Staubrey Week - Day 6 – Bella Conrad
A/N: Thanks a bunch to 22-Ti for helping me with the story idea.
"Mommy! Mommy!" Bella exclaimed as she hopped down the steps of the school bus. She was halfway through kindergarten and still loved going to school.
"Hi, little lady!" Stacie said, hugging her daughter.
Bella had a piece of paper in her hand, and she handed it to her mother. "Look! Dance class! I want to be a ballerina!" She began to twirl in circles.
Stacie stopped her before she got dizzy and fell over. "Whoa, there. Let's not get dizzy. Even ballerinas don't spin all the time."
Bella took her mother's hand as they walked around the corner to their home. It was just the two of them living in the townhouse. Bella's father had left as soon as Stacie had told him she was pregnant, but Stacie had been able to provide for the two of them. Sometimes, money was tight, but she did her best to save money where she could. She'd purchased the townhouse a few years ago, proud of herself for being able to afford one in a nice school district. She worked early hours and had a neighbor who was nice enough to watch Bella in the mornings. She wouldn't accept any money from Stacie, even on the days Bella had off of school when Stacie was unable to rearrange her work schedule. Stacie had no idea how they'd gotten so lucky. The neighbor's children had all moved out, and she'd insisted that Bella was her cure for empty nest syndrome.
She got Bella her after-school snack and sat with her at the kitchen table. Stacie examined the flyer for the dance school that Bella had brought home. It was a short session – only running for three months. They'd do ballet and tap, and there would be an in-studio performance. The price was a little steep but doable. The big problem with this was that Bella had a habit of insisting her mother sign her up for an activity, only to decide she hated it before the session was over.
"Mom, can I dance? Please?" Bella asked, giving her mother the classic puppy-dog eyes.
Stacie sighed. "I don't know, honey. Is this going to be like that time you wanted to play soccer?"
She scrunched up her face. "Soccer?"
"That was just this past fall. You played one game, and then you refused to go back."
"The other kids were taking the ball!"
"That's part of the game."
"Nobody told me that!"
"Or the karate lessons you just had to have two months ago?"
"The other kids kicked me back!"
"What did you think they were going to do?"
Bella shrugged.
"And last summer when I signed you up for the swim team?"
"That water was too cold!"
"Why should I sign you up for dance?"
"Because I want to be a ballerina."
"Since when?"
"Since today. Ava's going to do it. And Mia. And Nora."
Stacie groaned. Those were the girls whose mothers Stacie couldn't stand. They were married stay-at-home moms, and they looked down on Stacie for being a working single mom. While Stacie wasn't happy about the circumstances that had landed her where she was, she'd gotten Bella out of them, and she wouldn't trade her for the world. The girls themselves got along well with Bella, so Stacie spent a fair amount of time biting her tongue at play dates.
Stacie thought about how the other girls would likely throw it in Bella's face if they got to take dance class if she didn't. She knew the other moms would just tell their daughters that Bella didn't get to do it because she didn't have a daddy like they did. She'd heard similar statements from Bella's mouth, and at least one of the girls had started to say something at Bella's recent birthday party before her mother shushed her.
Stacie looked again at the flyer. "I'll call the studio and find out more information before I sign you up. Go up to your room and start your homework. I'll come up after I'm off the phone to help you."
Bella had recently insisted on trying to do her homework independently. She did pretty well with it for a kid so young, but Stacie always checked it over when she was done. She could read, but sometimes she still got mixed up on the directions.
Stacie called the dance studio once Bella was upstairs. Stacie was hoping there was an option for a partial refund if her daughter wanted to quit. The woman at the front desk was very helpful. She assured Stacie that they were used to kids like this. If Bella hated it after the first month, Stacie could cancel her registration and she would only have to pay for that month. They sold used dance equipment at the studio, and there was a lot available in the smaller sizes in good condition. She was welcome to bring her daughter to the studio to see if she fit anything they had there before paying for any of it new. They'd also have a chance to see a dance class in action to give Bella an idea of what to expect. She also assured Stacie that the costume fee for the in-studio performance would be fairly small – usually, it was a leotard and a tutu and possibly a headpiece. If Bella were to join for the full year program in the fall, the costume fees would be a little higher. Stacie thanked her and decided to talk with Bella a bit more before making a commitment.
