Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 75983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
We arrived at the theater for the afternoon blocking rehearsal walk-through with the professional cast members prior to the full dress rehearsal with the children after school let out. The old theater with its faded red seats and stately wood decor greeted me with a torrent of memories, one after another, everything from my earliest recitals to later performances, including many The Nutcracker shows. Too many to count. Much like the ballet school, I’d grown up in this building.
Nostalgia aside, however, the theater swelled with fresh life. A mother with an infant in a backpack led a parade of volunteers carrying garment bags toward the dressing rooms. Three strollers occupied by toddlers supervised last-minute touches on the set pieces by that committee while still other parents and volunteers worked on lighting and sound.
In my memories, Margie was always at the center of the dress rehearsal day mayhem, directing traffic and calming the chaos in a way only she could. This year, though, she was nowhere to be seen, and Rudy was at the helm, multiple clipboards at the ready, headset in place, bustling from one group to another with as much grace as a carefully orchestrated dance.
I’m happy just to sit in awe of your talent, he’d said to me after the reporter’s visit, and I’d lapped up the praise, but now I understood what he’d meant. Rudy was magnificent. He got along with everyone, unlike me, who tended to ruffle feathers without trying. He kept track of minute details effortlessly, whereas I would pass out from tedious questions ten minutes in. We’d been friends for over a month now, and I’d long since known he was one of the smartest people I’d ever met, but his competence today was something altogether different and dangerously appealing.
“Okay. Maybe Rudy is all grown up.” Isabella’s thoughtful tone broke into my admiration. I’d been so transfixed by Rudy I’d almost forgotten she was standing at my elbow.
“He’s a friend.” I didn’t bother trying to pretend I’d been watching anyone else, but I could at least try to keep my revving pulse and sweaty palms to myself. I had other friends, people I could chat easily with, and none of them made my chest feel this full. Proud. I was proud of Rudy in a way I’d never been proud of anyone other than perhaps Isabella.
“So you say,” she said lightly, patting me on the back. “Now get on with warming up before Tavio comes and glares at me next for delaying you.”
“Yes, Doctor.” Chuckling, I headed toward the dressing room reserved for the older male dancers.
“Merde,” Isabella called after me. “Point your toes!”
I removed my coat, but I left my warm-ups on as I worked through my stretches in the wings, muscle memory carrying me through even as my brain whirred and my eyes kept flitting to the stage. Tavio stood some distance from me, deep in discussion with Cheryl. Any moment now, he’d call me to the stage. A full-body tremor raced through me, and I bent forward from the force.
“What’s wrong?” Rudy was instantly at my side. Naturally. The guy was in charge of an entire theater filled with activity, but he knew exactly when I needed him, and here he was.
“Nothing. Everything’s right.” I offered him a small smile, the best I could manage. “I’ve waited almost a year to step onto a stage again, and to have it be this particular stage means more than I can express.”
“It means a lot to us too.” He put a hand on my arm, a warm, firm, steadying pressure, precisely what I needed, and I leaned into his touch as he continued, “Hollyberry is lucky to get to borrow your star power for a weekend.”
Rudy’s eyes were wistful as he gazed at me. The air around us crackled. I wanted to kiss that hint of sadness out of his eyes, wanted to drive all thoughts of my inevitable leaving from both our brains. It meant something that he was here to witness this moment. He’d witnessed my first tentative days back in the studio, and now, he’d share in this weekend too.
I trust you to know your body. Rudy did trust me, even knowing how far I’d come and how much I’d struggled, mentally and physically. He didn’t judge me for those struggles. He trusted me to walk out there and perform as I was able.
I leaned down, smelling his hair. Just one—
“Alexander!” Tavio summoned me, and the moment burst like a champagne bubble, gone as if it had never been there, but it had, and I was changed for it.
“Go on.” Rudy gave me a gentle push. “Merde. But you don’t need any superstitions. You’ve got this.”
And for the first time in my entire recovery, I truly believed I could do this. I was ready.