“Here,” he said, passing me a folded piece of paper. “My phone number…so, you know, we can keep in touch. And maybe we’ll see each other at some competitions.”
“Thanks,” I said, unable to control the huge smile spreading across my face. “I hope so!”
Twenty-Three
I met up with everyone in the parking lot. My cousins started teasing me right away. I was thankful I could drive back to their house in my mom’s car.
But as soon as we got in the car, my mom looked at me with her Serious Mom Face.
“Is he really your boyfriend like Molly says?” she asked.
“No!” I said. “He’s just my friend. Who happens to be a boy. He’s in our Irish-dance class. He just wanted to say goodbye before I left.”
“Why haven’t you ever mentioned him before?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t think it was a big deal. Because he’s not my boyfriend.”
My mom was still wearing her Serious Mom Face but kept her eyes on the road.
“I am old enough to have a boyfriend,” I mumbled.
“I know you are,” my mom said. “But it doesn’t mean I have to like it!”
“But he’s not my boyfriend,” I repeated.
My mom finally sighed and smiled a tiny smile. “Well, he seems like a nice young man.”
After meeting up with Uncle Nolan we decided we should all go out for a big family dinner. It ended up being a farewell dinner too, since I was going home with my mom the next morning.
“I can’t thank you enough for letting Natalie stay with you this summer,” my mom said.
“It was our pleasure,” said Aunt Lydia as we seated ourselves around the big table in the middle of the restaurant. “Maybe we should plan to all get together at Christmas.”
“Yeah!” I said at the same time as my cousins. I smiled.
My mom nodded. “That would be great.”
“Are you excited to go back to ballet?” Molly asked, passing me a menu.
“Yeah, I am,” I said. “But I wouldn’t mind keeping up with Irish dancing.”
“I’m sure we can find a class nearby,” said my mom. “It made me so happy watching you dance today!” She looked over at my aunt and uncle. “Isn’t it wonderful seeing the joy dance can bring?”
Aunt Lydia glanced at Molly. “It certainly is,” she said.
When we got back from dinner I went upstairs to pack.
Molly came into the room and threw herself onto her bed, face down.
“Are you okay?” I asked. I was sitting on the floor, trying to get all my clothes to fit in my suitcase.
Molly rolled over. “I just told my mom I want to quit dancing. I don’t even want to go to the stupid classes anymore.”
“And?” I asked.
“She said okay,” Molly said. “I was so surprised! She looked a bit sad but said she understood and just wants me to be happy.”
“So, how do you feel?” I asked.
“Happy. Relieved. Free!” Molly said, now sitting up and smiling.
“So now you’ll have lots of time for your fish hobby. Are you going to help your dad in the store more?”
“Actually, I was thinking about trying out for soccer,” Molly said. “I’ve always wanted to play on the school team.”
“That’s great! Trying new things can be fun,” I said. I smiled as I picked up my ghillies and packed them in my suitcase, right next to my ballet slippers.
Much of Elizabeth J.M. Walker’s childhood and teen years were spent in dance classes, which explains why so much dancing finds its way into her books and stories. She currently volunteers with a local dance theater company, where she helps plan productions, writes scripts and choreographs dances. She lives in Windsor, Ontario, with her husband and their creatures: two cats and a dog. For more information, visit www.elizabethjmwalker.com.
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