As I sat in the van waiting for Joshua, I reflected. Compared to yesterday, today had certainly been much simpler. So far, anyway. All I had to do was proctor two exams in the morning and one in the afternoon. I'd even managed to get all the morning exams corrected during the afternoon session, so I only had one batch to do over the weekend. I was really looking forward to getting a chance to relax and mull over yesterday's remarkable events.

I looked up and saw a teenaged boy carrying a brown paper bag heading straight toward my van. Uh oh, the kid looked like one of those "skinheads". I hoped this didn't mean trouble. I tried to act nonchalant. He grabbed the handle and opened the door.

"Hi, Dad. How's it going?"

I finally realized it was Joshua and in total shock, I stammered, "Joshua? Wha . . . ?"

Joshua laughed. "Hey, I thought you and Mom wanted me to get a haircut. Well, here ya go."

"Boy, talk about going 'from one extreme to the other'," I gasped. "What on earth possessed you to shave all your hair off?"

"It's like this, Dad. I've been watching our video of The King and I with Yul Brynner, and he was so perfect for the part. So many people picture him when they think of the story, so I figured if I had my head shaved, maybe I'd be more convincing in the part. So during my lunch break today, I went to the barber up the street and told him to do it."

"Gee, I'm really impressed, Josh, but you do realize, of course, it'll take quite a while for your hair to grow back and you'll be bald 24/7 until then, not just for the play."

"Yeah, I know, Dad," he replied, "but that's okay. You see, there's a girl in my class who was diagnosed cancer last year. When she went through chemo, she lost all her hair. She got a beautiful wig, and when I complimented her on it, she told me it was a gift from an organization* that collects human hair and makes free wigs for cancer patients. So, that's why I let my hair grow so long. It's all here in the bag, and I was thinking we can mail it off to the foundation on Monday."

"Josh, I'm so proud of you. It's too bad you can't be cloned . . . the world sure could use more people like you."

Josh always felt awkward when anyone praised him. He replied, "Thanks, Dad, but it's no big deal. So what did you decide on for dinner?"

"How about you decide. We could get pizza or fried chicken, or . . ."

"Oh yeah--funky fried chicken sounds great. I love it! With lots of sides like cole slaw and mashed potatoes, okay?"

"You got it, kiddo." We headed off to Henny Penny's Chicken Coop.

As we were enjoying a big bucket of Henny Penny's famous fried chicken, Joshua mentioned that Amy's dad would be picking him and Becky up later, so he wouldn't need a ride to the play after all.

"Becky's the one who's gonna steal the show, Dad. She even gets to wear makeup."

"Is Amy in the play?" I asked.

"Oh, guess I forgot to tell you before. She plays Anna. She's fantastic . . . boy, can she belt out a song! And wait'll you see us dance together. You're gonna be so impressed. Oh, and guess what else?" Josh added. "Amy's dad has a professional video camera and he's going to tape the show tonight. Then he's going to make copies for every single member of the cast! Isn't that great?"

We'd ordered some extra chicken dinners to take home for the others and Amy and her dad came to pick the kids up shortly after they finished eating. We thanked Mr. Johnson for videotaping the show and he said he was thrilled to do it and was planning on making lots of copies. He wanted to send some to his out-of-town relatives, and offered to make extra copies for us, too, if we wanted. I offered to help with the copying as our VCR was able to make copies.

Amy chimed in, "I hate to break up the party, but we have to get going. Costumes and make-up are calling us and we want to be ready for the eight o'clock curtain."

Maggie and I wished them well and I told the "aspiring" actors to "break a leg" . . . of course Becky took it literally, and we had to explain that was just a theatrical expression for "good luck."

Off they went, leaving Maggie and me feeling as if we'd just survived a whirling dervish attack. Quickly we cleaned up the table and went to change.

Arriving at the school about ten minutes early, Maggie and I chatted with some of the teachers and other parents for a few minutes. Then the lights flickered on and off several times, indicating the show was about to begin. We took our seats, front row center next to the Johnsons.

The play was outstanding. A reporter from the local paper would later state in his review that he didn't believe he could see a better performance on Broadway!

Becky was cute as a button as the king's youngest child. In fact, I was amazed that all the king's children, young as they were, played their parts perfectly and were on their best behavior.

When Joshua made his appearance on stage, the audience gasped. Later many of them told me they had thought he was wearing one of those rubber thingys to make him appear bald. After they learned he had actually shaved his head, they were very impressed. Josh had mastered the Yul Brynner act so convincingly, it was hard to realize he was just a high school kid. He and Amy sang magnificently, and when they danced to Shall We Dance, I could see that the people in the audience were just itching to get up from their seats and join them.

After it was over and we finally managed to escape the crowd, we headed home, completely exhausted. Becky fell asleep in the car and even Josh, as keyed up as he was, said he was definitely ready for bed. It had been quite a night, and they still had another performance tomorrow evening.





_______

* Locks of Love, info@locksoflove.org








Continue to Chapter 7


Go ahead or back to various chapters, using the links below;
Title - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - Diary