“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Lili. I’m Molly, one of the dance teachers here.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Miss Molly.”
Smiling, the woman straightened. “I’m afraid you’re a bit early. The lessons don’t begin until the next twenty minutes.”
Nodding, Tyler responded, “I know that. I’m here to see Ka…um, the owner of the dance studio.” He didn’t know whether she was still a Miss or had become a Mrs.
“Oh. That’s a shame because she just stepped out.”
Annoyance and relief poured through him. Why wasn’t he looking forward to the confrontation with Kaiya? Perhaps it was because he was afraid that in his anger and disgust for her, he would say things that he could never take back.
The woman, obviously seeing the indecision in his eyes, remarked, “You can see her after the dance lessons.”
When he hesitated, she glanced at Lili and back at him before adding, “You don’t have to stay during the class. I assure you that Lili will be fine.”
Tyler glanced down at his daughter, who smiled at him. Even though her eyes were as large as saucers— a tell-tale sign that she was nervous, she said, “You can go, Daddy. I’ll be fine.”
His brave little girl!
“Are you sure, Pumpkin?”
She nodded.
Tyler decided to leave. Perhaps it was good that he didn’t need to stay since Lili would need to get acquainted with her fellow students and her teachers without him interfering.
“You can come back in an hour and half, Mr. Landry,” Molly informed him.
He nodded then bent to give his daughter a hug and a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be back in time to pick you up, Pumpkin.”
Lili nodded, then took the teacher’s outstretched hand. Together, they left the lobby. His daughter turned and waved at him with a bright smile on her face.
He waved back even though he felt like scooping his daughter up and begging for her to remain his baby. It was just like her first day in school. The same thick bulge that had formed around his chest that day threatened to choke him now.
“She’ll be fine,” he whispered, struggling to reassure himself before turning around and leaving the building.
***
Kaiya’s eyes misted for some seconds as they fell on the super cute kids who were introducing themselves. She didn’t quite catch all their names because her mind had drifted to her late son. He would be their age had he lived. She was sure that he would have Tyler’s gray eyes and his dark hair. Sometimes she wondered if her son would also have had a dimpled cheek like his father. Possibly he would have loved dancing.
Pushing such painful thoughts away from her mind, she focused on the 6-8 year old kids who were her favorites since they could easily communicate and were still very innocent.
She welcomed them again and walked them through the routine, “plie (plee-ay): to bend. Keeping both feet flat on the floor at all times, bend your knees. Releve (ruh-leh-vay): to rise. Saute (soh-tay): to jump).”
She smiled encouragingly at some of the kids who didn’t get it. Some got it instantly, and she could see that they all liked it and were enjoying it.
Kaiya noticed a little girl who was quite good at following instructions. Although she seemed very shy, she was a fast learner. She caught on quickly whatever Kaiya was showing them. Completely impressed by the cute little girl, Kaiya called her forward and asked the other kids to be motivated by what she was doing.
The girl who she remembered was called Lili because she loved the name had dark curls, although her skin color was caramel— an indication that she had mixed heritage parents.
As the dance routine continued, Kaiya’s eyes kept falling on the girl, and something nagged at her. Thinking about it for some minutes, she realized that the girl reminded her of someone. But who?
She continued showing the children the basics of ballet dancing, and when her eyes fell on Lili again, she froze. The little girl smiled, and then it hit her who Lili reminded her of.
Tyler!
But that couldn’t be right. She shook her head. Not only had her nightmares returned, but now she was associating the jerk who had crushed her spirit with everything around her?
Damn him!
