CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP!
I woke up feeling like I had just spent two days in a vivid dream of faery tale castles with a love hang-over. I sat up on the edge of the bed trying to get my mind back into work mode. This was going to be a big week of fitting all the pieces together and finding out what did and didn't fit.
I showered and ended up following the tea cart into the shop, with the smell of cinnamon and coffee filling my head with thoughts of home. I hadn't been there in over a year and part of me missed the familiar and habitual life I had back there.
I helped my self to a massive hot cinnamon roll and a steaming cup of coffee and sat at the shop desk. I could hear Max somewhere behind all the scenic units checking measurements and the details of the finish work. He came around the corner of the stage right unit growling and shuffled across the shop and sat behind his desk.
"I need you to touch up the SR unit," he said. "The attachment points are off and it's going to make headaches when we move on stage."
"Are we moving the SL unit this morning?" I asked.
"I need to check with the painters, but I think we can get that unit set up and test the table rotation clearance."
Tomash walked in and headed straight for the tea cart. Kurt came in behind him and Max looked at him with piercing eyes.
"You and Rex need to fix the attachments points on your unit before we move it to the paint area."
Kurt nodded and looked at me for agreement. I gave him the thumb's up and went back to my roll and coffee.
When Max blew the whistle, Kurt and I pulled out the drawings and checked all the measurements. Three of the eight hinges were up to a half-inch off, so we pulled the hardware, remeasured and reattached the hinges. When we had finished up, Max called everyone to the paint shop.
"Alright, we're ready to move this unit to the stage," he announced. We will roll it to the SR wing, disassemble it and rebuild it on the SL table."
We all looked at the towering piece, assessing the best means to handle the job. Max positioned the carps around the unit and we pushed it out the shop door, across the dock and onto the stage. We paired off on the three wings while Max pulled the hinge pins. The wings came apart with crackling and popping, as the paint, glue and wood stretched and flexed.
Kurt and I laid our wing down and carried up on the rake and across to the SL table. Max followed us over and as we stood the panel up, he adjusted it until it dropped into the attachment points and he slammed bolts into the holes. The process was repeated two more times until the entire unit had been reassembled in place.
Bruno came out and got down on the deck to check the clearances under the panels. When he was satisfied that everything was aligned properly, he cleared the stage and went to the control panel set up near the stage manager's desk.
Bruno yelled, "Clear!" We all answered and he flipped the power switch. He turned the speed knob to it's lowest setting and started the rotation. After a couple of complete turns, Bruno stopped the rotation and called, "Check!"
We all moved in and checked to be sure that the unit wasn't dragging and that the attachment points were still tight. Everything looked good and Max called out, "Good!"
Bruno yelled, "Clear!" We all called out and he started rotating the unit again. Just then the director came in and watched the ongoing procedure. Bruno took the unit up to show speed and let it run for several minutes. He then powered down and flipped off the power.
We all moved in to check everything again and found that it all had worked as designed. We high-fived and the director looked pleased with the progress. Bruno thanked everyone and we moved back to the shop. We then rolled the center stage unit to the paint area and gathered at Max's desk before the lunch break.
After lunch, Max assigned all the carps to clean up duty while we waited on the paint shop. I drew the tool cage and spent the afternoon sorting hardware, inventorying tools and vacuuming up sawdust.
The last unit was rolled to the paint shop and the shop was given a thorough German cleaning. The drawings were collected and sorted, and the blades were removed from all the big saws for sharpening. By quitting time, we could have eaten off the shop floor
Max gave us a 09:00 call for the next day and we split up and headed out for the night, leaving the scene painters to their work.
When we came in the next day, the center unit was done and the SR unit was in process, and a pile of props had been stacked in the corner to be painted after the scenery.
We gathered around and slipped wagons under the center unit. It rolled easily over to the stage, where we repeated the process of mounting it. It went in even smoother than the first and we all went out and sat in the house for a few minutes to enjoy watching our handiwork in place. It was an amazing set and I couldn't wait to see it under full lighting.
By evening, the SR unit was ready and we rolled it over, disassembled it and prepared to mount it in place. In the years that I had worked in this business, I had learned a solid rule: for every set of technical items, there's always one that doesn't work. If there are four bolts, one is stripped. If there are ten screws, one will break. If there are 10 carpenters, one of them will cut his fingers off.
