Rumbling Thunder

  “Dad, can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “Can I still play the conductor?”

  Donavan smiled at her. “It’s your ballet, sweetheart. You do whatever you want to do.”

  Rainy’s eyes started to mist up. She stood up and skirted the desk. “Thank you, Dad,” she said as she embraced him.

  “You don’t have to keep thanking me, Rainy. I’m happy to have you here. But you know they can be a hard crowd.”

  “The dancers.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not worried about them. I happen to know a biker gang that was a lot tougher than they could ever dream of being.”

  Donavan laughed at that remark. “I bet!” He said, shaking his head.

  “Have you heard anything about them?”

  “The bikers?”

  “Yeah. I know you watch the news a lot.”

  “No, but they may not make the news here. They were busted in Georgia.” Rainy nodded her head to agree. “You’re worried about them?”

  “Not so much. I only cared for a few. I wonder why I never had to testify against them.”

  “You might still have to. But sometimes they plead out.”

  ***

  She smiled at him, but it didn’t reach her eyes. And Donavan knew she was worried about the one called Decker. She had only told him bits and pieces, however, he knew the man broke her heart badly. He wished he could make it less painful for her, only he knew time would take most of the bitterness away. And maybe she would find a man who would love her as much as she loved Decker.

  Tim came into the office. “Good morning!” he said cheerfully.

  “Well, aren’t you in a good mood,” Donavan popped back.

  “I am.”

  “You want to let me and my new partner in on it, or should we guess?”

  “You’re new partner—Rainy?” Tim asked surprised.

  “Yes!”

  Tim embraced Rainy. “Congratulations!”

  “Thanks, Tim.”

  “Okay, you’re off the subject. What’s going on?” Donavan insisted.

  “Brook is pregnant,” Tim stated with pride.

  Donavan grinned at him. “That’s awesome, Tim. What a way to start the new year.”

  “I’m glad you have Rainy here. Now I won’t feel so bad asking for time off when the baby comes.”

  “You know I would have given you anything you need, Tim. When Jessie comes to work, you have to tell her. She’ll be so happy for both of you.”

  “She’s back?”

  “Yes, and can’t wait to get back into her routine.”

  “This really is a good start to the new year. Where do you want them?” Tim asked Donavan about the dancers. Donavan pointed to Rainy.

  “Tell them to go into one,” Rainy replied.

  Tim went to talk to the dancers.

  “You want me to tell them?” Asked Donavan.

  “That I’m their new boss? No, thanks, I’ll handle them. But we might be a few short after today.”

  “Do whatever you have to do, Rainy. We can always get more dancers. We have a school full of them. And from what I saw of your ballet, they are more than ready to step up.”

  “Aren’t they something to be so young?”

  “They’ve had a great teacher. But if you tell her I said so, I’ll deny it.”

  Rainy chuckled.

  ***

  Rainy took the blue folder and headed for studio one. Entering the large studio, she made her way down the steps to the dance floor. All the dancers were there as far as she could tell. “Alright everyone, go to the barre for warm-ups!” She ordered.

  Pedro nudged Mark. “Look, it’s the biker bitch. And she thinks she’s going to be a dancer again just because she dresses like one.” The four male dancers around him started to laugh.

  Rainy looked their way and said, “No more talking. We have a new ballet to learn. We will be performing it next month on Valentine’s Day.”

  “Excuse me, Miss Clean Up Lady. But you mean the dancers will be performing the ballet, right? Because we all know you can’t dance, bitch. Hell, you don’t even walk good!” Pedro stated.

  Rainy didn’t even respond to his remark. Looking at the group of them, she continued. “There will be a list posted on the board with your part in the ballet. Make sure you check before you go home this afternoon.”

  “Hey, Clean Up Lady. I’m talking to you, and you’re being rude.”

  Two of the male dancers did as she instructed and went to the barre to warm up. “I need all of the dancers at the barre, gentlemen. That means you also, Pedro.”

  “I don’t have to listen to you, bitch. You’re just the maid!”

  Tilting her head to one side, she said, “Isn’t that what your mother does for a living, Pedro?” And she knew it was because his mother worked for her grandparents and had for many years.

  “Yes, she’s a maid, but she’s not in here pretending to be a ballerina. She knows where she belongs, unlike you.” The dancers had stopped their warm up. They were watching to see just how Rainy would handle Pedro.

  “Pedro, go to the barre and warm up.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “You can go home because you’re not supposed to talk back to the choreographer; it’s a company rule.”

  “Ha! Well, biker bitch, I happen to know you’re no choreographer.”

  ***

  Donavan stood at the top of the stairs with Tim. “You going to break it to him, or should I?” Tim asked.

  “Let her handle him. I think she will surprise you.”

  The two of them kept jawing at each other for a few minutes. “No, bitch, you can’t make me go anywhere. And when your daddy finds out you’re talking to his best dancer like this, he’ll send you home.” He pointed at her.

  Rainy slammed the folder down on top of a table. “That’s it. I’ve tried to be nice about this. Pedro, you’re fired!” You could hear the commotion as the dancers reacted. “And if anyone else would like to join him, be my guest. Anyone who wants to be in this ballet, you have about two seconds to get to the barre and start warming up.” The other two men walked away from Pedro and went to the barre.

