"Yes, And...": The Continuing Story of a Girl and Her Quest for Drama
This is part two of a continuing story. If you'd like to start at the beginning, you can find part one here. The story continues with me once again at the Reading Writing Center after that wonderful date.
~
"Peter!" I said excitedly, standing behind him while he sat at the front desk. "I still can't believe that you're in the Jesters! And Melly! And just wow!"
Peter laughed his jovial chuckle. "You know, there's another performance coming up next week."
"Oh, I know," I assured him. I'd been very careful to mark down the date in my calendar so I wouldn't forget. "Are you and Melly going to be performing again?"
"Melly is, but I'm not," Peter said.
"Oh, that's sad," I said. "But you'll still be there, right?"
"Of course I'm going to be there, my fiancee's performing!" Peter sounded scandalized. He often sounded scandalized when any of us had to ask whether he was going to be in the same room as Melly. In all fairness, if Melly was doing something, it was a safe assumption that Peter would also be there, supporting her, so I don't know why we always asked him that question. Habit?
It was at that moment that the door to the Center opened, and in walked two vaguely familiar people. "Hey, Peter," the first one said. "What are you up to?"
"Working, what's it look like?" Peter replied. The second person looked at me, obviously recognizing me from somewhere.
"Hey, weren't you that girl in the last improv show?" he asked. I'm pretty sure I blushed.
The first person got really excited. "The one who started speaking in Spanish in the middle of the game?"
If I was blushing, it was even brighter now. "That's me."
"Ohmygoshyouweresogreat I went on my mission to Argentina and it just made me really happy," the first person said, doing a small bounce as he spoke, obviously overwhelmed with excitement to be in my presence. I recognized that excitement from before. He was the person who came up to me after the show and said basically the same things.
"What's your name?" the second person said, sparing me from attempting to respond.
"Carina."
"Nice to meet you Carina, I'm Brock."
"And I'm Cameron," the first person interjected.
"Nice to meet you," I said, smiling. While feeling slightly shy over my sudden new fame, it was nice to make new friends. "And it was a total accident, Cameron, but I'm glad it worked it."
"It was amazing and I'm so glad it happened," Cameron replied.
"Thanks," I said, happy that I was still eliciting a good response from people.
"Well, I've got to get to class, so I'll see you later, Peter, Carina!" Brock said, leaving with Cameron following behind.
"That was nice," I said to Peter.
"Yeah, most people who are in Jesters are pretty nice," Peter said.
A week or so passed, and soon it was time for me to have the time of my life at the next Seaside Jester's Comedy Troupe Show. I was so stoked. This was gonna be great. I was unbelievably ready for this. I got there a few minutes early and was able to see some of my friends who were also in the audience and say hi. I located a seat in the front row and parked myself there, determined not to miss anything that would happen.While I was sitting there, waiting for the show to start, one of the performers came up to me. He was tall, with thinning blonde hair and a deep voice.
"Hey," he said, "Weren't you the girl from the last show?"
I smiled and replied, "Yes, I was the one you kidnapped and dragged around the stage."
He laughed at that. "Thanks so much for being a good sport about it. I hope you didn't get hurt."
"Not too much," I said, lifting my elbows where you could barely see the healing scars from the carpet burn I'd sustained in the process of getting dragged around the stage. "It's mostly healed by now."
"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry," the man said. "I hope you don't hate us forever."
I laughed. "I can't really hate you, you all make me laugh too much."
He smiled and laughed along with that. "Then I guess we'll have to make this show extra funny. What's your name?"
"Carina. And yours?"
"I'm Dax."
The show was an astounding success. I don't know how they did it, but I walked out of that show so much more excited about improv than I have ever been in my entire life. Perhaps it was that I recognized some more of the players, whether from the previous show or having met them before or the fact that the emcee kept reminding all of the single ladies in the audience that these men were very single and very available. (And the performers were mostly men- a setback that has since been rectified as we've expanded our performer demographics.)
Nothing is quite as attractive as a man who can make me laugh.
The show came to an end, much to my dismay, and I went out into the lobby adjoining the performance room and got to meet (and congratulate) most of the performers on a fantastic job. While I was making my way down the line, the last person standing in the line was Dax.
"Carina!" he said, smiling at me before smothering my small body in an enormous bear hug."How did you like the show?"
"It was great!" I said as soon as I had both my feet back on the ground. "And... what's with this workshop stuff you guys were mentioning in the show?"
"Oh! So every Tuesday we meet to practice and play improv games and stuff for an hour or so. You should come. You don't have to play any games if you don't want to, but it would be great if you could still come and give us feedback and stuff."
I made a small face. "I'm busy this next Tuesday... we'll see." I wasn't entirely sold on the idea of workshops. Going to these shows had reminded me that I really love acting and drama, but fitting it in every Tuesday night... having to deal with all these high-energy people... I wasn't sure I was ready for that yet. And I did actually have a scheduling conflict that Tuesday, so I wasn't lying.
"Well, I hope to see you soon, Carina," Dax said, and I moved on to go home and he moved on to give hugs to the next person in line.
