Exit Stage Left

By Chris James

Chapter Eighteen- The Epilogue

Annie Oakley walked across the stage, pausing to raise her rifle, but she had no shot. Suddenly she looked over her shoulder and a great noise was heard, the sound of a crowd. One more look around and she ran off stage just as a crowd of people emerged, and the opening song began.

Colonel Buffalo Bill was a rousing song that allowed most of the leads and the entire chorus to make a grand entrance. The stage was soon filled with townsfolk, cowboys and Indians, everyone cheering as William Cody, the famous Buffalo Bill made his entrance.

As the song ended, the dialogue between Mr. Wilson, the local hotel proprietor, and Charlie Davenport began. Jimmy was a fast talker in this role and he held the stage until Frank Butler came on and stole the focus.

Butler sang his Bad, Bad Man song and then he exited off stage as a gunshot startles the audience and Dolly runs onstage clutching her hat. She is followed by Annie who has just shot the bird off of her hat and they argue until Mr. Wilson returns.

The show had three little kids, two of them Betsy's siblings, and Little Jake who was Lynch's grandson. The kids joined Annie in singing Doin What Comes Naturally, their big moment in the show. The scene progressed with Butler singing his ballad The Girl That I Marry. This is nothing but a tease for Annie who has fallen for him at first sight.

Annie sings her funniest song, Can't Get a Man With a Gun, while backstage Perry is readying the rifles for the shooting match, the most choreographed scene in the show. Brandon had possession of two rifles stage left, Frank Butler's and a spare. Beside Dennis, Perry stood ready with two others, Annie's and a spare.

At the end of Annie's song Dennis called for the blackout and the hotel flew out. In its place came the circus tent and the platforms for the shooting match. Dennis made a hand signal to the chorus standing in line and they filed on stage and took their places, Brandon did the same with his group.

"Cue thirty-four... go," Dennis said and the stage lights came up.

Jimmy was standing on the platform with a rifle in hand. "Ladies and Gentlemen, step right up... " He began and the scene unfolded.

When there were guns involved, Dennis, Brandon and Perry kept a close eye on the rifles. Each one held seven shots, and that was seven potential problems since the blanks discharged a small paper wad which could put an eye out.

But the match had been carefully staged and one of the reasons the shooters were on a raised platform was so that the shots would go high even if the gun was held level. Davenport ran the shooting contest as he had made a side bet with Mr. Wilson that Butler would win against the local champion. At this point no one except Wilson and the audience knew that the shooter would be Annie.

When she stepped up Butler refused to shoot against a woman, but Buffalo Bill encouraged him to face Annie and prove he was the best shot. In the staging they had discovered that the dialogue didn't allow someone as inexperienced with the rifle as Betsy to both cock the rifle and shoot the target in the allotted time.

This was solved by having Jimmy cock the rifle before Annie took it from him. Time and again Dennis had told Betsy that she had to keep her finger away from the trigger. There was no safety on the rifle and she had to take it from Jimmy and fire in one quick motion because of the dialogue.

The line that started the match was easy enough. "Ya mean all I have to do is say Pull?'' And of course the clay target was supposed to fly up in the air at her command. She grabbed the rifle from Jimmy, took a quick aim and pulled the trigger. Wham.

"Hit," Jimmy called out, and Dennis sighed, the moment of concern was past. And then Betsy handed the rifle back to Jimmy for some unknown reason. As Dennis watched Jimmy cocked the rifle again, what the hell? Frank Butler took his shot and again Jimmy yelled "Hit."

Betsy seemed to realize she had handed off her rifle and she took it back. Dennis held his breath; the rifle was armed and ready. But like a good girl Betsy waited for the dialogue to come back around to her moment and it did. Betsy cocked the rifle and took her shot. "Hit."

"Uh oh," Dennis heard over the intercom from Brandon. "This isn't going to work out."

"Be prepared, they'll need the spare rifle," Dennis said. "I don't know who will come for it."

Annie's rifle had one shot missing. When she had cocked the rifle after taking it from Jimmy it had ejected a perfectly good blank, she would be one short. Dennis wondered if Jimmy had been paying attention, but something like this had never happened in rehearsal. The contest and dialogue went on.

And then they reached Annie's last shot. She cocked the rifle, ejecting the spent blank, but there was no good one to replace it. "Pull," She yelled and pulled the trigger which dropped the hammer on an empty chamber with a dull click. There was a quick moment of silence on stage.

"That's a misfire," Buffalo Bill adlibbed.

