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Chapters 19, 20 & 21: Now it’s time to learn a bit more about Demi. Demi and Persi were a bit adventurous to say the least; however, their risky conduct is discovered and the reins are pulled in. Demi’s reputation precedes her to Humboldt and it is not only the students who have their sights set on her. Demi has a run-in with a professor early on and she learns a bit about the ‘casting couch’. She takes action with deserved results. Demi moves on to Julliard and establishes the fact that she will be a force to be reckoned with in the world of opera. Demi realizes if her career is to go forward, she needs to go to Europe. Before she leaves, she makes sure that Helen is in good shape in New York.

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Introduction:

Chapters 19, 20 & 21: Now it’s time to learn a bit more about Demi. Demi and Persi were a bit adventurous to say the least; however, their risky conduct is discovered and the reins are pulled in. Demi’s reputation precedes her to Humboldt and it is not only the students who have their sights set on her. Demi has a run-in with a professor early on and she learns a bit about the ‘casting couch’. She takes action with deserved results. Demi moves on to Julliard and establishes the fact that she will be a force to be reckoned with in the world of opera. Demi realizes if her career is to go forward, she needs to go to Europe. Before she leaves, she makes sure that Helen is in good shape in New York.

Author's Note:There are references to characters in previous novels, and I would strongly recommend that you read them if you haven’t already done so. Musetta Gigliotti O’Donnell is mentioned and referred to several times. Although she has been deceased for many years before this story begins, her influence is very strong. ‘Musetta’s Waltz’ is not very long and will give some important background. Musetta is a wonderful transgendered woman who overcomes extreme adversity.

This story is the fifth in the series and to date, the entire series covers nearly 100 years and five generations. The first story is “The Heart of the Beholder” and deals with the early life of Mike and Jo O’Donnell. “The Narragansett Fork” is about Fanny, the O’Donnell’s adopted daughter and a rather remarkable individual. It is in this book that we first meet Musetta. “Musetta’s Waltz” is her autobiography and the third book in the series. “Who Is Sylvia” is the story about Sylvia O’Donnell and how Phil Esterházy wins her. That brings us to the current story, which takes place 37 years or so after the end of the previous story.

Being transgendered or intersexed is not the main theme of this story. This is a story about a rather large family where two people happened to be intersexed and another, now deceased, was transgendered. This is a story about how people find love, over and above everything else.

There is a little mystery that shouldn’t be too hard to figure out. The clues are there. There are 34 chapters plus a prologue and epilogue. The story is complete. I am not sure how it will be posted. Regardless of the voting and comments, or lack there of, I will post it until completion. I’ll try not to let hurt feelings get in the way.

My thanks must go to Holly H. Hart for taking time from her harried life to correct the multitude of errors made while creating this story.

This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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It must have been hot in the central valley of California because the fog had started moving in during the late afternoon. The temperature dropped from what had been the upper seventies or lower eighties to the mid fifties in less than an hour. The dreary atmospheric conditions did nothing to dampen the spirits of the assembled crowd.

The announcement of the pending ‘birth’ seemed to be a catalyst for more celebration. Sylvia and Phil were preparing an Italian dinner, and the smells as they prepared the sauce for the spaghetti permeated the house. Many of the herbs were grown in the border gardens around the house, and Karen volunteered to collect what was needed. Clara and Persi’s two children, Penelope and Michael, and Joe and Amy’s two youngest, Musetta and Annie tagged along. Surprisingly, then again, maybe it wasn’t, the children knew what all the plants were. Musetta spotted a sprig of Poison Oak growing among some Rosemary and made sure everyone was aware of it. She told her grandmother about it as soon as she returned to the kitchen.

The fog was so thick that it obscured the tops of some of the taller trees that lined the creek. Karen could hear the drips of the condensing fog falling at the base of the trees. As dark and misty as it was, the whole scene was comforting in a way. The air was fresh and clean, and the mist would clean off some of the accumulated dust from the shrubs and trees. Then too, there was the murmur of happy voices punctuated by Demi and Persi’s rich soprano laughs.

It’s funny how things click together. Karen loved classical music, and always had. She had never learned to play an instrument and didn’t have enough confidence in her voice to ever attempt to sing. She loved to listen to music and she would always have her car radio tuned to the local classical music station. As soon as Helen brought up the fact, in her relating about how she and Jimmie got together, that she had won the Van Cliburn Competition three years ago, it was, ‘Of course she did. I knew that.’ It was just that until Helen started her story, Karen hadn’t connected the dots. All of that had happened before she had met Pat.

Karen handed the basket of freshly picked herbs to Musetta, and she raced to the kitchen with them. It was only seconds before she returned. “Aunt Karen (‘Aunt’ had been an automatic appellation), you look a lot like Aunt Clara and my Mom. I like that. I’m not going to be tall like my dad, but I know I’ll be taller than Mom. Aunt Persi and Aunt Demi are like giants. I want to sing like Aunt Demi does. She says I have a nice voice, but it takes a lot of practice.

“Did you know Mom is going to have a baby? I hope it’s a girl. Boys are kinda dorky. My cousin, Mike is OK, though. My oldest brother is Mike, too. Sometimes, it gets confusing. They’re named after my Great Grandfather Mike. He was a war hero. I’m named after my Great, Great Grandmother Musetta. She used to be a boy.”

Karen looked questioningly at Musetta. “You mean she had been a boy at one time?”

“Well, yeah, but she died a long time ago. Gramma Sylvia loved her. They all did. Sometimes they get a little sad when they talk about her.

“Watch out for those Huckleberries, they’ll scratch you. Oooo, they’re a lot of ripe ones. Just a sec, I’ll get some baskets from the shed, and we’ll pick some for dessert.” Musetta raced off on her self assigned task.

‘This is such a neat place,’ Karen thought, ‘It’s so peaceful. There’s all of the wildlife, the trees, that beautiful little stream, and there’s this happy bunch of people.’

Karen was startled out of her reverie by Musetta thrusting a basket in her hand. “Just pick the real dark ones. The lighter ones can be real sour.”

Karen would find out that Musetta was a lot like her mother. She was very assertive and outgoing. She was also very intelligent.

The brambles were wet with the falling drizzle, and the thorns did scratch her exposed arm. A couple of times the bandage on her forearm got snagged. Still, it wasn’t 10 minutes before they had five baskets full of the dark finger-like berries. Karen had sampled a few while picking, and found them to be very sweet with a tart aftertaste. They would be great with a little sugar and cream.

The little group returned to the kitchen to find additional guests had arrived. One was a diminutive lady, who couldn’t have been much over five feet tall. Her hair was salt and pepper gray and she had a merry twinkle in her eyes. Her companion was, although a bit stooped, well over six feet tall. He easily weighed twice as much as she did.

Helen rushed over, took the basket from Karen, set it on the counter with others, and dragged her over to the newcomers. “Aunt Fanny and Uncle John, I want you to meet Karen Markley. She is a friend of Pat’s and is going to meet him in the Sierra’s in a few days.” Karen didn’t see the rather exaggerated wink that Helen gave her aunt.