She walked up to her daughter's room. Bella was sitting at her desk, diligently coloring a worksheet. "How's homework going?"
"Good." Stacie looked over Bella's shoulder to see she'd been working on rhyming words.
"Nice job. Is that all you have for tonight?"
"Yes. Did you call the dance place?"
"You mean the studio. Yes, I did."
"Did you sign me up?"
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes."
"I'll make a deal with you. I'll sign you up, but you have to finish the three months. No excuses. If you decide you don't like it after three months are done, you don't have to do it anymore." She'd decided that, even though the studio would let her quit after a month, she needed to put her foot down and insist her daughter finish an activity for once.
"When is that?"
Stacie pulled up the calendar app on her phone. "Okay, right now it's March. Your last class is a performance in June." She flipped through the months to show her daughter how long she'd have to stick with dance lessons.
"What's a per...per...per..."
"Performance?"
"Yeah, that."
"It's when you get to show the parents what you have been doing in dance class. You perform a dance you'll learn. It means you do it in front of other people that are there just to watch you dance."
Bella's eyes widened. "Wow."
"What do you think?"
"I can't wait for the per-form-ance," she said, slowly pronouncing the last word.
"Okay. How about I take you there after dinner? I'll sign you up and we'll see if they have any dance clothes and shoes in your size."
"I get dance clothes and shoes? Do I get a tutu?"
"Yes on the dance clothes and shoes. I'll have to see about the tutu for class."
"Okay."
Stacie made a quick dinner so she'd have time to get Bella over to the studio and home before bedtime.
They walked in and Bella's eyes were as big as saucers. There were pictures of ballerinas on the walls, and there were all these kids in the waiting room, mostly girls, in pretty leotards and tights and ballet shoes. Stacie smiled at her daughter's reaction. She'd been a dancer as a child as well, and she remembered that same feeling when she'd first entered the studio.
She walked to the front desk holding her daughter's hand. "Hi, I'm Stacie. I called earlier about the spring session for beginners."
The blonde woman at the desk smiled and shook her hand. "I'm Jessica. I'm the one who spoke to you on the phone earlier. Is this Bella?"
Bella smiled and murmured a "hello" while trying to hide behind her mother's legs.
"She's not normally like this," said Stacie. "I think she's a little overwhelmed."
Jessica walked around the desk and knelt down to the little girl's level. "I understand you want to be a ballerina when you grow up?"
Bella peered around from behind her mother's legs and nodded.
"Would you like to watch some of the bigger kids?"
Bella stepped out from behind her mother and nodded more confidently.
"You can go into the dance room with me, but you have to promise to be super quiet. The big kids need to be able to hear Miss Aubrey."
"Okay," said Bella.
Jessica took Bella's hand and led her into one of the instruction rooms, motioning Stacie to follow. They walked into a classroom of kids who looked to be around ten years old. There were six girls and one boy. One or two of them glanced in their direction, but most of them continued to follow the teacher. Stacie was watching the group, and she was impressed with their technique. It was obvious to her that these children had been trained well. This was just the kind of studio she wanted her daughter to attend. She glanced over at her daughter, who was over the moon. She had a huge grin as she watched the other kids leap and turn. Stacie turned to look at the teacher and she thought she'd died and gone to heaven. She was gorgeous! She was in a leotard and tights, and her body was flawless. She couldn't help but rake her eyes up and down the woman's body. She hoped the teacher hadn't noticed.
Jessica led them back to the waiting room. Stacie was about to say something when Bella exclaimed, "Sign me up! Sign me up! I want to jump and spin and I want to wear what the big girls were wearing!"
"Okay, slow down. Remember what I said about dance class?"
"I have to finish all three months."
"Yes," said Stacie. Jessica opened her mouth to remind Stacie what she'd said on the phone but quickly got the message with a subtle shake of her head.
"Would you like me to fit her for shoes and a leotard and tights while you fill out the registration forms?"
"That would be great."
Stacie filled out the forms while Bella went into one of the other rooms at the studio with Jessica to try things on. She always felt a twinge of guilt when she filled out the parent information and had to leave the "father or second guardian" section blank. She hadn't even put Bella's father's name on the birth certificate. He'd made it clear when Stacie had told him she was pregnant that he wasn't sticking around if she kept the baby. Stacie couldn't imagine not keeping the baby, and she was lucky to have the support of her family and friends throughout her pregnancy and the six years of her daughter's life. Still, being a single parent was tough. She rarely went on dates. Finding and paying a babysitter was difficult enough, and most people weren't terribly interested in dating a single mother. Stacie didn't have a preference with regard to gender, but she felt like that just meant there were more people who didn't want to date her once they found out she had a child. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and filled out the rest of the forms.
