Susan smiled.
'That's always special, don't you think?'
A young woman with big hair came to stand directly in front of me. She had a chest in which she took obvious pride.
'Susan,' she said.
'Is this him? I've got to meet him. Isn't he big?'
Susan smiled and introduced us. The young woman's name was Deirdre Thompson.
'Are you a member of the company?' I said.
'Yes. But I'm thinking of going to L.A. after this season. Do you carry a gun?'
'Force of habit,' I said.
'I don't really need it when Susan's with me.'
Deirdre looked back at Susan and pumped her fist.
'Way to go, Susan,' she said.
'Hunk city.'
Then she turned away and moved off into the crowd, looking for a drink.
'Do you think she has designs on me sexually,' I said.
'Almost certainly,' Susan said.
'Is it because I'm hunk city?'
'It's because you're male.'
We moved through the pack, trying to find a space I would fit into. Along the way, Susan introduced me.
'Myra and Bob Kraft Foxboro Stadium… Jane Burgess, she works out with me at Mt. Auburn… Rikki Wu, we had a drink at her restaurant Tuesday night.'
'My husband's restaurant,' Rikki Wu said.
'I really have no head for business.'
'And probably don't need one,' I said, just to be saying something.
'You're very kind,' Rikki Wu said.
'I'm delighted finally to meet the mysterious boyfriend.'
I smiled. Susan smiled. We moved on.
'Is everyone underdressed but Rikki?' I said.
'No,' Susan said.
'Here's Dan Foley.'
Susan introduced us.
'You here alone?' I said.
He shook his head.
'Too bad,' I said.
'I was going to point you at Deirdre.'
Dan moved away, toward his wife. We reached the buffet table.
There was shrimp cocktail, and black bean salad, chicken sate, cold sliced tenderloin, spring rolls, and lobster medallions with avocado.
'Will I lose credibility with the board,' I said, 'if I slobber black bean salad on my tie?'
'Absolutely.'
'On the other hand,' I said, 'maybe they'll be so excited to meet the mysterious boyfriend, they'll probably forgive me any indiscretion.'
'Probably.'
We ate. Or to be accurate, the board guzzled, I ate, and Susan nibbled. Finally when there was nothing left to guzzle, eat, or nibble, the members of the board gathered reluctantly around a big table in the boardroom, and the meeting started. The actors and others from the company stood against the walls.
'Thank you all for coming,' Christopholous said and waited a moment until the small talk subsided.
'We had originally scheduled a presentation by the capital acquisition committee on our fall event.'
Everyone was quiet. In fact one guy with a bright red face looked as if he might be resting.
'But in light of our horrible tragedy this week, I have taken the liberty of postponing that, and of asking all members of the theater family to come together tonight to discuss the tragedy. I know many of you met tonight's guest at the reception, but for those who didn't…' He gestured toward me somewhat theatrically, I thought. On the other hand, we were in a theater.
