"Stop please," Satine requested. She looked towards Calliope. Slowly and easily, she glided off the stage towards Calliope. Calliope was entranced with her movements. She was reminded of a cat stalking its prey.
"Calliope," she began sweetly, "what is wrong dear?" She reached up and put her hand on Calliope's shoulder. "You look so stunned."
Calliope blushed. "Is this how you are wanting me to dance?"
The diamonds on stage began to giggle all at once. Satine turned and raised her hand to hush them. Then she looked back at Calliope.
"You are a sweet innocent aren't you?" She reached up to brush some hair back from Calliope's face. "Darling, we aren't just dancing. We are entertaining and giving the customers what they want, and this..." she said as she lifted her arm and stepped to one side as if to display the half-naked women on stage, "is what the customers want."
Calliope felt ashamed with her self for seeming so immature. She looked down at her feet. Satine placed her long fingers under her chin and lifted her face to meet hers. "It is alright, little one, come up here so that we may teach you the routine."
Calliope felt somewhat better and she walked up the steps to the stage.
Calliope did her best to keep up. Everyone was moving so quickly, but just as she was beginning to catch on to the steps, something terrible happened. She was concentrating on a difficult step when suddenly she crashed into Roxanne. They both fell in a tragic heap on the floor.
"Hey," Roxanne shouted. "Why don't you watch where you are going?"
"I'm sorry," Calliope politely retorted.
Roxanne answered with a "harumph," and trotted off towards one of the other dancers. She looked at her and half-under-her-breath remarked, "Sure she can dance. She's tripping over her own feet."
"Give her a chance, Roxanne," Satine spoke up. "After all, she is just learning the routine." She looked at Calliope and smiled sweetly. "Can we begin where we left off, ladies?"
*****
Later that night, Calliope was sitting off stage, sipping a glass of brandy. Satine did not feel she was quite ready to perform so she sat and enjoyed the show. It was early in the evening and things were still pretty slow. As she was watching Satine, she noticed her wink at someone across the room. She turned her head to see who it might be. At the door, she saw three men, one of which she recognized as Christian, Satine's secret love. The other two were she had not met. One was extremely short and the other tall who appeared to be of Latin descent. She watched as they crossed the room. They stopped at a table and the two that she did not know sat down, but Christian remained standing. He glanced around the room. Calliope wondered who he might be looking for, after all Satine was on the stage. Then his glance stopped in her direction.
He approached her. Calliope became nervous. She looked again towards the stage pretending not to notice. Why was he coming to her? After all they had never before met.
"You must be Calliope."
She looked up to see his boyish smile.
"Satine asked me to keep you company tonight," he said as he bowed to her. "May I sit down?"
"Of course," replied Calliope. She tried hard not to blush. For a moment, she was a bit envious of Satine. Christian very much reminded her of Michel.
Satine looked in their direction and smiled at them both radiantly. For a few moments, they sat in silence. Then suddenly, Christian asks, "So what do you think of our 'Sparkling Diamond'?"
It took Calliope a moment to realize that Christian was referring to Satine. "Oh," she began, "I think she is the most beautiful woman I have ever known. She is so elegant and graceful."
"Yes, she is," Christian said as he stared at Satine dreamily.
A few more moments passed and Christian spoke again. "Satine tells me that you ran away from home to escape an arranged marriage."
"Yes, it is true."
"Well, I applaud you for settling for nothing less than true love." He stated plainly. "Tell me, have you ever been in love?"
Calliope blushed again as her mind drifted off to Michel. He worked for his father's export company, and often left the country on business trips. When he would return, he would always come to visit Phillip and always he would bring her a gift from wherever he had just come back from. She was remembering a time when he had returned from the southwest parts of the United States, and had returned with a necklace. It was made of beautifully polished turquoise.
Christian spoke again, "Calliope...Calliope??"
She shook her head back into reality to answer, "yes."
"Have you ever been in love?"
"Well..." she began, "there was this..."
Before she could finish, there was a sudden crash followed by tumultuous gasps from the crowd. Christian and Calliope looked up only to discover that Satine had collapsed and was being carried off the stage.