Bella came out with a pair of tap shoes on her feet, stomping away. "Hey, Mommy, I get to make noise with my feet!"
"I can hear that," said Stacie, covering her ears.
Jessica handed Stacie a few leotards. "You can take her into the bathroom and let her try them on if you like. I took a guess at her size. Just holler if you need more to try."
"Thanks."
"Do I get a tutu?" asked Bella.
"We don't allow them for class, but you'll probably have one for the performance. You can wear a ballet skirt, though, if you want. A couple of the leotards I grabbed have them attached already." Jessica grabbed a ballet skirt off the rack to show her what she meant.
"Okay," said Bella.
Bella began to stomp her feet again to hear the taps, and Stacie said, "Let's take those off and hand them to Miss Jessica, okay?"
Bella nodded and bent down to unbuckle the shoes. She handed them to Miss Jessica and followed her mom into the bathroom.
Stacie helped Bella try on a few leotards. Two of them fit, and Stacie let her choose. Bella chose a black one with an attached skirt. Stacie was sure she'd go for the pink one, but Bella was adamant.
Stacie paid for the items and the dance classes and left, managing to find everything she needed in Bella's size. This would certainly save her some money. She just hoped her daughter's enthusiasm meant she'd stick with the ballet lessons. She was certainly more excited than she'd been for soccer, swim team, or karate.
Aubrey had finished teaching the last class of the evening. Grabbing her water bottle, she greeted Jessica. "So, how many kids do we have signed up for the spring beginner class?"
"We have six so far," Jessica replied, handing Aubrey a small stack of registration papers.
"Great," Aubrey said.
Trying to sound casual, she asked, "So, who was the little girl you brought in during my intermediate class?"
Jessica smiled. "You mean the one whose mom was checking you out?"
Aubrey's cheeks turned pink. She cleared her throat. "So...you noticed that too?"
"Yeah," she said. "Let me find her registration paper." She thumbed through the stack. "Here." She handed Aubrey the paper.
"She lives nearby, and there's no father or 'second guardian' listed," said Aubrey.
"Go get 'er, Tiger," teased Jessica.
"Stop," said Aubrey. "She's not the first parent to check me out."
"Well, no, but I don't recall you ever checking that same day to see if that parent is single."
"She might be dating someone. You never know."
"You're hopeless," said Jessica.
"You know you have no room to talk. Ashley had to practically hit you over the head to get you to realize that she wasn't asking you out to dinner as a friend."
"Point taken," said Jessica. She'd gotten married to her longtime girlfriend that previous summer. Aubrey loved to tease Jessica about the fact that she'd actually had to ask Aubrey if she thought it was a date when Ashley had asked her to dinner at a nice restaurant downtown. She'd even told that story as part of her wedding toast as the maid of honor.
"Okay, why don't you head out for the night? I'll lock up."
"Thanks. Good night, Aubrey!"
"Good night, Jessica! Tell Ashley I said hello!"
Aubrey smiled to herself as she looked again at Bella Conrad's registration form. I sure hope Stacie is single, she thought to herself.
It was time for Bella's first dance class. Stacie had lost count of the number of times she'd ask to ask Bella to stand still while she tried to get her into the leotard and tights she'd chosen for class. After she'd finally wrestled her overexcited six-year-old into the outfit, she'd had to tell her several times that she was NOT permitted to wear her ballet shoes outside. Tap shoes weren't allowed outside either. It was a studio policy that dance shoes weren't to be worn outside as it tracked dirt into the studio while also ruining the shoes themselves. She finally managed to get her daughter in the car and to the dance studio on time, something she considered a miracle after trying to get her out the door.
Stacie walked into the studio, put Bella's ballet shoes on her feet, and handed her a small tote bag with her tap shoes and a water bottle. Stacie had been thrilled to find her first ballet tote bag in her attic. Aside from the obvious benefit of not having to purchase one, it squeezed her heart to see her little girl using it. Bella was the first one in line when Jessica called her class to line up. Once they opened the door, she didn't even look back. Stacie wasn't sure whether to smile or cry. Was this really the little girl who had hidden behind her leg the day they were registering?
