I drove over to Charlie’s Truck Stop this past week to pick up a few things and to see how the local philosophers are getting on. I parked off to the side of the store away from the gas pumps so Jake would not come bubbling out the front to ask if I need gas. I had filled up a couple days before at a quick stop when I was in Corinth and my tank was still mostly full. It felt good walking into the cool interior of Charlie’s after the hot weather outside. Jake was over by the canned goods stocking shelves. He looked up and waved as I came through the door. “Beginning to warm up out there,” he said as I walked over. “Gonna be summer before long,” I replied. We exchanged a few pleasantries and I noticed Bob Havershold and his daughter, Cheriee, over by the pot belly stove along with Bob’s wife, Gracie. The Reverend Johnson was there as was Willard Smith. They were all listening to Cheriee as she talked excitedly. I decided to wander over to see what was going on.

Bob was sitting on an old nail keg and he stood up as I approached. He stuck out his hand like he always does. The Reverend Johnson nodded in my direction and Willard asked if it was hot enough for me. I joked that I could stand another couple degrees before I felt comfortable putting my long johns away for the summer. It suddenly came into my head that it seemed early in the afternoon for Willard to be off work. It was about three-thirty on a week day and Willard has a day job over in Savannah. I asked if Willard was taking a vacation day to enjoy the nice balmy weather we were getting and he replied the factory where he works had shut down early because of the heat and had sent everyone home. It was just too hot to work. Willard laughed.

“So ya know what happened?” he asked. “I heard the people laughing and talking as we went to our cars. Some of the men were planning to grab their boats and head for the lake to do a little fishing and a couple of the women were going to put on their swim wear and lay out in the sun to work on their tans. It gets me! It’s too hot to work, but not too hot to sit in the sun and fish or too hot to bake yourself black. Sometimes I just can’t figure people.”

I turned to Gracie who was looking just as cool and pretty as she always does and asked how she was getting on. I have not seen her in several weeks. It seems she and Cheriee have been passing most of their time at the community theatre in Corinth where the local production of West Side Story is in rehearsal. Cheriee was bitten hard by the acting bug several weeks back and has started making the theatre her second home. Bob had told me his daughter had her heart set on getting the part of Maria or, maybe, Anita in the West Side Story production, but he later told me that did not quite work out. It happened that older girls were cast for those parts. But it developed that Cheriee was not so disappointed as Bob thought she might be. She understood those roles had to be played by girls just a bit older and seemed delighted to get a part in the chorus. His daughter explained to Bob that being in a play is hard work and she needs to work her way up so that, by the time a part comes along that is right for her, she will be able to handle it in a professional manner. In the meantime, Cheriee has been at the theatre most nights to help out or to just watch rehearsal. She says she learns a lot by watching.

Cheriee was telling about the young woman who is doing the choreography for the fight scenes. There are two persons doing the choreography, one for the dance routines and another doing the fight scenes. Both are important. The dancing has to look good and everyone needs to know exactly what position they should be in as the dance progresses. The fights need to look real, as though the actors are really going after each other, but movements need to be done so that nothing is really dangerous or that no one actually gets hurt. Setting up the movement for such a scene requires considerable skill and knowledge. Cheriee has become fascinated by the fight choreography lady. It seems this young lady first came to the theatre when she was very young, something like three years old, and asked if she could help out. She has been there for most productions since and, though Cheriee does not know her present age, she appears to be about twenty years of age now. She has theatre in her blood. Aside from theatre work, the young lady has taken dance lessons from local teachers most of her life and is planning to start college this next year. Cheriee says the young lady has ambition to go to New York City and dance professionally. It is because of this young lady that Cheriee has expressed an interest in taking dance lessons herself. Gracie says her daughter has developed a severe case of hero worship and wants to follow in the young lady's footsteps.

Gracie thinks her daughter could do worse. She has talked with the young lady at the theatre and is impressed with her character and dedication. Everyone needs someone to admire and look up to, someone to inspire them and be a role model. Gracie believes Cheriee has made a good choice. Bob has made arrangements for Cheriee to begin dance lessons of her own after West Side Story has the final performance. He doesn’t know how long his child will continue her interest in theatre and dancing. It might be something she will outgrow in a few weeks or a few years or it might be an interest that will lead to a career for the whole of her life. There is no way to know and only Cheriee can make the final decision, but Bob and Gracie are going to give their daughter every encouragement they can. Who knows. They may be making a trip to New York City one of these years in the not too distant future to watch their little girl all grown up and dancing at the Radio City Music Hall or on stage in a Broadway play and they will remember it all started because of a young lady doing the choreography for a small town production of West Side Story.

I told Bob I had to go and picked up the few things I had come for and paid Jake. It was still hot outside.

END