The SR unit was a mess. The hingers that locked it to the table were misaligned and one of the panels dragged on the deck, scraping the paint and making a mess. Max, in a fit of frustration, ended the shift and set an 08:00 call for the morning.
The next morning, we loaded OH BABY with tools and hardware and headed for the stage. We had left the unit in pieces on saw horses the night before, and Max assigned four carps to resetting all the hardware and trimming the bottom edges of each of the panels. He assigned Tomash and I to levelling the turn-table.
Tomash and I climed under the rake and spent a couple of hours shimming the gear unit and the caster ring so that the table sat just 3mm higher than the deck. It was a major pain in the ass, made worse by having to work lying on my back with barely enough space to work on the machinery. We adjusted and measured 20 times to get it just right. By the time we finished, we both stood there drenched in sweat, panting for breath and our arms limp and hurting.
Before Max would let us break for lunch, we had to have the unit mounted and functioning. With a little struggle, we got the unit mounted and Bruno and Max laid on the floor looking at clearances, and pushing and pulling on the panels to make sure they were solid. After 30 minutes, Bruno finally called "clear" and powered up the control desk.
He started rotating the units at the lowest setting, while we all held our breath praying it ran smoothly. After two full rotations, Bruno slowly sped up the rotation until it reached show speed. He let it run for a few minutes while Max and we watched carefully for any issues. Finally, Bruno powered down and we all let out heavy sighs together.
Max called lunch and we all split off to rest. I went back to my room and laid down while rubbing heating cream into my screaming muscles. After lunch, we all gathered at the stage again. The painters were touching up the various scrapes and dings, while we all stood at the SR proscenium wall waiting for our next assignments.
Bruno eventually came out and called us all to have a seat in the house. He thanked us all for good work and handed out pay packets a day early. Then he cut five of the carps, leaving just Tomash, Kurt, and guy named Emmy, and me. We were assigned to swing over to electrics for the lighting focus next week, and Bruno gave us Friday off.
When we broke, several of us made a plan to meet for lunch the next day at a famous restaurant not far from the theatre for a feast. I went down to my room, counted my pay, tucked most of it in my hiding place, deciding I would open a bank account the next morning. My stack of cash was getting out of hand and I couldn't afford to have it stolen. I had decided to get an account at Deutsche Bank, since it had branches in pretty much every major city in Europe, so I could have access to my money with the least amount of trouble and effort.
Uta picked me up at 19:00, and I suggested we go to a Japanese steak house I had heard about. The meal was incredible. It was the first time either of us had tried Wagyu steak and it was amazing and all cooked at the table. We drank several bottles of saki and played kissy-face while sitting on cushions on the floor. She laughed at me trying to fold my bulk small enough to sit comfortably at the table that was barely 40cm off the floor.
She dropped me back at the theatre around 22:00 and I suggested we get a swank hotel room for the weekend. Uta bounced up and down in her seat and squealed with excitement. I told her to choose the place and pick me up the next evening. I also told her to ask her auntie if she could watch Mum on Tuesday night so Uta could come to the theatre for dress rehearsal, and she agreed.
We parted and I went down to my room. I was exhausted and I didn't remember lying down, but I was out cold until 08:00 the next morning, having slept through my alarm I jumped up in a panic before remembering I was off for the day.
At around 9, I wandered over to the threatre and Tomas was guarding the door as usual. I said good morning to him and went inside. The painters and electricians were busy touching up the scenery and hanging the lighting. I went out into the house and started hunting for a fun place to sit with Uta for the dress rehearsal.
I eventually ended up outside the King's Box, which had piqued my curiosity from the first day I had toured the stage. The door was cracked and I pushed it open to look inside. My eyes nearly popped out of my head.
The box was ornately decorated with gold fixtures and a lush carpet. There were two large red velvet chairs with intricate cared wood frame, legs and arms. The one on the left was a bit talled with a carved crown over a spread eagle, covered with gold leaf and inlaid with braided gold wire. I tried to move the chair, but it was massive and incredibly heavy. The queen's chair was only slightly smaller and less ornate, but lush by any standard. Arranged around the rest of the box were a dozen or so other chairs, rich and detailed by any standard, but much smaller with less detailed carvings.
