AfterMARK. Part 6

Some Enchanted Evening

After a few weeks, Anderson and I managed to plan a first date. Naturally, I was busy with my schoolwork, research projects, and social life in general while his life was occupied by the theatre. From the beginning, he showed an incredible amount of dedication. Afterall (as Sondheim teaches us), “Art isn’t easy.”

The weeks preceding this date were filled with a number of conversations via Facebook and text messaging. We learned each other’s tastes, interests, histories, and goals. His relationship with another actor had ended recently and expectedly as he joined a touring cast.

We’d found common interests. Of course, we both loved the theatre. We enjoyed nice shoes and food. We shared the Gay Mormon Boy background. And finally, our taste in music, movies, and television was uncanny.

After sharing with him my theory of how Pushing Daisies is a metaphor for the celibate Gay Mormon Relationship (as discussed in Walking the Fence), we decided that we’d take a night and watch it together. After much discussion about our schedules, working around his rehearsals and my homework, we figured out a time and place to meet.

I grabbed my backpack, threw in my Pushing Daisies DVDs and set off to meet Anderson after his rehearsal. He came out and met me at my car. The night began with a big hug. The strength in his chest and arms became evident he held me for that brief second.

It was late—just after 10—as he asked me putting his arm around my back, “Do you know where we’re going now?”

“Not a clue.”

“I’m going to give you a little tour.”

He showed me everything a theatre geek had to get excited about—the costume shop, the blackbox theater, the dressing rooms, the control booth, etc. It was clear, as he told me story upon story, that this was his life and that in order for something else to fit in his life, it had to be compatible with his passion. The thought was slightly intimidating.

Finally, as he came to the end of the tour, he showed me a large, black metal door. “What’s behind here?”

“It’s the stage, obviously.”

“There’s more to it than that.”

He opened it and entered first. Taking my hand he pulled me into the darkness.

“Stay here for a second.”

I listened as his careful steps made a tapping noise across the wood floor. His steps grew fainter as he disappeared into the hollow air and an echo began to follow his footsteps. Suddenly, there was a loud click and light peering out behind the curtain. Blue! Another click. Red! Another. Green!

As I made my way towards the light the relics of old productions drew my attention. Trees of various shapes and sizes. Giant playing cards. A pirate ship. Slowly, I stepped towards the slit between the curtains. There on the ground lay a quilt and a bowl of popcorn. It was our picnic on the stage.

It was that romantic touch that made all the difference-- like a night under the stars. There was no doubt that Anderson was thoughtful and romantic, especially as we lay there in each other’s arms wrapped up in a blanket watching the show on my laptop.

My mind could not help but go back to Mark as I thought to myself, this feels good and right. If every moment of my life could be like those muscled arms around me, if I could feel special and cared for as I did when he pressed his lips to mine, then I would feel complete.

End, Part 6.

You have until the end of the nine-part series to guess the significance of AfterMARK. The final clue is that AfterMARK references something that followed a book, movie, and television show. Said book was published in 1968.