And then for some damn reason Jimmy told Frank Butler to take his shot. This was to be the shot that missed, the one that would make Annie win the contest. What the hell was Jimmy thinking? Butler yelled "Pull" and then took his shot.

"Hit," Jimmy yelled, and Dennis almost fell off his stool. By that statement Frank Butler had won the shooting match and they all might as well go home right now. Jimmy seemed to realize his mistake and looked around. Dennis could see Brandon standing in the wings jumping up and down with a spare rifle in his hand.

Interestingly enough it was Betsy who saved the moment with her best adlib to date. "I don't know how it's done where ya'll come from but I think I deserve another shot," She said in a loud voice.

"Why so she does," Buffalo Bill declared and he leapt down off the platform and walked over to the wings where he took the spare rifle from Brandon's hands. Anne got her final shot. "Hit," Jimmy yelled. And Annie handed the rifle to Frank who shot again. "Miss," Jimmy yelled and the show was saved.

There's No Business Like Show Business was the very next number, it was ironic coming at this point. Dennis figured Lynch had just about had a heart attack during that last scene. The crew was quietly dancing backstage with the song just like they always did. It was the anthem for everything they did, and Dennis felt their joy.

The act plowed on until the big finish when Annie gets adopted by Chief Sitting Bull. Now the entire chorus was wearing their Indian costumes, men and women. It was a riotous scene with forty-eight cast members on stage drumming, dancing and dragging Annie around, but it was a great way to end the act.

"Cue fifty-two... go," Dennis said as he pulled the drape down while the blackout hit.

"House lights up, warmers on," Dennis said.

"Anyone got a Valium?" Timmy said. It was intermission.

Jimmy stood in the costume shop behind the door with tears on his face. The only thing Dennis could do was hug the boy. Sometimes it wasn't about the errors that were made; it was about the way an actor recovered from the worst of mistakes. Dennis looked up and saw Lynch standing in the hallway. He smiled and gave Dennis a nod. The show would go on.

After the incident in the first act, Act Two rolled smoothly much to everyone's relief. Dennis had talked Jimmy out of his grief, but the embarrassment would always be there. The cast was supportive, no one said a word.

Curtain call, lots of applause and the curtain came down. "Thank you all," Dennis said and he took off his headset.

Dennis sat in silence listening to the craziness in the back hallway filtering out onto the stage. The cast would go party, and then Dennis realized he was hungry.

"You managed that very well," A voice said, and Dennis looked up to see Vince smiling at him.

"Disaster management, my specialty," Dennis said.

John and Vince gave him a hug just as Ted and his father appeared backstage. Vince shook hands with both Ted and his father, and then they all turned to Dennis.

"Wish I was old enough to drink," Dennis said.

"It didn't go over too badly," Ted said. "They recovered well."

"Opening nights are always memorable," John said. "This is one the cast won't forget."

"I thought it went fine," Mr. Cavanaugh said.

"So did I," Dennis said.

"Did you eat?" Ted asked.

Dennis slowly shook his head. "Sorry, I forgot."

"I'm surprised you haven't passed out... come on, can you leave?" Ted asked.

"We have to lock up the props and Marsha will be here for another hour or so. I'll ask Brandon to stay," Dennis said.

Those cast members still in costume stared as Dennis led his entourage down the back hallway. Brandon was in the costume shop and Dennis asked him to lock up. One look at Vince and Brandon nodded, so Dennis introduced the boy. Then they went out to eat.

The rest of the weekend the show ran like it was supposed to, the worst was past them now. In the three day hiatus between shows Brad began cleaning up the shop and Dennis helped out. Brad kept looking up at the show count on the wall with a smile, he would get to write in their one hundredth production and sign his name.

Dennis wasn't as concerned about leaving his legacy; Cabot had a way of remembering the students who worked the hardest. There would be no trophy for Annie in the lobby; Lynch had already added his memorial.

"Dennis, would you come down to the office and see me," Lynch had asked in a phone call to the shop office. "Bring a hammer."

The man was behind his desk, and the first thing Dennis noticed was the Rubik's Cube, Lynch had solved it.

"It only took me three years... do you remember when you first saw it?" Lynch asked.

"I do, it was when I applied for admission."

"Yes it was," Lynch said. "I remember that day very well. You were not the least bit hesitant about joining us. Most of the students who sit in that chair are filled with uncertainty, but I saw none of that in you. I've enjoyed watching you develop your skills; you've always been one of the better students.