Stacie chose to wait for Bella's class to end, rather than using that time to relax or run errands. She had some work e-mails to catch up on, and the studio waiting area had wi-fi. She looked over at another mother in the waiting area who appeared to be doing the same thing and exchanged a smile.
"Let me guess, your kid suckered you into registering for dance class too, and now you're squeezing in a few work e-mails while you wait?" asked Stacie.
"Yup," said the woman. "I really wish I had someone to help me with these things. But it's just me and Maddie."
"Just me and Bella, too. It's tough not getting out much. I haven't been on a date in forever. It seems like the minute I mention Bella, my date disappears. I'm Stacie, by the way."
"Barb," said the other woman. "Maddie seems to have the same effect on the men I date. It sucks, but she's totally worth it."
"Bella sure is," said Stacie. "I know we just met, but I could give you my number if you want. I could take Maddie off your hands if you can sometimes take Bella off of mine."
"I'd like that," said Barb. She asked Stacie for her number and then texted her so Stacie would have hers.
"Thanks," said Stacie.
Jessica walked around from behind the front desk. She handed the women flyers for an event at the studio. "I overheard the two of you talking, and I wanted to mention we have a program at the studio once a month for parents who want to get out."
On the flyer, it said "Parents' Night Out." The date was listed as three weeks from that Friday. It was from 6-9 pm, and it was only $5. It promised safe supervision for up to twenty children. The only requirements were that the children were toilet-trained and a student or sibling of a student at the studio.
Stacie asked, "How on earth do you guys do this for $5?"
"We have quite a few teenagers who need volunteer hours for school, and we always have one or two adult staff members present. The $5 really just covers the pizza, drinks, and snacks for the kids. It's certainly up to you, but the kids always seem to have a good time."
"That's awesome," said Barb. "Now if I could only get a date."
"Can't help you there, I'm taken," said Jessica.
"Why don't we sign up?" asked Stacie. "If neither of us finds a date, we can go somewhere together. Even Target without Bella would be like a vacation."
"Let's do that," said Barb. She pulled $5 out of her wallet and handed it to Jessica, and Stacie did the same.
Shortly after that, the class was over and six kids emerged, all wearing big grins. Stacie walked up to the teacher. "Hi, I'm Stacie. I'm Bella's mom. How did it go?"
"Oh, it went well. She was very well-behaved, and she picked things up quickly. She's got a knack for this."
"I'm glad to hear it. We'll see you next week," said Stacie. She turned to her daughter. "Say goodbye to Miss Aubrey."
"Bye, Miss Aubrey!" exclaimed Bella, running up to give her teacher a hug.
Stacie's eyes widened. She'd never seen Bella run up to anyone except herself and close family members for a hug.
"Everything okay?" asked Aubrey.
"Yes, thanks," said Stacie. "This is just unusual for Bella. I'll take it as a good sign."
"Great," she said. "Okay, Bella, I have to teach other kids now. Go home with your Mommy and make sure you practice, okay?"
"I will," said Bella, nodding vigorously.
At the end of the evening, Aubrey walked up to Jessica, who was straightening up her things at the front desk.
"So..." began Jessica. "I helped you out a little."
"Jess, what are you talking about? You're always helping me. You work here!"
"That's not what I mean. I overheard Stacie talking to Barb – Maddie's mom – and they were lamenting about how hard it was to go out on dates as single parents. I convinced them to sign up for Parents' Night Out. Looks like you have about three weeks to ask Stacie out. Unless she finds a date before then. Otherwise, she and Barb are going to be spending their evening at Target."
Aubrey stood still, just blinking.
"Hey, where'd you go?" asked Jessica.
Aubrey shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Nowhere. I'm just...how did you-?"
"I know a match when I see one. I saw Stacie checking you out last week, and I've seen the way you look at her. I thought you could use a wingman."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Aubrey, if you two were cartoon characters, you'd have huge hearts for eyes every time you looked at each other."
Aubrey's face flushed.
"You know I'm right," said Jessica.
"Shut up."
"And, on that note, I'm out for the night. See you later!"
