Chapter 19-2
954 Words
Jerimy’s call to meet with Richard, the lighting designer, brought Perrin to the Opera offices. He also tactfully informed her that Bill would be over at the Opera House overseeing the first staging rehearsal walk-through that afternoon, which she greatly appreciated.
She, Jerimy, and Richard sat at the big cutting table, all of the primary costumes turned face-out on racks in front of them. Jaspar sat quietly off to the side watching. She was starting to understand that about him. Tamara would think something through. Jaspar followed his instincts.
Jasper was an older soul in a way, despite Tamara’s mothering of him. His mother’s death had made him more like Cassidy. Actually they’d both lost their moms at about the same age. Cassidy had become an adult that day, as had Jaspar. He’d been a bit more buffered by Tamara’s care, but Perrin could see the similarity of the effect.
Jerimy turned off the lights in this end of the Costume Shop. Richard had set up a pair of lights about ten feet apart and laid out a dozen different colored gels. The colored transparent sheets fit into steel frames that then slid into slots at the front of the lighting instruments.
“Now we can see what challenges you’ve set me.”
The white light was the closest to what Perrin was used to working with. Fashion runways were brightly lit so that every detail could be seen. There was some coloring, but not much. And most of her designs were designed for wear in daylight, office light, or at some party. Again, all shades of white.
Then he put a pale blue in front of one instrument and a soft pink in the front of the other. It was as if the costumes had jumped into three dimensions.
Jaspar had moved up on Jerimy’s other side, “Could you do that again?”
Richard slid the two gels out of the way and then dropped them back in.
“Okay, thanks.” With that single demonstration, Perrin could feel Jaspar neatly filing away whole categories of information. Just as Cassidy had during college when she also took classes at the Culinary Institute of America just up the highway. Each new bit of knowledge neatly filed, creating an order to the chaos that surrounded them.
Richard turned on a third light in between the other two, shooting forward from a low stand right in front of them.
“This one is called Bastard Amber, that’s its real name.”
“But it’s pinkish, why do they call it that?” Perrin left Jaspar to ask the questions, though she would have asked the exact same thing.
“Hold your good arm in front of the instrument.”
“It’s warm,” Jaspar commented.
“Right. These instruments throw a lot of heat. Wait until you’re onstage with half a hundred instruments on, you’ll really heat up. Now watch your skin.” He dropped in the gel.
“I don’t get it.”
“You look more natural,” Perrin told him. “Your skin is warmer, more alive, but the costumes look kind of the same.”
Richard slid the gel in and out a few times.
In exasperation Jaspar had her trade places with him.
“Her skin is so light, you can really see it,” Richard said before dropping the gel back in.
Beyond the bright light, she could see Jaspar nodding. “I couldn’t see it so much up close. It’s kind of too much for her, isn’t it.”
“Try some of the others.”
Jaspar started holding one after another in front of the lens without putting them in the slot.
“The red makes her look all blotchy, even worse than the fake amber.”
When he tried a green filter, Perrin did her best to make frog noises.
“Ick! What’s that for?”
Richard laughed, “You usually use it behind people for landscape scenes, underwater like for the Rhinemaidens in Wagner’s Ring, or even a darker one for dangerous forest.”
Jaspar made a couple more changes then declared, “This one makes her look nicest.”
“Good eye. That one is a good match for her skin. But now look at the costumes behind her.”
“Uh,” Jaspar studied them. “It’s okay if she’s the Princess or the True Love, but it totally sucks if she’s the Empress.”
“Well, I’m no Empress, so we’re all safe there.” Perrin turned around to look at the costumes as Jerimy and Richard laughed. “You’re right, Jaspar. That’s nasty.”
They shared a smile.
“You see, Jaspar,” Richard began making notes, “there’s no perfect lighting. It’s a balancing act and compromises.”
Mika came in with the makeup cards and they soon passed beyond where Perrin could follow. It was a language as unique as her own about texture and line. It was the language of light, and she could see Jaspar absorbing it just sitting there at Richard’s side.
* * * *
Two nights later, Perrin almost didn’t answer when she saw Bill’s number on the phone. She wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. There was too much to un-say and too much that couldn’t be said yet. Not while everything was so out of order. She wouldn’t even know where to start. Well, perhaps he would know.
Finally, steeling her nerves, she answered.
“Hi, Ms. Williams.”
“Tamara,” she fell back and was thankful for the stool behind her when she landed on it.
“Uh, I have to be quick. I had to use Dad’s phone to get your number. You aren’t mad at us, are you? At…me?” The girl’s voice nearly cracked from the strain.
“Oh god no, Tamara. Never mad at you. Feeling like an i***t six different ways, but never mad.”
Tamara sniffled slightly. “That’s what Jasp said, but I didn’t believe him. Guess I should have. The little troll is always right. Jasp wore the sling and the sword today at rehearsal; it looked great.”
“That’s good.” Perrin knew she was missing something. Jaspar had told Tammy thet Perrin wouldn’t be mad. Did that mean that maybe Bill wasn’t…
“We don’t have rehearsal tomorrow night. Can you come over for dinner?”
It was a good thing she was sitting down so that she didn’t fall down.
“Uh, who’s asking?”
“Jasp’s idea. Something about maybe we just needed to try each other on for size. I make a pretty good lasagna.”
“I’ll bring a salad,” some autonomic part of her responded.
“Cool, we’ll be home by six. ‘By—”
“Tamara?”
“What?”
“Does your dad know?”
“Nope. Don’t tell.” And the connection went dead.
- Writer
