I'm going to see a preview of a play or maybe poetry reading or something, very small potatoes, in a small theater that's part of some other institution. I've been invited to come for free by Jon, who's instrumental in getting this thing put on, he may have even written some of it. I've come up the hall to where the door is, and I say hi to Jon, who's also just come up and is waiting for his wife, to bring some things. She comes up with this huge load of stuff, even a bouquet of roses sticking up over her face. I make some joke about her having to carry all this stuff, but nobody notices. The roses are to go right here at the entrance. Another person I know, Rory, comes up (I haven't seen her in a long time and she sure looks different) and we all exchange greetings. Jon offers us each a rose (he's all dressed up in a tux, by the way) and as I take it I realize it isn't real, it's wax or something. They do smell, and I put it to my nose and then for a laugh I take a bite of it. I'm not really sure quite what it's made of, after all. It tastes almost as if it were meant to be eaten. I believe I'll take another bite, but I'll wait till Paula can't see me so she won't think I don't care about my pretty rose. So Rory and I go on inside. There doesn't seem to be anyone taking tickets even if we had any, but we wanted to make sure. This is certainly is a tiny place, probably 20 people across by maybe 15 down, tops. Behind the rows is a little gift shop, I guess for the whole building, not just the theater. Rory looks at some stuff there and I look at something just outside its entrance. Someone does come to take tickets, I guess he just stepped out. I wonder if we'll have to explain we've been invited for free.