by Casey Peeler
“Thanks, Jade but now if you don’t mind, we were in the middle of something,” I say as I turn to Barrick and attack his lips yet again.
As music begins to play in the background, Barrick places his hands around my waist and we sway to the music, ignoring what’s going on around us. When the music changes to a different beat, I pull away from Barrick and realize that Jade and Aaron are still with us. I look at Jade and smile. I’m with the people that have been here for me since I moved to Delight. I never would have imagined I’d be dancing in a field with a cowboy.
I tilt my head toward the sky and see another shooting star. I close my eyes and make a wish. This time it’s for all the pieces to come together with my friends and family who love and support me.
Barrick
I know I’m no Romeo, but something about the way Cadence looked at me tonight made me feel that way. I wanted tonight to be special, and I wanted to ask her to prom. I wasn’t sure how she’d take it since I’m not a student there, but what better way to celebrate her birthday than a night under the stars and asking her to her senior prom.
Jade, Aaron, Cadence, and I continue to dance under the light from the mason jars until the candles burn out. Then Aaron and Jade excuse themselves and Cadence and I take a seat on the blanket and watch the night sky. I say a small prayer, thanking God for sending her to me.
“What was that, just now?” she questions as I open my eyes and look down at her.
“I was just thanking the big man upstairs for sending you to me.”
“Why is that?” she questions, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Because you made my life in Delight worth livin’,” I state and she yanks her head from my shoulder.
“What do you mean?” she says with concern and I suddenly realize how that came out.
“Before you showed up, I was here working, going to school, and honestly, not caring what I did with my life. I always wanted to graduate and get a job, end of story. You walked into my life and made me want to do more.”
“More?” she questions, looking me in the eyes.
“I want to be the best man I can be for you. I want to put you first. I want to be someone, Cadence. Not just a boy from Delight that doesn’t have a life plan.”
“You want to do that because of me?”
“I want to do everything better in this life because of you,” I say as I place a strand of hair behind her ear and look into her eyes. “I think I’m in love with you, Cadence Lewis.”
She beams, “I know I’m in love with you, Barrick Carpenter.” Those words steal my heart and I know I will never get it back. This is, by far, the best night of my life and I hope this feeling never fades.
Chapter 19
Cadence
After that magical night, I decide that nothing is going to get me down. Not that package, my dad, the bimbo, a sibling, or the fact that I have no clue about my dance future.
I slide my feet into my galoshes and hurry to tell Daisy about my magical night with Barrick. She takes in every word and appreciates me feeding her thirty minutes earlier than normal. Knowing she is okay, I go ahead and bring the other cows in to begin milking when Barrick walks in the door.
“Well, what do we have here? Did the city girl finally go country?” he smirks.
“Nah, see, I’m still wearing the galoshes. I guess I was just ready to start the day. It may have something to do with the magical night I had last night,” I say with a wink. I close the gate and walk toward him. When he wraps his arms around me, everything feels perfect. We finally break apart and quickly finish our chores so we can eat breakfast before church. I want to spend every moment I have with him before dance starts back tomorrow.
Ms. Lyndsay is waiting for us when we walk into the studio Monday after school. “Cadence, can you come to my office once you put your things away in the break room?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say as I glance at Jade and quickly put my things away.
I give a slight knock as I walk in her office. “Cadence, Ms. James called me today hoping to speak with you about Boston. She left her number for you to return her call. I think this is an amazing opportunity for you. You’re here a few minutes early. Why don’t you try and give her a call before we get started,” she says while handing me the number.
My nerves begin to get the best of me. Taking a deep breath, I nod and take the piece of paper. Ms. Lyndsay excuses herself and I take another long breath before picking up the studio phone. I glance at the paper and quickly dial the numbers.
“Natalie James speaking,” she answers after the second ring.
“Hi. This is Cadence Lewis. I’m returning your call.”
“Oh Cadence! I’m so glad you returned my call so quickly. You truly are an amazing performer and I wanted to discuss what we can offer you at Boston Conservatory. I’d also like to extend an invitation for you to tour with the Conservatory this summer and start attending classes in the fall. There would also be the possibility of you joining a company once the summer is over.”
“Wow. Thank you so much, Ms. James. Would it be okay if I take some time to think this over?”
“Absolutely, and I know you’ll make the right decision,” she says as we disconnect. I take a deep breath and relief floods my body. I have an amazing offer and dancing with a company has always been my dream. I’m so excited and can’t wait to tell Jade. Jade… Barrick’s sister… Barrick just told me he loves me and I love him. What am I going to do now? Do I still want this?
When I walk into the dance room, all eyes are on me as I take my place and begin to stretch.
“What happened?” Jade questions as she stretches.
“Remember the lady from Boston?”
“Yeah.”
“She called the studio today. They want me to tour this summer and start school there in the fall while I work with a local company.”
She lets out a squeal as Ms. Lyndsay approaches. I quickly fill her in and we begin class. Over the next several hours we continue to condition and perfect our routine. When we are dismissed for the evening, I can see Jade is dying to ask more questions, and as soon as we are in the car she talks nonstop. I do my best to answer her questions with what I know, but honestly, I have no clue what I truly want to do.
