Dance of the Sugar Plums
Chapter Three
Calleigh searched frantically for the bobby pins that she had placed on the counter top with one hand as she tried to hold the curly ponytail tightly in the other. It had been a foray in patience to get Sydney's hair to slick back in the standard bun, each of the naturally curly strands popping out as soon as she moved to another section of hair. What could've taken only ten minutes to do on her hair, was now taking all of thirty to complete on her daughter's mane. With a frustrated sigh, she tried to maneuver herself to open the drawer next to her to retrieve more, when Sydney suddenly turned, causing all of her hair to fall out of Calleigh's grasp.
"Syd," she sighed as she spotted the bobby pins on the floor. "We are never going to make it."
"Mommy, I don't want to wear my hair like that. I want it curly," Sydney protested as she looked in the mirror at her mother, her big brow eyes dancing with mischievousness.
"Sweetie, you have to have it in a bun. The sugar plum fairy doll wears it like that."
"But I don't want it like that!" Sydney responded, her voice rising an octave. Calleigh narrowed her eyes as she saw the little girl in the mirror, her mind set on having a curly ponytail.
"If you don't wear it like this," Calleigh stated, trying to remain calm, " you can't dance tonight."
"But I still want it , Mommy," Sydney demanded, her eyes now clouded with anger and frustration. Before Calleigh could scold her, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned, seeing her grandmother standing with her cane. The expression on her face was of understanding and kindness, and it softened Calleigh's demeanor.
"Why don't you let me take over, Bug," she said gently, smiling at her great granddaughter through the mirror. " You still have to get ready."
A wave of relief came over Calleigh as she side stepped, but hesitated. Sydney could be a handful by herself, throw into the mix unruly hair, and that was another story altogether.
"Are you sure, Grams? Her hair is a beast on it's own," Calleigh asked as her grandmother started shaking her head.
"I've done a many ponytails in my time, sweetie. Her's isn't going to be any different."
"Did you happen to see how curly her hair is, Grandma?"
"Just the same, scoot," she replied sweetly as she gestured Calleigh out of the dressing room that was adjacent to the bathroom. " We will be done in ten minutes."
"Grams,..."
"Ten minutes, Calleigh. Don't worry, we will have a good time, right, Sydney?"
"Yeah!" came the exuberant cry from Sydney as she began to giggle. Calleigh watched the two trade smiles and conceded. She would be but a call away if things got hairy.
"Alright, well, I will be in my room," Calleigh said as she backed out of the room, leaving them to their own chuckles and whispers. Instantly, Calleigh's mind flashed back to her days in Savannah, when she had spent the majority of her time with her Grams over the summers. It was like they were in their own little world, much like what Calleigh saw between her and her daughter at the moment. Softly, she closed the door, hearing Sydney laughing out loud, making her smile . Her Grandmother had always had a certain touch with the kids.
No more than ten minutes later, they both emerged out of the dressing room, Sydney's hair done up perfectly in a smooth bun, not a stray curl seen. Calleigh looked on in amazement as Sydney came down stairs gracefully, a magnificent smile on her face. She looked every inch of the beautiful fairy she was going to play.
As Sydney came down, Tim ascended the stairs, helping Grams down the stair case, a permanent grin affixed to her face.
"Such a lovely young man," she said as she walked down slowly, grasping on to Tim's arm. Calleigh watched with bated breath as they came down, not so much worried about whether Tim could safely bring her to the bottom or not, but if she was going to be able to breathe regularly once she got down. Grams was young at spirit, but her body told the story of many years of life. Getting to the bottom, she let a heavy breath out, steadying herself with the banister. Calleigh came closer, her heart starting to beat faster, the fear out weighing everything at the moment.
"Grandma?"
"I'm fine, Bug. Just get a little winded at times. Not the youngest one in the bunch anymore," she said as she waved Calleigh off. "Stop being a worry wart, dear." When she gathered her breath more, she smiled faintly, " Now, tell me, how do you like young Sydney's hair?"
