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Sobbing, Evelyn choked out, “I’m trying! My body is aching…and all I’m doing is trying!” Her incoherent words could be felt. I’d been riding the hell out of her…and with reason.
“You die of a goddamn heart attack or exhaustion, and then what? Who’s shipping your body back to Atlanta?” With a shaky arm, she pointed to me. As much as I wanted to laugh, I was too concerned to. “I need you to man the fuck up!”
With an uncontrolled diaphragm, Evelyn cried, “How?”
I rolled my eyes, massaging her sweaty legs. “You’re the best dancer I have on my team. By far, the best! You’re a learning dancer without ego. You’re far from lazy and a leader here. Your style is versatile, your delivery is confident, and you know when to be competitive. I asked you to join my troupe, not the other way around. Did you do it to crumble?”
With tears streaming from closed eyes, Evelyn shook her head. I noticed her mouth was shut when she did it. That told me her breathing was getting under control. I placed her legs down.
“Good. Now, go soak, get over your feelings, and enjoy your day off.”
I returned to the speaker to grab my things. Without looking back, I left the studio. Bob was on my heels the minute the door closed behind me. He didn’t speak much, but his presence had always been felt. No longer annoyed by it, I simply adjusted to having a tag-along.
We stayed in a villa resort about twenty miles from the coastal airport. Essentially, we were in the middle of nowhere but with gorgeous tropical views. Because of the length of time we were here, I had to find an affordable place in the climate for my team to practice. It was peaceful and gorgeous, yet stowed away to keep it affordable and us focused.
But, at night, I got lonely. It had been this way since before we arrived in Costa Rica. I couldn’t put my finger on why, but I’d been feeling increasingly blue. And almost as though nature could sense my inevitable mood around this time of the day, the sky cracked open above the heaven-reaching trees, and the rain began to pour. This wasn’t uncommon here. It rained often and hard. Bob quickly opened an umbrella and took long lunges to cover me. I pushed my arm out, rejecting his care. I needed the deluge. Tears raced from my eyes before the rain reached my face. I cried while tramping to the empty villa awaiting me. My heart trembled and lungs squeezed. I clutched my work bag to my chest, hoping not much damage would be done to its contents. Empty. I felt completely void inside.
Finding my keys, I let myself inside my villa and managed to the table near the door for the light. Knowing Bob was behind, waiting on me to enter safely, I was sure to close the door quickly. I stepped out of my wet shoes and peeled off my cropped sweats, leaving just my leotard. After digging out my phone, relieved it was still operational, I left my bag near the table, too. One by one, I began to light candles all around, not caring to use the electricity. The shadows became my friend. Each one represented potential lurking energy, which had been preferred over the simple knowledge of me being in the luxurious space alone.
I poured myself three thumbs ofMauve, quickly downing a bit of the spicy brown liquid. Gaping out of the window, captivated by the downpour, I stood in the middle of the living room. The tears stopped and numbness began to encroach. That was a welcomed balm, too. Beginning to turn down for the night, I placed my phone near the chargingiPad. I checked it for alerts from Chi-Chi to find none. That caused a deep, desolate sigh before I stepped into the bathroom to light those candles, too. Next, I began running water and pouring oils andEpsomsalt into the clawfoot tub.
While the bath ran, I went back to the living room and poured another drink. I placed it on the table next to the tub when I heard my phone sound in the bedroom. Curiously, I toed out to the nightstand and received a text from my best friend.
Corinne:Sugar plum! I’m not going to be able to make it next weekend. The Miami location will be without a manager starting this weekend. Cherri’s out on maternity leave…the dumb bitch. I’m flying out tomorrow to cover for her and hire someone to replace her this year potentially. So sorry, but drinks on me win or lose when you get back.
Corinne:btw when are you coming back? What’s after IDC?
I sighed again.
My friends won’t be here...
Peach wouldn’t be coming because she’s speaking at a conference that was planned over a year ago. Becky told me the day of Lattice’s funeral, her surgery got scheduled for the week ofIDC. Shizu was hosting family from back home. It was a bad time for everyone. I didn’t invite my father because I wanted him to be at Noelle’s basketball tournament. My sister needed our father more than I did. There was no way I’d invite my mother; she wouldn’t come. Last year’sIDCwas in her neck of the woods, and I asked her to attend. She waited until the morning of to text she couldn’t make it. A part of me wondered if it was a ploy to damper my mood before I competed. Perhaps it even worked. Either way, I wouldn’t invite her again.
Before I could think of my response to Corinne, the phone rang in my hand.
Something unlocked in my chest, and my belly fluttered. I felt lighter in my disposition at the sight of his name.
Shocked, I breathed, answering, “Austin…”
“Did I catch you at a bad time?” I heard his scoff. “Seems to be my luck with you lately.”
I turned around in my empty, dimmed bedroom, seeing no one else lurking in the shadows.
My mouth twisted as I considered it. “Your timing couldn’t be better.”
I curled my legs over one another in the spicy water, feeling incredibly relaxed. The throbbing of my feet stopped ten minutes ago, and my thighs no longer ached. And I laughed…laughed my ass off.
“Ginger?”
“Yup,” Austin confirmed. “Sergeant Ginger.”
“With her tiny, mean ass. I can’t imagine it.”
“Well, I can confirm she is. I saw her before flying out here to Vancouver. The girl had the nerve to wear a belly shirt and have her hands on her hips.”
I sputtered in laughter again. “Hips? What hips?”
“You know Ginger’s always thought she was a miniature Meg Thee Stallion. You can’t tell that girl nothing.”