~
This is the end of part 2 of this story. Tune in soon for life-changing decisions, regrets, and high drama right here in part 3, and the final conclusion in part 4.
~
"Peter!" I said excitedly, standing behind him while he sat at the front desk. "I still can't believe that you're in the Jesters! And Melly! And just wow!"
Peter laughed his jovial chuckle. "You know, there's another performance coming up next week."
"Oh, I know," I assured him. I'd been very careful to mark down the date in my calendar so I wouldn't forget. "Are you and Melly going to be performing again?"
"Melly is, but I'm not," Peter said.
"Oh, that's sad," I said. "But you'll still be there, right?"
"Of course I'm going to be there, my fiancee's performing!" Peter sounded scandalized. He often sounded scandalized when any of us had to ask whether he was going to be in the same room as Melly. In all fairness, if Melly was doing something, it was a safe assumption that Peter would also be there, supporting her, so I don't know why we always asked him that question. Habit?
It was at that moment that the door to the Center opened, and in walked two vaguely familiar people. "Hey, Peter," the first one said. "What are you up to?"
"Working, what's it look like?" Peter replied. The second person looked at me, obviously recognizing me from somewhere.
"Hey, weren't you that girl in the last improv show?" he asked. I'm pretty sure I blushed.
The first person got really excited. "The one who started speaking in Spanish in the middle of the game?"
If I was blushing, it was even brighter now. "That's me."
"Ohmygoshyouweresogreat I went on my mission to Argentina and it just made me really happy," the first person said, doing a small bounce as he spoke, obviously overwhelmed with excitement to be in my presence. I recognized that excitement from before. He was the person who came up to me after the show and said basically the same things.
"What's your name?" the second person said, sparing me from attempting to respond.
"Carina."
"Nice to meet you Carina, I'm Brock."
"And I'm Cameron," the first person interjected.
"Nice to meet you," I said, smiling. While feeling slightly shy over my sudden new fame, it was nice to make new friends. "And it was a total accident, Cameron, but I'm glad it worked it."
"It was amazing and I'm so glad it happened," Cameron replied.
"Thanks," I said, happy that I was still eliciting a good response from people.
"Well, I've got to get to class, so I'll see you later, Peter, Carina!" Brock said, leaving with Cameron following behind.
"That was nice," I said to Peter.
"Yeah, most people who are in Jesters are pretty nice," Peter said.
A week or so passed, and soon it was time for me to have the time of my life at the next Seaside Jester's Comedy Troupe Show. I was so stoked. This was gonna be great. I was unbelievably ready for this. I got there a few minutes early and was able to see some of my friends who were also in the audience and say hi. I located a seat in the front row and parked myself there, determined not to miss anything that would happen.While I was sitting there, waiting for the show to start, one of the performers came up to me. He was tall, with thinning blonde hair and a deep voice.
"Hey," he said, "Weren't you the girl from the last show?"
I smiled and replied, "Yes, I was the one you kidnapped and dragged around the stage."
He laughed at that. "Thanks so much for being a good sport about it. I hope you didn't get hurt."
"Not too much," I said, lifting my elbows where you could barely see the healing scars from the carpet burn I'd sustained in the process of getting dragged around the stage. "It's mostly healed by now."
"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry," the man said. "I hope you don't hate us forever."
I laughed. "I can't really hate you, you all make me laugh too much."
He smiled and laughed along with that. "Then I guess we'll have to make this show extra funny. What's your name?"
"Carina. And yours?"
"I'm Dax."
The show was an astounding success. I don't know how they did it, but I walked out of that show so much more excited about improv than I have ever been in my entire life. Perhaps it was that I recognized some more of the players, whether from the previous show or having met them before or the fact that the emcee kept reminding all of the single ladies in the audience that these men were very single and very available. (And the performers were mostly men- a setback that has since been rectified as we've expanded our performer demographics.)
Nothing is quite as attractive as a man who can make me laugh.
The show came to an end, much to my dismay, and I went out into the lobby adjoining the performance room and got to meet (and congratulate) most of the performers on a fantastic job. While I was making my way down the line, the last person standing in the line was Dax.
"Carina!" he said, smiling at me before smothering my small body in an enormous bear hug."How did you like the show?"
"It was great!" I said as soon as I had both my feet back on the ground. "And... what's with this workshop stuff you guys were mentioning in the show?"
"Oh! So every Tuesday we meet to practice and play improv games and stuff for an hour or so. You should come. You don't have to play any games if you don't want to, but it would be great if you could still come and give us feedback and stuff."
I made a small face. "I'm busy this next Tuesday... we'll see." I wasn't entirely sold on the idea of workshops. Going to these shows had reminded me that I really love acting and drama, but fitting it in every Tuesday night... having to deal with all these high-energy people... I wasn't sure I was ready for that yet. And I did actually have a scheduling conflict that Tuesday, so I wasn't lying.
"Well, I hope to see you soon, Carina," Dax said, and I moved on to go home and he moved on to give hugs to the next person in line.
~
This is the end of part 2 of this story. Tune in soon for life-changing decisions, regrets, and high drama right here in part 3, and the final conclusion in part 4.
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