"Oh, Grandma, it's beautiful! How did you..." Calleigh asked as she pulled Sydney closer to her. She could feel the little girl's energy as she placed a hand on her shoulder.
" Just an understanding is all," Grandma replied , " isn't that right, Sydney?"
"Yes, ma'am," Sydney replied, her smile pushing across her face. "Can we go now , Mom? I don't want to miss anything."
Tim chuckled at her impatience, recognizing it in himself many times before. It was something to see it on someone else. His father and mother came up behind them, along with Chauncy and Jayson, crowding the hallway.
" I think it's time for someone to get going," Joseph intoned grinning at her as she began to move again. Calleigh tried to hold her back, the fear of losing the perfect bun running through her. Tim walked up to them , handing her Sydney's jacket and giving her a stern glance. Sydney immediately stopped her moving and slipped into her jacket, waiting for her mother to give the go ahead.
" Okay, we're going. You guys don't be late," Calleigh called as she opened the door, Sydney practically running out towards the car. She jumped up and down as Calleigh turned to the house once more, "try and get seats closer to the front!"
"C'mon, Mommy!" Sydney said aloud, her voice taking on a slight whine as she waited impatiently at the back door. Calleigh picked up her pace and unlocked the door by remote, seeing her jump in her booster seat, practically putting the seat belt on herself.
"Sydney , calm down," Calleigh chided softly as she reached across her gently to pull the belt across from her. "We are going to get there."
"But when , Mommy?" Sydney asked, her impatience starting to show through. Her brow furrowed as she crossed her arms about her, her lip poking out the slightest bit. Calleigh chuckled at the temper tantrum, wondering absently if this is what Tim looked like when he was little. "MOMMY!"
"Syd, alright now, calm down, and I mean it," Calleigh responded, her voice taking on a stern tone. Immediately, Sydney got quiet, and sighed heavily as Calleigh closed the door. Quickly , she got in the drivers seat and put the car in reverse, glancing at her through the rearview mirror. Now that they were in forward motion, Sydney's face began to soften and she sung along with the music that drifted out of the stereo. Driving, Calleigh pushed the gas a little more, her speed increasing . She would push it to get her there on time.
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Calleigh watched as the wardrobe mistress took Sydney by the hand and led her back to the dressing rooms, waving at the beaming child as if her heart was breaking. More than anything did Calleigh want to be back there with her, helping her get into her costume, reminding her to stand still and to position herself just right, but she realized that there were people back there for that. It now dawned on her that at the tender age of five years old, her little girl was growing up.
As Sydney disappeared backstage, Calleigh wiped a tear away and turned to go into the theater itself. The Metropolitan wasn't as big as many theaters, but it suited Miami's tastes well. Standing there at the door, she scanned the vast room for her group , slightly remembering where he had said they were when he called earlier. Seeing him wave to her, she promptly waved back and walked briskly to join them, seeing at the same time as Eric walked up, chatting with Horatio and Marisol. Once she joined them all, she let out a deep breath as she saw more people entering the hall.
"Well, she's back there," Calleigh stated as she took her seat next to Tim, who was making last minute preparations to the camera, in hopes that it perform it's duties tonight. " I just hope she is going to be alright."
"Cal, she's going to be fine," Tim coaxed as he looked towards his brother who was chatting with Chauncy. " She's way too excited to get into any trouble."
"Just how excited?"Eric asked, as he sat behind them, leaning up.
"Let's just say, she wasn't happy last night until I came home with the entire set up..."
"When he only promised her a tu tu," Calleigh finished , remembering the irresistible smile on her daughter's sleepy face as she pulled out the promised tu tu, along with the leotard and the tiara.
" I couldn't let her go to sleep upset," Tim defended once more as the music began and the lights started to go down. Calleigh turned towards the stage, her heart beating insanely fast. Sydney wouldn't be for a while, but just the thought of her little girl gracing the stage , in front of so many people was astounding to her. The noise behind her continued and she turned her head quickly, her glare shutting Eric down. He put his hands up in defense and sat back as Marisol and Horatio grinned at him and the dancers took to the stage. Calleigh snuggled against Tim, curving her arm inside of his as he turned the camera towards the stage, starting the video. "Make sure you have enough for Sydney."