"I'm sure you know that your work deserves the highest grade I can give you, and so I shall do just that. You'll graduate with a four point two; no one could ask more of you, you've done it all. I expect that in the coming years we'll be hearing a lot about you and your successes in the professional world, just remember where it all began.

"Come Sunday night your commitment to Cabot will end, will you be coming to graduation?"

"Yes, sir... my parents need to see that piece of paper," Dennis said.

"You had better be prepared to say something, you managed to squeak past Marsha Wheeler and that will make you the class valedictorian. I know you won't be afraid to speak your mind in front of an audience, I generally tell a student to keep it down to about three minutes."

Dennis sighed. "I was hoping Marsha would have the honor."

"I gave her the news not fifteen minutes ago, she's happy for you. In fact she said you deserve it more, that's a friend."

"Then since you are my friend I would ask you to do something for me, Dr. Lynch... if you can."

Dennis revealed what he wanted to happen and Lynch agreed it was unusual, and he thought it would work, but only if they kept it to themselves until the proper moment.

Lynch then picked up a small box off his desk. "Before you go I would ask you to help me with something, did you bring the hammer?"

Dennis held up a hammer and smiled. "You have another show you want built?"

Lynch laughed. "No, this is a tribute to the one you own now."

They walked out into the hall and down to the lobby. Lynch looked at the wall and placed his finger on a spot. "About here I think," He said, handing Dennis a picture hook.

Dennis pounded the nail into the wall as Lynch opened the box. Inside was a plaque which he placed over the hook and stood back to admire. On it was an autographed photo of Ethel Merman as Annie Oakley. At the top was a plate that said Annie Get Your Gun and the dates of the show. Beneath it on a small brass plate was her name and the words, "She would have been so proud."

"She gave me that photo in 1966. It was the only signed photo I ever asked for in my life, now I'm glad I did. All of you have given me something to remember for a long, long time... and especially you, Dennis."

Lynch gestured at the gallery of famous faces on the wall. "We have lots of room; I expect to see your face up here someday... I know I will."

Lynch shook his hand and Dennis walked back down to the shop to return the hammer. Brad gave him a curious look.

"What did Lynch want?"

"He made my day," Dennis said.

Annie Get Your Gun ran its final five performances without a hitch, and before he knew it Dennis was pulling the curtain down for the final time. The sound of the audience's applause slowly died away and the murmur of voices flooded backstage as the house cleared.

Dennis looked out across the stage which was once again under dim work lights. That was it; his years at Cabot were over. It was a melancholy feeling, sitting there in the darkness, being one of the invisible people once again. But he sat still... waiting, and slowly the seniors from the show assembled stage left. Dennis got up from his stool and walked across the stage.

Brad and Marsha held several bottles of champagne, the real thing too, not the normal grape juice. "Lynch gave these to us," She explained.

Brad popped the first cork and filled a plastic glass, handing it to Dennis. When all the glasses were full, fourteen of them, Dennis held his aloft.

"To this theatre I offer a toast. Thank you for being kind. And now we are but spirits who will fly away and never haunt you. Keep safe those who will follow." And Dennis drained his glass along with the others.

"Damn, this is the good shit," Brad said, and they all laughed. Dennis bowed and Brad poured just a little on his head. "Don't want to waste it," He said.

Dennis looked up and saw Ted standing against the wall, watching the senior ceremony. He waved and Dennis beckoned him over. Brad poured a little more in every glass and Dennis offered Ted a sip, and then he gave the boy a robust kiss.

"Boys and girls, this is the love of my life," Dennis said.

There were smiles all around; it wasn't much of a secret. Perry the prop master walked up and held up a small tray. "Cigars... cigarettes... souvenirs?" He said.

Dennis looked on the tray and saw several dozen empty .38 rifle shells with a string run through them. Everybody took one and hung it around their neck. Brandon arrived with a virgin show poster and they each signed it. It would hang in the lobby next semester.

"Oh My God... the sign," Brad said and he ran towards the shop. Some of the students laughed and followed along, Ted gave Dennis his hand and they trailed along behind. Brad was already up on a ladder painting in the one and two zeros. Then he signed his name and everyone applauded.

"Hey, you guys gonna help with the strike?"

Dennis had sent out invitations to his graduation, with Ted's help of course. And now he was leaning on the boy to help him write a little speech. Ted was thrilled at first, and so proud that Dennis was to be class valedictorian. But then he began to worry about what a position like that meant. Dennis wasn't just speaking for himself, what he said would have to reflect the entire class.

