Note: Sorry if this feels slow. I have a very specific story I want to tell and a certain amount of set up is required.
Calling off her babysitter for the day saved Eileen sixty dollars and even though she wasn't making any real money yet, Anna had given her hope – something she'd almost forgotten the feeling of. Could she really snag a position in the corps de ballet and a side job so easily? Anna's bright smile made her want to believe such a miracle was possible.
A giggle from Erza drew her out of her musings. The little girl kicked at every clump of snow on the sidewalk and the toes of her pink boots were covered in slush. In the hand that wasn't attached to Eileen's she clutched a still steaming glazed donut. Probably not the best breakfast for a two and a half year old but they'd left the apartment at such an early hour, only the commuter shops were open.
Anna hadn't specified what time to show up at the old studio but Eileen's anxiety and excitement couldn't be contained. Her heart skipped a beat when she and Erza crossed the last short block and the row of windows she'd stopped in front of the day before came into view. From several storefronts down Eileen could see the studio was still dark and she felt a creeping disappointment. Maybe Anna hadn't been serious or maybe they'd come too early? What if she was already too late and Anna had gone?
Eileen stopped her fast paced march, along with her panicking, and crouched down in front of her daughter. Erza had a smear of sugar glaze on her cheek and Eileen smiled as she wiped it away with the last bit of napkin.
"Did you have fun on our little walking adventure this morning?" Eileen asked, trying to work herself up to face the fact that she'd been foolish to trust a total stranger. "Should we head back?"
Erza reached up to tug on a wisp of Eileen's hair and smiled. "Pretty," she said in the little voice that Eileen loved more than anything else in the world.
"You're pretty too, sweet girl." She stood and straightened Erza's knit cap. "Let's –" Eileen's eyes were drawn to the studio one last time and saw yellow light spilling out into the still-grey morning. "Oh," she whispered with the only breath in her lungs. The door swung open and Anna's golden head popped out.
"Oh good!" she called. "Come on, it's cold!"
Eileen gripped Erza's hand and adjusted her shoulder bag before closing the last stretch of space between them and the studio. Anna held the door open and smiled when she latched it closed once everyone was inside.
"I realized once you'd gone last night that we hadn't set a time so I came early. My son is up at the crack of dawn every day anyway."
"We took the train," Eileen offered awkwardly. "Sometimes things get crowded so I just…" she trailed off when Anna knelt in front of Erza, who clutched at Eileen's leg. "She's a little shy."
"Hi," Anna said with the same bright smile Eileen associated with her already. "I'm Anna."
"I'm Erza," the little girl said in a whisper.
"I've got a little boy that's just about your size. He's in the office over there." Anna pointed to a split Dutch door Eileen hadn't seen the previous afternoon. The top half had a four-panel window and stood open against the wall. "If we leave the top door open do you think you might like to watch cartoons in there with him?" She leaned closer conspiratorially and whispered, "I think he gets lonely sometimes."
"Okay," Erza said in a cautious voice.
Anna offered a hand to Erza and Eileen trailed behind them toward the office. Inside the small room was an old desk that had been shoved all the way against the far wall. A television had been plugged into the outlet behind the desk and children's cartoons danced on the small screen. In the center of the office was a shabby couch. Draped over the back of it was Anna's little boy. He smiled at Eileen in the same bright way his mother smiled but when his eyes found Erza, they didn't look away.
"Hi!" he said rolling over the back of the couch and landing on the cushions. "Wanna watch my show with me?"
Erza glanced back at Eileen and waited for a nod of approval. "Go on, love, we'll be just out here, okay?"
"Okay." Erza inched away from Anna and touched the back of the couch. The boy watched her as she made her way around the furniture at her own pace. When she crawled up to join him he flopped back around and covered both their legs with a blanket.
"I'm Jellal! Want some crackers?"
Erza shook her head no and folded her hands in her lap over the blanket. The boy didn't push her for her name; he just shrugged and turned his attention back to the television.
Eileen backed out of the office and Anna pushed the bottom half of the door closed again.
"Sorry it's so cold in here," Anna offered. She crossed the room and dug into one of the two bags on the row of benches. "The climate control system is ancient."
"I don't mind," Eileen said excitedly, taking a seat next to Anna. She pulled a worn pair of slippers from her bag and her fingers tingled. "I never thought I'd dance again. Now that I have this chance, I'm not going to let a little chill stop me."
Anna propped one foot on the bench and slid on her own shoes. "You sound determined. That's good. Competition is fierce. Like I said before, I'm pretty sure my spot in the corps is a pity placement."
"I doubt that," Eileen said. "I saw your grand jetes yesterday. With just a few tweaks to your form, they'd be perfect."
"You think so?"
"I know so." Eileen stood and Anna followed. "You're really doing me a huge favor here, Anna, I don't mind repaying in whatever way I can."
"Let's run through the audition program and see where things go from there."
Eileen watched Anna execute a routine that was predictably basic but peppered with a handful of strategically placed, complex moves. She felt unused but familiar cogs in her mind begin to turn. After only two attempts she'd mastered the program. A thrill surged through her body and Eileen felt like she might burst.
"You're really good," Anna said wistfully. "Where did you say you trained before?"
"Here in Crocus mostly. My parents sent me south for two years when I was sixteen to study at the –"
"Ballet de Midi?" Anna breathed. "You must have important parents. My mom was one of the best and even she couldn't get my sister in there."
"Uh, well –" Eileen flushed and tried to laugh off Anna's sharp deduction skills. "My mother is a lesser Dashkova. She pulled some strings and got me a spot."