“Karen, these are my Aunt and Uncle, Fanny and John Essegian. Fanny is Mom’s oldest sister and proud of it. She and Gramma were my mentors. If it hadn’t been for Fanny, I might not have even applied for the Van Cliburn Competition.”

“Baloney, you just needed a little nudge, and if it hadn’t been me, the folks at Julliard would have pushed you enough. It’s a moot point, anyway. You won and made all the critics, except that guy from New York, look stupid.

“Now, let me look at you, Karen. My, aren’t you pretty. It’s about time we had some people of normal stature in this family. Pat’s a lucky fellow. I think he’s trainable, too.

“Hey, Phil, where’s that margarita? Dad left instructions for me to make sure that you didn’t slip up in the manufacturing process.”

“Coming up, Fanny.”

“Is that Stephen playing the piano? He’s sounding pretty good. How old is he now, anyway?”

“He’s twelve,” responded Amy as she climbed the steps for a refill. Her margaritas were alcohol-free as she was pregnant and she never did drink any alcohol while pregnant. She had made a decision over the last few weeks when she realized she didn’t miss alcohol. For the rest of her life, she would limit her consumption to a single glass of wine with meals.

“Stephen says he will go directly to Julliard if they accept him. He would love to go to Humboldt, but he feels that earlier exposure to the outside world would be helpful. There’s just not a strong music base here.”

“I agree,” added Helen, “Demi and I were very lucky to have Aunt Fanny and Gramma pushing us. If it hadn’t been for them, I might be playing the organ in church on Sundays and teaching music in the school system.

“Jimmie and I have been talking it over. The contract with the Van Cliburn foundation is up this year. I am going to cut back on the concerts. We’re going to have a baby to raise, and hopefully have several more. Jimmie has the connections and we’re going to make it work. As the children get older, we might pick it up a bit. The nice thing is we can do just about anything we want.

“San Francisco is very convenient to the rest of the world, and it worked out very nicely when Myron Stacks agreed to sell the agency to Jimmie’s folks. By the way, they will be out here next week.

“Now, I may be expecting a baby in six weeks; however, I think I’ll have a margarita anyway.”

Karen was enamored with Fanny. She couldn’t believe that she was nearly eighty years old. John didn’t look eighty either. It turned out that John was a sports historian, and had written several books about famous sports personalities. His best selling book was the biography of Tony Salcedo. Karen knew the name, but had no idea how amazing his major league baseball career had been. What was even more surprising was that John and Fanny, and the rest of the O’Donnell family had been very close with the Salcedo’s. Fanny and John’s oldest son was named after him, and much of the memorabilia they had accumulated during Tony’s career was now at Cooperstown.

She learned a lot more about Musetta. Fanny and Musetta had been very close and in a sense had grown up together, although they were years apart. Musetta had grown up in a less than ideal household environment, and when she confessed her transgendered condition, had been kicked out. Friends tried to save her; however, her desire to transition overrode good sense, and she was trapped into a very unsavory existence for a number of years. She met Sylvia’s grandfather while in prison; and in a sense, they saved each other. It turned out to be a very heart warming story that eventually had a profound influence on the direction of Persi’s medical career.

Persephone was nine when Musetta died. She knew much of Musetta’s story by then and loved her dearly. Even at that age she knew what she was going to do when she grew up, and that was to help as many children and young adults as she could from ever having to experience what Musetta did. Too much of Musetta’s life as a physical woman had been lost due to ignorance and cruelty.

Something that Karen noted early on was that the Esterházy sisters were always trading jabs in a friendly manner. It seemed that Amy was also brought into some of the friendly battles. More often than not, there were remarks about their respective breast sizes. The comments embarrassed Karen at first, but she realized that this was a usual banter. Little Amy, proportionally, was the largest; however, none of the women were lacking in size. Karen was certain that all four of the younger women probably had to special order their bras. Sylvia, for that matter, probably had to, also.

There were some other comments made that led Karen to believe that Demi and Persi had rather ravenous sexual appetites during their adolescence. There were jabs taken at Helen because of her chasteness until she met Jimmie. It was Helen’s remark about Demi’s wearing out half the tenors in North America that first got her attention. Still, the banter was always friendly and obviously had not bothered any of the women.

~*~

Persi and Clara were snuggling up to each other after some very pleasant love making.

“I was just thinking about that asshole down at the coffee house the other day. He never would have figured it out except that you deep throated me with your tongue. What did he say? Oh yeah, ‘Which one of you is the wife?’ That pissed me off because the innuendo was that there had to be a D/S relationship between us. I was thinking about that and I realized that that has never been an issue. We have always been partners and lovers. We’re both breadwinners. We have had children. We are equals in every respect. I really like that, Persi. This is the way a marriage should be. Some people will never figure it out.

“We both had assholes for boyfriends, however, it certainly could have worked out differently for us had we met the right men. It just so happened this time that our perfect soul mates were in women’s bodies.

“Do you ever think about going back?”

“Not as long as I have you, my little Russian beauty.”

“Stop calling me Russian. I am Ukrainian. There’s a big difference and you know it.”

“I know, but it gets such a rise out of you. Then we can kiss and make up,” Persi said has she gave Clara a sweet kiss on her lips.

“Were you really as rapacious as Demi and Helen say?”

“Oh yes, but Demi was right there with me. We loved ‘em and left ‘em. We were known as the ‘Amazon Twins’. Along with Joe, we were probably the best athletes ever at McKinleyville High School. We were already taller than most of the boys, but that didn’t stop us from hunting down some studs that were more than willing to take us on. Mom was really, really pissed when she found out what we were doing.

“The sex was great, but eventually we found out we were just being used. That’s not really fair to the guys, though, because we were doing the same thing. We just didn’t talk about who was easy.

“It was all Joe and Amy’s fault.”

“Are they doing it again, Persi?”

“What do you think? Of course they’re doing it.”

“Why do they do it so much? I mean, I know they like it, at least Amy does, but they are doing it all the time. She’s starting to show. Doesn’t that get in the way?”

“They’re doing it because they can. They’re going to get married and they love each other. At least Mom and Dad, and her folks had enough sense to let them sleep together so they don’t have to sneak around like they used to. God, they did it in the back row of the theater. Yuck!

“If her little tummy starts getting in the way, she’ll let him know. Besides, she can get on top if she wants to; like that time we caught them doing it last summer. God, that looked like fun. I hope I can find someone who is as good as Joe is.”

“So, Dr. Kelsey, you are telling me that my two girls are no longer virgins.”

“That’s right, and they both admitted it. They’ve been on the pill for quite a while. They both have stated they insist on their partners using condoms. Those precautions don’t always work.

“I have the results of the lab work and they are both STD free. Of course you realize there are some serious legal consequences. Their partners could get into serious trouble even if the girls don’t get pregnant or some nasty disease. I know you haven’t encouraged their activity, but Pandora’s Box has been opened so to speak.

“Both girls are very mature physically and could easily pass for 18. They have already been vaccinated for the papilloma virus and I would suggest they get the HIV vaccinations too. You could chain them to the bed post, but that would create resentment and probably wouldn’t stop them anyway. Persephone will be 18 in two years and Demeter will be 18 in four years. I think the big problem will be Demeter. You need to handle them both with kid gloves.

