Page 100 of Dancing Fools and All That Jazz
‘You are very kind, Fay. But I will not need help. My uncle, I will not let him frighten me.’
‘Well, please just let me know. I need to repay you for your first-rate assistance since my fall.’
‘It help just to speak my worries out loud and for you to listen, so thank you.’
‘Well, they say a trouble shared is a trouble halved.’
I am not sure this is a good saying as my troubles are still big, but I give Fay a quick hug before helping her into bed.
I do not think I will sleep, even after a prayer, but it is big surprise to find I do not wake until morning and most of the other ladies are already up and quietly getting dressed. I take my phone from under my pillow. There are no further messages. I think it will be best to have long talk with Neil when I get home.
‘Labrit,Ingrida,’ Bonnie and Cath say to me. ‘Fay said this is Latvian for good morning.’
‘Ja. Labrit.’
I help Fay with getting washed up and dressed. When she is ready, she ask me to wheel her into the corridor outside our room so she can make a private call. She seem to be very excited. This surprises me as she is not able to dance with us and has to face a long journey back to theUnited Kingdom with a broken leg. But I do not ask her why she is so happy.
Cath, she produce a little kettle from her case and is making for us cups of tea as she sings a song I do not know about liking a nice cup of tea in the morning.
We dress and brush our hair as we drink the not so nice tea from the plastic cups Bonnie find in her case.
‘I can’t believe you brought long-life milk and sugar too, Bonnie and Cath. It’s like having our own Mary Poppins on board with all the stuff in your cases.’ Ruby laughs as she puts on her underwear.
‘Nurse Ingrida,’ Ruby shouts to me. ‘Any advice on my leg? Just look at this.’
I look to Ruby’s leg. There is large bruise starting to grow on her shin.
‘Is it hurt?’
‘Yes, it’s dead sore, but I’m hoping I will be OK to dance.’
‘It maybe hurt more to dance but dance will not make bruise any worse. How is your hand, Monica?’
Monica shows me her hand. ‘It is still a bit swollen, but it feels better than yesterday.’ She flexes and extends her fingers.
‘As long as you can still do jazz reaches, Monica,’ Ruby imitates Clarissa’s voice. ‘After all, the dance must be your top priority.’
We all smile and I listen to all the ladies chatter as I finish dressing.
‘It’s driving me mad having no phone,’ Ruby moans. ‘I’ve tried calling Will on Asha’s mobile but not had asingle message back. I’ve left him three voicemails now but at least I know he is OK. I rang my dad to check on him and to tell him I don’t have a phone. He said Will was right as rain as far as he knew. He had no idea why Will had called me. I guess it could just be pocket dials – typical teenager – so there’s no point worrying.’
‘Where are we going to have breakfast?’ Bonnie asks in a loud voice. ‘Hopefully not that dreadful café we went to yesterday. My croissant was flaccid.’
‘Bonnie, whatever can you mean?’ Cath laughs out loud.
I smile. As a nurse, I know this word.
‘Well, it was.’
‘What? Limp and lifeless?’ Ruby asks with a wink.
‘Wait a minute, do I mean flaccid? No, what’s the word I’m looking for?’
‘To be sure I think you mean rancid,’ Cath pushes Bonnie with her hand and Bonnie gives a big roar of laughing.
Fay knocks on the bedroom door and I wheel her back in.
Cath then asks Fay how much we owe Monica, and I listen with much care.
