The work to get Kellye prepared to do Barefoot in the Park started that afternoon. She’d read through the play before, of course; several times, in fact. However, she’d mostly been focusing on the role she’d originally expected to have, that of Mrs. Banks, Corie’s mother. Now she had to focus on the much bigger role. It was a little bit daunting in the short time she had to prepare, but there was nothing to do but dive into it and hope for the best.

Fortunately, there was still enough time, if only barely so, and she didn’t have big roles in either The Back Table or Grace, so she could put a lot of attention to the big chore that lay ahead of her.

The play was familiar, and like The Odd Couple, had once been a popular Neil Simon play and movie. In the play, Paul is a very straight-arrow lawyer recently wed to Corie, who is a free spirit looking for the next fun thing to do. They don’t quite understand each other; she thinks he’s too staid and straight, and wants him to be a little more spontaneous; running barefoot in the park would be just one thing. He, on the other hand, wonders if she might be a little bit too flaky. Right after their marriage they move into their new apartment to discover that the plumbing is terrible, and the place needs a paint job. As they settle in, they get a visit from Corie’s goofy mother, Mrs. Banks. In a moment of inspiration, Corie decides to try to put her mother together with their upstairs neighbor, Velasco. Everything that can go wrong of course goes wrong, adding to the fun.

Fortunately, the changed circumstances didn’t affect The Back Table very much. They still had to do the show two more times that weekend, and there was another weekend of it to come. That evening, before they got the show under way, Brett, Kellye, and Meredith got Lu off to the side and explained what had happened and asked if she would be up for doing the Mrs. Banks role. “Of course I will,” she smiled. “It’ll give me that much more time with David.”

“I take it this is getting serious between you two?” Kellye asked.

“You could say that,” Lu grinned. “I think we’re a while from an engagement ring appearing, but it seems to be heading that way. How about you and Brett?”

“About the same,” Kellye said. “We’ve really been too busy to talk very much about getting permanent.”

The Back Table went off well both nights, with Janine once again joining the cast in their final bows to the audience. Only five weekends of the planned sixteen were left now; the end of the season was in sight.

For the next week they had to divide their attention between Grace, the next show, and Barefoot. Brett had been working on the Paul character for a while now, but hadn’t gotten as far as he wanted to, mostly because he’d had other jobs to do. At least he and Kellye could work together on their lines; by the end of the week they were both pretty much off the book, though they had to keep the script around to help out from time to time.

Meredith helped them where she could in preparing the roles, but there were times she couldn’t spend the time. In the free periods she not unexpectedly spent a lot of time with Janine. Often they went on walks down to the swimming hole, but how much swimming actually got done on those excursions was open to question.

With all they had to do, the final weekend of The Back Table came up quickly. Once again it seemed as if word had gotten around about the play, and on Saturday night they had the first sellout crowd they’d had since The Odd Couple. Fortunately, the play went off well, and that added a point of pride. Sunday’s crowd didn’t quite reach that mark, but it was a good, solid crowd despite the matinee timing and how unknown the play was.

Everyone felt good about how well the play had worked out. It had seemed like a bit of an experiment to try out a totally unknown play by a totally unknown playwright, but it had worked better than expected, even though it wasn’t Fair Exchange, which Brett and Meredith had originally considered doing. The fact that Janine was enormously satisfied to have seen the premiere showing of her creation just added to the good feelings that were going around.

As soon as the matinee performance of The Back Table was concluded, the four of them got into Kellye’s car once again to take Janine to the airport. Brett had noticed that in the past week that Meredith and Janine were as close as ever, although they didn’t seem quite as outwardly emotional about it. Maybe that was for the good, he thought, but he still felt that the two were going to face a few tough times in getting their relationship ironed out. That didn’t keep the two from cuddling in the back seat all the way to the airport, and from having a deep, heartfelt kiss once they got there.

At the airport, Brett got out to get Janine’s luggage from the trunk as she broke away from Meredith and got out of the car. “Janine,” he said. “It’s been good to know you, and while I don’t know when I’m going to see you again, I hope we’ll be able to do it someday. I want you to take care of Meredith for me and be patient with her.”

“I’ll t-try,” she promised. “I r-realize th-there are t-times when it’s n-not going to b-be easy.”

“If she ever gets too hard to handle, give me a call and I’ll try to reason with her for you,” he smiled. “You take care of yourself, and we’ll send Meredith on her way as soon as she’s done here.”

“You t-take c-care of her for m-me, t-too,” she smiled.

“Kellye and I will do our best,” he smiled. “You should be seeing her in a little more than a couple of weeks.”

“I’m l-looking f-forward t-to it.”

It was still a little while before Janine disappeared into the airport. Brett got back into the car, fastened his seat belt, and pulled away from the curb. “Well, that’s that,” he said. “I don’t know when Kellye and I will be seeing her again, but she was nice to have around while it lasted.”

“I’m still going to miss her,” Meredith said from the back seat. “At least I know it’s not going to be forever before I see her again. I can make it for two and a half weeks or so.”