“How’s your other daughter doing?”

“She’s just eight. We’ve had several talks. She’s a different young lady. She’s a lot like I was in some respects. Thank God, none of them have had to endure what I did.” Dr. Kelsey was fully aware of Sylvia’s early life problems. “Helen is much more feminine than her two older sisters. She collects dolls and has all these scenarios she puts them through. She will be quite the mother some day.

“You should hear her play the piano. My Mom and Fanny say she will be great someday, if she doesn’t lose interest. Fanny says she will be tall like her sisters. Her hands can already span more than an octave.”

The girls were cowering in the waiting room when Sylvia exited the Doctor’s office. Demi was shaking in fear of what she felt might happen to her.

“Sylvia walked up to them and smiled. “Stand up. I want to give you something.” The two looked at each other, and not knowing what else to do, stood to face their mother’s wrath.

“Come here. I won’t bite.” Demi and Persi were already as tall as Sylvia. They walked the few steps to her, and before they could say anything, she pulled them to her in a warm, long lasting hug. “You two have been very, very bad, but I love you more than you will ever know. We need to go back and talk with Dr. Kelsey for a few minutes, and see what we’re going to have to do about things.”

Demi was basically grounded for the next two years. She and her sister had done some devious things to get away with the liaisons they were having, and that ended right there. Persi was also put on a pretty short leash.

Fanny, who was perhaps the sagest of all the O’Donnell children, was brought into the loop early on. She had seen it all in her clinics: the too early pregnancies, HIV, cervical cancer, crack babies, babies with fetal alcohol syndrome. She pulled no punches. Then she told them what happened to her when she had her experience with alcohol: she had almost been drugged and raped, the fact that someone who she thought was a friend attempted to drug her and have her perform sex acts with several people, and then ended up drowning when fleeing the police. She didn’t embellish anything. She just told the cold hard facts. It was a sobering discussion. The girls had been exceptionally lucky.

Persi was just dropping off to sleep, but was brought out of her doze when the bed shifted, and she realized she was not alone. There was a warm, freshly bathed body up against hers and it wasn’t a male.

“What are you doing here, Demi?”

“I need help. I am so damn horny, I can’t stand it, and I am tired of doing it by myself. I want to do it, and I want to do it with someone. Since you are my best friend, I decided, I want to do it with you.”

“Are you crazy? What if Mom and Dad hear us?”

“You know they can’t hear anything in this end of the house. They never heard Amy and Joe.

“Oh! You didn’t say no. Goody!

“Gee your boobs are nice, so soft. Mine are almost as big as yours, now. Turn over and feel mine. See how hard my nipples get when you do that. Oh, yessss! Here, let me turn around. We can do each other’s at the same time. Do the other one now. You smell so nice. I’m glad I bathed for you. Oh my, I didn’t know you shaved. That is so smooth. I’m going to do mine tomorrow. You are so nice and sweet. You smell so good. You are so wet, and you taste so good. Oh, GOD, YES, DO THAT RIGHT THERE! Fuck, fuck, fuck. Oh shit, don’t stop.”

“Shut up, Demi.”

~*~

They didn’t get caught by their mom and dad; however, Helen knew exactly what was going on, and had known for a long time. She just mentally shrugged her shoulders, and let them enjoy each other’s company. It didn’t bother her one way or the other. She knew what she wanted, and she wasn’t going to rush things. Someday, in the not too near future, she would find her true love, and they would live happily ever after, surrounded by their many children.

Pat was too young to understand what was going on. If his sisters wanted to sleep in one bed, that was their business. Why anyone would want to share a bed was beyond him.

With her libido somewhat sated, Demi was able to concentrate on other things. She took to the sciences quite well; however, like Helen, music flowed through her veins and arteries. She became a passable piano player, but she could never play with the passion her younger sister did.

She had a habit that really bugged Helen. She would sing to herself while she played. It wasn’t the toneless grunting that Glenn Gould and Leonard Bernstein had been known for. She was pitch-perfect. Helen got on her about it one day.

“I can’t stand it when you sing wordlessly when you play. If you are going to sing, play something with words. Better yet, I’ll play and you can sing.”

Demi was already participating in Glee Club and choral classes at school, and had quickly moved into a soloist position. She had also discovered something else, something that she had probably inherited from her mother’s side of the family. She had a facility for languages. She loved German because of the clarity of the language. French gave her fits because of the lack of clarity; however, she would become passable to everyone but the French.

There was always music playing at The Ranch. Over the years, the computer and entertainment systems had been integrated so that old recordings; new recordings in various formats; and internet downloads could be stored and played at will. The system had become so sophisticated that different music could be brought up from the server and directed to a particular room if desired.

One thing that could be counted on was the Saturday morning broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera. Everyone in the family enjoyed it, especially, Demi. She would sing right along with the soloists as she did her chores. Some of Patrick’s friends thought she was crazy.

Humboldt State had upgraded their auditorium years before, and the Met’s high definition broadcasts were played there. It was one of the few things she was allowed to attend during the years of her grounding. It was entertainment for most; however, it was a classroom for her. Her destiny was forged there. She knew she was going to be an opera singer. There was a problem, though. If one was going to be an opera singer, he or she had to be able to speak Italian, and Italian is not a language that is taught very often in the public school system.

She saved her money, and bought several language instruction programs for her computer. By the time she was in high school, her German was outstanding; her Italian was quite good, in spite of not having any formal instruction; and her French was good enough. It would get better. When she realized she needed to know Spanish also, she was able to pick it up rather quickly. She was so proud when the family took a trip to Europe, and she could act as an interpreter for them. Her (great) Aunt MJ praised her German, although she said she sounded like a northern German rather than an Austrian.

The Met presentations were a major event in her weekly life. Before she could drive, she had her parents take her. They enjoyed the presentations as well, and they would sit together at the back of the theater. More than once, Demi had to be admonished to be quiet as she would sing all of the soprano roles right along with the performers.

She made her mark when she was a freshman at Humboldt. The music department put on an annual production. Sometimes it would be a Broadway musical, sometimes a light opera, they might even attempt one of the better known operas of the repertoire. There was no question in Demi’s mind that she was going to perform in the production, whatever it was going to be.

It was several days before classes started, during registration, and Demi was checking out where her classes were going to be. There was a notice posted on one of the bulletin boards that there would be tryouts for the upcoming production of “La Boheme”. There would be a meeting the next day for all interested parties. Demi showed up before the meeting room was even unlocked.

The room was finally opened, and the students and faculty started arriving. Once the meeting started, one of the professors, Professor Albert Greene, introduced the staff, and then explained that there would be tryouts for some minor roles and the chorus.

“Excuse me, sir, what about Mimi and Musetta? I thought this meeting was the start of the process to select all the roles.”

“You are…?” the professor asked rather patronizingly.

“I am Demeter Esterházy.”

“Oh yes, your mother and father teach at Humboldt.”