Once I’m home, I walk in and find Gran removing a fresh pound cake from the oven.
“Hey Cade!” she calls over her shoulder. “Uh oh, what’s goin’ on?” she asks when she sees the concern on my face.
“I got a call from the recruiter from Boston today.”
“Well, tell me all about it. Wait. Hold on. Regina, get in here! Cadence has big news,” she yells and sits down at the table.
“Hey Mom,” I say as she enters and looks at Gran.
“What’s wrong, Mother?” she asks Gran.
“Nothin’s wrong. Cadence got some good news. Go on. Tell her, Cade,” Gran says as she cuts a slice of cake for herself before slathering it with butter.
Mom looks at me in confusion. “Ms. James from the Boston Conservatory called. They want me to tour with them this summer and attend their school in the fall. She even mentioned possibly joining a company full time as well.”
Mom’s face beams with excitement as she comes to give me a hug. “That’s amazing, Cade! Do you know what you want to do? I can take off work and take you up there for a tour. Did she say when you needed to have your transcripts in?”
“No, she just told me she’d love to have me up there and I asked her if I could think about it.”
“Cade, it’s been your dream to dance with a company ever since you started. I can’t imagine you’d have to think about it. And just think, there won’t be any cows up there,” she laughs.
“I know Mom, but now that I’ve gotten used to it here, I’m not sure I want to go to Boston.”
“Well, you were very wise to tell that lady you’d think about it,” Gran chimes in.
“Yes, Cade, I’m proud of you but make sure you pick th
e school for you and not anyone else,” she says, and I know she means I can’t make my decision based on Barrick. “And, don’t take too long, you don’t have much time to give them an answer.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say and head to my room to change.
I decide not to tell Barrick about the call just yet. I just want to enjoy the free time I have with him in between school and working on my routine for the competition this weekend. Mom and Gran haven’t asked any more questions about Boston, and I’ve decided not to stress over it until next week.
Thursday night I ask Mom if I can ditch school Friday. “Mom, I’ve got to be ready for the stage by three so by the time I get to school, I’ll have to turn around and leave to get there in time. I don’t have any tests. Please?” I beg her.
She looks at me, “Fine, but you still need to help around the farm before we leave.” I give her a quick hug and thank her before I go to my room to go to bed.
Friday morning I wake up at the normal time to help on the farm, spend a little extra time with Daisy and Barrick, and enjoy breakfast with him before we have to leave for Asheville.
As we approach the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, my mind floats to the day Barrick brought me to this town. It was a perfect day with the most perfect guy I know. I’m not sure how I’m going to tell him about Boston but I push the thought aside because I haven’t even decided what I want to do yet. Once inside, we make our way to the dressing room, run through our duet, and take the stage.
Barrick couldn’t come today because Daisy is super close to delivering and he insisted that Gran come with me. Gran has seen me perform over the years, but now that she can go to all of my competitions it’s great. Mom finally has someone to sit with while she waits for me to perform. Dad couldn’t always come to my recitals and it makes my heart melt that Barrick realizes how important it is for me to have family with me. I love to hear her smart-ass comments about other dancer’s costumes and performances, but most of all I love having her watch me. She’s got a good eye and always tells me how I can tweak something or show more emotion. I’m starting to believe that she has a dance secret she’s not sharing.
Once awards have been conducted, we go out to eat with Jade and her family to a local brewery. The adults all take part in a cold beverage while Jade and I have virgin daiquiris for fun. I text Barrick and let him know that I’ll call him once we finish.
While we eat, Gran gives her opinion on several others performers. “Did y’all see that piece of cloth they called a costume on that one group? Cadence if you ever come out in something like that, I’m gonna march myself up there and yank you off the stage and then I’m going to ask Ms. Lyndsay if she’s lost her damn mind. Not to mention, they were shaking their bodies like they were having a seizure. I don’t know how those boobs didn’t pop out.” Jade and I begin to laugh.
“Mother!” Mom exclaims.
“Well, it’s the truth. They don’t need to do all that booty shaking. Leave something to the imagination.”
“Gran! That’s part of it,” I state.
“Oh yeah? Well, let me just say that the afternoon Barrick saw you moving like that to that Julio, I saw his eyes get as big as a house.”
I spew the strawberry substance across the table at Jade. Grabbing a napkin, I wipe my face and the table before I turn to her.
“Gran! He did not!” I say as I see Mr. Carpenter whisper to Mrs. Carpenter.
“Oh yes he did, honey. Sorry y’all,” she says to his parents as they nod in acceptance. “Back in my day, we did the Jitterbug and the Charleston. That was real dancin’. Not shaking your ass like a salt shaker.”
“Mother!” Mom scolds with a look but then starts to laugh herself. We all laugh with her. Gran shrugs and takes another pull on her beer. This is why I love my gran. She doesn’t give a shit what others think. I hope and pray that I can become more like her, but don’t tell her I said that.