I decided to try and bring Uta here for the rehearsal. I had no idea if it would be open, and certainly there were plenty of other places to sit in the balconies, but I thought this would make an amazing experience, and the view of the stage was, of course, perfect.
I met the guys for lunch and we feasted like kings. We had a large wooden table that was covered with platters of food and everyone had tankards filled with a fine cold-brewed lager. We traded each other's contact books around and put our information in them.
I got back to the theatre around 15:00, took a shower and laid down for a short nap. I woke up around 18:00, and got my weekend bag together. I put what I hoped would be enough cash in my pocket and made my way outside to meet Uta.
She was waiting in her usual place, early again. This German thing about being early all the time was unnerving sometimes. We kissed and she told me to get in. She skipped around the front of the car, looking like a schoolgirl keeping a big secret. She got in and giggled as she fired up the Opel and sped away from the curb.
Within minutes, we pulled to the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental. My heard sank. I didn't know how much the rooms were, but I was sure I didn't have enough in my pocket for even one night.
Uta kissed me on the cheek. "Come on, lover," she said, grinning.
"I, uh, wait…" I tried to protest, but she had already jumped out and given the key to the valet. I was thinking I probably had enough to pay the parking for two days and wondered how I was going to handle this situation.
We handed our bags to the porter and she took my hand and pulled me inside. At the registration desk, she handed a card to the employee, who took it, looked at it, and began typing furiously on her electronic registry. It was the first time I had seen such a device and I tried to discretely peer over the counter to see how it worked, but I couldn't get a cear view of the TV screen. The employee hit a button and a very noisy printer started up behind her. It made all sorts of buzzing, clacking and whirring noises before spitting out a single sheet of paper with sprocket holes down both sides.
Now I knew it was going to be expensive.
The employee waved the porter over and handed him the sheet of paper with a key, while Uta and I headed for the elevator. The porter arrived at the same time as the lift and the doors opened. I was stunned. The interior of the lift was highly polished brass with smoked glass mirrors all around and even a miniature chandelier.
We boarded and the porter pressed a large button near the top labelled "CLUB ORIENTAL". I was near panic now. I didn't know what the rooms were like, but if they had a special button, I knew I was in severe trouble. I noticed the button above our floor was labelled "POOL," which did nothing to make be feel better. Rooftop pools were a bad sign for anyone on a budget.
I started to say something. "Listen, I er…"
Uta put a finger to my lips to shush me and turned loose a smile that was at once angelic and wicked. I stared at her until the car came to a stop and the doors opened.
Instead of a hallway, there was a large open lounge area and bar with the rooms arranged in a circle around it. The floor was massive, but there were only two room doors on each wall and my mind went into overdrive calculating the room sizes. The porter stopped at a door that was directly adjacent to a stairway leading up the pool deck. He opened the door and bowed slightly, allowing us to go in first.
I was stunned. It was a suite, the likes of which I had only seen in photos. There was a huge sitting area with overstuffed armchairs, a sofa and coffee table. Against one wall was an enormous TV…I guessed 32 inches maybe…and there was a wet bar in the corner nearest the door. The porter came in with his trolly and turned on the lights, went across the room and opened the drapes to reveal a large picture window overlooking central Munich. He went into the other room and Uta signalled for me to follow her. The porter placed our bags in the walk-in closet and began pointing out all the features and luxuries of the suite.
While this was going on, I fished around in my pocket and pulled out a 20-mark note. I had no idea how much to tip in a place like this and I was beginning to sweat at the humiliartion if 20 wasn't enough. We ended up at the wet bar, where he showed us the mini-fridge and a basket of assorted snacks on the bar.
"My name is Rolf. Please let me know if you require anything," he said in English. My heart was pounding as I handed him the 20. He took it, gave a brief bow, handed me the key, and backed out the door closing it behind him.
I turned to Uta with a look of terror in my eyes. "What the fuck?" was all I could manage.
Uta laughed and started spinning around through the sitting area before plopping into an armchair that seemed to swallow her. She laughed devilishly.
"Don't worry, lover," she said, seductively calling me over with her index finger. "It's all free!"
"What…?!"