“Excuse me, they are department heads, and that has nothing to do with my question. I thought this was the beginning of the tryout process, and I am asking about two of the roles. I would like to try out for them.”

“Miss Esterházy, the main roles were selected last year. Opera is a complicated thing. We’re doing this production in Italian, and it takes a long time to memorize a major role in a language one doesn’t speak.”

“Parlo italiano e so che entrambi i ruoli.”

“What did you say?” What he really meant to say was, “Are you some sort of wise ass?”

“I said I speak Italian and know both roles.”

“Give me a break, Miss Esterházy. You are a freshman, right. You are just out of high school, and I don’t care who your parents are. Those roles are already taken.”

“So; are they ready? Who is Rodolfo?”

One of the attendees sitting to one side looked up. “I am.”

“Are you ready? Do you know your part? Apparently, you’ve had all summer to learn it.”

“What are you, some kind of nut. It’s in Italian. It takes a long time to learn this sort of stuff.”

“Then you are certainly no opera singer. There have been many who learned their roles overnight, even when they weren’t in their native language.

“Surely, you know the first aria and the recitative before it. If you don’t, I’ll sing it for you. It’s not exactly in my range.

“Che gelida manina
Se la lasci riscaldar.
Cercar che giova?
Al buio non si trova.
Ma per fortuna
è una notte di luna,
e qui la luna
l'abbiamo vicina.”

“Come on, Don’t you know it? I guess I’ll have to do my part without you.

“Si, Mi chiamano Mimi
ma il mio nome è Lucia.
La storia mia è breve:
a tela o a seta
ricamo in casa e fuori...
Son tranquilla e lieta
ed è mio svago
far gigli e rose.
Mi piaccion quelle cose
che han sì dolce malìa,
che parlano d'amor, di primavere,
di sogni e di chimere,
quelle cose che han nome poesia...
Lei m'intende?”

The group was struck dumb. Demi knocked their socks off and she did it without accompaniment.

“I do a pretty good Musetta, too. I don’t have to do Mimi. I just wanted a chance. I’m really too big for her anyway. I’ll sing Musetta’s Waltz, if you like. In fact, I think I would rather do Musetta. My great grandmother was named after her.

“What about next year? I do a great Tosca. How about “Der Rosenkavalier?” I can do the Marschallin, in German or English. It doesn’t matter.”

“Miss Esterházy, I think we have heard quite enough out of you. If you insist on acting this way, there won’t be a role for you to sing in the shower, much less on stage at Humboldt.”

“Excuse me, Professor Greene. I think Miss Esterházy should be allowed to try out for Musetta. In fact, I don’t think I want the role. She’s already shown me she can sing circles around this group. She has the range: I don’t. And, unless her little presentation was planned beforehand, and I don’t think it was, she knows the opera. This production can use her.

“She’s right. We’ve had all summer to learn our roles, and I have a feeling most of us have not. Yet, she comes in here cold, does Mimi, says she knows Musetta, and she probably knows all the other roles too.”

When all the dust settled, Demi was invited to attend the rehearsal with the principals. She had essentially passed the tryout without trying out.

Demi knew she had overstepped her bounds. She had been seething inside, and probably let poor judgment get the best of her. When the meeting broke up, she tried to make a quick exit.

“Demi, wait a sec.” Demi turned and saw Adele Rickman, the current Musetta, coming toward her.

“Hi, I’m Adele. That was quite a performance you put on in there.

“Hi, Adele, I’m Demi, but I guess you know that. Have we met before?”

“No, but Persi and I are good friends, and she told me you would be starting here this year. Jesus, you two could be twins. May I ask what the hell you are doing coming to Humboldt? I mean you should be at one of those good schools, like Julliard or something.”

“I probably could have gone, but for some reason I wanted to stay here for a while longer. My Aunt Fanny wanted me to go. There’s another reason. I’m sort of on probation with my folks. I was kinda wild in junior high school and high school, and could have gotten into a lot of trouble. I wasn’t doing anything real bad: nothing like drugs or stealing. Let’s just say I found out I liked boys a lot, and had trouble controlling it. I was like totally grounded for two years. I deserved it.

“Say, is Greene the asshole I think he is? I got the feeling he feels I think I should get what I want because my parents are higher ranking professors than he is. It kinda pissed me off that they put up a call for tryouts, and then I find out that all the important roles were filled.”

“Technically, that’s not the case. The roles were filled; however, there was the understanding that they weren’t a sure thing. People could get bumped.

“Here’s the real problem. Greene is sleeping with Mimi, Sharon Lupus. She wasn’t even there today. I could have had the role, but I didn’t want it that bad. I think Greene realizes that if there was an honest audition today, you could have your pick. That’s why I opted out. He doesn’t have any choice now but to let you be Musetta.

“I’m really not good enough for this sort of stuff. My voice is better suited to the Broadway type musical. I could have done it, but it wouldn’t have been very good.”

“So, where are you living? You’re not commuting from way back there in Butler Valley are you?”

“No, I’m living in the dorm. That’s part of my probation. It’s not that bad. My parents were pretty cool, really. What scared them, and now scares me is that I could have really been taken advantage of. I was lucky that all we were, er, I was screwing were some eager junior high and high school types.”

“Persi said you were good, but do you really know those roles? I mean, how old are you? You’re only 18, right?”

“Yeah, I’m just eighteen. I’ve been learning opera since before I was 10. I have hundreds of scores and performances on my main drive, and they are all backed up on our server. I think I have about 30 roles down pretty good. Give me an opera and I’ll tell you if I can do it.”

“Aida?”

“Love it. I would do it in a heartbeat.”

“Carmen.”

“Never. That’s a Mezzo Soprano role. I would get real weak at the bottom end.”

“Lucia?”

“Coloratura and I don’t get along real well. I should avoid a lot of Donizetti and Bellini.”

“Die Walküre.”

“Love it. I know the entire Ring Cycle, Die Meistersinger, and Tristan und Isolde. I have Lohengrin and Tannhäuser down pretty well, and I am starting on the Flying Dutchman.

“Look at me. I am six feet two inches tall and built like a brick shit house. I would have done Mimi, and I love the role; however, I couldn’t do it on stage: recordings, yes: stage, never. I wouldn’t be believable. I’ll do a lot better as Musetta, though even that may be hard to take. I will be typecast for Wagner, and know it. I want to be ready when the time comes.”

Demi’s reputation as being ‘easy’ was out there. It was unavoidable. Although she and her sister had trod the straight and narrow for the last four years, the stories persisted. If the truth be known, the two were not really ‘easy’. They were almost predacious. There was a lot of give and take. If a partner was willing to provide some pleasure during their coupling, he might be around for a while. The unfortunate thing was that few boys had a real understanding of the act other than it was a lot more pleasant than masturbating in the shower. If their partners were not willing to stay around long enough to insure that Demi or Persi received the proper attention, they were discarded like chaff in the wind.

Of course, the boys didn’t understand that they were being discarded. They just knew that they had lost theirs to a very attractive young woman, and now they were ‘men’. With their increased confidence, they went off to conquer other girls, never having learned the proper way to treat a sexual partner.

