* * * * *
Back at the hotel room the doctor injects something into my hand to keep the swelling down and advises against wrapping it to ward off any possible stiffening up. My debut is just about three weeks away and when I inquire about my ability to play by then he says he�s seen runners win races in far worse shape so he doesn�t see why I wouldn�t be able to play. This is oddly not as encouraging as perhaps is intended but Dietrich and I both thank him profusely nonetheless.
Nanny has left a note stating that she has accompanied mother to an opera society luncheon in her honor and will then be meeting Allen at his Maestros for his lesson. I can�t get used to the idea of Nanny not always being around and will probably never feel as though I were truly alone in the house.
Dietrich pours himself a scotch then after a pause pours a second one then brings it to me.
�Here. This will ease the pain a bit.� He observes as I sniff at it warily. �Oh don�t pretend like you�ve never had a drink now my boy.� He teases.
�I�ve never had hard liquor Dietrich. Just beer.�
�Well if you�re going to smoke cigars like a man you may as well drink like one too. C�mon. Bottoms up.� He clinks his glass to mine and downs his in one swallow. I assume he�s expecting me to do the same so I do. The sensation immediately afterwards is like nothing I�ve ever experienced before. Golden heat flows down my insides and immediately spreads everywhere. I�m shocked and enthralled all at once.
�Wow.� Is all I can manage to say.
�Like that eh? Well, just remember to never overdo it. No one likes to be around a man who can�t hold his liquor.� He says as he pulls out his leather case and hands me a cigar. I accept it but then hesitate, suddenly remembering where we are.
�Don�t worry, we have the place to ourselves till this evening and if by some chance we are wrong about that just put yours out and I�ll later claim it as mine.�
I mirror his every move and get my cigar clipped and lit expertly. I�m truly enjoying this masculine rite of passage and enjoying it even more so with the man I most admire.
�Now Patrick, the trick to smoke rings that you�re not getting is the snapping of the jaw�
* * * * *
With our separate rehearsal schedules and respective openings to prepare for I see almost nothing of mother until her opening night of Thais. When performing she never leaves her bedroom till late afternoon not out of exhaustion but to completely avoid having to use her voice. She engages in as little conversation as possible during the hours before preparing to leave the theater and even then, only in a whisper. Outsiders may find this rather odd but we are all quite accustomed to this and have always taken advantage of this time in the past for sightseeing and daytrips. That time for me is now spent attending my own interviews, at lessons, and at rehearsals all with Dietrich constantly at my side. With mother�s own performance to worry about she has left all the smaller details of my debut to him and each moment he gives me is a blessing indeed. His infinite patience and knowledge, his gentleness and firm encouragement drive me forward and when the pain in my hand becomes so great I cannot continue he massages it for me immediately the way a coach would work on a runners cramp. If no one else is around, his touch will turn questioningly gentle again and each time Dietrich allows me the opportunity to address an unasked question I freeze for I am completely clueless as to what the right response should be. He then leaves it unspoken, seemingly happily so, and turns focus again to the more pressing tasks at hand.
