[posted by Tracy Rowe]
It’s a silly thing really. I met Luke and Spencer when they were kids. Luke was probably 8 or 10, I don’t really remember. It was at the Thomaston Opera House, my then home away from home. Juliette often brought the boys to rehearsals, and I used to think they were so adorable and so well behaved. I could tell Luke had a mischievous streak, though. This is going to sound a bit icky, but I have contact dermatitis on my hands from years of painting and using chemicals, and I would tease Luke by flashing him the rash on my pinky. He would pretend to be disgusted and let out a loud EWW and run away. He never ran far, he was daring me to chase him, so I would. We would run up and down the back stairs, through the make up and costume room and back out to the stairs, all the while me holding out my hand and he and Spencer yelling ewwwww! After a while, Luke would seek me out, just waiting for the game to begin again. I was always more than willing to oblige.
A few years went by, the boys grew up and I didn’t see them very often. Juliette would always fill me in on them, and always let me know that Luke said hi, and that he sometimes asked about me. That really touched me. I didn’t expect a boy who was now a teenager to remember the silly lady who chased him around with her icky finger. During rehearsals for a show (I think it was Jekyl & Hyde) Juliette told me Luke was coming to rehearsal and wanted to say hi. She said he was excited to see me again (I’ll admit, I was skeptical-why would he be excited to see me of all people?). We were awkward around each other for a few minutes, then I showed him my icky finger and he burst out laughing. We hugged and laughed and chatted for a few minutes before he had to go. I didn’t see him much after that, but I followed Juliette on Facebook and was always up to date on what was going on in his life. I was thrilled to see the videos of him singing (such a beautiful voice), pix of his college graduation, of Allison and his beautiful daughter Lucy. Our lives only touched briefly, but Luke always had a special place in my heart and my memory.