Phil and Sylvia knew that once their girls were allowed the freedom of living away from home that they would probably be seeking partners for sexual activities. They just hoped that they had learned some important lessons about life. Both girls had taken courses in self defense, and Sylvia took them to the mat and tested their abilities. Even though she was now in her fifties, she had lost little edge. Sylvia and Phil still ran five miles a day.

Persi, now a junior, had her share of boyfriends; however, none stayed around very long. Persi was rather demanding and sometimes downright intimidating, and she crushed many egos. Demi would not be much different.

Both Demi and Persi were outstanding athletes, and they lived up to the reputation established by their brother. Like their mother, they took to softball, volleyball and basketball. They also excelled in several field events for the ladies track and field team. While teammates on the fast pitch softball team, they claimed the NCAA, Division II Softball title, something that had happened at Humboldt before. The crowning event was when they pitched back to back perfect games to claim the title after having come up through the loser’s bracket. They probably wouldn’t have been in that bracket except that Demi slipped when delivering a pitch in an earlier game, and hung a curve ball to the opposing batter who promptly hit it over the fence for a two run home run and a two to one loss. Demi was very upset; however, she and her sister gritted their teeth and did not allow a hit for the remainder of the tournament.

By this time, both had their career goals clearly in sight. Persi was going to be a medical doctor. She wasn’t sure what her specialty was going to be; however, she was leaning toward psychiatry. That would be a long way off. Medical school was first. One of the things that was urging her towards psychiatry was the ordeal her youngest sister was having after the discovery earlier that year that she was intersexed. It had been devastating for her. She was doing better now, and Persi realized there were many others out there with gender identity problems who needed all the help they could get.

Persi was nine years old when her great grandmother Musetta died. Persi, as did all of the other children, loved Musetta dearly. She had such a wonderful outlook on life, in spite of everything she went through. Persi had purloined a copy of Musetta’s autobiography when she was ten. It opened up a whole world to her that she hadn’t really understood up to that point, and it planted a seed that suddenly sprouted when Helen’s condition was discovered. Persi knew she was going to make a difference.

Demi knew more than ever, that she was going to be an opera singer. The production of La Boheme was received very favorably by the local press; however, Demi knew it was really very bad. It had probably been a bad choice to do it in Italian. Several of the local sea food community had Italian backgrounds. They applauded the production warmly; however, were heard to remark as they left that the only Italian they understood was that being sung by the blonde giantess who did a very commendable Musetta.

The group went back to one of their old standbys the next year when they did ‘The Pirates of Penzance’. Sharon Lupus had graduated by then and had gone off to graduate school somewhere. Demi tried out for the role of Mabel and knew she had aced the audition. She knew Gilbert and Sullivan by heart, and was shocked to learn that she had been selected for one of the lesser roles as one of Mabel’s sisters.

There was no question in her mind what had happened. Dr. Greene had been less than subtle in seeking out Demi as a replacement for the now departed Sharon Lupus. Demi ignored his advances as a cat shakes unwelcome water off its hind foot. Dr. Greene was not her primary instructor, and she had had to endure only a few of the basic music and acting classes from him.

Demi never gave Dr. Greene a chance to find any fault with her. She never missed classes. She basically aced all her written exams. Dr. Greene was not part of any other of her examinations. Although not as an accomplished pianist as her younger sister, she was very good, and few at the university could surpass her ability. There was only one reason that she did not get the role of Mabel, and that was she would not put out for Dr. Greene.

Demi made up her mind she was going to put an end to the harassment once and for all. At this point it was her word against his so she decided to see if he would actually come out and say what he wanted.

Dr. Greene’s schedule was such that his Thursday afternoons were free. He could usually be found in his office until around 4:00 P.M. So, on Thursday morning Demi hailed Dr. Greene as he came out of the classroom where he was teaching a lower division drama class.

“Dr. Greene, do you have a moment?”

“Just for a minute, Miss Esterházy, I have another class upstairs. What is it?” he replied rather brusquely.

“I need to talk with you about why I didn’t get the role of Mabel. I thought I did very well in the audition. I already know all my lines. Anyway, I thought maybe we could talk about it this afternoon and see if there was anything I could do to change your mind.” The last comments were delivered rather coquettishly.

“Well, maybe we can. Why don’t you come by around 3:00?”

“I’ll see you then. Thank you.”

Promptly at three o’clock, Demi knocked on the door of Dr. Greene’s office. She often wondered why he would want an office where it was. It did not have a window and was next to the double stairway that led upstairs and to the lower level. She had only been in there briefly to pick up a paper she had done as a freshman and hadn’t paid much attention to the place.

“Come in.

“Ah, Miss Esterházy, may I call you Demi. Please close the door and have a seat.”

Demi closed the door, and sat at the only other chair available. She glanced around, and suddenly realized what the office was about. The stair going to the second floor angled upward on her left. There was obviously a lot of room beneath the sloped ceiling it created, and the space was partitioned off from the rest of the office. As she sat she caught a glimpse, through a space between the partition and a filing cabinet, of a bed. Its purpose was obvious to her.

“I would prefer to be called, Miss Esterházy.”

“Demi, please call me Al. We can be informal here.”

It was time to press on. “Dr. Greene, I am at a bit of a loss as to why I didn’t get the role of Mabel. I know all the lines, no one else does, and I sang the part perfectly. I don’t understand.”

“Demi, you have much to learn about the entertainment business. Stars are made, not born. Careers can be made or destroyed in a second.”

“Professor Greene, I don’t think I understand what you are saying.” She knew exactly what he was saying.

“Demi, let’s be realistic about this. I have the power here. I won’t say whether or not you were better qualified for the role; however, let’s just say that you haven’t displayed the best attitude toward me. Believe me when I say that I have only your best interests in mind. I think you can go far in the entertainment world, but the path is not always wide open.

“You are going to need to get more training, and that surely can’t be supplied here; at least, not in the quality you need. I can pull strings for you. I have important connections back east, and can help you get into some of the finer schools. I can help you get roles in some of the better productions. I have a lot of power and can do a lot of favors for you.

“Likewise, you could give me a little respect and appreciation for what I can do for you.”

“Like fucking me on that bed back there?”

“Demi, Demi, such language. You are a very attractive woman, and I happen to know you are not an innocent virgin. So don’t play the innocent girl with me. I think you would find that I have certain skills that you would appreciate very much. Others have in the past.”

“You mean Sharon Lupus?”

“Well, yes, but there is no need to mention names. That is in the past now. What’s important now is your career path.”

“So, do you want to fuck me now?” Demi said somewhat demurely.

“I wish you wouldn’t put it that way. Let’s just say we can work something out to our mutual satisfaction,” he said, giving her a knowing smile.

“If you put it that way, then I see that I have no real choice in the matter.” She reached up and unbuttoned the top three buttons of her blouse. She was wearing a bra that amplified her already prodigious cleavage, and she leaned over to give the professor a look at what he had been coveting for the last two years. She stopped suddenly, stood up, reached into her pocket, and retrieved her open cell phone.

“Excuse me; these things always go off at the most inconvenient time.

