5.
The ratings and the front page news of “The Bale Show” went up higher and higher with every show. Suzette had carefully screened the next bunch of candidates for Jonathan’s assistant and in the end, the situation got so desperate that the show director insisted Suzette appoint whomever she felt was the best candidate. Jonathan’s new assistant was a forty-five-year-old battle axe, namely Gertrude, who did not tolerate him or his time of day. Jonathan threw a fit and a half at her appointment but could do nothing about it. His temper and tantrums increased as the days passed.
The countdown by the audience had commenced, Jonathan stood in the wings while the music theme blared away all the speakers. “One” the audience screamed, and Jonathan walked to the center of the set as the lights brightened and focused on him.
Alex, a stage handler who had been working with this particular company for many years longer than Jonathan, accidentally caused one of the stage lights to fall. It missed Jonathan by millimeters just as he scooted to one side when the stage hands and crew yelled for him to get out of the way. He fell over a chair in the process landing in an unceremonious manner on the floor. The light crashed and sent shrapnel of glass and metal spraying everywhere.
The audience screeched in alarm then went dead silent in anticipation of Jonathan’s recovery.
Staff and crew all simultaneously left their posts and ran to the fallen Jonathan. A stage hand had got to him first ‘You okay?’ he asked anxiously.
Someone moved the chair releasing Jonathan’s leg that was beneath it. Jonathan took a minute to assess his surroundings and what had happened before rolling onto his knees and pushing himself up.
He stood up, straightening his suit and hair, looked about him and yelled ‘Who the blank blank blank blankety blank did that?’
The audience gasped.
A cumulative of voices informed him that it had been an accident and that the guilty person was indeed Alex.
Jonathan swung about searching for Alex, who was by now a frozen statue, still standing by the camera frame and fearing what was going to come next.
Jonathan brushed past the crowded people, took two wide steps and stood directly in front of Alex’s face, staring him down with angry contempt.
‘You are bleep bleep bleepety bleeped fired. Get out of here you blip blip blipped moron.’
The audience gasped.
The producer of the show rushed onto the set grabbing Jonathan’s arm and scurried him off the set at the same time leaving instructions for someone to get Alex to a safe place off set too.
The rest of the staff and crew, not knowing how to react in such a situation, mulled about in the shadows waiting for further instructions and replaying the event in their minds and with each other.
The audience slowly roused their voices as they too began to replay what had just occurred and to express their mortification of their idol’s actions.
The start of the evening's show had to forcibly delayed while they cleaned up the set and Jonathan cooled down in his dressing room. The topic for the evening coincidently was on language behaviour and, in particular, blasphemy. It was a sticky start to the show and Jonathan knew before the show ended he had to recover it somehow. The front page news was already a given, unfortunately.
During the interval break Jonathan sought out Alex hoping he had not left the premises yet. He found him in the produces office disputing his termination.
‘Sorry, I forgot your name.’ Jonathan said to Alex as he entered.
‘Easy to fire someone when you cannot remember their name.’ Alex retorted.
‘Look I’m sorry, I apologize for firing you in front of everyone in such a manner. I was shocked, and I over reacted. You are obviously not fired.’ He put out his hand to Alex in a peace offering gesture. His face perfectly pulled into a remorseful pose.
Alex hesitantly stood and shook his hand ‘Okay.’ He said and left the office not exactly enthusiastic to face everyone. However, everyone seemed to be on his side.
The interval was over, and Jonathan walked to the centre of the set, mockingly dodging the lights and cameras. The audience was too much in love with him to not forgive his little tantrum and immediately laughed at his antics.
He stood in front of the set right in front of the stage, put on his best “I’m Sorry” face and held out his hands to the audience and the cameras.
‘So I behaved extremely badly earlier, and I apologize to everyone here and across the world and especially to the children, please don’t ever do what I did. That type of behaviour is never the answer and to show you how much I deeply regret my actions’ he looked to the wings of the stage and to the crew standing around the set until he found Alex ‘ Alex, please come here. Please.’ He held out his hand gesturing toward
Alex.
Alex hesitated at first not wanting to be Jonathan’s peace offering but the audience began to chant “Alex, Alex, Alex, Alex.” He had no choice but to oblige.
‘Thank you Alex. Ladies and gentleman Alex is not fired. Alex, please forgive me?’
Alex nodded his head and sheepishly slithered back to his spot.
The audience cheered.
Show recovered.
The ratings for that evening's show broke the record that the first pilot episode had already broken.