Thursday, April 8, 2010

The Theatre

Waking up at 6:45 left Laura Dell with a sense of purpose for the rising day. She decided to dress with the utmost professional purpose; showering, ironing and perfectly coordinating her Anne Taylor dress suit. She opted for more comfortable heels, but still made a conscious effort to flatter herself. She wondered if anyone would notice.

After a 20 minute contemplation of wearing her hair up or down, and a heated altercation with a curling iron, she zipped up her overcoat. Her new penguin figurine bobbled his friendly face at her as she stepped out the door.

The cold air embraced her as she hiked to work. She began to appreciate the seasonal weather as it hugged all around her like an old friend. Oblivious to the wind whipping at her face, all Laura Dell could think of was seeing Herbert at the museum. She had incessantly contemplated how best to extend the invitation to the theater. Weightlessness consumed her body as it had whenever her possessing nerves arose. His presence was undoubtedly enticing. Often she found herself simply captivated by his thoughts and concerns. His profession of Malynn and the hardships that faced their marriage comforted Laura Dell enormously. She felt guilt in this sensation, not knowing the source of such contentment.
***
As Laura Dell entered the faculty permitting section of the museum, she walked briskly to store her things for the day. She had decided to pack a lunch, avoiding leaving the museum at all costs until closing. Laura Dell knew that she must once again prove her legitimacy and work ethic to Mr. Feinman. The opportunity was too far precious to waste on account of ignorance and irresponsibility she reminded herself. A sheet of perfectly crisp ivory emboss paper hung taped on her locker door. The cutting penmanship was easily recognizable, as Feinman headed the paper in salient form.

Ms. Dell,
Please come speak with me upon your arrival to work, assuming you are here on time.
-Mr. Feinman

Laura Dell through her oversized bag into her locker and pivoted toward Feinman's office. Cool sweat ran down her neck and palms as she treaded toward his office. She tiptoed promptly yet quietly in an effort to evade upsetting Feinman further. His door was wide open as she approached it, a case of pure irony she thought to herself. She found him writing on his compulsively organized desk, unaware of her arrival. She knocked three times.
"Good Morning Mr. Feinman, you wanted to see me?"

"Sit down Ms. Dell." he snapped, without hesitation or acknowledgement of her presence. He wore the same clean cut blazer that he had every day since her arrival. It was perfectly pressed and simple, radiating a strong sense of regularity. It had been a wonder to Laura Dell how friendly his mother Trudy had been. She was a real Louisiana treat, Laura Dell thought Mr. Feinman lucky to have such a wonderful mother.

"Will your mother be staying for a while Mr. Feinman? I so enjoyed meeting her the other day."

Feinman shot a look of disgust at Laura Dell. She had assumed that he had taken her comment offensively. She unquestionably knew that Feinman was ashamed his secret that had been let loose. Feinman thought most definitely that Laura Dell had told the whole world about his "uncivilized" Baton Rouge heritage, and was ashamed. Laura Dell could not articulate a more appropriate way to approach the Trudy situation without offending him. She worried that in an attempt a planting an ice breaker, she had frustrated him further then his initial state.

"Have you resolved the issue with our unwelcome visitor Ms. Dell." Often it was as if Feinman didn't even hear Laura Dell speak. His egotistical and presumptuous had ensured him a long life alone Laura Dell thought to herself. Laura Dell thought of Old Man Vickers back in Siloam, who had treated the female civilians in such a way. Every Sunday, he sat in a pew to himself listening to Father Brian speak about Jesus and the lessons of God, and how to lead a holy and pious existence. She didn't take Feinman to be a man of faith, among other things.

"Yes sir, yesterday I cleaned up the mess promptly as you had asked of me."

"Good, because today we have a large number of potential patrons coming to visit the museum. It's my job to see that we are in perfect order. I'm going to need you to solely focus on maintaining the image of the museum this morning, checking and double checking every little detail, before, during, and after their tour. This is imperative do you understand?" He spoke in such a condescending way, as if she didn't know the meaning of imperative, or the importance of a patron visit.

"Yes sir, I understand fully. I will be absolutely sure to do just that."

"Well good, now go on and get to it."

"Yes sir."

She got up from her chair, turned and headed for the door, gradually rearranging her suit, pulling her skirt down to an adjusted and appropriate length. She could feel his stare burning holes in her back, as she walked upright. Pulling her hair to the side, she thought prepensely about each stride she made.

"Oh and Ms. Dell." She spun quickly, tossing her fresh curls airborne, as they fell loosely around her face. "You look rather sharp today. Real sharp indeed, glad to see your joining the real world."