“Hello….”

“Yes. Good. You got it all….” The latter was a statement, not a question.

“Sure, I’ll give it to him.”

She turned to Professor Greene, offering the phone to him.

“It’s President Kirkpatrick for you.”

Greene went pale. He took the phone from Demi wondering what sort of joke was going on. It was no joke.

“Hello?”

“Professor Greene, I expect your office to be cleared out by 5:30 this afternoon. You will never set foot on any California run educational facility again. You may mail your letter of resignation, although I think you will be dismissed with prejudice. You will hear from our lawyers and Human Resources Department tomorrow.

“Goodbye.”

“You bitch! You fucking ungrateful bitch!” he screamed.

He stood and threw the offending cell phone at her as hard as he could. She easily caught it in her left hand, not letting him know that it stung a bit.

“These things are expensive. I don’t want to have to buy a new one. Ciao!”

She closed the door behind her as she left, and cringed at the sound of something large and fragile crashing against the door. Her smile was luminous.

Demi lightly skipped up the steps that led to the Siemens Hall. The head of campus security was coming down the stairs, and he paused as Demi approached.

“That was cold, Miss Esterházy, really cold. You pulled that off real well. The SOB deserves everything he’s going to get.

“Weren’t you afraid he might hurt you?”

“Not really. Had he tried something, I would have taken great pleasure in breaking his arms and removing his worthless manhood. Who knows how many young women he’s preyed on over the years?

“I had been told he was sleeping with another student; however, until he started hitting on me, I didn’t really have anything to go on.

“So my phone picked up everything ok?”

“Yeah, it was on the loud speaker. Everyone was there, including your folks. I guess I’d better get down there and make sure he gets out. A couple of my guys are meeting me there.”

“Be careful, he’s throwing things.”

“Have a nice day, Miss Esterházy.”

“You, too, Mr. Brown.”

Demi continued to the President’s Office in Siemens Hall. The receptionist was on the phone and smiled at Demi, giving her a ‘thumbs up’ and pointing to the inner office. The door was open, and Demi could see her parents and the head of Human Resources. President Kirkpatrick was on the phone.

Sylvia hugged her daughter. “That was very brave of you.”

“Oh, Mom, he didn’t stand a chance. He was a slimy wimp, and the only muscle he exercised was the one between his legs. I had to do it. I just kept having this vision of him coming on to Helen. There’s a lot of strength in that beautiful, feminine bod of hers, but I just didn’t want her to have to experience anything like that shithead.

“How’s she doing? I haven’t had a chance to talk to her for a few weeks.”

“She’s doing great. She’s almost back. I see the signs. She told me she wants to go to the Antique Flea Market this weekend. She has made friends with a couple of nice ladies in Eureka. I’ve met them. She also has a friend she won’t tell me a lot about. Apparently, it’s at her friend’s request. All she will say is that the woman is very famous.

“Do you think you can come home this weekend? Persi said she could. We’ll have a nice dinner on Saturday night, and your father wants to grill something Sunday afternoon.”

“As long as I can have a margarita or two on Saturday, I’ll be there.”

~*~-

Demi’s next two years at Humboldt were fairly uneventful. Her sex life improved as some of the male students got over her athleticism, beauty, and somewhat intimidating attitude. She went out fairly often, and even shared her bed with several of her admirers. A few were adequate lovers, whether it was deliberate or accidental, she was never too sure. There was something missing, though, and that was the intimacy she had experienced with her sister. There was never any spark.

She realized early on that her orientation was primarily hetero sexual. She enjoyed the vigor and explosive orgasms of a good fuck, and she sometimes rewarded her admirers with a second or third liaison. It never went beyond that. She was searching for something that no one but her sister had been able to provide, and that was love.

Her parents accompanied her to New York for audition with Julliard. She had prepared several songs, and knew she would be tested. She was.

“That was very good, Miss Esterházy. Now we would like to see how you are with sight reading and libretti that you are not so familiar with.

“Here are six arias. We have deliberately left off any title and composers’ names. Pick two, and we will give you a few minutes to prepare.”

Demi quickly looked through the music, and set them aside. “Do you have anything else?”

“I’m sorry, Miss Esterházy, but you must pick from those.”

“Well, if you insist; however, it won’t be much of a test. I know those arias. If you would like I’ll tell you the opera, act, scene, character’s name, and a synopsis of the plot.” She proceeded to do just that.

“I think you caught us off guard here. What two would you like to do?”

“How about the Tosca and Die Meistersinger?”

“Would you like a few minutes?”

“No, I’m ready when you are. I’ll do ‘Vissi d’arte’ first. If Dr. Costa would do the lead in.”

“Uh, wouldn’t you like the music?”

“I won’t have it when I’m on stage, and I don’t need it now.”

The pianist and Demi made eye contact as he played the first few notes. Demi sang ‘I live for art’ as if she meant it. She then sang Eva’s aria, ‘Selig, wie die Sonne’, from the last act of ‘Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’.

“That was very nice, Miss Esterházy. Are there any roles you don’t know?” said one of the professors, rather facetiously.

“Sir, I decided when I was 10 years old that I wanted to be an opera singer. I have been very fortunate to have developed a good voice; however, our family members have a tendency towards large physiques, and I am certainly not an exception, as you have no doubt noticed.

“If I am to become an acceptable stage performer, I need to perform roles where I present the right image. I don’t think I would be very realistic as the consumptive Mimi or Violeta. If I ever have an opportunity to record those roles, I think it would work.

“I want to do Wagner. I have learned every major soprano role in every one of his operas. I would be glad to sing anything from ‘The Ring’ if you would like me to. I am very comfortable, at least I think I am, with any current production of ‘The Ring’.

“Julliard will give me the training and honing I need to continue to do something I have wanted to do since I was a little girl. I want to get my Master of Music Degree in Voice Performance, and The Artist Diploma in Opera Studies. I want to be as strong in my craft as possible so that I’ll be considered for an audition for the Met’s Lindemann Program.”

“Miss Esterházy, that is certainly an ambitious agenda; however, you certainly seem to be well prepared. Who can say?” Professor Lindauer turned to the other faculty members, and Demi could see subtle nods from each. She was in.

~*~

Julliard was tough. It definitely was not a picnic. She sometimes felt that the professors had it in for her; however, she realized the whole program was a test. Some of the professors would torment her by asking her to sing some obscure role they were sure they could stump her with. They seldom succeeded. The got her a few times and would go back to their offices and secretly gloat. She would usually confront her tormentors within two days; having memorized the role in the meantime. The whole exercise was to her benefit, as it was supposed to be.

She found an occasional lover who she might keep around for a month or two. She let them know right off that there was not going to be a permanent relationship. When the time came, most of them left very happy and better for the experience. Demi had become a very enthusiastic and skilled lover. She expected as much as she gave; however, there was always something missing.

She received The Artist Diploma in Opera Studies and was not surprised, nor was anyone else for that matter, when she was selected to audition for the Met’s Lindemann Program.

Perhaps the greatest benefit she received from her studies was acting. She had some experience at Humboldt; however, this was the real thing. The instruction was very intense, especially in earning The Artist Diploma.