An envelope had arrived two days before the graduation ceremony, they both received one. It wasn't a total surprise as the return address said it was from Curry Productions. The only difference in the contracts for their summer work was that Dennis could sign his, but Mr. Cavanaugh would have to sign for Ted.

"I have to pay taxes on my income," Ted groaned.

"You're a student, you'll get it all back," Dennis said.

Ted smiled. "Oh yeah, I forgot that."

There was a rider on the contract about Jim providing them with housing beginning on June first, but there was no end date.

"You think he expects us to stay?" Ted asked.

"We might want to but you have school and I'm not leaving you for a whole year."

"Hey, he's charging us rent on the condo," Ted said. "One dollar a month, why is that?"

"I imagine that makes it legal, and we'll be responsible for any damages. That is if we get to use the place, we'd better take sleeping bags."

"I got that covered. So what do you think of the speech?" Ted asked.

"Only you could come up with something like this, I love it... and its author," Dennis said.

Graduation was on Tuesday at three in the afternoon. It would be the last time Dennis and any of the seniors would stand on the Cabot stage. It didn't take much thought for Dennis to choose his outfit; he was in black from head to toe.

Despite the tradition at most schools, the students at Cabot would not wear caps and gowns. It meant they would show their individuality at the school for the last time and Dennis just hoped it didn't turn into a freak show in front of his parents.

His mother was all excited and bought a new dress, his father just pulled a somber suit out of the closet. His little brother got the idea that this was some big occasion when he was told to wear the blue suit that was kept for special occasions. His young sisters looked as adorable as they always did when they went out to dinner.

And that had been Mr. Cavanaugh's graduation present, he had invited Dennis and family, along with any guests he might want, to dine at the country club. It had been Ted's suggestion, everyone together one last time before they left town.

And so Dennis found himself standing amidst his peers in the greenroom of the theatre. He felt just one more time for the speech that was typed out on seven three by five cards in his inside coat pocket. He might not need them; he had it memorized by now.

Marsha had appeared in a black gown that was fit for a queen, the first time Dennis had ever seen her wear a dress. Brad was there in a tuxedo, as were many of the other guys. Black was the color of the day, at least for the techies in the room. Dr. Weeks had been their class advisor this past year, and he was there now to congratulate them on this accomplishment.

"So Top Dog, what have you decided to say?" Brad asked.

"I'm not top dog anymore, I turned in my key," Dennis said.

"We all did that, I mean you're the hell-of-a-victorian-in-chief now, what words of wisdom are you going to impart?"

"Eat your peas and carrots... you'll find out, so pay attention."

The graduates were moved out into the hallway, and then down the ramp and into the front two rows of the theatre. The rest of the theatre was filled, but before he sat down Dennis looked over where he knew Ted and his parents would be seated. Ted waved; he was sitting next to his father. Dennis saw his family and then there were four empty seats... what was that all about?

Dennis turned back to the stage and saw Dr. Lynch and several of the faculty filing in to their seats behind the podium. Brady was there, so was Ms. Lillian, all of them dressed in their gowns with the college colors. And then Dennis heard the audience begin to talk behind him, a solid murmur that grew, and he had to look.

Walking down the side aisle were John Moore and Vince, followed by Betty who was escorted by Jim Curry. Ted stood up and they nodded to him and sat down in the vacant seats. Dennis was stunned for only a moment and knew Ted had urged their attendance.

The appearance of such celebrities caused the audience to react, but he could only smile. Brad was at the far end of the row and Dennis heard him whisper.

"Dennis... I think you just got upstaged."

He wanted to laugh, Brad was right. And then Lynch stepped up to the podium.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, alumni and students, families and friends... welcome. I will not take much of your time as this day belongs to the Class of 2009, our graduates. To those of you who allowed us to guide your children for the past four years I send my thanks. You gave us some of the best students this school has ever seen.

"Cabot will be a better place because of them; they have trained their replacements well. To the students of this class I say a job well done; you leave us well prepared for the future and ready to face the new challenges in the coming years.

"Cabot is not just a school that teaches our students about the performance arts, we are a school that teaches excellence in academic skills as well. Of the sixty-three students who will graduate in this class, thirty-nine were on the honor roll this year... an astounding accomplishment, the best in this county."

Here he paused as the audience responded with applause, and Lynch stood there nodding his agreement.

"In every class there are a few students that reach the pinnacle of learning, and exceed the requirements for graduation. I have two such students sitting here today. There is only a breath of difference between their academic performances and so I am loath to choose between them. We have never done this before, but Cabot is all about covering new ground.

