Between the Lines (2/17)
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“If I had known there’d be all these girls wanting to say goodbye to the brave soldiers, I would have enlisted a long time ago,” Justin observed, looking out at the mix of uniformed men and young women dancing.
Kevin rolled his eyes. “Yes, the possibility of a kiss makes it all worth it.”
“I’m hoping for a lot more than a kiss,” Justin replied, waggling his eyebrows.
“I’m too old for this,” Kevin complained. “This is why war is for the young and foolish.”
Justin scoffed. “You’re too boring for this. Also, you’re 26.”
“Almost 27,” Kevin clarified.
“You may as well be 50,” Justin continued. “When was the last time you took a girl out on the town? Ah, never?”
“I have other responsibilities, Justin.”
But Justin was no longer paying attention. “Look at her,” he breathed out, awed.
“Who?”
“The blonde.”
Kevin followed Justin’s line of sight. He was distracted for a moment by the soldier she was talking to. Dark-skinned and muscular and - Kevin shook his head and refocused.
“Oh, that’s Rebecca Harper.”
“You know her?”
“Yes, Dad and her father were in business together for a while. Dad’s trying to do a deal with her mother.”
“Introduce me. Please.”
Justin and Rebecca made an instant connection. They disappeared to a corner of the room, and Justin happily ended the evening with just a kiss and permission to write. And with Justin distracted, Kevin was free to soothe the ego of Rebecca’s former conversation partner. He made several memories of his own that evening, memories that kept him warm on more than one cold, damp night in foreign lands.
***
Jason looked up, startled at the knock on his door. Nobody ever came to his office hours.
“Come in!” he called out, and the ajar door was pushed completely open.
Jason lived in L.A. all of his life. He had met one or two celebrities, and he had always managed to play it cool. But the ones he had met hadn’t been Chad Barry, and they certainly hadn’t shown up at his office. Jason tried to act normally.
“Can I help you?” he asked, pleased that his voice didn’t shake.
“Hi,” Chad said, walking further into the room and holding out his hand. Jason stood, shaking it in greeting. “I’m Chad Barry.”
“I know,” Jason replied. Then he blushed. Smooth.
Chad smiled and sat in the opposite chair. “I was hoping you could help me. I’m filming a movie right now, and I’m playing Kevin Walker.”
Jason blinked once, staring at him in surprise. “They’re making a movie about him?”
“Yeah. A small piece. Written by Travis March.”
Jason looked down and away. “Oh.”
Chad angled his head, looking at him curiously. “What?” he asked.
Jason shook his head. “Nothing. Sorry. Just a little…professional competition.”
“I see,” Chad said, amused. “Well, I’m just trying to fill in the gaps a bit. Help round out my performance, you know?”
“Aren’t there rules and stuff about spoilers and…movie budgets, I don’t know?”
“I won’t tell if you don’t,” Chad said, winking.
Jason fought another blush. He dug his fingernails into his thigh, reminding himself that Chad Barry had a girlfriend. A girlfriend. “What’s your question?”
Chad reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a rolled-up packet and handing it to Jason. “We’re working on this scene right now. It’s a love scene between him and Julia Walker, and I - ”
Jason stared at him in horror, holding the script loosely in his hands. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
“Who approved this script?”
“Ah…the owner of his estate, I guess.”
“Cooper Laurent?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Christ,” Jason said, then sent up a silent apology.
“I just think,” Chad said. “I mean, I know you can’t really take poets at their word, but some of the things he wrote about…”
“You’ve actually read his work?”
“Of course. I read everything I could get my hands on.”
“Well, then you surely can see there’s absolutely no support for the argument that he and Julia Walker had an affair.”
“That’s my point!”
Jason pushed away from his desk, rolling over to the bookcase and grabbing a volume off the shelf. He flipped through it as he slowly rolled back. Finding the page he wanted, he handed the book over to Chad.
“He wrote this about three months after Rebecca died. The exact time he would have had to be…getting intimate with Julia in order to father Elizabeth.”
Chad took it, reading quickly. “Wow,” he finally said. “That’s - ”
“Yeah.”
“So how am I supposed to play this scene then?”
Jason shrugged.
Chad handed him back the book, looking at him curiously. “How come you didn’t write this movie?”
Jason smiled. “I’m not out to profit on his life, as much as I wish more people knew who he was. Besides, I’m a professor, not a Hollywood writer. No offense.”
