The Queen and I (20 page)

Chapter Thirty-Two: Love and Mishegas

Rachel was just what Jeffrey needed in regards to his work. With her at the cabin, he found a renewed vigor and zeal for writing that had been sorely missing. He was not, as of yet, writing the actual play that he hoped would perpetuate the fall of Heinrich Schultz and Mendel Fujikawa, but he was working diligently on outlines for new works that he hoped would one day breathe life on Broadway.

He was excited to have these feelings return and the insight into that part of his being that grew the productive imagination that spurned on so many works of brilliance. With her around he felt alive again, and it was wonderful. This was why he had asked her to join him in the first place, and this was what he had hoped for when he came to the small town of Zion.

His only problem was Saul.

Saul was showing himself to Jeffrey less and less, and Jeffrey was certain of the fact that the ghost was just not around as much as he was when he had first moved in. He believed that Saul was visiting with the young Foreman girl and helping her with her acting technique, choosing to stay away from Rachel if at all possible. For a ghost who was very outgoing and eager to make friends, Saul was proving to be a bit of a prude when it came to Jeffrey’s girlfriend, and he could not explain why. The only thing that Jeffrey was sure of was that he needed Saul’s help with certain particulars about the play once he started writing it, and this part-time relationship was not working for him.

Jeffrey smiled when he thought about that realization. The fact that he knew he needed help writing a play was something he would never have admitted in his past life. He wasn’t quite sure what to think about it at this point either, but it was not as foreign a feeling as he thought it would be, and he actually took some comfort in the knowledge that he had Saul to help when the time arrived.

But not knowing where Saul was each day at any given time was beginning to prove to be a problem, and Jeffrey was not sure how to handle it. He knew for a fact that he should not tell Rachel about the existence of the ghost, but at the same time he needed to get work done, and that meant speaking to Saul. If Rachel were around, it would prove to be uncomfortable, to say the least, if she were not allowed to see him.

He found Rachel on the back porch one early morning after she had arrived and told her that he needed to run into Zion for a few errands and that he needed to do it alone. He told her that it was regarding a source he was studying for the play and the subject in question was shy and standoffish; it was better for him to go alone.

She agreed without any question and said that she just wanted to hang around the cabin and do some reading and maybe prepare a surprise for him when he got home. He understood the inference and that pleased him, as they had not been intimate with each other in the three days she had been in the cabin. She appeared to be carrying a burden she did not want to talk about, and he felt it better to let it run its course, knowing she would share any concerns with him when the time was right.

Driving into Zion, he noticed the citizens were decorating the town in the blue and white colors of Israel for some kind of festival. It looked as if they were getting ready for a parade and other kinds of festivities that he could only imagine. The one thing that he had learned about his new neighbors thus far was that their zeal for all things Jewish was only surpassed by their complete and total lack of understanding of what each holiday was supposed to represent and how to conduct themselves in a manner befitting an orthodox Jew.

They were harmless enough, but Jeffrey often wondered what would happen to their small community if the tabloids ever caught wind of them. In this politically correct society that he lived in, he suspected that their choice of lifestyle would be met with scorn and accusations of anti-Semitism and race baiting. He hoped the town would somehow remain in anonymity, as he was growing quite fond of this quaint little place and really appreciated that they were not interested in anything else other than living life to the fullest and making each other as happy as they wished to be.

He knew this had to be the reason why Saul had chosen Zion to live in when he obviously could have gone anywhere in his capacity as a ghost. But it must have been the charms of Zion that kept him there.

Jeffrey thought about where Saul and Melissa could be while driving into town and settled on the old community theater that Saul had told him about. It made the most sense, after all. Melissa was an aspiring actress, Saul was only too eager to help those with the craft who were hungry for stardom, and at this time of the day the theater would most likely be empty.

He passed Sheriff Pitts as he drove down a street that had been renamed Gribenes, and waved politely. He saw the sheriff stop in the middle of the street and watch as he kept driving. He spied out Abby Tisch speaking with the odd Sean Wagner fellow who had accosted him only a couple of weeks earlier, and remarked to himself at what a fitting couple they were.