There you go. What would you like to see happen next?
"Calliope," she began sweetly, "what is wrong dear?" She reached up and put her hand on Calliope's shoulder. "You look so stunned."
Calliope blushed. "Is this how you are wanting me to dance?"
The diamonds on stage began to giggle all at once. Satine turned and raised her hand to hush them. Then she looked back at Calliope.
"You are a sweet innocent aren't you?" She reached up to brush some hair back from Calliope's face. "Darling, we aren't just dancing. We are entertaining and giving the customers what they want, and this..." she said as she lifted her arm and stepped to one side as if to display the half-naked women on stage, "is what the customers want."
Calliope felt ashamed with her self for seeming so immature. She looked down at her feet. Satine placed her long fingers under her chin and lifted her face to meet hers. "It is alright, little one, come up here so that we may teach you the routine."
Calliope felt somewhat better and she walked up the steps to the stage.
Calliope did her best to keep up. Everyone was moving so quickly, but just as she was beginning to catch on to the steps, something terrible happened. She was concentrating on a difficult step when suddenly she crashed into Roxanne. They both fell in a tragic heap on the floor.
"Hey," Roxanne shouted. "Why don't you watch where you are going?"
"I'm sorry," Calliope politely retorted.
Roxanne answered with a "harumph," and trotted off towards one of the other dancers. She looked at her and half-under-her-breath remarked, "Sure she can dance. She's tripping over her own feet."
"Give her a chance, Roxanne," Satine spoke up. "After all, she is just learning the routine." She looked at Calliope and smiled sweetly. "Can we begin where we left off, ladies?"
*****
Later that night, Calliope was sitting off stage, sipping a glass of brandy. Satine did not feel she was quite ready to perform so she sat and enjoyed the show. It was early in the evening and things were still pretty slow. As she was watching Satine, she noticed her wink at someone across the room. She turned her head to see who it might be. At the door, she saw three men, one of which she recognized as Christian, Satine's secret love. The other two were she had not met. One was extremely short and the other tall who appeared to be of Latin descent. She watched as they crossed the room. They stopped at a table and the two that she did not know sat down, but Christian remained standing. He glanced around the room. Calliope wondered who he might be looking for, after all Satine was on the stage. Then his glance stopped in her direction.
He approached her. Calliope became nervous. She looked again towards the stage pretending not to notice. Why was he coming to her? After all they had never before met.
"You must be Calliope."
She looked up to see his boyish smile.
"Satine asked me to keep you company tonight," he said as he bowed to her. "May I sit down?"
"Of course," replied Calliope. She tried hard not to blush. For a moment, she was a bit envious of Satine. Christian very much reminded her of Michel.
Satine looked in their direction and smiled at them both radiantly. For a few moments, they sat in silence. Then suddenly, Christian asks, "So what do you think of our 'Sparkling Diamond'?"
It took Calliope a moment to realize that Christian was referring to Satine. "Oh," she began, "I think she is the most beautiful woman I have ever known. She is so elegant and graceful."
"Yes, she is," Christian said as he stared at Satine dreamily.
A few more moments passed and Christian spoke again. "Satine tells me that you ran away from home to escape an arranged marriage."
"Yes, it is true."
"Well, I applaud you for settling for nothing less than true love." He stated plainly. "Tell me, have you ever been in love?"
Calliope blushed again as her mind drifted off to Michel. He worked for his father's export company, and often left the country on business trips. When he would return, he would always come to visit Phillip and always he would bring her a gift from wherever he had just come back from. She was remembering a time when he had returned from the southwest parts of the United States, and had returned with a necklace. It was made of beautifully polished turquoise.
Christian spoke again, "Calliope...Calliope??"
She shook her head back into reality to answer, "yes."
"Have you ever been in love?"
"Well..." she began, "there was this..."
Before she could finish, there was a sudden crash followed by tumultuous gasps from the crowd. Christian and Calliope looked up only to discover that Satine had collapsed and was being carried off the stage.
There you go. What would you like to see happen next?