Free O' for the love of Shakespeare by Brooke St Pier

 Almost
forgotten.
    “I nearly forgot to say your mum has called me
like a hundred times regarding flower arrangements.  Apparently your dad has
some really good contacts from the funeral business?”  Ooops.
    “Yes sorry about that, I thought I better let
her know before she found out through word of mouth from someone else.  You
don’t mind do you?”
    “No of course not, if I hadn’t heard from her I
was going to call her today anyway to let her know.  It’s just she’s just a
little,” she pauses, I know she is trying to find the right word to describe mum,
“much.”
    “I’ll talk to her, tell her to calm down a
little.”
    “Thank you, speaking of wedding bells, I’ve
been speaking to Oliver about men that he knows.”  We are back to Vic acting as
pimp for me.  “There is someone who from the sound of it would be perfect for you,
he’s a little younger than us, by a couple of years, but he loves the theatre,
reading and going out for nice dinners.  Oliver says he is a really good guy
and ended a serious relationship a couple of months back, so is starting to
look to date again.”
    “When you say he loves the theatre do you mean
panto?”  Vic laughs.
    “No no silly, proper boring stuff like you
like.”  Wow thanks Vic.  “Well what do you think?”  I don’t have any better
offers and you never know - maybe he won’t be so bad.
    “OK sure, but just to meet up for a drink?  I
don’t want to have to sit through a whole meal if I get there and he’s… you
know.”
    “Sure whatever you say.  I’ll ask Oliver to get
his number for you.  Oh it’s all so exciting!”
    “Yes you can say that because you are all smug,
happy and engaged.  When you say exciting I just think awkward and
embarrassing.”
    “You just need to get back out there, you’re
just a bit rusty where you haven’t seen anyone for a bit.  Send me a text later
to let me know what you have ended up doing today.  Oh actually I have an idea,
your task for today is to pluck up the courage to do something you have never
done before.  I don’t care what it is, just so long as you haven’t done it
before.  Deal?”  I love Vic always trying to push my boundaries.
    “OK deal and send me a photo of the iceberg
when you have it.  Love you.”
    “Love you too, oh and Janey I know I don’t even
need to tell you this but you are the Maid of Honour.  Now go do something
exciting, bye.”  Maid of Honour.  Where have the years gone that Vic is now
getting married and I am Maid of Honour?  It feels like five minutes ago we
were fresh faced Graduates.
    In serious need of a coffee, I decide to walk
back across the park to the café at the theatre again.  I really should venture
further than just the theatre.  Waiting in the queue for my caffeine fix, I
hear a man asking for a caramel cappuccino and I try to work out why his voice
sounds so familiar.  From behind he doesn’t look like anyone I know, although
he looks like someone I would like to know.   I must be getting him mixed up
with someone from my buried subconscious but as he pays he turns slightly so I
can see the side of his face.  It is Cassio.  Sexy, gorgeous Cassio from last
night’s performance of Othello .

 
    Act II Scene I
     
    ‘Romeo Romeo wherefore
art thou Romeo?’  Romeo and Juliet
     
    Why am I blushing?  This must be what normal
people feel like when they meet a Hollywood actor.  For me though being in the
presence of a Shakespearean actor, a real Shakespearean actor, is just birthdays,
Christmases, best sex ever all rolled in to one. 
    He takes his coffee and walks over to a table
in the corner of the café.  I’m up next so order a skinny Latte but the whole
time that I’m waiting for my order I watch him.  He opens a newspaper on the
table, he leans across looking down at an article running his hand through his
slightly too long blonde hair.  His forehead is creased in concentration at
what he is reading.  I bet it is