The more he thought about it, the more he was beginning to think that the way he was going about things regarding the play was all wrong. Perhaps he should be looking no further than his own neighbors, who provided a wealth of material without even trying to. He watched as the mayor, a very nice man by the name of Baker, tipped his yarmulke to him, and he had to laugh at the innocence and cluelessness that every person in the town showed. They were harmless, and even more important, they were hilarious.

Jeffrey was getting that feeling in the pit of his stomach that came whenever he knew he was on to something, and that excited him. This town was what he had needed, and it was telling him what he needed to hear. He did not need to seek his revenge by being malicious; he only needed to rely on his talents to do the job for him. The hard part, the part that called for creativity, was being handed to him on a platter, and he knew he had to seize this gift before it evaporated into nothingness.

He pulled into an empty spot in front of the theater and could tell by the ten-speed bicycle parked along the side of the building that the young Foreman girl was here, which meant Saul must not be too far off.
The sessions the two of them must have shared alone would be enough material for three plays,
Jeffrey thought. The image he painted in his head of the drag queen ghost and the innocent, orthodox Jewish girl made him laugh out loud, and he momentarily worried that someone would hear him and think he was going insane.

Inside, the theater was exactly what he expected it to be. A trip down nostalgia’s road with posters of classic films, Broadway shows, and acting royalty decorated its modest hall. There was an antique vending counter with an old-fashioned popcorn machine, and the railings and counters were all polished mahogany. It was quaint and charming, and Jeffrey fell in love with it almost immediately. He thought back to his early days as a playwright and thought that this was the kind of place he had forgotten about, the kind of place where he had gotten his start, and the same place where he had planted his roots. He had forgotten what it was like to be back in a theater like this.

He heard voices coming from the main auditorium, and proceeded in quietly so as not to disturb Saul and the young Melissa as they worked. The two of them were on the stage, and they had turned the spotlight on for effect. Saul was obviously teaching her about the value of the dramatic entrance in this session, because he was wearing an elegant evening gown and had his hair done up in a manner not unlike a woman of the roaring twenties. He kept stepping in and out from the shadows and was telling her each time that the key was to look as if you had been there before and that it was the audience’s job to take notice of her grandeur. It was good advice, and Jeffrey found himself wishing that he had had Saul to help give lessons to some of his actors. He could just picture Saul and Yvonne working together.

Melissa mimicked Saul’s movements perfectly, and Jeffrey began applauding to alert them to his presence in the theater. She smiled, but Saul scowled as he approached.

“That was wonderful, Melissa,” Jeffrey said. “Saul is a very good teacher.”

Melissa smiled ear to ear and asked, “Do you really think so? Was I good?”

“Lauren Bacall would have been jealous,” Jeffrey answered.

“Blasphemy!” Saul spat. “She was good, but she’s not there yet.”

“Oh, bologna. Don’t listen to him, Melissa; you were sensational.”

Saul bent over and adjusted a stocking when he continued, “To what do we owe this pleasure? I trust that your lady friend did not join you?”

Jeffrey could hear the contempt in Saul’s voice and ignored it; he did not need to be dragged into the middle of another argument between Rachel and someone in his life. “I wanted to stop by to tell you that I need you back at the cabin, because I think I’ve figured out what we’re going to write about.”

Saul looked at him suspiciously while Melissa looked at Saul with unbridled excitement at the prospect of her friend getting to work on an actual script for a Broadway play. “Is it still that dreck about revenge and burying your enemies?”

Jeffrey smiled and said, “Not at all. It was inspired by you and young Melissa here and the entire town of Zion.”

The ghost and the girl exchanged glances and looked back at Jeffrey.

He smiled at their confusion and continued, “I’m going to write about Zion. I’m going to use this town as my muse, and the two of you are going to have major roles to play in the process.”

