Page 12 of Something Stronger
“Well, get out then.” She giggled.
“You can take all of this to the car.” I motioned to the dance bag and the three costumes hanging up on the closet door.Charlie gathered everything, and as soon as he left the room Amy rushed around, changing. I brushed her hair and tied it back with a hair tie before she grabbed her team jacket and we left.
“Here.” I reached into the back seat and handed her two toaster waffles I’d heated up before we left. There’s never time to eat at these things, so we eat in the car, and then snack when we get the chance.
It was about an hour’s drive to this weekend’s destination and when we arrived, the parking lot was full. Dancers and their parents were carrying things in and several dance dads were putting together props for some of the numbers.
“We’re in room two today.” Amy pointed. Her teacher had gone over all of this at rehearsal this week, and despite only being seven, she remembered everything better than me.
I turned to Charlie. “You can’t come in the back because it’s girls only, so why don’t you stake out some seats?” I motioned to the doors that led inside the auditorium. “I’ll come find you once I get her hair fixed.”
“Sure.” Charlie nodded. I watched as he walked over to where he could go inside. He stopped and grabbed a program. I figured when he saw how many numbers there’d be and how long it was going to last, he might rethink staying for the entire thing.
“Let’s get you ready.” I followed Amy into the dressing room. We found a quiet corner away from everyone else, and I set everything up. We have this makeup table that looks like a suitcase on the outside. You open it and legs fold out, then there are lights and everything. We can keep all her makeup in there and we have backup stuff for if there are any last-minute changes. I had her sit down, and I went to work on fixing her hair.
“No baby hairs!” Amy scolded as I spritzed her hair with water. The judges take off points if the hair is not completely slicked back. No fly aways. The teachers were very explicit about this when we went to the hair and makeup tutorial at the studio last year.
“No baby hairs. Got it.” I sprayed her down with hairspray.
“The California Girls one is first today. Miss Abby said to use butt glue.” Amy pulled away from me to dig in her bag. “I put it in here.” She produced a small white jar. The stuff literally looked like glue. You rubbed it on and when you put the costume over it, it stayed in place.
“Do you want me to do this, or are you gonna do it?” I pointed to the jar.
“You can do it, just don’t put too much,” she warned. “It hurts coming off.”
“Let’s put the costume on first, and I’ll see where exactly we need to stick it.” She slipped into the purple bikini, and we glued it in place, then I slipped the fabric swim cap on and sewed it in. Last week, a mom forgot to sew the hat on and it fell off during the number. Miss Abby was not happy. It took me a bit, but I got the makeup finished just as the group was lining up to do a practice run. “I’m going to go sit with Daddy. I’ll come get you after you guys finish.” I gave her a quick hug and then headed out to meet Charlie.
As I was heading into the auditorium, I stopped at the merch table to grab a patch. Each competition had a patch, and Amy had been collecting them. If she kept dancing, I was hoping to one day do something with the patches. I stuffed it in my pocket and then went in to find Charlie.
He wasn’t hard to spot. Not many dads come to these. It’s a lot of moms and grandmas. I made my way down the aisle he was sitting on and took the seat beside him.
“She’s on in just a few. They were running the number backstage.” I took the program as he handed it to me.
“How long do these usually go?” He watched as I thumbed through the pages to look at the lineup.
“By the time they do awards, it’ll be close to ten tonight before we can leave.” I sighed. Amy loved dance, so I loved it too. It wasn’t the long nights or all the preparation, or even all the money it cost that made this worth it. It was the way she looked when she stepped on stage. It was the way she smiled when she talked about it. It was the dedication she had for it, and how much she’d learned since she started. “I know this isn’t your thing, but it means everything that you’re here.” I patted his leg. Just then the lights started to dim, and the first group took the stage.
Chapter 8
4 years ago
Louisiana
Today was the day, the day that my life began to change. It was small things at first and try as I might to ignore them, they were ever present. Charlie’s boss called him into work early this morning, and when he left he seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. We said our goodbyes, and Amy and I went about our day.
At the studio that night, Amy’s teacher told me she was going to be working with Amy on solo work, meaning she’d begin taking private lessons and another costume would be added to her list of needs. She was old enough to compete in the mini solo division, and they thought she was ready. I couldn’t say no. The look on Amy’s face said that she wanted this more than anything. Dance had become our lives over the last three years, and I had a feeling it was only about to consume us more. I spent countless hours sitting in the lobby while she took classes. Some of the other moms would chit chat, others dropped their kids off and ran errands. I didn’t feel comfortable doing that yet. Amy was only seven. In fact, she’d just had a birthday but was the youngest in her class by two years. Maybe in a few years I’d feel more comfortable, but not now.
As I paid for this month’s lessons, I calculated what I was going to need for this new routine, and the lessons involved. I’m sure Charlie would complain about cost, but over the last year I’ve just not told him the total. If he knew, I’m sure it would turn into a huge argument. I mean, last year alone, I think I spent close to ten grand on dance. With this new number, we’re looking at closer to fifteen this year.
“You think Daddy will come next weekend?” Amy watched out the window. We were on our drive home and I was trying to formulate a way to tell him about adding more dance classes to our list. I would be the one sacrificing time, so maybe I could lead in with that.
“I don’t know. You know Daddy has to work a lot to pay for dance. He had a meeting today so we’ll have to see if he has time this weekend.”
“Ok.” She sighed. I could tell that wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but after Charlie came to the last competition, it seemed to make her think it was going to become a regular thing.
“I know you like it when Daddy comes, but there’s going to be a lot of times he can’t, but I’ll be there.” I forced a smile. I understood where she was coming from, but I also understood Charlie’s stance on all of it. It was a thin line that I was used to walking.
When we got home, Amy took a bath while I prepared dinner. Charlie didn’t get home until late. Amy had long gone to bed, and I was watching TV in the family room. I saw the headlights shining through the windows as he came up the driveway. He cut the engine, and then just sat there in the cab of the truck. I waited, and when he didn’t come in, I peered out the window. His head was down and it was like he just didn’t want to come in. I turned off the TV and went into the kitchen. I’d made him a plate of leftovers and put it in the microwave. I began warming it and just as the microwave beeped, the door slowly opened. Charlie stood there looking white as a ghost. His hair was disheveled, and part of his shirttail was hanging out. His jacket was hanging over one arm while his briefcase was in the other hand.