"Wow. That's really something." Anna's face broke into a wide grin. "You're definitely getting into the troupe here in Crocus and you probably don't need my help at all to do it." Her cheeks turned pink. "In fact, I'm pretty sure you're the more appropriate tutor between the two of us."
"I could help you, if you want; if it's not an imposition. I'm not much of a teacher, though." She grimaced. "I'm told I have a bit of a temper and I'm impatient."
"I'm probably hopeless," Anna said with a dismissive wave. "To be quite honest, my technique is serviceable at best. I'm a much better teacher. I keep thinking one day I'll fix up this shabby old studio and make it mine."
"Why can't you?"
"Oh," Anna sighed and fell onto the bench. "It would be a lot of work and I'd hate to bug my husband with it all. He's a busy man."
"Better a busy husband than a deadbeat like mine was."
"That's true," Anna said with a forced grin. "I suppose I have no room to complain."
"Oh, no!" Eileen blurted, touching Anna's arm. "I didn't mean to shut you down. I'm just a bitter old maid."
"Old?" Anna asked with a laugh, reaching up to touch a stray wisp of Eileen's crimson hair. "You can't be more than, what, twenty-three?"
"Twenty-one."
"So we have young marriage and young motherhood in common, then. We're the same age," Anna said softly. "It's harder to let go of some things more than others, I think."
"Yeah," Eileen whispered.
"Maybe I sound crazy but I'm glad the studio door blew open the other day."
"You don't sound crazy. I'm glad to have nuked a job interview, took this route home on a whim, and wallowed in my self-pity in front of your windows."
"You nuked an interview?" Anna asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Yeah." Eileen sucked in a breath and decided to just be honest. "My work experience includes waiting tables and dance. I thought maybe pole dancing at a club and serving cocktails would be an even mix." Anna's eyes were wide. "I was gravely mistaken."
"Forgive me, Eileen, but you don't seem to have the temperament to deal with drunken, grabby men."
"I don't," Eileen said with an uplifting laugh. "But if I'd taken the job that troll offered me, I'd never have met you. So maybe it all worked out for the best?"
"I'd say so." Anna's smile was a thing Eileen had already decided she loved. She'd never been a person to appreciate close quarters or intimacy. Her mother had been a cold woman and her father, absent. Erza was her first experience in pure love. Anna's closeness bothered her less than maybe it should have. "We should check on the kids. Jellal gets hungry at the drop of a hat."
"Erza is a champion napper. I'm sure she's asleep."
"You're lucky on that front. My son doesn't know the meaning of downtime." Anna pulled her hair free of its bun and a curtain of golden hair fell down her back. Eileen half wanted to touch it to find out if the gentle waves were as soft as they looked.
The television still played children's programming at a low volume but Erza and Jellal had melted into a solid lump of arms, legs, and blanket. Anna laughed softly and began to pull the blanket away and the children apart.
"I think she's a good influence," Anna said, folding the blanket into a square. "Jellal hadn't sat still long enough for a nap in months."
"Maybe he'll rub some of that outgoing personality off on her. I worry how she'll do in school with her bashful nature."
"It's a good enough excuse to spend time together seeing as how you don't actually need me to teach you anything," Anna said with a wink. Eileen almost blushed.
Eileen's new job at the teahouse a block from Crocus Ballet wasn't amazing but the elderly owner was sympathetic to her plight – both as an aspiring dancer and a single mother. Anna favored the black tea with shortbread and when they'd seen a help wanted sign, Eileen applied immediately. She didn't think the owner even glanced at her application but when she walked out with a job, she decided it didn't matter.
The two-day wait between her audition and the morning when names would be posted on the back doors of the studio building were excruciating. Eileen ducked out of the teashop just after a breakfast rush and all but sprinted down the long block and around the corner. The crowd of potential dancers had mostly cleared out but a small group remained. Her palms clammed and the skin of her neck prickled with a cold sweat that had nothing to do with the season. She could see nothing but the printed list taped to the doors. Before the list of names came into focus, a hand closed around her bicep. Eileen spun around to find Anna smiling brilliantly.
"I've been calling the teashop for ten minutes!" She said in an excited breath. "I should've just come here!" Eileen's words were all caught in her throat and she was still speechless when Anna pulled her into an embrace.
"Did I get in?" Eileen breathed into Anna's ear.
"Of course you did, are you crazy?" Anna laughed and gripped her arms. "I told you!"
"I just –" Eileen felt tears pressing against her eyes. She didn't want to cry in public. One hot tear rolled free, though, and Anna caught it with her finger.
"You were the stand out, Eileen. I had absolutely no doubts!" Anna pulled her into another hug and Eileen was grateful for the tears that soaked into the collar of her friend's coat instead of streaking her face. "You're amazing," she whispered.
"Thank you," Eileen breathed. "I owe you –"
"Nothing," Anna said firmly. "You don't owe me a thing." She smiled again and pulled back to brush away any remnants of Eileen's tears. "Come out tonight. You and Erza should have dinner with us."
"Us?"
"I'll bring Jellal and they can be kids and you can unwind. I think you need it."
"I could maybe use a small drink." Eileen glanced back over her shoulder at the posted list. Just to make sure the day was real. Sure enough, her name was printed in thick, black ink. Eileen Belserion. She read it three times before turning back to Anna. "I should head back to the teashop."
"Of course. I'll call you this evening."
"Anna –"
Anna pressed her hand over Eileen's mouth. "Don't you dare thank me! You got in all on your own. Now go before the old lady remembers you're gone."
Eileen smiled. She took the walk back at a fast pace but still slower than when she'd been heading in the other direction. Her entire body felt light.