On Monday they tore down the set for Back Table, such as it was; that part didn’t take long. Setting up the set for Grace was considerably more complicated, since it was the inside of an apartment and had to be detailed more than the sets for Back Table and Plastic Sandwich. A large part of it was recycled from the set of The Odd Couple, the same set would be rearranged and redressed for Barefoot in the Park. It was a chore that took them much of the day; while Brett and Kellye worked on their lines, with Meredith prompting them.

It was something of a relief to be able to move the rehearsals for Grace onto the actual stage, and it only took a bit of rearranging to be able to use the stage for the Barefoot rehearsals as well, which helped to speed things along. By now Kellye and Brett were totally off the book as far as their lines were concerned; in spite of the huge number of them, both had the talent to pick them up relatively quickly, which helped a lot. But the theater wasn’t the only place they worked on their lines; sometimes they did them at the house, and sometimes even in bed.

Though preparations for both plays were progressing rapidly, it was still obvious that Meredith was anxious to have Grace over with – as soon as she was done, she’d be free to get in her car to head for New York and Janine. She was clearly antsy about getting on with the next phase in her life, and while Brett still had his doubts, that didn’t keep him from wishing her well.

On the Wednesday night before the dress rehearsal of Grace, Mike showed up with an interesting bit of news. “Hey, Brett,” he said. “Would you be interested in a job?”

“It’s not impossible, but it would depend on what it is. I’m not interested in milking if I don’t have to.”

“I know of some guys who wouldn’t mind having a substitute milker they could call on,” Mike laughed. “But I was talking to the superintendent of the high school over at Oxford this afternoon. He was trying to talk me into coming out of retirement to teach English over there, the drama class, and probably direct the school play as well. I told him I didn’t want to do it, but that I knew someone who might be interested.”

“This is a full time job, right?”

“It is. I hear they had some other candidates who could handle the English part of it all right but they fell a little short on the drama aspect.”

“Yeah, I’d be interested in it,” Brett agreed. “It would solve a few problems for me. Who do I talk to?”

“The super, ten in the morning. I’m not saying it’s a done deal because it isn’t. They’re going through their applications again to see if they can come up with someone else, or maybe shuffle classes around a little bit to cover the drama part of the deal. I don’t know of anyone on the staff who’s capable of handling it, but then I’ve been out of there for a few years and I don’t know everyone on the staff anymore.”

“It sounds like a no-brainer to me, and I’d better go over and see about it,” Brett replied. “It would cause a few problems, like it would be a hell of a long way over to Greenville from there, but Kellye and I could manage it for one winter.”

“Go for it, Brett,” Kellye put in. “It would solve a lot of concerns about you having something stable.”

That night after the rehearsal, Brett and Kellye spent some time in bed talking quietly about the idea. “I’ve been thinking about it,” she said. “If you get that job, and it turns out that Marty doesn’t want to do the dinner theater another year, maybe there’s the potential to do something else around here. I can’t believe that a little theater without bothering with dinner wouldn’t go over well in the summer months in Coopersport.”

“That thought crossed my mind, too,” he agreed. “It might work out, but it would involve my being in the area and a few other things. I guess all I can do is go over and put in my application and see what happens.”

“It would be nice if it worked out.”

“Sure it would, but I’ll tell you that I’ve put in a lot of teaching applications, and they’ve all fallen as flat as cow crap on a concrete floor, so don’t hold your breath.”

The next day Brett got in his van and drove over to Oxford for the appointment. He filled out an application, put in a résumé, and had a nice talk with the superintendent, who had made it to a couple of the shows at Curlew Creek. He said he’d enjoyed the shows, even Hermit. However, he didn’t hold out a great degree of hope for Brett actually getting the job; the school was considering a number of options, and bringing him in was only one of them.

Brett headed back to Curlew Creek with little optimism. It would be a good deal if it worked out, but the odds were strongly in favor of substitute milking and substitute teaching around home for yet another winter. He wasn’t looking forward to it in the slightest, but didn’t see any alternative on the horizon, either. By spring – well, who knew what would happen by spring? At least if his relationship with Kellye didn’t run aground from separation over the winter, then there was the possibility of his life improving once they managed to move in together once and for all.

That night they had the dress rehearsal for Grace. In spite of all the work that had gone into Barefoot in the Park over the last few days, they’d been working on the current play, too. Meredith had the part of Grace down about as well as could be managed, not that it was any surprise, and it looked like the last show that Brett and Meredith would likely ever do together would be a good one.

The opening was the next night. Actual sales were a little flat, probably as a result of the confusion with the TV series, but it was a decent crowd, and Brett got the impression from Marty that the evening would come out in the black, which was all he could have hoped for. Marty still seemed pleased about the way the whole season had gone, and once again hinted of plans for another summer, but nothing substantive was said. All Brett could figure was that Marty still hadn’t made his mind up yet, but there was no way of telling for sure.

The rest of the weekend went a little better, though neither of the days approached an actual sellout. The heck of it was that the play was actually one of the funnier ones of the season, and at one time Brett had held great hopes for it. Maybe, he thought, if another year really does happen it would be possible to avoid making that mistake again.

