A Man's Last Wish

Today I talked to a very old, very frail man whose last wish was to hear his chorale students sing for him one last time.

He lived in Conifer long enough to be recognized by the community for his work with the Stage Door Theatre and students from nearby Conifer High School flocked there for his expertise.

His time and energy given to young people encouraged their Shakespearean dreams and theatrical threads of Andrew Lloyd Weber. Those students will carry that attention, that personal expression given dress on their stages of life, forever.

He lays in bed, and typical words like, "frail" and "pale" come to mind, and he is those things. Such words can't convey the spirit of someone who, before a heart attack two weeks ago, was still part of the theatre scene in Conifer.

He snoozes during his answers to posed questions. He breathes, mouth open as if life is trying to escape.

Blankets engulf him, and his hospital gown is slightly askew, revealing thin skin and a boney shoulder. A humidifier softly bubbles, attached to the wall, and attached to his tracheostomy. A thin necklace chain holds a cannula in place as it winds around and disappears into his throat. The stubble on his chin is still groomed in an artistic goatee. Momentary flickers of wit, charm and grace light up his face, showing teeth that were made for smiling and dancing eyes that beheld the romance of theatre. He runs his hand with its paper thin skin through his thready white hair and he falls asleep, plastic medical bracelets dangling down along with the skin of his arms.

Today, he lives in a Lutheran's Collier Hospice, and as most people know, it's short term housing.

Tomorrow, students from his troupe were supposed to come and perform sections of their current production at the Stage Door Theatre, Les Miserables. He says his favorite song in the production is, "Take Me Home," and the irony is not lost on him.

The gathering was cancelled, and all he has is the dream in his head, where he can hear the music with young ears and see the stage with bright eyes.

The curtain is falling on this great producer.