Page 30 of Ex in the City
‘Were you thinking of something else?’ Jo asks me curiously.
‘No, not at all,’ I insist, reminding myself to keep my head down moving on.
Jo thinks for a moment.
‘I suppose we do have quite a lot of black-tie dinners,’ Jo says. ‘But what’s the alternative? And could we make the changes in time?’
I contemplate whether or not it’s worth speaking up, reminding myself that I won’t be around for any more of thesefundraisers. I don’t need to get involved; I just need to endure it. But my better instincts take over, and…
‘I guess we could do something more fun,’ I suggest. ‘But add it on to what we’ve already got planned, of course. Like… perhaps we could give the event a theme? Whatever it is, I know Dylan would love to be there.’
‘A theme?’ Rebecca replies with a look on her face that makes it seem like even the words taste bad in her mouth.
‘The theme could be “celebrity”,’ I suggest, my courage and enthusiasm building with every word. ‘Everyone could come dressed up as someone famous, we could lay out a red carpet, have fake paparazzi shooting photos as everyone arrives.’
‘I hate it,’ Rebecca says. ‘I hate it so much.’
Jo, on the other hand, is smiling from ear to ear.
‘Well, I love it,’ she says.
‘Me too,’ John chimes in. ‘It would be good to do something actually fun for a change. I’m sure more people would get involved too.’
Several other parents voice their support for the idea, and I can’t help but smile, even though Rebecca’s expression could spoil milk. The chances that there won’t be consequences for this are slim.
‘Hello,’ Dylan says as he saunters in to join us.
Jo practically trips over herself as she rushes to him, guiding him to a seat, her arm wrapped around him.
‘Hello, Dylan, come sit down,’ she says. ‘Can I make you a cup of tea?’
‘That would be lovely,’ Dylan replies, fully embracing the spirit of the occasion.
‘So, how did it go?’ Jo asks, cutting to the chase. ‘Are they musically salvageable?’
‘Yes, and no,’ Dylan replies.
Jo is clearly intrigued.
‘Oh?’ she says simply, from the edge of her seat.
‘So, the kids are excited about the musical,’ Dylan tells the group. ‘Just not this one.’
‘What’s wrong withJoseph?’ Rebecca asks, in there like a flash, pissed off already.
I can’t help but wonder if her reaction would be as intense if I hadn’t already whipped her up.
‘Nothing is wrong withJoseph,’ Dylan replies. ‘Josephis great. But you’ve got a great group of kids in there, a good split of boys and girls, and they want to have fun.Josephjust doesn’t have enough roles to give the girls their time to shine. Plus, it sounds like they’ve done it before, so they’re all a bit bored of it.’
‘So, what do you suggest?’ Jo asks him.
‘Bugsy Malone,’ Dylan says with an optimistic smile. ‘Great roles for both the boys and the girls, a varied ensemble cast, lots of fun songs – I was in it, when I was at school, and it’s just such a blast.’
Rebecca immediately dismisses Dylan’s suggestion by chopping her hand through the air.
‘Absolutely not,’ she says firmly.
‘Why not?’ I ask.
