Red State Hero

Chapter 57 REGGIE--Part II

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Metro City Opera

It was more Wanda's idea than Reggie's. She had gone to a reception for the Opera Society. The Society had, up to that time, given concerts using a chorus made up largely of church choir members and the Cantor of Congregation B'nai Israel. Visiting soloists were brought in for these events. In addition, a touring Opera Troupe was engaged once a year.

"The Society underwrote those endeavors but what they really want to do," said Wanda, "is stage an opera of their own."

"And how much would that cost?" asked Reggie who knew what was coming.

Wanda smiled a smile of appreciation. "They estimate that it would take about $50,000. They can get some of this from local business, they can perhaps get a grant or two and of course, there will be ticket sales."

"Realistically," said Reggie looking up from his New York Times and pushing away his breakfast plate, "they would be better off to get one sponsor who would underwrite the whole thing and then they could do their best with local sponsors and ticket sales and the like."

"Would that sponsor be a company with image concerns?" asked Wanda with a smile.

"Could be," said Reggie, "What opera do they want to do?"

"Die Fleidermaus in English," said Wanda her smile growing more delicious by the minute.

"That's a good choice. A little suggestion of adultery, some mistaken identities and a sexy libretto. Who will be doing the Laughing Song, the part of the maid?"

The last soloist they had was a girl from Florida from the Sarasota Opera Company. She would be perfect for the part and you would like her, probably more than you should."

"And what's her name?"

"I believe they refer to her as Janine. In any case she will be at the next meeting because she's stopping here on the way to New England. She's doing Rigoletto up there."

And so it was that Reggie met the soprano who practiced her seductive ways upon him. She was accompanied by the Music Director of the Snug Harbor Opera Company, a bombastic little guy named Gregory Serf.

"What a strange name," Reggie said to Wanda.

"And what a strange character," Wanda replied, "but they're considering him as the Musical Director for Fledermaus."

"Well, I don't want to deal with this guy," said Reggie, "so just tell them that Blueridge Gas will underwrite the performance and let it go at that. It's great community relations. We couldn't buy that much good will for $50,000 if we tried to."

And so it was settled, a cast would be assembled and Gregory Serf and Janine Einhorn would return ten days before the performance for rehearsals. It had all been rather simple, Reggie thought to himself. He could never have underwritten a performance of anything in New York and now he would be written up in the local papers and entered into the history of the Metro City Opera Company.

Some weeks later Reggie wrote in his journal, "I've heard about it but never experienced it-the effect of power as an aphrodisiac. It seems attractive women are coming out of the woodwork. Recently met Ms. Billy Peterson, she is a friend of Lauren's-Derrick' wife who works for WSAZ as an Advertising Executive and I understand she does quite well at this. But she has a second occupation as an interior designer having graduated from Charnauds Art Institute summa cum laude. It has been suggested that with the coming of success, Blueridge Gas could do with a makeover. The offices are rather uninspired and I wonder if Derrick's commercial was not triggered by some of the artwork on our walls-deer in various poses. I'm sure Wanda and Billy will hit it off, although they may not agree on matters of taste."

Reginald's wife, Wanda, was a Dadaist, a student of the Dada Movement. She had in her collection works by Cara Tice, including a copy of Nude with Butterfly; a painting that was part of an exhibit shut down by the New York City Vice Squad. She also had a copy of Mina Loy's Christ on a Clothesline; but her most exquisite possession was a small work by the Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven. Of course, she had a piece by Duchamp and a copy of Katherine Dreier's abstract representation of him-a thrusting spike and a drooping arrow. But her main interest in Dadaism was the women involved. Dadaism was an overwhelmingly feminine art movement-not Lesbian, she corrected Reggie-feminine.

Reggie wasn't sure how Wanda and Billy would hit it off. Wanda assured him there would be no conflict but her remark that "interior decorating was not art" caused him some concern.
His concern was not warranted, the two of them got along famously. Wanda heard phrases from Billy she had never heard before. "Distribution of mass" was one of them which Billy explained in this way, "Glenn Reeves is heavyset. I cajoled him into wearing wide brimmed hats, cowboy hats and fedoras. You know the classic fedora and these hats improved his image because of the distribution; in this case, the redistribution of mass. The distribution of mass," she went on to say "is the basic problem in these offices. What you have here are tall ceilings and colonnades and heavy marble trim and yet the offices are decorated like a home, with narrow-framed prints and small plaques and such."

"Distribution of mass" was put into effect by the addition of a large six foot high urn, set beside the main elevator entrance. Other items of a heavy imposing nature were brought in. One of these an oil done by Billy for the occasion was four feet by twelve feet. On the wide horizontal surface seven oil rigs on the horizon stood like sentinels while from the right a red pickup truck sped past them to the left, trailing a cloud of dust that evoked its flight; but this representation was executed in such a way as to become almost abstract, a series of azure shapes and colors startled by the pickup truck's redness. There was something "Japanese" about it-this use of red.

The official facelift had positive effects. Visitors to the office were impressed and said so. The banker Gabriel Ogleby said, "There's nothing like it in Metro City." And the employees were happier in the new environment; only one, Mildred Godfrey, said "I liked it the way it was before."

Reggie's office, however, had been left to Wanda and she decorated it with elements of Dada, all of which were smaller in scale than Billy's work. The one exception would have been the copy of Nude with Butterfly but Reggie declined a nude in his office no matter how tasteful.

A small party was thrown for Billy to which she brought the anchor of the nightly news, Lois Lane.

"You're not dating Superman are you?" Reggie asked.

"You just couldn't resist asking me that could you?" said Lois, "Mother actually had a thing for Clark Kent. In fact, she married a Clark Kent look-alike who turned out to be an alcoholic."

Reggie was embarrassed, didn't know what to say next.

Lois smiled deliciously above her champagne glass and said, "You're supposed to say that I'm too beautiful to read the nightly news."

"You are beautiful," Reggie blurted, and so she was.

Life was good; in the past few weeks Reggie had broadened his horizons to include the Opera Company, Billy Peterson and her friends which she called the "artsy fartsy crowd" and Superman's girlfriend, the luscious blond on Channel 7.

But then a gunslinger rode into town......... He'll arrive tomorrow

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