Page 47 of Dancing Fools and All That Jazz
Fay opens her mouth but Ruby interrupts as she mimics Fay’s voice and says, ‘Save theday,Bonnie, not the way.’
Bonnie and Cath guffaw loudly and Fay looks taken aback.
I half expect Fay to turn on Ruby, but she appears to think better of it and accepts a shot of brandy with a curt ‘thank you.’
‘A toast, ladies,’ Cath raises her glass. ‘To dancing our best and beating Bold as Brass hands down.’
Asha lifts her bottle of water as the rest of us raise our glasses. ‘Or would that be feet down?’
‘Feet down. Cheers.’
I suddenly notice Ingrida’s bed is vacant. ‘Wait, where’s Ingrida?’ No one has seen her for a good ten minutes. I go and listen at the bathroom door, and I hear her voice speaking in what must be Latvian. I have no idea what she is saying, but even in this foreign language she sounds upset with whomever she is speaking to. I hesitate but eventually knock on the bathroom door when the conversation has gone quiet.
‘Ingrida, are you OK?’
I open the door a chink and slowly push it wide to see her blinking back tears and staring at her phone.
‘Have you had bad news?’ I look at her phone. She hurriedly puts it in her dressing gown pocket.
‘Ne, I… no, I have just realised I may not remember all the dance for Janine. I have not practise her position very much…’
I feel sure the problem is something connected to the phone call, but who am I to intrude? ‘Ingrida, you’re a lovely dancer, you’ll be fine. Please don’t worry about it.’
‘I need to practise more but it is too late…’
Asha, who must have been listening in at the door, pushes her way in the bathroom and immediately says, ‘It is never too late. Come on.’
She pulls Ingrida into the bedroom and pulls out her phone to select the music for our numbers.
‘Everyone on your feet or your beds. We are going torun through our numbers before bed so Ingrida can take Janine’s place.’
‘Oh Lor, we’d better have another drink first.’ Bonnie sloshes more brandy into each glass and we all knock it back.
The brandy has a welcome warming effect, and the comedy of our situation doesn’t escape me as I look around at us all dressed in an assortment of nighties and pyjamas, Bonnie and Cath with their hair in curlers.
The room is so full of beds there is really nowhere to dance other than on the beds. As soon as the introduction starts, our feet begin to tap. Even Fay smiles as she finds a small patch of floor and the rest of us hurriedly assume our starting positions on top of each mattress, where we all dance on the spot.
Our dance training takes over and we all move as one, albeit without crossing the room. At the end of our three numbers, we all flop onto our beds laughing.
The dance is cathartic and as I settle to sleep, I am full of hope. Not only will I soon be free of Vince, tomorrow we dance on a professional stage.
12
Ruby
Wow. My head hurts. Drinking copious quantities of gin and wine on the Eurostar and then brandy on an empty stomach the night before a dance competition is definitely not recommended. I couldn’t have gone to sleep until well after 2 a.m. I’d pushed my head under the covers to have a silent text exchange with Max for over an hour.
He was outraged about Janine and wonderfully supportive about Monica. He told me I’d tried my best and could do no more. He agreed that if she was so determined not to make up there was nothing I could do about it.
I can’t wait to see Max again, and not just to release my pent-up sexual frustration. No, I realise I want to share a lot more with him and while this is an unprecedented situation for me, it’s not an unpleasant one.
Max wanted to know all about the competition and our hotel and when I told him about the sleeping arrangements and our impromptu dance rehearsal, he messaged:
I can just picture the scene. Sounds like an adult version of the musical, Annie.
Just like it, I replied,but without the cute factor.
Ouch – my head. I must buy some paracetamol before ourrehearsal.
