Houston Gets Some Hed, Part 2: Goodbye, Wicked Little Town

As 2002 wore on, my marriage to Elaine became ever- more rocky. By December of that year, she and I had come to the realization that the only way to save our friendship was to split up. At the same time this was occurring, my job situation had become precarious. The facility I worked in was scheduled to be closed by the end of 2003, so I needed to get out of there. With my life in so much upheaval, I knew it was time for a total overhaul. I inquired within my company for job possibilities, and actually got a promotion! Best of all, the job was back in Houston! I had nothing tying me to San Antonio, other than a few friends. My time in SA had been one of heartache, loss and pain, and I was eager to distance myself from a place that reminded me so clearly of all this grief. Unfortunately, a snag occurred in the job situation, and I was put into a kind of holding pattern until it could be sorted out. I had already given notice at my apartments, and moved in with my friend, Daniel. What was supposed to be two weeks living on Dan's futon turned into five months!!!! Finally, in May of 2003, I got word that all the red tape had been sorted out, and I would be moving to Houston. As I travelled out of town, I listened to the Hedwig soundtrack. Passing the city limits, these words played: “…'cause with all the changes you've been through/ it seems the stranger's always you/ alone again in some new wicked little town/ and when you've got no other choice/ you know you can follow my voice/ through the dark turns and noise of this wicked little town/ it's a wicked little town/ goodbye, wicked little town”

Fitting, to say the least. Upon returning to Houston, I moved in with my old friend, Brian. He and I had known each other for years, and got along quite well. He had once been a drummer, but hadn't picked up the sticks in years. He talked to me of his desire to take on a project of some kind, but he just didn't know what. I kept mum on what I was thinking, because the time wasn't right yet. Lynda and Jef kept me company quite a bit, allowing me to become a third wheel on many of their activities. As always, we talked about music, movies and plays. Jef continuously impressed me with his various ideas he had for shows. He had been in charge of the local Rocky Horror cast for a time (something we had in common, as Lynda and I had both met back at the old Bel-Air theater as Rocky Horror cast members), but yearned to expand his scope beyond the shadow-cast concept. Many nights, he would rattle off ideas for staging, costuming, etc for various plays that interested him. He never once expressed that he should direct a show, but I took note.

An idea was starting to take root in my mind, the seeds of which had been planted long ago. Question was, did I have the balls to go for it? Would I be able to get the assistance I needed to put this plan into motion? Things seemed to be falling into place, but it seemed so huge, so insurmountable, that I was almost frozen by the fear of failure. I came to a crossroads within myself, and decided that I had to take some form of action, even if it was to scuttle the whole idea. I had seen various friends who had sat on their dreams over the years, continuously stating they would one day go for it, yet never going anywhere. I couldn't live my life that way, always wondering what it would have been like. I decided, odds-be-damned, that I had to do this show. I made a trip to Lynda and Jef's place, with a proposal for them both...

To Be Continued...