***
Donavan realized he was the one pushing for a fight, and maybe that’s what they needed. That way it would all come out into the open. And even so, he really didn’t want to be mean to her. He had been so worried about her. Feeling like he was the one who pushed her out the door. And Jessica had said as much. He knew she was just as worried about their daughter as he was. They had almost lost one child. And not knowing what or where Rainy was, had them at each other’s throats. However, Jessica leaving him was not what he needed to happen. It was as if the world was turning against him, and the ones he loved the most were leaving him. Now that Rainy was home, maybe, just maybe, he could pull himself back together and climb out of this awful rut he was in.
***
When Monday came, Donavan told Rainy she could come to the studio to start her community service. She wanted to ask him how they were going to keep track of her time, but she wasn’t too sure she should ask him anything. He seemed to always be in a grumpy mood. This was for sure more of a challenge then she thought it would be. Donavan Graystone could be the biggest dick when he wanted to be. And it did seem he had it in for her.
At the studio, Rainy waited to be told what to do. Not sure if he wanted her working in the office or cleaning. After a while, she went and stood just outside his office. Already busy, the dancers all seemed to need to talk to him. She waited. What else could she do? Maybe asking him before they left home would have been smart.
Finally, the dancers cleared out. Rainy went to the door. “Dad, what do you want me to do?”
He glanced up at her. “Go work with Tim. Maybe he can use you in the dance.”
“I’m sorry, Dad. But I can’t dance.”
Now he frowned at her. “And just why the hell not?” He gave her an angry glare.
“I can no longer dance because I was attacked by an alligator. I was still doing rehab when the bike club got busted.”
“What happened?” He asked, now concerned.
“I was chasing a dog. He was provoking the gator. I saved the dog, but Old Smokey came out of the river and got a hold of my right ankle. The doctor put a plate and screws in to hold my ankle together I only have about half the mobility I used to have.”
***
He could only stare at her for the longest time and wondered how he missed this. He never noticed her limping. But he knew she must. “Go to the dance school, and clean it before the kids come in. And later today you can clean the studio. From now on, you’ll have to clean here before the dancers come in for the day.”
“How are you going to keep track of my time?”
“You keep track of your own time.”
“I can’t do that, Dad. You have to.”
“I’ll think of something,” he mumbled and put his attention back on his dance schedule as if he had no concern for her whatsoever, even if his heart was breaking.
***
Rainy left for the dance school that was next door, going right to work cleaning. She was the only one there. And because it was Monday, no one would come in until the afternoon. It took her about two hours, and she cleaned each room. It was so quiet in the school, and Rainy wasn’t in a hurry to go back to the studio and dodge the dancers. Putting on music, she found herself at the ballet barre. She started to do warm-ups until her ankle began to throb. Taking a seat on a bench, she rubbed her ankle and swore she would never try that again. Once the pain subsided, she went next door to the dance studio.
She went right to work cleaning studio three. The dancers were all in studio one. Later in the afternoon, she cleaned the locker rooms while the dancers were in their afternoon session.
Donavan watched Rainy on his computer. And as the day went on and she started to tire, her limp becoming worse. He called her to his office.
Rainy heard her name being called over the PA. At first, it startled her. Stopping what she was doing, she made her way to Donavan’s office. She stood at the door. “What do you need, Dad?”
“Go home!”
“Why? I still…” she said, lifting her arm to point down the hallway.
“I said go home!” He cut her off.
“What did I do wrong, Dad?”
He gave her a venomous glare. “Do as you’re told, and go home!”
***
She was puzzled, but what could she do? She put everything away and walked back to her father’s house. Because she had not eaten, she took the pot of stew out and divided it into four containers. Three of them she put into the freezer. The fourth one she heated up and ate. After she cleaned up the kitchen, she went to her room, not sure she wanted to see her father. No, maybe it was better if she didn’t. I’ll talk to him tomorrow, she thought.
Getting into the shower, she wondered what she had done to make her father angry. But she was glad he wasn’t home because she needed to wash the only outfit she had to wear. After her shower, she went to her father’s room and found a T-shirt and sweats pants that must have belonged to her mother. She wished Quinn was home from college so she could ask to borrow some clothes from her. When she turned to leave the room, her father was watching her. She jumped, not knowing he was there. Grabbing her chest with her right hand, she said, “Oh my God, you scared me, Dad.”
“Why are you in my room?”
“I was looking for something to put on so I can wash my clothes. It’s the only outfit I have, Dad.”
He moved over towards her, and Rainy took a step back, not sure of what he might do to her. Donavan saw her move back, but that didn’t stop him. When he got to her, he took her hand and walked her into the room that she and Samantha use to share. Opening the closet door, he said, “I think you’ll find what you need in here.” Then he left the room. And she wondered why he would move her clothes into this room. But she was happy he had kept them. Now she had a change of clothes and wouldn’t have to ask him to buy her any.
