Image by JayMantri from Pixabay
The whole idea that anyone might go to sleep in the middle of the afternoon when a great scene of an opera was going to be presented open-air seems ridiculous, but while afternoon naps were set aside for the little Trents and Ludlows, the fact that attention was settled outside might have provided opportunity for some of the Trent adults and perhaps Mrs. Ludlow, except …
“Melvin – you gotta come see what they are doing with these green screens!” nine-year-old Milton said as he came and dragged his 21-year-old brother clear out of the house. “Team No-Sleep has got to get one of these – imagine your beats, and me dancing on one with anything in the background we can program!”
“Grandma,” eight-year-old Edwina was saying at the same time to her grandmother Mrs. Ludlow, “we gotta get Capt. Maynor to let Papa keep the screen, because we can travel to all the fashionable places in the world we can't get to right now with it, and I can be the travel hostess.”
“I still have to get our dinner together, dear,” Mrs. Ludlow said.
“How can you think of food at a time like this?” Edwina said.
“I have to think of food so that when you stomach starts thinking of food, your stomach will be happy,” Mrs. Ludlow said. “Besides, this evening is special. Remember that when your grandfather finishes his role and returns to heaven in the opera, this is where he is coming, so it has to look, smell, and taste right.”
Edwina considered this.
“So, you're saying this is the ultimate destination for right now?”
“And we don't even need a green screen, Edwina.”
Edwina thought about this, and smiled.
“I love it here, so, OK – can I help?”
“Sure! Go wash up, and tell all of the rest they can come help too.”
Mrs. Ludlow never knew who would show up in the kitchen when she made such an invitation, but however many it was, it was another child not underfoot and in the way as preparations proceeded outside.
Meanwhile, some people were dedicated to finding out all they could …
“Oh, okay,” six-year-old Grayson said with his little hard hat on, standing by similarly attired five-year-old Lil' Robert Ludlow. “It's like Lego cables, but for bigger things.”
“Yep,” Capt. Maynor said, smiling at the baby grandsons of one of his closest friends. “Want to see how we hook them up?”
“Yes,” Grayson and Lil' Robert said together, and were instantly joined by Milton and Gracie Trent who also wanted to see.
Meanwhile, George Ludlow was running back and forth, listening to the singers do their warm-ups on different parts of the cul-de-sac.
“Papa is still winning,” he announced to everybody in particular, “but these other guys can sing too!”
“But who told you it was a contest?” eleven-year-old Velma Trent said. “It sounds to me like they are harmonizing.”
Sure enough, George stopped and really listened, and realized...
“Oh, wait,” he said, and sat down in an acoustical sweet spot. “They are singing to each other while warming up, like big bass birds!”
“Yep,” Velma said. “They are making big chords, with your Papa at the bottom, Lt. Catalano in the middle, and Lt. Truss at the top, although they take turns doing high and middle stuff because really, no one is as low as your papa.”
Meanwhile, Edwina had convinced seven-year-old Amanda to come work on “heavenly food for the Commendatore's celebration, because you know how he says 'he who dines on the food of Heaven has no need for the food of mortals.' See, we gotta be on point over here.”
“I don't think that's exactly what that means,” eleven-year-old Eleanor said as she picked up a copy of the Don Giovanni libretto translated into English, “but, it's a special evening anyway, so, oh well.”
“We were going to help anyway,” ten-year-old Andrew said, “so, we might as well get started early so Grandma can come out and watch Papa sing too.”
No napping on this day … too much to do and see and hear and learn …