"I send a lot of clients here, so the General Manager gives me perks," she said closing her eyes and putting her head back on the chair, an obvious invitation for me to kiss her.
I pulled her out of the chair, sat down in her place and patted my lap for her to sit on me. She obliged and we kissed and tickled and giggled at the amazing surroundings. We stared out the window for a time, watching the fading light over the city.
Suddenly, Uta jumped up, stripped bare naked and scampered into the bedroom. I stuggled out the chair that seemed to have me trapped, then followed her taking off my clothes as I went.
She was in the bathroom filling a sunken tub that was the size of a wading pool. On the wall was a set of buttons that obviously controlled the water jets arranged around the tub. Uta was already laughing and splashing around the tub, while I was too stunned to move. After a moment, I recovered my senses and climbed down the three steps into the warm water. At one end of the tub was a wire caddy with a selection of soaps, scrubbers and wash cloths. Uta laid down and I stared with lust and disbelief at the gorgeous apparition. Her golden skin glistened with water and her slim, toned body set my mind on fire. Her large red nipples stood up out of the water and she reached between her legs to stroke her perfect folds, spreading them to tease me.
My tool swelled with burning animal lust as she reached up to turn on the water jets. The tub filled with powerful currents as I knelt and grabbed her hips to pull them up to meet my waiting manhood. I entered her with such force that she yelped then moaned with flaming pleasure. We rolled and flipped and spent an hour in passionate embrace.
Finally satiated, I rolled onto my back to enjoy the warm massaging water. Uta climbed out, spread a giant soft mat on the floor, then reached behind the door and took the two plush terry robes with the hotel logo stitched over the left breast. She wrapped one around here, then held the other out for me. I climbed out and slipped into the robe.
We were both ravenously hungry by now. Uta rummaged around on the coffee table and found the room service menu. We went through it, while I tried hard not to look at the outrageous prices. We selected steaks with roasted potatoes, a cheese assortment, a bread basket, two bottles of Cabarnet, and a slice of chocolate cake to share for desert.
A while later, the food arrived on two carts, with two stewards pushing them. I jumped up to take money from my pants, thinking this free suite had already cost me 60 marks. One steward set his cart against the wall and plugged it in. It was the cheese tray with a dizzying array of cheeses on a chilled marble slab. Below that was a wine box that kept our wine at a perfect 12 degrees.
The steward pulled out a bottle and took what looked like an ice pick from his pocket. He shoved the needle into the cork, pushed a button. There was a hiss and the cork popped out of the bottle. He poured a small amount in a glass and handed it to me. I went through all the motions – checking the color, the aroma, the legs, and then the palette. After a moment, I gave him a nod and he poured two full glasses, handing one to Uta and the other to me.
In the meantime, the other steward had unfolded his cart into a full dining table, complete with place settings and a fin linen table cloth. He pulled two straight-back chairs up to the makeshift table and began removing covers from all the plates. When he was done, we had an amazing feast laid out at a fine dinning table in the middle of the room. As a final touch, he lit two candles and both men backed toward the door. I gave each of the 20 marks and the both bowed slightly and backed out the door, closing it behind them. I turned around to Uta, who was inspecting the feast.
"Holy shit!" I exclaimed, not knowing what else to say.
"Nothing is too good for my future husband," she smiled coyly, and opened her robe and let is fall on the floor. I did the same and we took our seats.
We toasted and set about eating the incredible meal. Everything was cooked and seasoned to perfection and the wine was the ideal compliment to all of it. We ate until we could hardly move. By now, the sky was dark as we sat naked on our chairs staring at the city lights.
When we had finished, both of us sat back in a gastric coma. I poured out the last of the wine, but I didn't think it was necessary to open the second. I took the empty bottle to the wet bar and randomly opened the cabinats. In one of them, there was a stereo system, which I turned on and tuned to a popular station. I set the volume low and went over behind Uta. Her belly was so full that it pooched out ever so slightly. I stroked it with my hand, imagining what she would look like carrying our child.
I noticed that Uta was already asleep. I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, setting her in the armchair next to the bed. I turned down the covers and arranged the pillows, then picked up her smooth, perfect body and laid her in the bed. I climbed in next to her and we were soon both running naked in the open fields of our imaginations.