."

Of course, being a gentleman, he walked Carol to her car. It was quite a nice evening for February. They stood by the car. Carol stood close to him, looking up into his face.

Should he or shouldn't he kiss her? The saying goes that he who hesitates is lost, and Paul would definitely have lost out on a kiss if Carol wasn't the woman she was. She gave him a smile, and another kiss on the mouth. Not long, but long enough! Paul's body responded as before, and after the kiss he stepped back quickly.

"Thanks again for the dances." he said. "See you Tuesday."

"Yes, Tuesday." Carol got into the car, looking a little disappointed, and Paul started the walk home.

Sunday he went to Church at St. Peter's. Paul had grown up as a chorister and had always enjoyed the different special choral pieces always involved with the various religious season. However, Lent was his least favorite period, so he wanted to get the last Sunday before, which was called Quinquagesima in the Anglican faith at that time. As he expected, the choir had an anthem prepared, and he enjoyed the sound of the music filling the church. And in the sermon he thought about his situation.

HIs situation was her, put quite simply. There was something about that woman that attracted him. There was also something - was it her age? her maturity? the fact she was a mother? - that scared him. Or was it that he was intimidated by his own physical reactions? Or simply, naïve? How he wished he had some experience of women....

At the end of the service, he was greeted by several people, but chose not to go to coffee. He walked around for a bit, and then headed home. He watched some soccer Sunday afternoon, and enjoyed his roast beef dinner with Mrs. R in the evening. She had invited her old neighbor from across the street, and Paul politely answered the neighbor's questions.

Finally the neighbor went home. As soon as she was gone, Mrs. R looked at Paul and laughed. "I sometimes think that woman should have been an interrogator for the Gestapo. Always so many questions. You should have heard go on at Carol when she got pregnant. She's nice enough, but at times she can be so nosey. Don't forget Pancake Supper on Tuesday. Young Mike is really looking forward to seeing you again. He's taken a proper shine to you, he has. Talked about you last night."

Paul blushed. "I like him, and Carol, too." was all he dare say.

Monday and Tuesday saw him do his first store-keeping days alone. Jack and the GF checked on him several times, until Jack said "I think we think you can handle this, so the GF and I will just let you get on with it. But, if in doubt, ask. The only stupid question is the one you don't ask."

Finally, the clock advanced to Tuesday supper time. Carol and Mrs. R got everything organized in kitchen, while the tower crane got to its full height, and they started on the swinging jib.

The first part of the pancake supper was two thin crêpes, rolled up and heaped with scrambled eggs and those great sausages Mrs. R bought, with plenty of HP sauce. Mrs. R and Carol were sharing cooking so that there was always one of them at the table able to eat with the two guys.

Then, the best part of the pancake supper. Loads of thin crêpes, cooked individually in an iron skillet. Thin and hot, the choices of filling were either sugar and juice squeezed out of fresh lemons, or Golden Syrup dribbled all over the pancake. Either way, it was quickly rolled up, sliced and eaten. Each pancake took about 4 minutes to make, 2 minutes to fill, and 30 seconds to eat! And Mike and Paul were in their element.

Eventually, neither could eat any more. Carol looked at Mike wiping syrup off his face and said "I think you two guys must have hollow legs, the amount of pancakes you put away. Poor Gran's arms are worn out from mixing the batter."

"Come on, Mike," said Paul, "Let us do the washing up while your Mum and Gran finish their supper," and before Mrs. R could say anything, he and Mike were clearing up.

When it came time for Mike to leave, Carol thanked him for involving Mike in clearing up. "He sees his Uncle Tony, who is a good example for him, but talking to and being with another man is good for him, so, thank you."

"No problem." said Paul, "I like Mike."

"Pick you up Thursday?"

"Yes, please."

And they were gone. But tonight's big surprise was that Paul found it didn't take a kiss. Having Carol stand close to him and smile into his eyes was enough to cause a physical reaction. Even in front of Carol's mother.

That night in bed, he couldn't hold it back any more. He lay with his eyes closed and visualized a naked Carol - a visualization he found very attractive - and came so quickly....

******************************

Paul had come up with a new system at work. He had bought a whole bag of bull-dog clips in Woolworth's, and driven in a whole load of nails into his office wall. The nails were all labelled - bricks, first fix lumber, second fix lumber and so on. As each delivery came in, he made sure the delivery note had the plot number written on in big red numbers, and then clipped it in the appropriate bull-dog clip and hung the clip on the appropriate nail. On Friday, he simply wrote the contents of each nail on to an MRS form, and, bingo, the job was done.

The advantage of this system was he always had an excuse to walk around the site, checking that he hadn't missed any deliveries. The GF checked his MRS summaries and signed them, and said "Job well done." Paul went down the pub with the others, having warned Mrs. R that he would be late home.

"No problem," she said. "I've got some left-over stew in the fridge I can soon heat up when you do get home."

In the pub Paul felt a little like a bump on a log with the others, all chatting in construction terms he didn't yet know, and with words in their sentences his Mum had told him not to use, but at least he had earned a place. He felt like he was growing up.