  “Man, you guys are so dumb. She ain’t nobody. You wait until Donavan comes in here. You’ll see how dumb you are.”

  Donavan started to walk down the steps with Tim right on his heels. “What seems to be the problem here?” He asked.

  “It’s Rainy. She thinks she’s the boss now and is trying to order us around.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Yes, boss,” Pedro replied.

  Donavan walked over towards Rainy and for whatever reason, she stepped back. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe she felt he, like Decker, would let her fall off of that tightrope of trust and crush her heart again. She looked down, and Pedro laughed, thinking Donavan was about to tell her off. He looked at his friends and winked.

  Donavan stared at Rainy. “What did you do, Rainy? Did you fire the best dancer this company has ever had?”

  She looked up at him now, and said in a calm voice, “No, I fired Pedro!”

  “Oh, I see.” He then turned towards Pedro. “You heard the young lady, you’re fired.”

  Pedro couldn’t believe what Donavan just said. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “No, Pedro. My partner said you’re done. Please collect your belongings and leave this studio at once. Tim will escort you to the locker room to get your things.”

  As soon as Pedro left the studio and Tim returned, Donavan faced his dancers. “Rainy is now one of the artistic directors of this dance company. If you talk back to her, it’s the same as if it’s me or Tim. Now we wasted enough time. Let’s go to work!”

  ***

  Later that day when the dancers were on their break. Rainy came into the office. She was surprised that a desk was already there for her. Her father was at his desk going over bills, she thought. “Dad?”

  “What
is it, Rainy?” he asked without ever looking up.

  “You didn’t have to step in. I would have handled Pedro.”

  He turned to look at her now. “I know that.”

  “Then why did you step in? It made me feel like you don’t think I can do the job.”

  He fell back in his chair, bringing his hands together in front of him. “Time is money, Rainy. You could stand there and argue with Pedro all day, but we don’t have the time for things like that.” She gave him a sad expression. “And it was my fault it happened. I should have told the dancers what was going on. And I should have told Pedro off for the way he was treating you a long time ago.”

  “Yeah, I kind of felt like you hated me or something. And that I was a failure.”

  He shook his head. “I wouldn’t call firing Pedro failing. No, Rainy, they all know now you won’t take their crap. You did good. Now put it to bed. You have other things to worry about.”

  Looking away, she said, “Yeah, like replacing Pedro.”

  “Yes, things like that,” he said and went back to work.

  She sat down behind her desk and was quiet for a moment. “Dad, I messed up didn’t I? Don’t we need him?”

  He gave her a mild glance. “You did what you had to do..”

  “And I failed.”

  “First of all, I don’t believe we’ve seen the last of Pedro. Yes, he might get another job with another company. However, he will more than likely have to start at the bottom.”

  “I don’t believe he will. He’s damn good, Dad.”

  “Rainy, if you want him back, that’s fine, only you have to let him come to you.”

  “Why? If we wait he might get another job.”

  “And if you don’t, he won’t do us any good because his head won’t fit through the door.” She knew what her father was saying was the truth. But it bothered her that he wasn’t sweating the fact that they may have lost one of their best dancers. It was only her first day on the job, and she felt she’d already messed up.

  Rainy sat at her new desk for a few minutes, then said, “Dad?” Donavan turned to face her, and she could tell he was getting annoyed with her. “Nevermind.” Opening the blue folder that was in front of her, she picked up a pen and crossed through Pedro’s name. Pedro would have been the lead alien. Now she had to make up her mind who would take his place. After thinking it over, she picked Red. His real name was Carl, only no one ever called him that. He was a good dancer. He could wear a mask on his face and still dance. Not everyone had that ability. She didn’t believe she could do so.

  Later that same afternoon, she called it a day and sent the dancers home. Her first day working this way was a long one. There was a time she felt her father’s job was so easy, but now she knew better. After the last dancer went out the door, she was heading for the office when she saw Pedro. He was standing just outside the office door talking to her dad, or maybe Tim. She wasn’t sure. The one thing she did know was that she didn’t need to argue with him now. Going past him, she went next door to the dance studio to see her mom.

  It was late when Jessica and Rainy came into the house. Donavan had cooked for them.

  “Hi, Dad.”

  He glanced up at her from the living room chair he was seated in. “Where did you go this afternoon?”

  “I went to the dance school. I wanted to hang out with Mom for a while.”

  “Pedro was looking for you.”

  Her eyes widened, “For?”

  “He wants his job back. I told him it was your decision, not mine.”

  She smiled now. “And we both know that’s a joke.”

  “No, I’m not the one to let him go. It won’t be my decision to bring him back.” She glared back at him with a serious expression on her face. She already knew she wasn’t going to like this job. What if she let him back, and he did the same thing again? She walked away and started up the stairs. “Aren’t you going to eat?” Donavan called out.

  “Not hungry, and I think I want to be a cleaning lady again.”