She wasn’t going to talk to him, but he didn’t seem to be angry with her. And she would have to talk to him at some point. She made her way downstairs into the kitchen. But before she could speak, he said, “Did you eat yet?”
“Yes, I heated up the stew. I put the rest into the freezer if you would like some.”
Donavan went to the freezer, opened it, and pulled out a container. He heated it on the stove.
“Why did you make me leave today, Dad?”
“You were limping badly. So I think it’s better if you only work four hours a day.”
“The only reason I was limping so bad was because I did something stupid and hurt my ankle. I can work a full day,” she stressed
“You can do as you’re told. And I said four hours a day.”
Rainy was about to cry because at four hours a day, it was going to take her two years or more to do her community service. “Can I get a job, then?”
“No!”
“Ah come on, Dad, you’re not being fair.”
Raising a brow, he looked right into her eyes and said, “And you getting on that motorcycle and leaving the company hanging was fair?”
Rainy started to say something, but shut her mouth and shook her head no. She left him and went to bed. She would never win with him. And she just had to convince him that she could work a full day with her bad ankle.
Back in her room, she sat down on the bed and wiped the tears away. And as angry as she wanted to be with him, she’d brought this on herself. In a way, she was glad she had him because if not, she would be in jail.
The door opened and startled her. “How’d you hurt your ankle today?”
Looking over her shoulder at him, she said, “I tried to do warm up at the barre. I thought that maybe my ankle would loosen up a bit. But I soon found out that was a big mistake.”
Donavan studied her for a moment. “What have the doctors told you?”
“Not to even think about dancing.”
“Oh, I see,” he mumbled and started to close the door. Then he opened it again. “Oh, by the way, the stew was good,” h
e said and pulled the door closed.
At least he wasn’t yelling. She smiled. And I thought you weren’t going to eat any. That thought made her chuckle.
The stress seemed to lighten after that night. Anyway, they were talking. She had clothes now, and she came home from the studio and did what she had for the bikers; she cooked. Small meals for the two of them. No, it wasn’t like they were best friends, but it wasn’t like he was trying to make her life hell either. The fact was, Rainy loved her dad more than anyone else in her family. He raised her. Even when her mother wasn’t around, he always was. She had a wonderful childhood, and he was the reason. Even when he didn’t have time for her, he’d make it. Now after what she’d been through, she realized what a good man her father was.
Two weeks passed and he still wouldn’t let her work more than the four hour days. But she was working on him.
One day she was cleaning the men’s locker room. Pedro and four other male dancers came in. “Hey look, it’s the biker chick.”
“I thought she was the cleaning lady?” said Mark.
“Yes, man, she’s both. Ha.” Pedro pointed to her head. “Look, she’s wearing her do-rag.”
“Wonder where her biker boyfriend is?” asked Richard.
“He dumped her ass. Why do you think she’s here? Isn’t that right— biker bitch?”
Rainy kept working and pretended not to hear them. No, she didn’t like what they were saying, but if she talked back to them, Pedro would go to her dad. He might not take up for her, and if he didn’t, that wasn’t something she wanted to know. And after all, her hours were starting to add up. And her dad said she could work in the office for two more hours a day. Nope, she could keep her mouth shut and get through this.
For the next three months, it was just a routine for Rainy. Nothing much changed. Then Bonnie and her husband, Will, were going on vacation. Donavan asked her to take over for Bonnie. Bonnie pretty much managed the dance school now that Jessica wasn’t there. Even though she and Will were handicapped, they were both teachers. Tim would take over both Will’s classes and she would take over Bonnie’s. And Rainy was thrilled that her father trusted her enough to ask her. It also meant more time off of her community service.
***
The first week went well, but the second week was when the monthly fees were due. At the end of the night, Rainy was taking the money to her father’s office. The dancers had been working late. Rainy walked right into Pedro and his little posse. Pedro started in on her first thing, calling her names and making fun of her. Tim came in the side door from the dance school. He stopped and listened. The five of them were blocking her way. And he could tell Rainy was getting nervous because she had the bank bag with the money. He was about to say something when Donavan came out of studio one. The five dancers took off at once and went into the locker room. Rainy followed Donavan into his office. Tim went in after them. After Donavan went through the bag of money and receipts, he told Rainy she could leave and go home. When she walked out the door, Tim said. “Don, Pedro and a few of the other dancers were giving Rainy a hard time a few minutes ago.”
“Yeah, I know it’s been going on for a while now,” he said, opening the safe and placing the money inside.
“And you’re letting them get away with this?”
“Not too much I can do, Tim. They are all adults.”
“They aren’t acting like it.”
Donavan sighed. “Believe it or not, I use to be just like Pedro. He’ll grow up one day.”
“Don, Rainy is your daughter. I can’t believe you would let anyone talk to her like that.”
“The fact that she is my daughter is the reason I’m not getting into this. You forgot that they used to be a couple. And sure as I say something, it will blow up in my face. And believe me, Rainy can take care of herself.”
“I don’t know, Don. If she were my kid, I think I would knock his head off for the way he talks to her.”
