2010 Suite21men
This is a work of fiction. All characters are conceived in my mind and were born and raised in the bits and bytes on my computer.
. If you know a place like Gerty's, let me know. I want to check it out.
For Celeste...
Introduction:
In looking at my finances, I realize I no longer need to work to survive in the modest style I am accustomed to. As I am only 50, I feel blessed with early retirement and am able to focus on projects around the house and my music. Maybe six months after I quit my job (and my electronics career) I notice a request from a non-profit looking for volunteer to help in the maintenance aspects of the facility. I meet the people who were running Gerty's at the time and it looks like a good fit for me.
I have to tell you about Gerty's. It's such a cool place. My band recorded some demos there a while back. Gerty's was named after Gertrude Svenskin. You may have seen her name in film, or TV credits as music director, sound designer, maybe even credited as a writer on a bunch of songs from the olden days. She also owned a record label. Well, many years ago before all that, she went to The University in our town. She graduated and became very wealthy during her years. Before she died about twenty-five years ago, she endowed a large sum of money to The University to facilitate the vision she had. After meetings, discussions, and other such nonsense that goes along with decision-making, The University decided that it would be best to spin the whole concept off as a non-profit. The University would pay for the maintenance of the building and equipment, and Gerty's would pay the other expenses with donations, studio fees, concerts, hall rentals, and of course, alcohol sales. Once all the details were fleshed out including the 501c3 status, a campus was built on prime real estate that Gerty donated and boom, Gerty's was born! I wasn't there at the beginning, but from what I have read it was a success from the start. Multiple studios to record music in. Film editing booths and screening rooms. Dance studios. If you pays your money and become a Gerty's studio artist, you have twenty-four seven access to those studios. Two, count em, two concert halls. 'Satie's Stage', named after the composer Erik Satie, is a 250 seat auditorium for enjoying the likes of a singer/songwriter, a classical music performance, opera, theater, film, ballet and such. The other hall, 'The Roadhouse' has a sign posted from the fire department saying 'Max Capacity 175'. It exuded the ambience of a rock & roll joint. While Satie's Stage had permanent seating, orchestra pit, etc, The Roadhouse was designed to be more flexible. It's able to accommodate theatre in the round, circuses, rock & roll and other dance bands, weddings, receptions, what have you. Gerty's even maintains a small art gallery and gift shop. Using her endowment, The University also hired faculty and created a curriculum focusing on the business and art of music, film, dance and theater, and encourages their students to use the facilities at Gerty's. Oh! I could go on about Gerty's, but I won't. Ms. Svenskin endowed a LOT of money.
Gerty, herself, was an amazing woman. The more I find out about her, the more I say "Wow!". She understood the foibles of artists and was able to envision an environment to nurture their talent. I can't tell you how floored I am when I find out she even created a special fund to take care of the tendency that some artists have to destroy equipment. The police blotter lists three times in Gerty's history where they had to take action because of some artist's craziness. I can tell you, though, before Gerty's, the main economy in our city was The University. Somehow, because of her vision and the decisions of The University twenty-five years ago, our village has become a cultural mecca and a tourist destination. Two classical orchestras find work here along with regular opera performances. I haven't been able to count all the art galleries and recording studios that have popped up and thrived since Gerty's opened. There are also an extraordinary amount of bars that feature live music. They are all usually packed Friday and Saturday nights. Gertrude's vision has done wonders for our community which has grown by a couple of hundred thousand since Gerty's opened.
I'm looking forward to the challenges of taking care of the campus four hours a week, having a gift/talent/curse of being able to fix things. I have been known to call myself a 'Jack of most trades, Master of some'. Who am I? Jack is my name. Still in love with the woman I met and fell in love with and 'tied the knot' with after a wild six-month courtship when I was 29. I am in ok shape for my age having that 'middle age paunch' that comes from too much beer, too much nicotine and not enough actividad. I don't have the endurance that I had when I was 30, but I still cut and split my firewood and carry my kegs. Sarah, my wife, calls me belly fat love handles. I call my fifteen pounds an annoyance but I still don't change my habits. The only medication I take is stuff for glaucoma. No, I have no need of Viagra, Cialis, or any other ED drugs. My plumbing still works just fine, thank you. Sometimes too fine.