"Don't worry, Cal," Tim whispered as the music began, grinning wildly. There was no way that he was going to miss his little girl's grand debut.
As the story began to unfold in front of them, Calleigh glanced over to her grandmother, seeing the absolute delight in her eyes as she followed the dancers, her nimble hands moving with the music, seemingly lost in her own thoughts .Calleigh's smile faded at the realization that time was moving on for her grandmother, and there would be less and less of her through the coming years. That simply meant that she was going to have to enjoy her for the time remaining.
Blinking rapidly, she refocused her attention to the stage, recognizing the precise moment as it appeared. She leaned forward , pulling Tim along with her, her excitement barely contained. As soon as she saw Sydney in full Sugar Plum Fairy doll regalia, her eyes immediately began to swell. It took all that she had from coming to her feet and cheering her on as if she was in a homecoming game instead of a ballet.
"There she is, Tim. There she is," Calleigh said , her voice quaking with her glee. "She looks precious, Tim."
Tim turned to Calleigh as he kept the camera focused on his daughter , handing her a handkerchief, " Cal, don't cry. She's beautiful, and ...she's standing still. Look at her!"
Tim's voice echoed slightly and he felt himself turn a shade of red as the heads turned back to the stage. They all watched as Sydney stood perfectly still in the first position, waiting patiently. Through memory, Tim traced the foot steps that they had done many a times at home, mouthing the steps in time with her, his heart overflowing that she was keeping up so well. By the time she ended , he was hard pressed to keep himself planted to the seat. A tear fell absently as he turned to Calleigh, squeezing her hand gently. Their little girl had exceeded all their expectations.
The rest of the performance went well, and as promised, Tim let the film continue to play so that Sydney could see her company mates as they performed being that she was unable to. Tim could hardly wait for the curtain call before he was up on his feet , grabbing the bouquet that he had brought before coming. The swarms of equally eager parents swelled as the dancers began to filter out of the backstage area, smiles abound on their young faces. It astounded both Tim and Calleigh to no end on the devotion of these kids. Calleigh searched the sea of children and parents for her own little one, dodging in and out of the crowd. When she finally spotted her, she saw the exuberant smile on her daughter's face that seemed to light up the entire hall. She was just over the moon.
"Mommy! Mommy! I did it! I did it!" Sydney exclaimed as Calleigh bent to scoop her into her arms. Calleigh embraced her tightly , the tears appearing at random. She was immensely proud of her .
" I saw, baby. You did so good! I'm so proud of you ," Calleigh returned as Sydney pulled back, her eyebrow arching.
"Mommy, why are you crying? I did good, remember?"
"Oh, Syd, Mommy's crying because she is happy," Calleigh laughed as she wiped at her eyes with her free hand. Tim's parents came over along with Eric, Horatio , and Marisol, their smiles equally bright as Calleigh put her down, searching for her grandmother. Chauncy helped her over to the crowd as Tommy flanked her, gently holding on to her. The fear crept up inside of her again, fearing that the activity was just too much for her. "Grams?"
"Not to worry, Bug. I'm fine," she said as she smiled, looking down at Sydney. "And you, you little sugar plum fairy. You did an outstanding job!"
"Thanks , Grams. I remembered to stand still. Did you see me?" she asked loudly as she attached herself to her legs, looking up at the elderly woman.
"I saw you, sweetie. I tell you, seeing you up there dancin' reminded me of my days," she replied wistfully, a smile coming over her. " A little dance livens the spirit, I always said."
The sounds of light chuckles filled the air as Tim began to usher them out of the overcrowded theater. There was still more to celebrate, and he wanted Sydney to be the center of it all. Sydney beamed brightly as she walked in between her mother and father as they made their way to the cars. For just that moment, everyone's spirit had been livened with one simple dance.
The End