Barrick
Waiting for Cadence to call feels like an eternity. I know they did great, but I want to hear her voice. When my phone chirps, I think it’s her but it’s a text from my sister telling me that a nice long conversation with Mom and Dad is coming my way. I rack my brain trying to figure out what I did wrong. When I text her back asking why, she doesn’t care to elaborate. Great! She knows I’ll drive myself nuts until they get home.
My phone rings at nine and Cadence’s picture lights up on the screen. I smile as I answer.
“Hey, beautiful.”
“Hey, bug eyes,” she states with a laugh.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Does this have something to do with the text I got from Jade?”
“Let’s just say Gran outed you at dinner tonight. Something about you having eyes the size of a house when I was dancing to Jason Derulo.”
“You’re kiddin’ right?” I say a silent prayer that she is.
“Nope. She was talking about those girls shaking their booties on stage and threw you under the bus.”
“Shit.”
“Oh my my! Did Barrick Carpenter just use a swear word?” She giggles.
“Hell yeah I did! I’ve avoided this talk with my folks for a long time. I am almost nineteen years old and going to get the sex talk.”
She gets quiet for a minute then says, “You never had the talk? What’s wrong with your parents? They could be grandparents if they didn’t explain how that works.”
She’s killing me. I was not going to have a baby. They didn’t have to tell me. I learned enough in school and from my friends. Wrap that before you tap that, but I’m not that kind of guy anyway. “Nope. I was the kid that basically told them I didn’t need to hear it. I’m responsible and learned everything I needed to know in that god-awful class in fifth grade. Once was enough for me.”
She begins to laugh harder. “I thought everyone had that miserable conversation with their parents. Let’s just say I asked my mom a lot of questions. She caught on that I was being a smart-ass and trying to embarrass her so she quickly turned the tables on me. Anyway, how’s Daisy?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. It could be any day, and she’s showing signs. I thought about camping out at the barn tonight, but changed my mind.”
“Why don’t you stay in our house?” she asks and it’s a sweet gesture, but knowing that she’s sleeping in the next room, I’ll never get any sleep.
“I couldn’t do that. I’m going to check on her again before bed and then extra early in the morning. If things look good, I might try and catch one of your groups tomorrow.”
“I’d love that, but don’t leave my Daisy. I’d hate for her to deliver without someone there.” She called her ‘my Daisy.’ I think my heart just skipped a beat. She’s going to go country one of these days; I know it.
“I know. I’d just love to see you on stage,” I say with a smile.
“Oh, I know you love to watch me dance, bug eyes,” she says as she laughs hysterically and I have to laugh with her. When she finally recovers, she says, “Don’t worry, I’ll have more.”
“Oh, I know. Remember, I’ve been a dance brother for too long.”
“So, is having a dance girlfriend better than a dance sister?”
“Oh yeah. It’s definitely better.”
“I think you better stay at home, hot stuff, or I can guarantee Gran will out you again tomorrow. I’ve got hip hop at two twelve.”
“Guess you’re right. Well, good luck tomorrow, beautiful,” I say before hanging up.
“Hey Barrick?” she calls out.
“Yeah?” I reply.
“It doesn’t feel right being in this town without you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Every time I turn around, I see something that reminds me of our day here. It doesn’t feel right walking these streets without you. This is where I was when I first knew you cared and that you wanted to give me a chance to find myself.”
When she says that out loud, I know that this is real. She’s real. We’re real, and I freak
in’ love her.
“Cadence, I’d give everything I have in this world to make you the happiest girl in the world. I love you.”
It’s as if it catches her off guard. We know how we feel, we’ve said it a few times, but don’t overuse it, and that’s why it always feels like the first time. When we say it, we mean it.
“I love you too,” she says as I hear voices in the background. “I hate to have to cut it short but Mom’s kinda crazy about me getting rest on these days.”
“I understand. I need to go to the barn anyways.”
We disconnect and my heart soars but quickly falls. She loves me and I know she’s the one for me but having to spend time apart kills me.
Chapter 20
Cadence
Saturday morning we wake up and eat a fabulous continental breakfast. Who am I kidding? It tastes like a piece of cardboard with a side of rubbery eggs. Mom and Gran must feel the same way, based on the look on their faces.
“This shit’s horrible!” Gran exclaims as she stands. Oh shit. She’s going to give someone an earful.
I quietly slide down in my seat and Mom begins to laugh. “Get used to it, Cade. She’s never going to change, and you’ll thank her one day.”
“Or I’ll be like her one day.” Mom starts to laugh and before I know it, Gran comes back to the table with a fresh cup of coffee, a gift card to Cracker Barrel, and a discount on our next stay. I look at Mom and she smiles.
“Come on girls. Let’s get us a real breakfast! I need blueberry pancakes, stat.”
We quickly dispose of our food, then I check my dance bag for the third time, and the three of us make a short trip to Cracker Barrel. Thank goodness for a late arrival time.
I’ve never been to a Cracker Barrel before and when we walk into the lobby it looks like we stepped back in time. What is that awful stench? Soon I realize it’s a fire burning in the fireplace and my nose hates it because I begin to sneeze. Thankfully we are seated near a window and not the fireplace. I stare at the menu trying to decide what to eat. There are several healthy options, but blueberry pancakes do sound amazing.