Somehow the gray skies appeared grayer, the walk down the lane dragged on longer, and March and the promise of spring seemed much more distant than they ever had in the past. Oliver! was performed at the high school at the beginning of February. Donny did a fantastic job as Bill Sikes, stepping into the part, hot-tempered and murderous, and out again as easily as the flowergirls stepped in and out of their skirts with their elastic waists. The only glitch came when Oliver stepped on Nancy’s trailing dress hem as she was about to leap across the stage during a choreographed scene. The rip could be heard at the back of the theater. Mrs. Suringa and I were called on to do a very quick patch job as Fagin launched into a solo. The bustle didn’t sit quite right during the final act—it was substantially off-center—but then Nancy didn’t last much longer anyway. I had nothing exciting to sew now, and I became fidgety. As we did the dishes one night, Eric suggested I sew a tarp for the MG he was going to buy.