In spending my time at Gerty's, I expand my passion for the ideas and concepts of that organization and of course, Gerty, herself. Gerty's seems to like me also, as the plaques on my wall can attest. After six years of volunteering about four hours a week, sometimes more, I am offered a staff position of twenty hours a week at close to minimum wage. Enjoying my time there, I readily accept. It was about six months into my paid position when I see her. I am on the roof of one of the campus buildings working on the HVAC systems or something, and I look down and see this beautiful young woman talking to the Executive Director outside one of the entrances. I am captivated. Now, mind you, this particular center attracted all sorts of pretty girls to the various going's on. All ages, all shapes, all beautiful. Must be because of who Gerty was and what she stood for. When I worked in electronics, the joke was that you could have all the solder you could eat. To be able to feast on all this beauty is a much better fringe benefit. But this gal! All I know is that she makes my heart a flutter. With no idea why she is there—musician, dancer, artist, new volunteer, patron or just a visitor—and being in relative obscurity about one hundred-fifty feet away up on the roof, I allow my eyes to drink in this vision not knowing whether I would ever see her again. My eyes are transfixed a whole three minutes until they go inside. I continue on with what I am doing and thank Ms. Fate for allowing me that brief pleasure. Now, a hundred-fifty feet is a long way away to see someone in very much detail. I mean, I ain't got no binoks with me but I could see enough that I wanted to keep seeing.
Meeting:
Well, it turns out that she is a new sales person who focuses on scheduling the booking of the halls for weddings, concerts and what have you. I finally get introduced to her. Celeste! Somehow fits with the stars in my eyes whenever I see her. Some say you can't predict the future. I know it's going to be a good day when, upon arriving Gerty's, I see her car in the parking lot. I find out later she has roots in Montreal and has dual Canadian/USA citizenship. I always have been partial to Canadian women after having met a few a while on business in that country a few years back. They always seem 'softer' to me with that Princess aspect, I guess. With my age and marital status, I try to hide the feelings I have for her. You know. Love, lust, that sort of thing. Only 'bothering' her when it was necessary in the course of business and keeping to the point of the conversation. Always trying to make her laugh, though. One day she is moping around, having a bad day, I notice and say something. It is enough to break her out of her funk for the rest of the day. I feel better the rest of that day myself, loping around with a funny feeling. There are times I have difficultly maintaining my professional persona. Especially when Celeste smiles at me, which is, like, every day we see each other. And every time she does, I melt into a puddle of to be mopped up and dumped down the sink. Can you say jelly?
The months go on. I hear things she says around me. Talking to a patron. 'Jack keeps things goin' 'round here.' Introducing me to a friend of hers. 'This is Jack. He is the best!' Getting an email from her. 'Thank you! Thank you so much! You are wonderful as always!' Her speaking to me. 'I don't know what I would do without you. You are wonderful, Jack!' One day, I am standing outside taking a smoke break. Celeste comes out of one of the buildings, sees me and starts heading in my direction. I guess I live in quite the fantasy world. As she is approaching me, I'm envisioning she is my lover and hasn't seen me for a while and is rushing to hug, kiss, embrace me telling me how much she missed me and how much she loves me. If she had stepped that one more step, my fantasy would have taken over and I would have wrapped my arms around her in ecstasy, forgetting about my wife, life, and everything else. Basking in this beautiful woman!
One gets those signals and every time I see her, Mr. Green comes up to me in his white polyester suit, hair slicked back, brown drink with ice cubes in on hand and a cigarette in the other. He drapes his cigarette wielding arm over my shoulder and breathes his whiskey laden breath.
"Go! Go man, go! She likes you. You got the hots for her. We are talking major attraction here! What are you waiting for? You're a fool to pass this up."
At the same time, Ms. Yellow, looking like a high school librarian, wags her finger at me.