She passed the audition with flying colors and found herself performing minor roles in several productions. The Met season is long, and there were many opportunities. She was also able to get minor roles with the New York City Opera. She belonged to the union, and had been using Myron Stacks as an agent in San Francisco.

She had just finished a rehearsal for Die Fledermaus, where she was playing Adele, Rosalinda’s chambermaid. It was one of the more important roles she had had to date. She was approached by a tall, taller than she, man about her age. He introduced himself as James ‘Jimmie’ Levine. He represented a rather large agency in New York and was looking for new clients.

Demi told him she already had an agent and that she was very happy with him.

Jimmie suddenly laughed, “Please forgive me, Miss Esterházy. I just realized who you are. You’re the sister of that fabulously talented and beautiful Helen Esterházy. I must say you two make quite the pair.”

“Oh! And, where did you meet Helen?”

“I didn’t meet her, unfortunately. But I saw her performance of the ‘Emperor’ in San Francisco. It was spectacular. I thought I might try to sign her up some day.”

“She’s with my agent, Myron Stacks. Myron is very good. He has been with the family for years. My Aunt and Uncle have been with him in the past. I think my cousins are with him and I imagine Fanny is, too.”

“I’m going out on a limb here. By Fanny, you mean Fanny Essegian?”

“She be the one.”

“Then, Jo O’Donnell was your grandmother. This is beginning to make more sense. That’s quite a dynasty your family has. Wow! I am impressed.”

“My sister is coming to Julliard for her masters’ degree. As you noticed, she is a real talent. You might want to approach her again someday. She still has a lot to learn about the real world and life before she will be ready for the real grind.

“There is something to consider. I think Myron is thinking about retiring. I was talking to him not too long ago. I am going for an audition with the Vienna Opera. We were discussing some things, and he let that little tidbit drop.

“I have to run. Mr. Levine, it has been a pleasure talking with you.”

Demi had two reasons to leave, and she realized them almost simultaneously. Jimmie Levine was tall and good looking. He was probably around six-three or six-four. Demi had been without a love interest for a few weeks, and thought briefly about trying to snag and shag Jimmie. There was something else. It was a premonition of sorts. She was pretty sure that Jimmie was unmarried. The timing wasn’t quite right, but who knows what could happen over the next few years. There were a lot of fish in the sea. Maybe things might come together for her.

Vienna was fabulous in spite of the weather. Her cousin Peter met her at the airport. He was about the same age as her mother’s twin brother and sister, Sean and Katherine. Peter’s wife, Francesca, was Italian, but was home in just about any European locale. Their children were scattered over Europe, and several were working with the family’s cruise line.

Great Aunt MJ was nearly 90, but still very active. She no longer drove; however, she fearlessly took public transportation throughout Vienna and the surrounding area. She did have live-in help and had for years. Her husband had died two years before; but, in reality had died many years before that, having suffered the ravages of Alzheimer’s.

They pulled into the courtyard of a very large home in the old part of Vienna. The gate closed silently behind them, and before they could get the luggage out of the car, Aunt MJ was walking briskly across the stone, paved yard to greet her niece.

Demi remembered her grandmother saying that she and MJ could have been taken for twins, but for the fact MJ was about three inches shorter. Well, she had probably lost another inch; however, the resemblance was still there.

After an emotional greeting, MJ led the way to what was to be Demi’s place of residence in Vienna. The room was on the European third floor, fourth floor in America. It overlooked a Chestnut Tree lined street that came off the Opernring. She could see the old palaces and museums a few blocks away. The street to the east and south led to the Grabben and St. Stevens Cathedral; however, her view in that direction was obscured by the house and other buildings.

The house was probably close to 300 years old, and had survived the ravages of two world wars and several lesser wars before them. At one time, the Schmidt’s were a prominent Jewish family; however, they fled Austria just before the Anschlüss. The house had belonged to the family, but was appropriated by the Nazis. It took a long time, but eventually things changed in Austria, and much of the appropriated property and other assets were returned to the families of the survivors. There had been many improvements over the years, including an elevator that made the journey to the upper floors considerably less tedious.

It was barely midday, and as tired as Demi was, she knew she had to adjust quickly to the time change that was six hours earlier than New York. Her audition was in three days, and she wanted to be as ready as possible. So, rather than nap, she freshened up a bit, changed clothes, put on her walking shoes, and headed for the Naschmarkt.

One of the rules her Aunt had imposed for her visit was that English was not to be spoken. They could speak anything but English. MJ was a linguist and spoke German, French, Italian, Czech, Spanish, and Russian with facility. She spoke passable Dutch, Danish, Flemish and Hungarian. In the Baltic countries, she got by with Russian and German, and as a last resort, English.

Demi was very comfortable with German and Italian out of necessity. A major portion of the operas performed in Europe were done in Italian or German, with French probably being third. It wasn’t out of the question that she might have to perform in Russian or Czech.

The walk to the market was a little over a mile. There was a subway station and pedestrian crossing beneath the Opernring where she had to turn west and head down the hill toward the market. It was summer and the atmosphere was a bit humid. It would probably reach the 80’s before the afternoon was over.

She was about a block away when the aromas assaulted her. There were rows of stalls. Most of the food vendors did not have inside space for customers. There was usually a counter with a few stools. Sometimes there were covered areas for seating. Some of the vendors were selling fresh fruit and vegetables.

Demi quickly found an olive vendor, and she was sure he was the same man she had seen there years before. She bought several pints of various olives, and then proceeded to a wurst vendor. It was difficult to decide, but she picked a large bratwurst on a split bun. She indicated the condiments she wanted, knowing that she would be charged additionally for them. She topped the meal off with a pint of cold Pilsner.

The vendor asked if she was from Frankfurt. He always liked to guess where the tourists were from, and he prided himself with the fact that he could always determine what country the visitors came from. He allowed that she could even be from as far north as Bonn.

“Vielen Dank für das Kompliment. Ich bin eigentlich von Kalifornien. Ich bin ein Opera Singer. (Thank you very much for the compliment. I am actually from California. I’m an opera singer.)”

“Sie sind sehr schön. Werden Sie singen Brünnhilde? (You are very beautiful. Will you be singing Brünnhilde?)

“Ich hoffe, einige Tag. So ist es mir Hoffnung seit ich war zehn Jahre alt.” (I hope so, someday. That has been my hope since I was ten years old.)

“Viel Glück, Brünnhilde, ich werde sehen, Sie in der Oper.” (Good luck, Brünnhilde, I will see you at the Opera.)

Demi thanked him for his kind words, and sat at a small table nearby. She felt a bit of euphoria, being in a city that she liked so much. It was a comfortable place.

She had no particular agenda for the rest of the day, and just wandered. She found herself walking by the north side of the opera house and down a side street. There was a fascinating place just ahead. It is known as the Dorotheum, and is the government run auction house and pawn shop. She spent an hour looking at the fabulous jewelry on display. She couldn’t afford it now, but she knew she would be back.

