Page 68 of Inside Out
“I did?” he asked. “How embarrassing.”
“Not at all,” I assured him. “This has been a very long week, and you’ve all worked so hard. I don’t think one tiny mistake is embarrassing at all. You want to know a secret about me that might help you feel better?” Mark nodded eagerly. “I couldn’t say cinnamon properly until I was seventeen. To this day, if I try to say it too fast, it comes out as cimmanon instead.”
Mark laughed but looked skeptical like maybe I was just saying that to make him feel better.
“I used to say chimaney instead of chimney,” Julius said. “I still catch myself saying it sometimes.”
“Really?”
“We all do it, Mark,” I said. “Try not to let it ruin a stellar week. You are doing awesome. All of you are.” I didn’t think we would get much more productivity out of the kids after the long week. Many of the students also had competed in sporting events, and I wanted to do something fun. I just needed feedback from the director of music first. I leaned closer to him. “Do you mind if we knock off a little early and have a little fun?”
“What did you have in mind?” Jules asked, his voice low and husky. I pinned Jules with a look that promised retribution once we were alone. Flirting in front of the kids was off-limits, and he knew it. “You’re the one who brought it up.”
“I meant something we could do fun for the kids. I thought they might like to hear the music for the play.” Only the play creators had heard the full score up to that point. The kids with singing parts heard snippets of the music during auditions.
“Rome, that’s an amazing idea. The equipment backstage is much more advanced than what we have at the school.”
“Leave that to me,” I assured him. “I’ve had plenty of experience in that department.”
“Can I get everyone on the stage?” I asked loud enough for the kids offstage to hear.
“Hey, do you think we should be having some adult supervision backstage to make sure no shenanigans are going on? There are some dark corners back there.”
“What dark corners?” I asked. “Maybe you should show me.” It was Jules’s turn to give methelook. “Yeah, we’ll need to get some volunteers when we come back in a few weeks.” I faced the eager kids waiting for me to say something. “Is anyone interested in hearing the score that Jul…um…Mr. Shepherd wrote for the play?”
“Yeah!” our thespians yelled excitedly.
“Even you, Mark? You were so convincing about your distaste for symphonies.”
“Dr. Bradley.” Mark groaned and covered his face, but we could still hear his laughter.
I borrowed Jules’s phone and took it backstage. There was a slot for a USB port in the sound system and several different connector cords to choose from. I found the right cord, plugged the phone in, and found the score on it. I started the music then rushed back to the stage because I wanted to see their expressions when they heard it for the first time.
Their eyes widened when the first few notes began to play. Some of the kids closed their eyes and swayed with the music while others looked as if they were in a trance. I saw the kids with the singing parts refer to their scripts. Their mouths moved as they timed the lyrics with the music. Then I looked at Julius, the man who captured my heart so completely. He was observing the kids too with a huge smile on his face and joy in his eyes. Then he turned his gaze to me, and the joy morphed into something greater. I sucked in a sharp breath because I recognized and returned the emotion shining back at me.
Toward the end of the score, parents had begun filing in to watch the last minutes of rehearsal. When the last song ended, I released the kids to the parents inside the theater. Some of the older kids drove themselves, and I walked the rest out to the parking lot where their folks were waiting in their cars. Once I was sure everyone had left, I walked back inside the theater to retrieve my guy. I couldn’t wait to get Julius home and tell him something very important. I jerked to a stop when I saw him standing in the middle of the stage. The score had started over again, and Julius must’ve played around with some of the lighting equipment because the stage was bathed in darkness except for hundreds of tiny pinprick lights that looked like stars. I realized I couldn’t wait another second to tell Julius how I felt about him.
I took a step toward Julius followed by another and another until I stood in front of him. It was a miracle I hadn’t tripped over my own two feet, but I was too caught up in the moment to be nervous. Julius’s face lit up with love for me. I didn’t need to hear the words to know how he felt, but I needed to say them to Julius. I placed my hand over my heart and spoke from my soul.
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.