“None taken. I’m not a Hollywood writer, either.”
Jason laughed.
Chad watched him for a moment. “How did you learn about him?”
“He’s my great-uncle.”
Chad raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Jason nodded.
“His sister Katherine is my grandmother. She married then-Senator Robert McCallister in 1942.”
“Wait, so you’re…”
“Keep it quiet! It’s hard to maintain my liberal academic cred when people know I’m descended from one of the most conservative Governors this state has known in the past century.”
“I’ll bet.”
Jason didn’t reply. They merely watched each other for a moment, and a smile danced just behind Chad’s eyes.
“Well, thank you,” Chad finally said.
“I’m not sure I’ve been much help.”
“I think you just made my dilemma worse,” Chad agreed.
Jason stood, following Chad to the door of his office. “Sorry,” he said.
“Not at all. Although…perhaps I should give you my number. In case you think of anything that can be useful.”
Jason smiled widely. “Maybe you should.”
Falling Stars (1947)
Heavenly flashes of light, falling to earth
Like bullets firing in the distance,
Illuminate your smile.
If you must go before me,
Refuse entry to heaven.
Stay among the stars, my darling,
Each one shining
Like the love in your eyes.
Then you will not be lost from me -
You will only be a sentry,
Guiding my weary steps home to you.
My heart is yours forever,
Until the farthest fire burns out and
My world is dark.
***
Scotty looked curiously around as he disembarked from the train. The unit had been traveling for days, and he welcomed the chance to stretch his legs. He had dreamed of going to Europe some day, seeing for himself the places his father described fondly from his own travels. He had never expected it would be like this, though. He presumed it would be in the distant future, perhaps after he finished medical school or even on his honeymoon (if he ever gave into his mother’s demands for a daughter-in-law and grandchildren). Not now, not like this - surrounded by ruins and ash.
But the Army needed medics, and there was no reason he should stay behind when his friends were dying.
“Hey Canuck,” a voice said behind him, and Scotty turned to the other soldier.
“Hmm?”
“We’ve got two hours furlough tonight, Cap says. Rumor has it there’s a dance hall in town. Are you coming?”
“Definitely,” Scotty replied.
“Good. We gotta find you a nice girl. You can’t be the only one without some pretty young thing sighing prayers for you.”
Scotty smiled, accepting the teasing in the light-hearted manner it was intended. No one needed to know he had no interest in taking advantage of any girl blinded by his uniform.
And he managed to avoid it, thankfully. An hour and a half into the evening, he was sitting in a back corner, drinking slowly from his glass. He smiled, amused as he watched his friends dance with local girls and far-from-home nurses. There were two troops dominating the room - his own and several American pilots from the Army Air Forces. There was some friendly competition, but nothing that had gone foul yet. Helped, most likely, by the presence of the pilots’ commander.
Scotty’s eyes were drawn to him over and over. He too sat in a dark nook, his behavior clearly albeit kindly signaling not to approach him. Scotty regretted that; he was perhaps the one person in the bar Scotty actually wanted to talk to.
And just then, he looked up, making eye contact with Scotty. It was the first time he even glanced in Scotty’s direction, but Scotty had the distinct impression the other man knew Scotty had been scrutinizing him. Scotty blushed, thankful for the dark bar so no one could see his embarrassment. The man took a drink, never once looking away from Scotty.
Scotty swallowed, breaking the contact. He stood and quickly walked outside.
***
“Hello?”
“Um…hi. I’m looking for Chad Barry, please?”
“Who’s calling?”
“Jason,” Jason cleared his throat. “Jason McCallister.”
“Just a sec,” the woman replied, and then Jason could hear a muffled conversation.
Moments later, Chad came on the line. “Professor McCallister!”
Jason could hear the grin in Chad’s voice. He shook himself, angry at his own weakness and his imagination. There was nothing flirtatious at all in the greeting. He knew that. Really.
“I’m heading out to the library archives this afternoon. Thought I might do some research on Walker. Do you…want to come?”
“Sure, I’m free.”
“Really? You want to?”
There was a pause. “Can’t wait,” Chad said, his voice suddenly sounding deeper.
Jason closed his eyes, exhaling. “OK. My office? An hour?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Bye,” Jason said quickly. He hung up the phone and dropped his head forward between his knees, trying to calm down.
Chad Barry couldn’t wait to spend the afternoon with him. Things like this did not happen to community college professors.
