I had a real dilemna trying to figure if I should take Mom to see Devri's latest performance in "The Rogue's Trial" at the college. It was held in the "Black Box Theater" which is indeed a black box, very intimate setting, with the stage in the middle and three sides of bleachers around. In other words, difficult to sneak in and out of unnoticed. Chad insisted that we give it a try because he wanted Dad to see her, so he arranged that we sit on the front row, (which is the same level as the stage), and we were five steps from the exit. I was convinced that Mom wouldn't stay seated for more than 30 seconds. I had plans of taking her to Sonic and then everywhere else I could imagine for the duration of the play. I did agree, grudgingly to Chad, to give it a try however. I was on red alert. The front row of the "Black Box" means a person can actually reach out and grab an actor if you so desire. I was hoping that would not be something she would try. So, we arrived exactly as it was time to be seated because waiting is not something Mom does. I had a change of clothes for her and my purse was well packed with Fruit Loops I planned to feed her one-by-one to keep her distracted. I sat to her right with my left arm around her shoulders and my right hand or her knee every alert to every movement, so I could stop her immediately if she decided to leave. I had several concerns, since I had already seen the play before. First of all, there were bugle blasts first thing which I was afraid might make her jump. Also, there was a robbery and several people "shot" in the show. I thought, "What if she thinks it's real and freaks out?" What would she do when gunshots cut the air? How would she deal with actors running right under her nose constantly where we were sitting? Needless to say, I was on edge. I had Chad take Dad to sit away from us. Didn't think both of us needed to be anxious.
Amazingly, my fears were allayed. She sat like an angel the entire time, not trying once to get up. When guns were shot and everyone in the audience jumped, Mom didn't. She blinked, but she did not flinch at anything. She mostly watched the audience and I don't believe took notice of Devri particularly, although I pointed her out. At this point, we take Mom for Dad's sake. He doesn't want to leave her behind, and he wants to believe that she enjoys going. Perhaps she does, I have no idea. It was a success, though. At the end Devri came and spoke right into Dad's face to let him know she saw him, and he was tickled.
