Tuesday
We were stretching in ballet class the following morning, Tuesday, before class actually started.
"Hey Lizzie," Kate greeted me and sat down next to me.
"Hey Kate."
She started stretching.
"Hi," the girl next to us said.
She looked a lot like us with blue eyes and bouncy blonde curls which were pulled up into a bun.
"Hey I'm Lizzie," I said.
"I'm Ashley," the girl said.
"Hi I'm Kate," Kate said.
"Hi. Where do yall go to school?"
I laughed.
"I'm from Brooklyn. Well, New Orleans originally," Ashley told us.
"Oh. We've lived here all our lives."
Ashley laughed.
"And we go to school at South," Kate informed Ashley.
"Wow no way. Me too."
"How come we haven't seen you around then?" I wanted to know.
"Oh well it is a big school."
"Yeah it is," Kate agreed.
"And I've kinda been hiding in the shadows. I don't know a lot of people."
"Well you know us," I said.
Ashley smiled; "that's true."
"So that's a start."
"You have a really pretty smile," Kate observed.
"Thanks. I model."
"Wow."
"How long you been dancing?" I asked Ashley.
"Since I was 4, pretty much all my life. Mostly ballet. I used to play piano but…..stopped when my mother died which was when I was 4. She was pregnant with my sister, who also died, and was going to be named after my mother, Angela Lily."
"Ohhh," Kate said.
"Wow," I said.
"Yeah."
"That's pretty," I commented.
"Thanks."
"Mmhmm."
Ashley stretched over her leg.
"I know about death. My dad died August 31 of this year and I'm still not over it," I said.
"Jeez."
"Yeah."
"This is my first ballet class here," Ashley said.
"Welcome and we hope you like it," Kate said.
Ashley smiled, again; "thanks."
More stretching.
"So yall doin any shows or anything?" she asked us.
"Um well yes, actually. Dracula, Swan Lake and Nutcracker," I replied.
"Dracula. That is such a big thing down south yall have no idea."
"Really?"
"Yeah we're very much into that stuff. We have this whole huge shebang every Halloween. Graveyards and everything."
"Wow that sounds really….different."
"Yeah it is but it's great though. Yall heard of Lily Dale?"
"New York?" Kate asked.
"Yeah."
"Yeah I saw a book about it when I worked at the bookstore this summer."
"Yeah I used to go there every summer back when I lived in New York."
"Wow. Do you think you'll ever go back?" I asked.
"Idinno."
"Is it true that it's the town that talks to the dead?" Kate wanted to know.
"Yep. It's gorgeous durin the summer. Small towns and big gardens and wow. One of the few towns that's actually in New York. Really brings the history back."
"Wow."
"My mother played the lead in Swan Lake and Nutcracker a few times," Ashley told us, switching topics; "so did my grandmother, Lavender Rose."
"Woooww," Kate said.
"Yeah so I kina grew up with it."
"What a pretty name," I said.
Ashley again smiled; "thanks."
Pause.
"So what do yall like to do?" Ashley asked us.
"Um well excercising; ice-skating, horseback riding, yoga and ballet, obviously," Kate said.
"Down south there was nowhere to go ice skating since it was always so damn hot. Except when it rained and then you couldn't go anywhere cuz of all the rain."
"Wow," I commented.
"Yeah. What else?"
"We're taking 4 classes at school, besides the usual ones," Kate said.
"Really which ones?"
"Fashion design, cooking, baking and psychology," I said.
"Wow yall must be really creative."
"Yeah. we're also in art," Kate said.
"Ooh me too. I luv to draw. And paint."
"Cool," I said.
"And we like clothes. And shopping," Kate said.
"Ooh me too. Yall wanna hang out sometime?"
"Um sure when?" I asked.
"Maybe tonight…or tomorrow…..or sometime this weekend."
"Alrite cool." Kate said.
"So what do yall have today?"
"School, cheerleading, although with this weather idinno how that's going to go, cooking, our job and then ice-skating," I said.
"Yeah it might snow soon. But I'm used to that since it snowed plenty in New York. And London."
"You've been to London?" Kate asked in surprise with raised eyebrows.
"Yeah spent an entire winter there a few times and thinking of goin there again. I've also been to Ireland since that's where my mother's from and France; she's from there as well. He's from London."
"Wow what was it like?" I asked.
"Which; London, France or Ireland?"
"Um London and France," Kate clarified.
"Ohh. We went to France durin the summer. It's beautiful with tons of lavender everywhere. One of my aunts still lives there, in the country."
"Wow. I luv lavender," I said.
"Me too. And London is amazing. I have so many stories about it."
"Well you'll have to tell us sometime," Kate said.
"I will."
"Ok," I said.
Pause.
"He?" Kate asked, with raised eyebrows.
"My father."
"Ohhh. I take it you're not on very good speaking terms with him. Well, actually that's why I left. Escaped, rather. To get away from him."
"I know what that's like. Except mine moved down to Mexico with his new wife and their kids."
"Ooooh."
"Yeah."
"So I take it he's still in New York?"
"Yep. Reason I aint never going back. Or don't plant to, anyway."
"Mmm."
Pause.
"How's the cooking going?" Kate asked us.
"Good good. Last time we made Indian food."
"Mmm I luuv Indian food."
"Yeah so do we."
"Yall ever had gumbo? Or okra? Or jambalaya?" Ashley asked us.
"And those are….?."
"From New Orleans, right?"
"Yeah. They're really good. So is a really good cup of tea."
"You sound British."
"I am British."
We laughed.
"Maybe you could teach us how to make some in cooking next time?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Ok."
Pause.
Ashley sighed.
"What's wrong?"
"I miss Rayna."
"Who's Rayna?"
"My best friend. Last time I saw her was before I left.'
"Wow."
"Yeah."
By now we had been stretching for at least a half hour.
"Hey has anyone seen the dance teacher?" a girl named Lisa asked.
We all looked around.
"No, no I haven't but I'll go look," Lauren offered.
She left the room.
"Well, this could be interesting," I said.
Jane looked out the window.
"Wow it's really comin down out there," she said.
"Yeah, it is," Linda agreed.
"You know," I observed; "if it keeps going at this rate then by the time we get to school we'll be at least an hour late, if not more."
"You still wanna go to school?" Ashley asked
"Hell no."
"Ok."
"Shopping day!"
We laughed.
"So where do you work?" Ashley asked.
"At the hospital."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Wow."
"You can join us sometime if you want, maybe even today."
"Ok cool."
"Cool."
Lauren came back after about 20 minutes; "our teacher's out sick and all the schools are closed."