Page 18 of Last Dance, Second Chance

Chaos ensued for the next ten minutes as balls flew everywhere. Dennis had been trained to return the ball to the person who threw it and would place it gently in Jessica’s lap for her to throw again, which was very helpful, but a bit yucky as it soon got slimy. Monty, however, would race after the ball, invariably missing it and crashing into the garden fence, before running around with it in a circle like a crazy thing and refusing to give it back to Nathan so it could be thrown again.

“You really don’t get the point of this game, do you, mate?” said Nathan, gently wrestling the ball off Monty once again.

This was fun, Jessica realised. Completely different to her usual life, the life she had worked so incredibly hard to have, and not at all what she had expected from her trip back home, but fun nonetheless.

* * *

Nathan found he was rushing to finish after his last patient had left at the end of the day. He cleared his desk and packed his bag up quickly, heading out of the doctor’s surgery without stopping as he usually did to chat with anyone behind the reception desk. “Maybe he’s got a date to get to,” said one of the receptionists wistfully to another as they watched the handsome young doctor leave.

The truth was that Nathan wanted to get back to Jessica. He was looking forward to spending the evening with her. It would be nice to have someone to cook for again. He’d have to pop to the supermarket to get some food in... he’d take the dogs out first, though.

“Hiya,” he called out as he came in through his front door. The dogs came running up to greet him.

“Hi!” came Jessica’s reply from the garden. He could tell there was something not right straight away.

He walked quickly through the house and found Jessica in the garden still in the chairs he’d put out at lunchtime. It was clear she’d been crying.

“What’s up?” he asked gently, crouching down beside her.

“I had a phone call from my friend, Bethany, this afternoon. She was my understudy for my part in The Sleeping Beauty.”

“And now she gets to play Aurora?” Nathan finished for her.

“Yeah,” said Jessica, blowing her nose. “Usually the part would go to one of the principals as we hadn’t even started rehearsing, but as luck would have it, no one is available. They’re either injured or committed to other parts. I know she’s my friend and I should be happy for her to have this amazing opportunity, but I’ve worked for so long for that part. It’s what I’ve dreamt of dancing my entire career, and now she’s taken it... and before you say it, I know she didn’t take it, it was given to her...”

“It’s completely understandable that you’d be upset. It sucks that this happened to you, especially with working so hard.”

“Why did it have to be now? Why not years ago when I was in the corps and it wouldn’t have mattered so much if I’d had to take a few months off?”

“It’s completely unfair, I’m sorry.”

“I’m trying to be happy for Bethany,” said Jessica, putting her head in her hands.

“I don’t think anyone would expect any more from you.”

“It was nice of her to call me,” said Jessica. “It must have been awkward for her. She’s the only one in the company who knew how much I wanted that particular part. Of course, every ballet dancer wants to be a principal, but that part was extra special to me.”

“Why’s that?” Nathan pulled a chair over for himself and sat down next to her, never removing his attention from her.

“The Sleeping Beauty was the first ballet I ever saw. My mum won a couple of tickets to a production in Covent Garden. I was only five at the time and my mum thought I’d be bored, but my dad didn’t want to go so she figured she’d brave it with me.”

Nathan smiled. “I bet she regretted that when she started having to drive you to classes all the time.”

“Oh, yes. She said I was completely mesmerised by the dancing. I cried when it finished because I didn’t want to leave the theatre in case the dancers came back out again. The next day my mum found a dance class for me and I never looked back.”

“Why don’t we see if we can cheer you up this evening?” Nathan suggested. “You’ve spoken to your company and to your friend, so at least those things are out of the way. I need to take the dogs out, but then we can cook some supper.”

Jessica gave him a weak smile. “That sounds nice. Thank you.”

“I’ll go to the supermarket on my way back. Is there anything you want?”

“Could you get me some plain skyr yoghurt and a bag of frozen berries, please? Do you want the money for them now?” Jessica asked, going to stand up.

“No, we can sort it out later. I’ll be back soon, OK?”

“OK.” Jessica was so grateful she had Nathan around, not just for the practical stuff he was doing for her, but also so she had someone to talk to.

* * *

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