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“If I had known there’d be all these girls wanting to say goodbye to the brave soldiers, I would have enlisted a long time ago,” Justin observed, looking out at the mix of uniformed men and young women dancing.
Kevin rolled his eyes. “Yes, the possibility of a kiss makes it all worth it.”
“I’m hoping for a lot more than a kiss,” Justin replied, waggling his eyebrows.
“I’m too old for this,” Kevin complained. “This is why war is for the young and foolish.”
Justin scoffed. “You’re too boring for this. Also, you’re 26.”
“Almost 27,” Kevin clarified.
“You may as well be 50,” Justin continued. “When was the last time you took a girl out on the town? Ah, never?”
“I have other responsibilities, Justin.”
But Justin was no longer paying attention. “Look at her,” he breathed out, awed.
“Who?”
“The blonde.”
Kevin followed Justin’s line of sight. He was distracted for a moment by the soldier she was talking to. Dark-skinned and muscular and - Kevin shook his head and refocused.
“Oh, that’s Rebecca Harper.”
“You know her?”
“Yes, Dad and her father were in business together for a while. Dad’s trying to do a deal with her mother.”
“Introduce me. Please.”
Justin and Rebecca made an instant connection. They disappeared to a corner of the room, and Justin happily ended the evening with just a kiss and permission to write. And with Justin distracted, Kevin was free to soothe the ego of Rebecca’s former conversation partner. He made several memories of his own that evening, memories that kept him warm on more than one cold, damp night in foreign lands.
***
Jason looked up, startled at the knock on his door. Nobody ever came to his office hours.
“Come in!” he called out, and the ajar door was pushed completely open.
Jason lived in L.A. all of his life. He had met one or two celebrities, and he had always managed to play it cool. But the ones he had met hadn’t been Chad Barry, and they certainly hadn’t shown up at his office. Jason tried to act normally.
“Can I help you?” he asked, pleased that his voice didn’t shake.
“Hi,” Chad said, walking further into the room and holding out his hand. Jason stood, shaking it in greeting. “I’m Chad Barry.”
“I know,” Jason replied. Then he blushed. Smooth.
Chad smiled and sat in the opposite chair. “I was hoping you could help me. I’m filming a movie right now, and I’m playing Kevin Walker.”
Jason blinked once, staring at him in surprise. “They’re making a movie about him?”
“Yeah. A small piece. Written by Travis March.”
Jason looked down and away. “Oh.”
Chad angled his head, looking at him curiously. “What?” he asked.
Jason shook his head. “Nothing. Sorry. Just a little…professional competition.”
“I see,” Chad said, amused. “Well, I’m just trying to fill in the gaps a bit. Help round out my performance, you know?”
“Aren’t there rules and stuff about spoilers and…movie budgets, I don’t know?”
“I won’t tell if you don’t,” Chad said, winking.
Jason fought another blush. He dug his fingernails into his thigh, reminding himself that Chad Barry had a girlfriend. A girlfriend. “What’s your question?”
Chad reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a rolled-up packet and handing it to Jason. “We’re working on this scene right now. It’s a love scene between him and Julia Walker, and I - ”
Jason stared at him in horror, holding the script loosely in his hands. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
“Who approved this script?”
“Ah…the owner of his estate, I guess.”
“Cooper Laurent?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Christ,” Jason said, then sent up a silent apology.
“I just think,” Chad said. “I mean, I know you can’t really take poets at their word, but some of the things he wrote about…”
“You’ve actually read his work?”
“Of course. I read everything I could get my hands on.”
“Well, then you surely can see there’s absolutely no support for the argument that he and Julia Walker had an affair.”
“That’s my point!”
Jason pushed away from his desk, rolling over to the bookcase and grabbing a volume off the shelf. He flipped through it as he slowly rolled back. Finding the page he wanted, he handed the book over to Chad.
“He wrote this about three months after Rebecca died. The exact time he would have had to be…getting intimate with Julia in order to father Elizabeth.”
Chad took it, reading quickly. “Wow,” he finally said. “That’s - ”
“Yeah.”
“So how am I supposed to play this scene then?”
Jason shrugged.
Chad handed him back the book, looking at him curiously. “How come you didn’t write this movie?”
Jason smiled. “I’m not out to profit on his life, as much as I wish more people knew who he was. Besides, I’m a professor, not a Hollywood writer. No offense.”