There was one more week of Grace to go, now; more and more they were starting to look past it, Meredith at getting to New York to be with her lover and hopefully start a new career. Brett and Kellye were looking forward to the challenge of Barefoot – and the loneliness and bleakness that would follow the ending of the season. It was not something either of them really wanted to contemplate.

Meredith had been desultorily sorting through her clothes and belongings ever since the decision to move to New York had been made, but now she was packing them and even loading them in her car in preparation for a quick getaway as soon as Grace was over with. With the days dwindling down, she seemed happier and more animated; Brett and Kellye couldn’t blame her, though both agreed that things were not going to be the same after she left.

The second weekend of Grace went about as well as could be expected; the audience was up a little bit from the previous weekend. Once again Brett figured that a few people from the weekend before must have told their friends about how funny the play really was – there was nothing else he thought could account for it.

Meredith seemed as if she were on a high all through the Sunday matinee performance of the play – not that she muffed anything, because she didn’t. She was her normal, professional self, but Brett could tell that she was as up as he’d ever seen her. The moment she’d been waiting for had come; she was going to be done with her summer-long commitment to the Curlew Creek Theater, and she was looking forward to being on her way.

Meredith actually didn’t get right on the road that evening – it was a long drive, and she was tired, so Brett managed to talk her into getting a good rest and getting on the road in the morning. She was really anxious to get going, but at least she realized he was talking good sense. They spent the last evening sitting around the house, but it felt a bit melancholic to everyone. They had all become good friends over the summer; of course, Brett had enjoyed – or perhaps endured – a long relationship with Meredith, and he had considerable respect for her skills. Now it seemed likely that they would never work together again, and it might be a long time before they even saw each other.

Morning came all too soon. Meredith, usually not the earliest of risers, was up with the sun, ready to get on the road. While it was also early for both Brett and Kellye, they knew they had to get up to see her off. Kellye made an extra pot of coffee along with breakfast, so Meredith could have some in a thermos, and then it was time to say goodbye.

“I’m going to miss you two,” Meredith told them as they walked her out to her car. “I mean, I really am. This seemed like a real good deal when Brett worked it out, and it was. It’s been a great summer and the two of you have been great friends. But ever since Janine came along, I’ve felt like this isn’t the place I wanted to be, so I’m happy to be getting out of here.”

“I can’t blame you,” Brett said. “It’s been an interesting summer and you were a big part in making it interesting and successful. I know we’ve all worked our asses off, but it’s been an enjoyable way to do it. I really appreciate your giving me your best, and I know it’s been hard for you this last couple of weeks. But you hung in there and gave it your best, and that shows just what kind of a trouper you are.”

“It hasn’t been easy,” Meredith replied as she stood by her car door, waiting to get in; the car was loaded, although nowhere near as high as it had been when the two of them had moved in back in April. “I’ve really wanted to get out of here but I felt like I owed it to you to do the best I could for you.”

“I’m glad you did,” he told her. “Look, I don’t know if we’re going to be here next summer or not, but if we are and everything goes to hell for you, I think we’ll be able to find a place for you.”

“I hope I don’t have to come back,” she conceded, “but it’s been good working with the two of you, and maybe we can again someday. I’m glad I played a part in putting the two of you together. You make a good couple, and I think it’s going to work out well for you. I’m just sorry I won’t be here to see it. Keep in touch, you guys.”

“We will,” Brett promised. “Take it easy and don’t drive too fast. Janine will still be there when you get there.”

“I hope so,” she sighed. “I’ll feel a lot better when I’m back with her. I’d better get on the road.”

There wasn’t much that Brett and Kellye could do but stand side by side, holding onto each other, as Meredith started her car, turned it around, drove out onto the road, and disappeared from sight.

“Well, here’s hoping,” Brett sighed.

“Yeah, me too,” she agreed. “We might as well get our acts together, then go over and re-dress the set for Barefoot.”

It seemed strange to be working on the play without Meredith present. Since she had no part in the play, she’d more or less been directing it ever since serious work had started on it almost three weeks before. Some of the directions and interpretations had her fingerprints all over them, and now with her gone it seemed as if they were missing something. In any case, she’d left them in good shape, and now there wasn’t much to do but put their finishing touches on it.

That week seemed a little strange, with nothing much to do. Because of David and Lu’s involvement, the final rehearsals had to be deferred to the evenings – and now, for the first time all season, there wasn’t another play in the works to be learned and practiced in their spare time. Brett and Kellye continued to work on their parts together during the day, but there were times it seemed to be overdoing it. The weather had cooled off now from the oppressive heat of July, but there were several days that going out to the swimming hole seemed like the best thing to do. There wouldn’t be much more of that, either, and they knew it; with Meredith gone and the last play of the season in progress, it seemed like much was coming to an end, and the future didn’t appear as if it was going to be as interesting.

Summer was almost gone, and the oncoming winter loomed ever nearer.

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