“Don’t worry. Tim, Pedro’s day is coming.”
Tim turned to leave. “If you say so,” he mumbled.
“Tim.” He stopped and turned back to look at Donavan. “Thanks for looking out for my daughter.”
***
The following Monday, Rainy was sitting at the front desk at the dance school. She was studying the next part of the dance for the five-year-olds. Tim came in and placed a stack of papers on the desk. Rainy moved them to put them with the other papers so when Bonnie returned, she could go through them. But the paper on the top of the pile got her attention. It was announcing a contest. The contest was for someone to write and direct a ballet. They had to be a part of a dance company or a school associated with a dance company. And there were lots of them in the city. The prizes were a trophy and five thousand dollars. Leaning back in her chair, she thought, what if? But then she put the papers aside. Sure, she could direct a ballet, but where would she get the dancers or the money for costumes? Just her thinking about doing the contest was the biggest joke ever. Because for one thing, she would have to go behind her father’s back. Even if she could get everything in order, she didn’t have the time. She took one last look at the paper. Three months. That’s how long before the contest. And she was sad her mother wasn’t there. They could pull it off together.
Chapter 23
Space
Rainy passed her father in the corridor. And at first glance, she didn’t recognize him. And she realized it was his appearance. He was dressed down. And he never in his life dressed in jeans and polo shirts. No, he always wore tailored suits that fit him impeccably. But she realized he wasn’t the same man anymore. He’d changed, and she wasn’t sure how to take him. That’s why as badly as she wanted to write a ballet for the contest, she wouldn’t. No, she needed to just do her time and get out of here. Start over with no bikers, or Donavan and the dance company. That way she could start a whole new chapter of her life.
That night after dinner, she went up to her room. Sitting at her brother’s old desk, she couldn’t get the contest off her mind. And she knew that it would be impossible to make it happen. After a few minutes passed, and she thought that there was no law that said she couldn’t write a ballet. Besides, it would give her something to do, like a hobby. If her father asked her what she was doing, she would tell him she was writing a short story. Why the hell not? Jumping to her feet, she ran downstairs to her father’s office and found a notebook. She flipped through it, and it was blank. This is perfect! Rushing back to her room, she began to write.
The next thing she knew, the sky was getting light. Rainy couldn’t believe she had stayed up the entire night writing this script. But after looking it over, she was proud of her storyline. Now she had to get ready for work. She was looking forward to coming back home tonight to finish the work, thrilled with the feeling of having something to look forward to.
Now at the dance school, she pulled the notebook out and started to write. She wasn’t going to bring it with her, but was glad she did. Already having done her work at the dance studio, she had more than two hours before Tim and the kids would show up for their classes. She was working on the third scene. Hearing a commotion, Rainy looked up. And Bonnie and Will were entering the school. “I thought you guys didn’t get back until next week?”
“Donavan called this morning. He needs some help with the casting for this year’s contest,” stated Bonnie.
“Oh,” Rainy replied, acting dumb. “What contest?”
“Every year they have a contest for the dance companies. Someone writes the ballet, and if they win, they get five thousand dollars and a big trophy. Imakey has won for the past three years. Before them, City ballet would usually take the trophy.”
“What’s the big deal? It’s just a contest.”
“Yes, but every dime helps.”
“So the money goes to the company?”
“Tim is usually the winner, and he donates the money to the company. After all, he couldn’t win without the dancers.”
“They sit in Donavan’s office. That way the dancers get the credit for the dance.”
Rainy had seen the trophies, but didn’t know what they were for. “So Tim gets nothing?” She asked.
“The knowledge he won. And it looks good on his resume.”
Bonnie moved her wheelchair closer to the desk. “Why all the questions, Rainy?”
Rainy shrugged her shoulders. “Just being nosy, that’s all.”
Now Bonnie leaned back in her chair. “I know that look. Your mother gets the same look on her face when she wants to do something behind your father’s back. Now what gives?”
“I’d tell you Bonnie, but it’s not doable.”
“Tell me anyway. What do you have to lose?” Bonnie smiled at her. “And if you’re worried about me saying anything to Donavan, I won’t. I never gave your mother away.”
“I’m writing a ballet. In fact, I’m almost done. But there’s no way I can do this.”
“Why do you want to do this?”
“I need the money. I only have six months left, and I’m free again.”
Bonnie held her hands out and said, “You don’t believe you can do this?”
Shaking her head no, she shrugged. “Did you ever see the ballet, Doves?”
“Yes, that’s the one that Samie danced the lead in.”
“That’s right, but guess who wrote it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Your mother and Tim. That dance is the reason Tim is now a choreographer with Imakey. Donavan thought it was the best ballet he ever saw. And you don’t think you can do this. Your mother, at the time, was under contract with The Dance Company. That was before the name changed to Imakey.”
“Mom went behind Dad’s back?”
“Tim did too. They were both dancers in the company.”
“Were mom and dad married?”
“Not at the time they were divorced. In fact, you were just a baby.”
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