Aubrey waved as Jessica left. Had Aubrey been that obvious? She definitely found Stacie attractive, there was no denying that. But, had she been giving her the "heart eyes" as Jessica had said? If Jessica noticed it, who else noticed? The other thing to consider was exactly how, where, and when was she going to ask Stacie on a date once she worked up the nerve? Aubrey mulled all of this over in her head as she went through the studio, collecting a few items that had been left in the various changing rooms, turning off the lights, and locking the doors.
Stacie found herself in the same position a week later while Bella was in class. This time, she remembered to bring her work laptop. She caught up on e-mails and went over the presentation she'd be giving the next morning at her meeting. She finally stopped about five minutes before Bella's class was scheduled to end.
"Busy day?" asked Barb.
"Yes," said Stacie. "Big presentation tomorrow. I guess you could say I'm cramming."
"Ah," said Barb. "Have you found a date for Parents' Night Out?"
"No," said Stacie. "I'm pretty sure I'll be roaming the aisles of Target with you."
Barb looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, you won't be doing that. I mean...I won't be going to Target."
"You have a date?"
Barb nodded a little sheepishly.
"Barb, that's great! Don't worry about me. I'll be just fine at Target myself."
"You're not mad?"
"No, go have fun. Just be prepared to give me the details later, okay?"
Barb's face broke into a grin. "I will."
Jessica grabbed Aubrey's attention quickly as she was letting Bella's class out. She'd written something on a sticky note and handed it to her.
Aubrey looked at the note, and it simply said, "ASK HER" in big letters. She looked at Jessica, who said nothing. She chose instead to subtly nod her head in Stacie's direction.
Aubrey took a deep breath. She was either going to thank Jessica or kill her for this. She wasn't sure which. She got Stacie's attention as she came to retrieve her daughter. She cleared her throat. "Hi, Stacie. Can I talk to you alone for a minute? Bella can sit at the desk with Miss Jessica."
Stacie furrowed her brow. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes," said Aubrey. "I just needed to discuss something privately."
Stacie turned to her daughter. "Bella, can you help Miss Jessica at the desk for a minute? Mommy and Miss Aubrey need to talk real quick."
"Okay," said Bella.
Stacie saw Jessica helping her daughter into her street shoes as she and Aubrey went into the classroom. Aubrey shut the door behind them.
"What's going on?" asked Stacie. "Did Bella have a problem?"
"Oh, everything's fine," said Aubrey. "Bella's great."
"So, what did you want to discuss?"
"Right," said Aubrey. "I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go on a date. We can go on Parents' Night Out."
Stacie smiled. "Is that why Jessica talked me into signing Bella up?"
"Well, partially, I guess. Yes, she was hoping we'd date. She saw something between the two of us, and she said I needed a wingman. She figured you'd like a night out anyway, even if it wasn't to go on a date with me. It's cool if you don't want to go. I promise it won't change how I treat Bella."
"Oh, I want to go. I was just surprised. Dating hasn't been easy since having her. The minute anyone finds out I'm a single mother, they're gone. I've had a few dates go to the bathroom and never come back."
"Well, I already know about Bella and I still want to take you out. I promise if I go to the bathroom, I'll come back. I'm so sorry people have done that to you."
"Thanks, but it's okay. I look at it as the trash taking itself out. Bella and I are a package deal."
"Of course you are," said Aubrey. She glanced at the clock in the room. "I have to teach my next class. I get out of here at 9. Can I call you once I'm home?"
"Sure. Bella will be in bed by then."
Stacie dropped Bella off at the studio for Parents' Night Out, and she barely got a "Bye, Mom!" out of her. Stacie was happy Bella was enjoying her dance class and excited to spend time with her friends. She'd struck up a friendship with Maddie as well as a few other kids from her class that would be attending.
She headed to a dinner theater near the studio to meet Aubrey. Both women thought it best they were not seen leaving the studio together, at least not for their first date.
Aubrey had purchased tickets to A Chorus Line for the two of them, insisting on paying for the date. The dinner and show would run in time for Stacie to drop Bella off and pick her up from Parents' Night Out on time. The musical was really fun, and Stacie was super excited when Aubrey had suggested that particular show. It had been a favorite of hers for a while.
The dinner theater had a buffet dinner that began about an hour before the show. This worked out to be an excellent time to get to know each other. Once they were seated with plates of food, Aubrey started talking.
"I've really enjoyed teaching Bella. She's a great kid."