  ***

  Donavan looked at Jessica and winked, then he chuckled and said, “She’ll be alright.” He got to his feet. “Make her a plate of food, we’ll be right back.” Jessica smiled at him.

  Donavan knocked on her bedroom door. “Can I come in?”

  “Sure.”

  He walked in, and she was already dressed for bed. “What’s wrong, Rainy?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know what to do now. I thought it would be bad to lose Pedro. But now I’m scared if I let him come back, I’ll be making a mistake.” She sighed.

  “Life is full of choices, Rainy. We make decisions every day.”

  “Not big ones; ones that can change everything. And what if I do the wrong thing?”

  “You do the wrong thing, that’s all. It won’t be the end of the world. It’s like when you got on that biker’s motorcycle. How long before you knew what you did was the wrong choice?”

  “Not long.”

  “Okay, the good part with this choice is if Pedro acts up again, you fire him again. No one will tie you down for making a decision.”

  “But if I do the wrong thing, you might fire me.”

  He laughed then hugged her. “I don’t think so, Rainy. Just stop worrying and come downstairs and eat.”

  ***

  The next morning, Donavan called Rainy to his office first thing. Leaving the dancers with Tim, she went to see what was so important that he would call her. Before she even got near the office, she saw Pedro waiting for her. He looked nervous as he stood staring at her. Stopping in front of him, she waited for him to speak first. When he didn’t, she simply said, “What do you want, Pedro?”

  He shifted from one foot to the other. “I came to apologize.”

  She waited for him to say more, but when he didn’t. Knowing this was hard for him, she almost felt bad. “Alright, so you’ve apologized. Now you have to pardon me, I’m busy,” she said bluntly and turned to walk away.

  “Rainy, wait!” Stopping, she looked back at him over her shoulder. He walked to where she stood. “I know I’ve been a real jerk. And you have every right to say no. But can I come back? I swear I won’t ever disrespect you again.”

  Stepping closer to him, she said, “Give me one good reason why I should. It’s not like you have only just started treating me bad. It’s been going on for a while. Before the bikers, and I think even before I went to college. If you wanted to break up with me, that’s one thing. Why didn’t you just leave me alone? I wouldn’t have treated you that way. Yeah, it hurt, but I would have gotten over it. Even the cheating.” Throwing her head back now, she laughed. “Hell, the bad part is that I really did think we would be together forever. I really did love you, Pedro. But I want to thank you for letting me find out what you really are.”

  “I loved you too, Rainy. But things change. I know I did. But you need to remember you left me.”

  “Yes, to go to college. Not for someone else. And listen, don’t you think I’m smart enough to know you would never apologize if you didn’t want something from me?”

  With a sad expression, he said, “The company is my life. It’s what I’m about. I know I can go to another company and dance for them, But I don’t want to. I started here; I want to stay here.”

  Rainy studied his face for a minute. “You have two weeks off without pay. If you even look at me wrong, you’re out and you will never come back. Now go home!” She snapped and started to turn away when he gripped her right arm, pulling her close. Embracing her, he said, “Thank you so much. I’ll do whatever you ask of me.”

  Rainy pulled away from him. “Go tell my Dad, so he knows not to take you off the books.”

  “I will.” He left her and went back to the office. Rainy smiled. At least someone is happy today, she was thinking.

  Later that same afternoon, Tim and Rainy came to the same studio. They were in three. They would be working with the female dancers. “Donavan told m
e you let Pedro come back,” said Tim.

  Rainy was seated on a bench tying her shoe, She looked up at Tim, not sure what she should say. “Yeah, I thought about it, and I think we need him.”

  Tim nodded his head. “He’s a good dancer, but he’s not the only one in the world. Even if he thinks so.” Rainy smiled and nodded her head to agree. “What did you say to him?”

  “I told him two weeks off without pay.”

  “Damn, he got off easy.”

  Rainy frowned at him. “Why would you say that?”

  “Because, Mark, Richard, Ellis, and Jacob got four weeks off without pay. And they’re on probation for the next six months.”

  Rainy was shocked, wrinkling up her nose. “Why, what did they do that was so bad?”

  “Followed Pedro’s lead. And I have a feeling when Pedro comes back, Donavan’s going to give him the same.”

  “Okay, but Pedro wasn’t following anyone.”

  “No, but he was calling you and the kids names. And look at it this way, they’re lucky it’s him dealing with them and not Jessica. Because you know how she loves those kids.”

  Rainy could only chuckle.

  Chapter 27

  Re-space

  Taking their seats, the five government agents looked around the huge theater. “Are you sure she’s in this ballet?”

  “She is!” answered Griffin.

  “Did you know where she’d been all this time?”

  “Yes, Mary, just in case we needed her to testify. We’ve been keeping tabs on her.”

  “I see. Why are we here exactly?”

  “Ah, come on, you have to know why,” replied Griffin, hitching his thumb to the end of the row, where another agent sat. The other two agents chuckled as if it was a big joke.

  “Are we going to confront her after the ballet?” asked Mary.

  “Tomorrow. That is, if we can control the situation,” Griffin said, raising an eyebrow. Now Mary laughed.

  ***