“None taken. I’m not a Hollywood writer, either.”
Jason laughed.
Chad watched him for a moment. “How did you learn about him?”
“He’s my great-uncle.”
Chad raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Jason nodded.
“His sister Katherine is my grandmother. She married then-Senator Robert McCallister in 1942.”
“Wait, so you’re…”
“Keep it quiet! It’s hard to maintain my liberal academic cred when people know I’m descended from one of the most conservative Governors this state has known in the past century.”
“I’ll bet.”
Jason didn’t reply. They merely watched each other for a moment, and a smile danced just behind Chad’s eyes.
“Well, thank you,” Chad finally said.
“I’m not sure I’ve been much help.”
“I think you just made my dilemma worse,” Chad agreed.
Jason stood, following Chad to the door of his office. “Sorry,” he said.
“Not at all. Although…perhaps I should give you my number. In case you think of anything that can be useful.”
Jason smiled widely. “Maybe you should.”
Falling Stars (1947)
Heavenly flashes of light, falling to earth
Like bullets firing in the distance,
Illuminate your smile.
If you must go before me,
Refuse entry to heaven.
Stay among the stars, my darling,
Each one shining
Like the love in your eyes.
Then you will not be lost from me -
You will only be a sentry,
Guiding my weary steps home to you.
My heart is yours forever,
Until the farthest fire burns out and
My world is dark.
***
Scotty looked curiously around as he disembarked from the train. The unit had been traveling for days, and he welcomed the chance to stretch his legs. He had dreamed of going to Europe some day, seeing for himself the places his father described fondly from his own travels. He had never expected it would be like this, though. He presumed it would be in the distant future, perhaps after he finished medical school or even on his honeymoon (if he ever gave into his mother’s demands for a daughter-in-law and grandchildren). Not now, not like this - surrounded by ruins and ash.
But the Army needed medics, and there was no reason he should stay behind when his friends were dying.
“Hey Canuck,” a voice said behind him, and Scotty turned to the other soldier.
“Hmm?”
“We’ve got two hours furlough tonight, Cap says. Rumor has it there’s a dance hall in town. Are you coming?”
“Definitely,” Scotty replied.
“Good. We gotta find you a nice girl. You can’t be the only one without some pretty young thing sighing prayers for you.”
Scotty smiled, accepting the teasing in the light-hearted manner it was intended. No one needed to know he had no interest in taking advantage of any girl blinded by his uniform.
And he managed to avoid it, thankfully. An hour and a half into the evening, he was sitting in a back corner, drinking slowly from his glass. He smiled, amused as he watched his friends dance with local girls and far-from-home nurses. There were two troops dominating the room - his own and several American pilots from the Army Air Forces. There was some friendly competition, but nothing that had gone foul yet. Helped, most likely, by the presence of the pilots’ commander.
Scotty’s eyes were drawn to him over and over. He too sat in a dark nook, his behavior clearly albeit kindly signaling not to approach him. Scotty regretted that; he was perhaps the one person in the bar Scotty actually wanted to talk to.
And just then, he looked up, making eye contact with Scotty. It was the first time he even glanced in Scotty’s direction, but Scotty had the distinct impression the other man knew Scotty had been scrutinizing him. Scotty blushed, thankful for the dark bar so no one could see his embarrassment. The man took a drink, never once looking away from Scotty.
Scotty swallowed, breaking the contact. He stood and quickly walked outside.
***
“Hello?”
“Um…hi. I’m looking for Chad Barry, please?”
“Who’s calling?”
“Jason,” Jason cleared his throat. “Jason McCallister.”
“Just a sec,” the woman replied, and then Jason could hear a muffled conversation.
Moments later, Chad came on the line. “Professor McCallister!”
Jason could hear the grin in Chad’s voice. He shook himself, angry at his own weakness and his imagination. There was nothing flirtatious at all in the greeting. He knew that. Really.
“I’m heading out to the library archives this afternoon. Thought I might do some research on Walker. Do you…want to come?”
“Sure, I’m free.”
“Really? You want to?”
There was a pause. “Can’t wait,” Chad said, his voice suddenly sounding deeper.
Jason closed his eyes, exhaling. “OK. My office? An hour?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Bye,” Jason said quickly. He hung up the phone and dropped his head forward between his knees, trying to calm down.
Chad Barry couldn’t wait to spend the afternoon with him. Things like this did not happen to community college professors.
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