"And so I give you Miss Marsha Wheeler and Mr. Dennis King, who will share the honor of class valedictorian this year."

The audience applauded at Lynch's announcement and Dennis stood up. He held out his hand to Marsha who looked stunned, she was completely unprepared for this honor. She walked towards Dennis and took his hand before they approached the stairs up to the stage.

"I can't speak," Marsha said.

"Well, adlib then," Dennis said.

They approached the podium through the sound of the applause and stood side by side. Marsha leaned over and kissed Dennis' cheek which set the graduates off in the first two rows. There were cheers and whistles until Dennis held up a hand for quiet, and still it took half a minute for the audience to comply.

Dennis looked out on the sea of faces and smiled. He knew he couldn't follow Ted's prepared speech, not with Marsha here beside him. He had asked Lynch for only one graduation present, and that was to give Marsha this honor, she deserved it.

"Dr. Lynch, honored guests and faculty, families, friends and fellow students. The Class of 2009 welcomes you. I am here to tell you about how special this moment is, and not just because I haven't had a good night's sleep in three years." There was loud laughter after that comment, all from Cabot students.

"I came here my sophomore year, and to any of you tenth graders out there I don't have to tell you how hard it is to walk into a strange school. Except I was entering Cabot and we have a different value system here, a better system. In my first theatre class I met this young lady who stands beside me and she told me what to expect." Dennis turned to Marsha and smiled. "Would you like to tell these folks what you said?"

She leaned towards the microphone. "I told Dennis to expect little sleep, and that he would work long hours and become addicted to caffeine. But I said that if he could survive the first semester that he would become one of the special people and rise to the top in his chosen field of study. Did I call that one or what?"

The students went wild and Dennis blushed while the parents laughed at his discomfort.

Dennis held up a hand once again. "I didn't share those long hours alone. If there is one adage in theatre I learned it's that the biggest demand in production starts in the costume shop. And somewhere in all the time she spent sewing costumes Marsha found the time to act in Mousetrap and stay on the honor roll." There was substantial applause after that.

"But enough about us, we're best friends," Dennis said. "What I wanted to tell you today is what I learned here at Cabot, what we've all learned, and that can be summed up in two words. Trust and accomplishment.

"We learned to trust one another in times of trial and pressure. There is no I in trust, but there is us. And with their trust, Dr. Lynch and the faculty showed us how to accomplish the impossible. Believe me it takes a lot of trust to allow students to run a multi-million dollar theatre facility, but we have never been ordinary students in any sense of the word.

"Our accomplishments have been shared property, for those in this class and for those in the classes to follow. Our legacy will be their accomplishment just as those before us handed down their knowledge and guided us.

"This trust I speak of forged a sense of professionalism, I saw that every day I was here. In a school like this the roles change, everyone gets the chance to lead. It is the true test of our accomplishment that we leave here and go on to share this knowledge with others. No matter where we go a Cabot student will always be proud of where we started. Our trust and accomplishment lead to confidence in who we are and what we can do.

"Our graduation is not the final curtain, for there is always another opening, another show. Marsha can speak for herself, but I'm sure we both have only the highest hopes and expectations from our fellow class members. So for the last time... Places, please... the overture to life is about to begin. Thank you."

The ovation lasted five minutes and Marsha shook her head when Dennis asked her to say something else. He had said it all; it was time to receive that piece of paper. They walked back down the steps to their seats and Dennis felt hands pat his shoulders and arms as he passed by his classmates.

He had worked with many of these students up close and personal, their accolades meant the most. But Dennis took his seat as Lynch stepped to the microphone once again.

"A hard act to follow, but that's always my fate," He joked. "I will call the names in alphabetical order and ask that you please hold your applause until we are finished. Many of the students who graduate today are not here, they are off beginning their summer employment, and committed to using the skills they have been taught. So let us begin."

A table was moved up beside the podium and Dr. Weeks held the names to be read aloud, Lynch would hand out the diplomas.

"Bradley Abrams," Weeks called out, and Brad stood up and strode to the stairs.

The rest of the row stood up and filed along behind Brad, each student waiting until their name was called to climb the steps, walk twenty feet to where Dr, Lynch stood and shake his hand before he handed them a folder.

"Mark Beasley," Weeks called out and they kept moving.

"Matty Cohen."

"Ben Devers."

Already three of his friends had shaken Lynch's hand, Dennis stood impatiently as the names droned on... until.

"Dennis King."