"She enjoys your class so much. She's tried a bunch of different things, but nothing has held her interest like dance." Stacie explained about the disasters that had been soccer, martial arts, and the swim team.
Aubrey laughed. "Well, I'm glad she likes it."
"Me too. I guess she takes after me. I used to dance as a kid. I even competed for a while."
"I didn't know that. That's really cool. I was an army brat. My parents found dance studios for me everywhere we moved, but we never stayed in one place long enough for me to join a competition team."
"Too bad. Those are some of the best memories of my childhood," said Stacie, smiling. "So, you were an army brat. What else can you tell me about yourself?"
"I'm an only child. I guess my parents thought dragging one child all over the world was enough. I didn't like moving around so much, but I learned to make friends easily. We usually lived on base, so I usually attended schools with other kids who moved around a lot. I guess we were all just used to it."
"Do you still keep in touch with any of them?"
"Some. I have an excellent memory for names, and I've found quite a few of them on social media. I lost a few when I came out of the closet, though."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Keep in mind, almost all of their parents were in the military before 'Don't ask, don't tell' began. A lot of the kids had parents who hated having anyone except straight people in the military. I came out as gay in college. I think about a third of people I'd gone to school with on military bases unfriended me when I announced it on social media. I was sad at first, but I guess it's like what you said about people bailing on you when they found out you had a kid. It's like the trash took itself out."
"Ouch."
"I don't want to be friends with people who won't accept me the way I am. My parents were surprisingly fine with it when I told them."
"That's good. I came out as pan a while ago, and I had to explain to my family what that meant."
"I imagine so."
"It's cool, though. I never would have gotten through my pregnancy and beyond with Bella without them," said Stacie. "And, since I know you're too polite to ask, Bella's father is not in the picture whatsoever. He's never even seen her, and I'm not even sure he knows I had a girl, much less her name."
"So, you've been alone the whole time?"
"Well, I have friends and family who help when I need it. I have two older brothers who are awesome uncles, but they're not local and neither are my parents anymore. They moved to Florida a year ago when they retired. It's usually just Bella and me. I don't mind. She's worth it. I do miss companionship, though."
"I'm glad I took you out, then."
Their conversation had to end when the lights in the theater blinked, signaling the show was about to begin.
Stacie noticed Aubrey watching the first number intently. She didn't want to talk during the show, so she made a mental note to ask her about it during intermission.
Step, kick, kick, leap, kick, touch...Again!
Step, kick, kick, leap, kick, touch...Again!
Step, kick, kick, leap, kick, touch...Again!
Step, kick, kick, leap, kick, touch...Right!
That connects with...
Turn, turn, out, in, jump, step,
Step, kick, kick, leap, kick, touch.
Got it?... Going on. And...
Turn, turn, touch, down, back, step,
Pivot, step, walk, walk, walk.
Right! Let's do the whole combination,
Facing away from the mirror.
From the top. A-Five, six, seven, eight!
Stacie was the thoughtful one during "At The Ballet." She hoped that her daughter wouldn't be able to relate too much to the Maggie character in the third verse when she was older.
I don't know what they were for or against, really, except each other.
I mean I was born to save their marriage, but when my father came to pick my mother up at the hospital, he said, "Well, I thought this was going to help, but I guess it's not."
Anyway, I did have a fantastic fantasy life.
I used to dance around the living room with my arms up like this.
My fantasy was that he was an Indian Chief, and he'd say to me, "Maggie, do you wanna dance?"
And I'd say, "Daddy, I would love to dance!"
She wanted to marry someone and not have her daughter feel like she was deprived of not having another parent in her life. It was too soon to be thinking about that with Aubrey, but it was nice to be dating someone who was well aware of Bella and even liked the little girl.
When intermission began, Stacie remembered to ask Aubrey about the first number. "So, what were you thinking during 'I Hope I Get It?'"
"You noticed. I do that sometimes when I hear a song. I was just thinking that I should choreograph a number for the older performance company in the recital. I could choreograph them all being in an audition, and...it's stupid, isn't it?"
"Not at all. I think that would be really fun. And they could just wear dance clothes – no costume needed."
"That's true. I have some thinking to do, but I bet they could pull it off. It's certainly not a shy group. I'll let them come up with personalities for the audition. It will be better if they figure it out themselves."
"That would be fun. Maybe it could open the show?"