"Thank you Mr. Feinman, good luck today." It was the first, and quite possibly the last time that she and Feinman might exchange nice words.
***
The patrons arrived at about 10:30, Laura Dell had already swept the floor for mishaps at least 20 times. The thought of Herbert and the theater began to fade as she attempted to emphasize and focus all her attention on the patrons. As she shadow Feinman, in the back of the pack of donors, she became more puzzled by his earlier comment. He had shown her no recognition since her time at the museum, and hadn't understood his unforeseen kindness. They made the turn to Sue, and a faint chirping came from above. Laura Dell coughed incessantly, drawing auditory attention away from the bird. She noticed Feinman's voice elevate, booming through the museum halls, drowning out the bird's jabber. As the rounded the corner for Sue, Herbert sat silently worshipping her, as he had every day since she knew him. He turned, flashed a bright smile and a wink at Laura Dell, and went back to his glorification of Sue. She floated toward him, eyes bright, transfixed on his bench. She payed no attention to Feinman, or any of the esteemed trustees and patrons for that matter, solely concerned with reach Herbert. Suddenly, she realized his inescapable influence, and dove head first into a pool of unguarded territories. Laura Dell no longer hid from her rapture, as she threw her arms around his neck, embracing him as she hadn't seem him in years. She could feel his jaw smile against her cheek as she closed her eyes, breathing in the calming air around him.

11 comments:

  1. Good job of showing the characters. I felt like I could see them better than in any chapter.

    I think her giving him that great big hug was perfect.

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  2. I really enjoyed this chapter, Dottie. You had me at the "heated altercation with a curling iron," haha. Really though, I thought it was all very insightful and the characterization was taken to another level.
    Allowing Laura Dell to escape the stressful moment with the museum donors by running to Herbert shows us just how swept up she is by him. The hug scene is a little surprising, but in a good way. It definetly hints at more than friendship between both of them.
    Thanks!

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  3. Dottie, thank you so much for another wonderful chapter!

    The interactions between LD and Mr. F were great. I also liked the little surprise end to the chapter and can't wait to see what type of beginning it gives the next chapter.

    Thank you!

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  4. I feel we've used the "Zoom in" feature, perhaps? It felt very close, to me. Still, Dottie's got talent, so I enjoyed it.

    Ah, Feinman. The phrase "What an ass" comes to mind. Of course, is that describing him, or what he's thinking?

    Ooo... I sense the potential for a power struggle between Feinman and Herb for LD's love! hahahahaha. Herb's gonna suddenly grow long, blonde hair and reveal his middle name is "Fabio."

    Anyway, jokes aside, we've got a few things for the next writer, such as how will Feinman handle LD showing affection to a visitor in front of the potential patrons. Also, we're set up for an affectionate invitation to the theater.

    And, of course, we're still stuck with the bird. Dottie, you handled that nicely! I liked the coughing. Haha. Hmm, but I do wonder if Feinman won't end up killing the thing.

    Something that should have been mentioned in an earlier post: Why is Feinman making LD clean up the messes instead of the janitors? Yes, she let in the bird, and he's said it's her responsibility, but I mean, is he doing it because he's sexist or cares about justice or what? Something to think about.

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  5. First off I would like to note how great you do with descriptions as Sara Cathering noted "the ""heated"" altercation" with the curling iron. Touche that was awesome.

    I like the way you ended this chapter with the hug it sets up some great possibilities for the next writer.

    I would also like to second Chris's question of why is LD cleaning up the bird deuce all the time and not the janitors. Possibly just some intern hazing?

    Good work

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  6. I really enjoyed this chapter! I specifically liked the 20 minute decision to wear her hair up or down, and I liked-hated the remark Feinman made. I like if he turns out to be more understanding - but if he turns out to be THAT kind of boss, it's just one more reason I'll love to hate him.

    I also liked that LD gave Dr. W a hug. Everyone needs a hug sometimes, and I don't think Dr. W gets enough hugs.

    Where did Eddie go? It just hit me that he's been noticeably absent since the first night at the Dead Yellowhammer... this saddens me. Something for the next writer to address, perhaps?

    As for Herbert growing long blond hair and being named Herbert Fabio Walters, and in the immortal words of the LOLcat: Plz 2 not.

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  7. Dottie-

    Excellent chapter! I really like the way you showed how deeply LD feels for Dr.W by having her choose him over work. You did a great job setting up how important this day was to the museum and then having her abandon that for Dr.W.

    Feinman has become a really important pressure and I hope that future chapters can keep that up. Also I hope LD can deal with the bird in the museum soon, I bet she's tired of cleaning up poop.

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  8. Dottie!

    This was so great to read! Your prose is insanely tight and detailed making your illusion of the fictive dream to be insanely captivating. I think you were able to generate a great sense of tension with LD's emotional attachment to Herbert. This will help a lot as we move forward to heighten our inner conflict that resolves around their relationship.

    Thanks so much for the beautiful chapter!

    Cheers,
    - Megan F.

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  9. I thought it was really good that you went ahead and let LD show just how much she has become attached to herbert. we hadn't seen much physical contact between them and it was almost like a barrier was breaking between them. nice job with feinman too! when LD was walking away and she could feel him staring at her and then he complimented her it made me wonder if he was going to start paying more attention to LD, but not just in a professional sense.

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  10. I relly enjoyed this chapter.LD is def showing us her feminine side.I enjoyed the section where she was obsessing over obsessing about Herbert!

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  11. You have a real talent for description. I like that Feinman finally gave her a compliment but mistook her special occassion atire for everyday work clothes. The hug at the end also does a good job of portraying the strength of the relationship between our characters. Good job.

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