On Thursday at the Drama Club, John had brought in several copies of Dylan Thomas' 'Under Milk Wood'. He explained that it was originally written for radio, so was not to be acted and watched, but listened to. It was often 'performed' by having the cast sit on the stage and stand up when their lines came up.

Paul was chosen for the part of the narrator, who links the play together. The script always refers to him as First Man. They got a laugh out of John explaining the play takes place in a mythical Welsh village called 'Llareggub' which is 'bugger all' spelled backwards.

Paul looked at the first few paragraphs of the script and fell in love. John explained they were going to read - out loud, in parts - the whole play over several Thursdays. They would learn about the woman with two dead husbands she was still nagging in her mind, about the butcher plotting to murder his wife, and about Polly Garter 'with a body like a wardrobe' who had had several kids by different fathers and was seeking the ideal lover.

And Captain Cat, a blind sea captain who knew everything happening in the village by listening to the footsteps. He could see by listening, so to speak, which was the role of the audience too. It would take them four weeks to read the whole thing, each evening having a discussion about the images created purely with words.

Paul's opening paragraph was "To begin at the beginning:

It is spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black, the cobblestreets silent and the hunched, courters'-and-rabbits' wood limping invisible down to the sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboatbobbing sea.

The houses are blind as moles (though moles see fine to-night in the snouting, velvet dingles) or blind as Captain Cat there in the muffled middle by the pump and the town clock, the shops in mourning, the Welfare Hall in widows' weeds.

And all the people of the lulled and dumbfound town are sleeping now."

He was hooked. For four weeks they were to read this, and each evening, afterwards, in the pub, they would discuss it in great detail. Everyone loved the lyrical and graphical language that Thomas' used. Carol drew the part of Polly Garter.

And each Thursday, Carol would drive him home to Mrs. R and give him a kiss and check for lipstick.

Each Saturday, the pair would dance at St. Mary's, but never arrived together. Everybody assumed they were a couple, except for the couple themselves. They always kissed during the last dance, and if the lady from across the street was sitting Mike, Carol would drive him home to Mrs. R. They would sit and talk outside, and occasionally kiss, but that was as far as it went.

******************************

On the 19th of March, the Drama Club got a pleasant surprise from John. The local library loaned out records, and they had the two LPs that contained the original BBC radio broadcast of Under Milk Wood.

The broadcast had used a number of Welsh actors who were still up and coming at that time - 1954 - including Rachel Roberts, Richard Burton, and Huw Griffith. Paul was reading the Burton part. The whole drama club sat transfixed for the entirety of that evening's reading, following along in their scripts, and were talking about it in the pub. "We could put it on at St. Peter's in the Autumn and raise funds, as it doesn't need scenery."

Carol kind of deflated it by saying "But Paul won't be here in the Autumn." Paul looked at her and started thinking. He also realized something about Carol in the process. She clearly didn't like the prospect of him leaving after his assignment. Was that why the relationship had been stuck at the start line?

Paul decided the time had come to finalize a whole lot of research and planning he had been looking into. Easter was coming up; in the Church a time of renewal and rebirth, and Paul knew that he had to resolve a number of things happening in his life.

On Palm Sunday, March 22nd, Carol decided that she and Mike would come to Church with Paul. Paul was thrilled but confused. Exactly why was she coming? And where was it going. In many churches there is a tradition of parading round the outside of the Church on Palm Sunday waving Palm Leaf crosses, to acknowledge the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Mike was really taken with the Palm Cross, and the fact that he got to keep it, and he enthusiastically participated in the parade.

After Church, they went to a café for lunch and then the three of them went to the cinema to see "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines". Mike was in his element, sitting between Carol and Paul. For Paul the only downer was that Mike was sitting between him and Carol. Mike particularly liked Gert Fröbe who kept marching around sounding like a German Military Brass Band by humming down his nose. Every time Fröbe did it, Mike laughed out loud.

On the way home, Carol said to Paul, "Next Weekend - Easter - Mike is going on the Friday to his Uncle Tony's in Brighton, and Mum's going too. Tony wants her to have a weekend off from looking after you, so I've agreed to make all your meals Friday through Sunday. You can eat them at my place, or I can drive them over to Mum's."

Paul smiled. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather have them at your place."

She smiled. "Okay, suits me. We'll sort it out more later." However, she did invite Paul in to look at sorting out a big jumble of wires behind her TV and her stereo system. It turned out she had some long cable ties, and Paul used a couple of these, trimming off the ends for tidiness. He soon had things ship-shape. Then they had tea and Carol drove him home, with Mike coming along for the ride. Which meant, Paul didn't get a kiss.

That Thursday, at the Drama Club, John brought in a recording of the famous 1938 Orson Welles broadcast "War of the Worlds". It was another example, according to John, of how words can create pictures purely on their own. The next day would be Good Friday, a holiday in Britain, as well as the Monday - Easter Monday. The radio play took the Drama Club meeting much later than usual.