Melissa’s eyes went wide and she turned to Saul, who was equally stunned by this announcement, and she asked Jeffrey, “Does that mean you want me to be in your play?”

Jeffrey leaned in close and whispered to her, “It does.”

She screamed without restraint and leapt into his arms, hugging him so tight that he thought she might snap his neck. Saul leaned over and kissed Jeffrey on the cheek. He began singing, “To Life,
lechaim
!” dancing as if he were Tevye himself.

Jeffrey smiled at the happiness his announcement had brought to his new friends, and the thoughts of seeking his vindictive revenge quickly moved farther away from his subconscious. Now the only thing he wanted was to get back to real work for the first time in months.

He told Saul to see to it that Melissa got home safely, as it was getting dark, and then to do some research of his own in the town for a good place to start the story. It was going to take a total collaboration on their part to bring this work to life, and Jeffrey needed Saul as much as he had ever needed anyone in his life.

Jeffrey left the two of them alone to celebrate some more, and went to his car to head home to Rachel and to share the good news with her. This was an exciting conclusion he had come to, and he wanted to share it with her as soon as possible.

* * *

Jeffrey and Rachel were in the embrace of passion, their bodies meeting as one, the two of them experiencing the other for the first time in almost a month. They were exploring each other as if it was the first time, and it felt new and familiar at the same time. He cupped her breasts, and the two of them kissed long and hard. They struggled to find one another in the half-light of the moon cascading through the bedroom window as they rolled over and over in a battle for dominance.

She achieved her victory by assuming the top position, and it was not long before she was guiding him inside of her, the two of them becoming one, their hearts beating in unison. Jeffrey marveled at her perfect form in the blue light of the moon and wondered how he had gotten so lucky to have a woman like her in his life.

“Jeffrey! Jeffrey! I have a wonderful idea for how to start the script.”

Saul came bursting into the room invisible, and only Jeffrey could hear him. It scared the shit out of Jeffrey, but Rachel was ignorant to his arrival.

“Jesus Christ!” Jeffrey yelled, and Rachel screamed in agreement. “Get the fuck out of here!”

“What?” Rachel yelled in surprise.

“Not you, you!” Jeffrey yelled at Saul.

“But this is important!” Saul answered back, ignoring Rachel, who was sitting naked in front of him.

“What the hell are you talking about, Jeffrey?” she asked angrily.

“Can you please just get the fuck out?” he screamed at Saul.

“It’s not like I haven’t seen two people
shtooping
before,” Saul reasoned.

Rachel climbed off of Jeffrey and covered herself with a sheet. “What is your problem?” she asked.

“It’s not you, it’s him.” He pointed to Saul, but knew she saw nothing.

“Him who?” she asked.

“What did I do?” Saul continued.

Jeffrey got up from the bed and pulled on a pair of shorts. He turned to Saul, with his back to Rachel, and said, “You have to get out now. We can talk in the morning.”

“Who are you talking to?” Rachel asked.

“Saul Milick,” Jeffrey answered her, brushing off any further inquiries.

“How could you tell her my name?” Saul asked, betrayed.

Jeffrey turned and said, “I meant to say, Esther Feltcher.”

“Thank you.”

“There’s nobody here, Jeffrey,” Rachel hollered in response. “Are you losing it?”

“Oy vey, she’s pushy this one,” Saul added.

Jeffrey turned to the ghost and asked, “Why are you dressed like you just stepped out of
Hello Dolly
?”

“Who is dressed like they were in
Hello Dolly
?” Rachel asked, exasperated.

“These happen to be my writing clothes,” Saul announced defiantly.

“Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on around here, and who the fuck is dressed like
Hello Dolly
?” Rachel screamed.

Saul looked at her and said to Jeffrey, “You know, this one might be like one of those preying bugs. I might have done you a favor.”

Jeffrey looked confused at Saul, and Rachel continued, “Can you please tell me what the hell is happening?”

Jeffrey answered, “I was having a nightmare.”