Dennis took his steps to the stage and looked directly at Lynch as he approached. The smile was so warm, so happy it made Dennis tear up. This man had made it all possible from the very first day and then Lynch's hand was in his and they shook, it wasn't enough.

Dennis reached out and hugged Lynch, feeling the man return his affection with a sigh.

"Thank you, dear friend," Lynch said. "Would you like a nap or a diploma?"

Dennis laughed, it came out of nowhere. But he accepted the folder and saw his name embossed on the cover.

"I'll see you at the reception," Dennis said.

Lynch looked up into the theatre. "Be sure and invite your friends, I'd like to meet a couple of them."

Dennis took his diploma back to his seat and stood until all the graduates had received theirs. No one sat as Lynch took the podium. "Farewell to the Class of 2009, Hello to 2010," He said, and there were some cheers from the crowd. "Thank you all for coming, there will be a reception in the school."

That was it, and Dennis went looking for his family and friends. A hand took his sleeve and tugged, he turned to find Marsha staring straight into his face.

"You did this to me, didn't you... somehow you got Lynch to agree."

"I did nothing, Marsha... you deserved every moment on that stage. I just wish you had said something," Dennis said.

"You'll never tell me the truth, will you? But if you did influence Lynch I love you for it, thank you. My mother is off the wall with joy; I may even get a scholarship out of this. Come on, I want to meet your friends."

Dennis' mother reached him first, a hug and a kiss later his father arrived with all the little ones.

"Congratulations, we're so proud of you. And now if you don't introduce your mother to Mr. Curry she's going to kill me."

"Right now, Dad," Dennis said.

People were moving in the aisle, slowing down to get a good look at the movie stars. Dennis gestured to Ted and pointed down the aisle. Ted nodded and said something to the others. Vince and John made way for Jim and Betty and soon they were all standing in the hallway outside the theatre proper.

"My goodness, I wasn't expecting any of you," Dennis said.

Betty smiled. "We had to come, dear... this was like Oscar night and you just won the award for the best actor."

Dennis introduced the parents to his friends, and then asked if they would spend a few minutes at the reception before they escaped. Everyone agreed and Dennis led them up the hall.

"You brat," Dennis whispered in Ted's ear. "But thank you."

Ted grinned. "I wish you could have seen your face."

The appearance of these famous people in the vast lobby caused a buzz, but Dennis led them through the crowd and right up to Dr. Lynch.

"Dr. Lynch, I'd like you to meet Jim Curry, Vince Delaney and this is Betty Compton."

Lynch shook hands with the men and smiled at Betty. "Hello, Betty... it's been a long time," He said.

"You know each other?" Dennis asked.

"Arthur Lynch was a very young man back then, Ethel introduced us backstage. The Schubert Theatre wasn't it?" Betty asked.

"Yes it was," Lynch said.

"He was quite a handsome fellow, I know I flirted with him," Betty laughed.

"She hasn't changed a bit," Jim said.

Dennis could feel the eyes around them and knew this wasn't going to get any better. Marsha stood to one side and Dennis motioned her over for introductions, and after some small talk he knew it as time they left.

"I hate to spoil the party, but we have dinner reservations," Dennis said.

"Arthur, can you come with us?" Betty asked.

Lynch looked around the lobby. "I don't think so, not yet anyway. I have to stay here."

Betty nodded and pressed a card into his hand. "You have the summer off, call me and we'll get together. I'd love to see your family."

"We'll do just that," Lynch said. "Thank you all for coming." And then he turned to Dennis. "You have some interesting friends. A man is always judged by the company he keeps, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Have a good summer and visit me when you can. I'll always be interested in what you're doing."

"Thank you," Dennis said, and once again he hugged Lynch.

He walked arm in arm with Ted towards the parking lot. "So... we leave in five days, I'm out of school tomorrow... what are we going to do the rest of the week?" Ted asked.

"Eat, sleep and relax... I still have to pack," Dennis said. "I'm sorry I didn't get to use your speech."

"That's fine. I was impressed by what you said. You speak well; maybe you should have been an actor."

"Oh, let's not go there. We'll be surrounded with actors this summer, I don't want to be one of them," Dennis said.

"But if Jim offered you a part in one of his films?"

"I'd be an actor in a heartbeat, what an unfair question."

"I thought so; you'd do anything it takes to be on a stage."

Dennis nodded. "It's where my life began. I don't want it to end."

They reached the cars and Dennis looked back at the theatre building. No, it wouldn't end. This had only been a beginning.