"Might work. I was already closing the show with 'One.' So, what were you thinking during 'At the Ballet?'"
"Oh, the third verse. I just heard it and thought of Bella. Except her father flew the coop the minute I saw two lines on the test. There wasn't even a marriage for her to save, not that I'd do that to a kid anyway. Sometimes, I hate that she only has me."
"She's a super well-adjusted kid, from what I can see in class. I think you're doing fine. But I can see why you think that."
"I just hope I won't be a single mother forever. But it's even harder because I have Bella. I can't just marry anybody. They have to be right for her."
"So, I guess since we're still on this date, I'm doing okay."
"Getting ahead of yourself there."
"Just having a good time. No pressure."
Their conversation ended again when the lights blinked, signaling the end of intermission. Stacie moved her chair so she could sit closer to Aubrey. She noticed a smile from the woman, and they were holding hands by the end of the first number of the second half.
Stacie heard the introduction to "Dance Ten, Looks Three" and had a clever idea. This was either going to go well, or there wasn't going to be a second date. She figured this would be a fun way to see if Aubrey had a sense of humor.
Once the singer began the line "Tits and Ass" Stacie started to imitate her movements and lip sync the words.
Tits and ass.
Bought myself a fancy pair.
Tightened up the derriere.
Did the nose with it.
All that goes with it.
Tits and ass!
Had the bingo-bongos done.
Suddenly I'm getting national tours!
Tits and ass won't get you jobs
Unless they're yours.
Didn't cost a fortune neither.
Didn't hurt my sex life either.
Aubrey glanced over and began to blush crimson and gave Stacie a light slap on the arm. Stacie winked at her and continued. Both women were laughing by the time the song was over, and Stacie was relieved that her bold move hadn't ended in a disaster.
After the show was over, Aubrey said to her, "So...did you buy yours?"
Stacie looked puzzled for a moment until she realized Aubrey was looking at her breasts. "That's for me to know and you to find out later."
Aubrey paused for a second. "Does that mean you're giving me a second date?"
"Yes," said Stacie. "Yes, it does."
"Great," said Aubrey. "I'll see what I can do to help you with a babysitter."
Stacie checked her watch. "I need to go get Bella. Let's touch base soon and see about that second date. My treat!"
Stacie walked into the studio, finding a very excited little girl. "Did you have fun, little lady?"
"Yeah," said Bella. "Miss Jessica and Miss Ashley are the best. We had pizza, and I drew you a picture. And I played Twister with Maddie and Sophia."
"That's great, honey. Why don't you get your things together?" Bella nodded and went to get the picture she drew and put her coat on.
"How was she?" Stacie asked Jessica.
"Oh, she was no trouble at all," she said. A woman with brown curly hair and brown eyes walked up behind Jessica.
"I'm Ashley, Jessica's wife," she said, shaking Stacie's hand.
"Stacie."
Jessica looked to make sure the other parents were out of earshot and whispered, "So, how'd it go?"
Stacie whispered back, "We're going on a second date once I can get a babysitter."
Ashley and Jessica exchanged glances for a few seconds before Jessica said, "You have two of them."
Stacie furrowed her brow. "You'd do that? How much?"
"Free," said Ashley. "Bella's great, and we'd love to see Aubrey happy."
"This is some serious wingman stuff," said Stacie. "It's a deal."
"Mommy! I'm ready!" exclaimed Bella.
"Okay, please thank Miss Jessica and Miss Ashley."
"Thank you," said Bella.
"You're welcome," they replied.
"We'll talk later," said Stacie. "See you soon!"
Stacie smiled to herself as she buckled Bella's seat belt.
"Why are you smiling Mommy?"
"I had a good time, and now I'm really happy to see you."
"Oh. I'm happy to see you too."
"Let's get you home and to bed."
"Bed? Why?" Bella yawned as Stacie was about to answer.
"That's why."
After they got home and Stacie had tucked Bella into bed, she texted Aubrey, who had already heard about Jessica and Ashley's offer to babysit. Stacie was really happy with how her life was going right now. Her daughter seemed to finally have found an activity she liked, and she'd had an awesome date with someone who already liked Bella. She sure was glad Bella had brought that flyer home and begged to start dance class.
A/N: It's worth searching YouTube for videos of A Chorus Line (either the movie or the musical). Lyrics used are from the musical version.