She felt very refreshed when she showed up for the audition. There was a receptionist sitting at a small table. She had a roster in front of her. Demi could see several people ahead of her, and two had followed her in when she had arrived.

“Guten Morgen, ich bin Demeter Esterházy. Ich habe eine Ernennung um 10:00 Uhr.” (Good morning, I am Demeter Esterházy. I have an appointment at 10:00.)

“Ja, ich sehe ihr Name auf der Liste. Bitte haben Sie ein Sitz im Zimmer. Sie rufen Sie wenn Sie Ihre Zeit.” (Yes, I see your name on the list. Please have a seat in the room. They will call you when it’s your time.)

The audition went very well as far as Demi was concerned. She had prepared several songs and arias. She was well aware of the fact that they would probably want her to sing something that she wasn’t prepared for.

She started with a selection from ‘Four Last Songs’ by Richard Strauss. She needed to show her language versatility, so she sang ‘O Patria Mia’ from Aida. She knew she was putting her eggs in one basket, so to speak, when she picked the ‘Liebestodt’ from the last act of ‘Tristan und Isolde’. It was long and demanding, and if she didn’t do it up to the standards of the jury, her hopes for a career in Europe might be dashed.

She felt everything went very well, and was a bit disturbed by the lack of reaction from the group.

“Das war sehr nett, Fräulein Esterházy. Wir möchten Ihnen und anderen junge Dame noch ein Duett für uns. Es ist der "Flower Song" von Lakmé. Glauben Sie, Sie können es tun?” (That was very nice, Miss Esterházy. We would like you and another young lady to do a duet for us. It is the ‘Flower Song’ from Lakmé. Do you think you can do it?)

Sicherlich, habe ich den teil. Kann ich folgen Sie den Punkt habe ich nicht durchgeführt es auf der Bühne.” (Certainly, I have studied the part. May I follow the score? I have not performed it on stage.)

“Ja.”

The duet went very well. It wasn’t hurt by the fact that the young mezzo soprano was very good.

They were told to go out into the foyer and that someone would be with them after a while.

“Hi, I am Sybil Barringer. Do you speak English? I’m afraid my German isn’t very good.”

“Sure, I’m Demeter Esterházy, Demi. You are very good. I think that went very well for us not having practiced together.”

“My God, you’re a bloody American. I thought for sure that you were a German, the way you were carrying on in there. I’m not real good at languages. I have to memorize the phonetic pronunciation. Fortunately, I have a good memory.”

“There’s only one way to do it, and that is to immerse your self in the language. This is the first time I’ve spoken English since I’ve been here. I’m staying with my aunt, and her rule is that we do not speak English. She’s a linguist. I never know what the language of the day will be. It’s fun.

“So, where in England are you from. I would guess north of London: maybe around Manchester?” Demi said somewhat questioningly.

“That’s bloody amazing. How did you know?”

“It’s hard to say. I think you sound closer to Scotland. I’ve been to England many times. My aunt and uncle live there. You may have heard of my aunt. She is Katherine O’Donnell.”

“Oh, My, God! She is positively gorgeous. Sir John should have divorced his wife long ago and married her right off. Imagine them keeping their affair secret all that time. It must have been bloody hell. They’re in all the tabloids, and The Sun won’t leave them alone. I think they’re going to sue them. They certainly don’t need the money.

“So, where are you staying? I’m staying across the street at the Opernring Hotel. I’ve got a room for another week, but I’m going to have to find something else. It’s too expensive.”

“I’m staying with my great aunt about ten blocks up that way,” she said pointing in what she thought was a northerly direction.

Their conversation was interrupted by one of the ‘inquisitors’ approaching.

He addressed them in English, “Ladies, you will come this way, bitte.”

They were led into a rather plush office where the other ‘inquisitors’ stood. “Please have a seat.”

The gentleman who seemed to be a supernumerary addressed them. “I must say that both of you have been a pleasant surprise. We see many people throughout the year who want to become part of this House, and most of them are cabaret singers. I’ll be very frank, we can use you. There are openings for many of the minor roles and there is also the need for understudies, people who can stand in at the last moment. The pay is not a lot; however, we have an arrangement with the Vienna Folks Opera that will allow you to perform there, also. We would need you here in a few weeks. Are you interested?”

“Of course we’re interested,” Demi proclaimed joyfully. "It will take me a few weeks to take care of some things in New York. I can be here the second week in September.

“Sybil, I’m sorry. My excitement got the better of me. I didn’t mean to answer for you.”

“Yes, I want the position. Thank you so much. I do have some things to take care of, but we’ll be here.”

There were some handshakes and congratulatory remarks. Sybil did her best to converse in German and Demi realized she needed help.

One of the men who was part of the panel approached Demi. “Fraulein Esterházy, I am Hans Heinrich. My uncle, for whom I am named, was a very good friend of your grandmother and your Aunt Fanny. I am the music director at the Wiener Volksoper. It is so wonderful that your family has so much music talent. I understand your sister is an excellent pianist like your grandmother.”

“Herr Heinrich, it is so nice to meet you. Gramma was very fond of your uncle. Yes, Helen is entering Julliard this fall. She is very, very good. I don’t think she knows how good she is. We’ll just have to see.”

“You know we have talked to the Met and the New York Opera about you. Why do you want to come here?”

“For the opportunity to get ahead. The big roles are sewed up in the U.S. I need to be a relative unknown and make the best of the opportunities. People here don’t know me. They haven’t had a chance to form any opinions. This is a different world.”

Demi looked around and couldn’t find Sybil. She had wanted to talk to her about some things. She found her in the restroom foyer, sitting on one of the chairs. She had been crying.

“Sybil, is anything wrong? Are you OK?”

“Everything is wonderful. I didn’t think this would happen, and now it has. Suddenly, we have so many plans to make.”

“We? I don’t think I understand.”

“I’m sorry; I don’t mean you and me. I have a husband and a little boy. We’re going to have to move to Vienna.

“Demi, we’re not wealthy. My husband is an artist, a sculptor. We are from working class families. We live in a one bedroom flat on the third floor of a row house built 200 years ago. All our money has gone for my lessons and trying to get by. My husband works as a stone mason. He is very good, but he wants to make rock into works of art, not walls and pavement.

“Now we have a chance. I’ll make more money here than we were making together in Manchester. There is a need for good masons here as well, but now we can both be artists. I just need to find a place to live.”

“Sybil, bear with me. I think I know where you can stay, and the rent will be very reasonable. Do you have anything else that has to be done around here today?”

“No, I think we have to come back tomorrow to do some paperwork, get instructions, and all that. Why?”

“It’s after 1:00. Let’s go over to the Grabben and get some lunch. Then I want to show you something, and I have someone I want you to meet.

~*~
Author's Note: Next: Talent has a way of coming to the top. Demi was no exception. She sees Arturo Vocelli, who has a reputation with women, and realizes that he is a least very attractive physically. Fate throws literally throws them together and it turns out he is as smitten with her as she is with him. There are several obstacles in the way. One is his reputation, another is her past, and of course there are his parents.

Thanks again to Holly H. Hart for her very professional assistance.

Portia Bennett

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