Excitement In The Theatre Wing

07 May 2026

R. Linda:

1159

I be sleep deprived today and feeling it mightily. Last night was a rainy night, of constant downpours, and all was quiet except for the sound of the rain. Perfect sleeping weather. There was even a faint rumble of thunder that gave me the chills as I turned on me other side, thinking that position a better one for sleeping, but alas, not to be. I was listening for O'Hare to come home. He usually has two late nights of work and rolls in around 11:30, but it was 12:14 and no O'Hare. I got up and looked out the window, and I did not see his vehicle, which made me wonder where he was. 

We turn our phones off at night when we charge them, so I started mine up and no, no messages. I was tempted to message him, but he gets all insulted. He's 21 and, in many ways, independent, so he doesn't need to be treated like a teenager. I get it, but still. 

Tonya has a head cold, so she had taken some medicine that put her in a deep sleep (or coma, I like to say), so I couldn't commiserate with her. I took meself to the kitchen, it was 12:40 now and still no O'Hare, put the tea on, and I used the electric kettle, so the usual one that whistles (the Simplex) wouldn't wake the household. 

12:58, and still nothing, so I texted him. I reckoned it was less invasive to him than me calling. I poured meself tea and nothing, no response. Ah ha, me brain woke up and ticked on the Find My Phone app where I could locate members of me family. There he was still at work. I was like, what???

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, Mr. O'Hare had been locking up around 11:15 when he heard a banging in the theatre wing of the Boys and Girls Club where he works. Basketball had ended at 11:00 p.m., and everyone had gone home. He had to lock up, but he heard the loud bangs and looked inside the theatre, which isn't small. He flipped on the lights, saw nothing, and called out, "Who's there? Anyone there?" 

The banging stopped, and it was silent, he said, except for the rain pounding outside. He turned the lights off and listened at the door, and sure enough, the banging started again. This unnerved him, and he turned the lights on and called out again. Nothing answered, and the banging stopped. He called his associate and told him what was going on. That person, instead of turning around (he was already on his way home), suggested O'Hare call the boss. He did. The boss, in turn, told O'Hare to call the local constabulary. He did. 

A few minutes later, they arrived (three squad cars, guns out, yelling for whoever was trying to break in to show themselves). Yes, drama in and outside the theatre wing, with O'Hare not knowing what to make of all this. Three squad cars? Really?Two officers in each one, guns drawn? He was told to step away from the theatre door as they entered. They proceeded inside the door, one first with his gun outstretched in firing position, then the other stepping in front of that officer, and they do this leapfrog as they "clear" the theatre. O'Hare wanted to tell them that whoever was banging had to be outside; no one had got in. 

He looked out the club doors, and there was one squad car parked outside with the lights flashing. He was thanking his lucky stars that there were no homes around to light up the night and bring curious neighbours down to view the show. And, down in the other parking lot was another squad car, lights flashing blue in the darkness and further down by the stage door of the theatre was the third car, same thing going on, blue flashes of light everywhere, lighting up the rainy night.

The squad car outside the entrance

All this excitement was for nought. Seems the theatre people (one in particular) in charge of the lights and sound equipment hadn't turned the sound machine off, and when there was a sound in the theatre, it activated the equipment. This activation manifested as a banging sound. When it was quiet, the machine would be silent, but if there was a noise, it would activate, and this was what had happened. 

All O'Hare wanted to do was go home to his cosy bed and be done with all this. He was knackered and somewhat embarrassed for the theatre personnel, but it was what it was. So, after another 30 minutes of waiting for the police report to be done, he was left on his own to travel home. Because he was preoccupied, he did not see my text or the phone call I eventually placed (his phone was on silent with no vibration). 

Whilst I was sitting in the kitchen, now at 1:00 a.m., the rain pounding away, worry crossing me forehead, I happened to look down at me phone. The text screen lit up like a Christmas tree, the text was addressed to Tonya, me, Mam, and Guido. It said:

O'HARE: I forgot to get half and half on my way home; it is on me. I had to call the cops, and everything after that was a mess tonight, so that's my bad. I will get some tomorrow on my way home if you guys would like. 

GUIDO: Originally, my fault. I will get it today if not done.

I was like WHAT? Guido is up? What time is it? 1:03 a.m., and we are talking cops and Half and Half? I had a mind to go up to Guido's room, but decided not to. I knew if I texted O'Hare about "cops," I wouldn't hear from him because he was (according to the Find App) driving home. 

Feeling really knackered and trying to keep me eyes open, I found I could not. I went up to bed thinking that as soon as I heard his car, I'd get up and find out what was going on. Only that didn't happen. I reckon me brain was satisfied he was all right, and so I slept.

The next morning, there was more text, which I looked at on me way to splash cold water on me face to wake up. It said:

TONYA: Lucky you peeps weren't around this morning. No coffee=someone may die.

O'HARE: I'm here, just hiding.

MAM: LOL

GUIDO: 😅

I got dressed, went down to find coffee had been made, and there was no container of Half and Half. Just as I was about to go sit down and let that sink in as I contemplated suicide for want of Half and Half, in came Tonya, waving a container of Half and Half over her head, saying she had saved us all from suicide, murder and general mayhem towards whoever was the culprit who didn't replenish the supply. 

Tonya set the Half and Half down on the table like she was presenting the Holy Grail, and I looked at her with the sort of gratitude usually reserved for saints and lottery winners.

“Crisis averted,” she declared.

“You're a hero,” I told her, taking the container before somebody else got ideas. That someone else, being me, Mam, who had timed it just right to enter the kitchen for the morning brew. 

“Damn right I am,” Ton said, grabbing her mug away from Mam who had picked up the first one she came upon.

The kitchen slowly filled with life after that — chairs scraping, bacon hissing, somebody muttering about work. Normal noises. Safe noises. The kind that settle your nerves before you even realise they've been rattled.

I poured me coffee and finally let meself breathe properly.

Whatever had gone on with O’Hare the night before, he was here. Alive. Hiding, maybe, but here.

And for now, that was enough until I heard the whole dumb story.

Gabe

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