Page 49 of Shattered Hope
“You won’t even know I’m here,” he promised.
“I’m not dressed for it,” I pointed out.
He walked to a small trunk on the other side of the room and pulled out a white dress with a flared skirt. “Will this work?” he asked with a smile.
“I haven’t done this in years…” I protested.
Dancing hula had been so special to me; it was something I only shared with my father since my mother refused to participate in what she called stupid folklore shit. But perhaps it was time for me to embrace who I was and the hula dancing was a big part of me, even if I had denied myself that pleasure.
I went to the bathroom and quickly changed into the dress, before I returned to the studio, making sure I didn’t ruin the crown.
Jonathan had cleared a space in the middle of the studio for me to dance on.
“Do you remember any music in particular?” he asked me, sounding quite excited.
I chuckled. “Well, let's go with one even you will recognize,” I replied, as I picked my cell phone and googled the 'He Mele No Lilo’ hula. “Hit play when I’m ready, please,” I asked, handing the phone to Jonathan.
“Sure thing!” he sounded so excited, I had to laugh.
“Don’t expect miracles, please,” I warned him as I asked him to hit play.
The melodies of the song filled the room, and it was as if I was transported back to when my father took me to rehearsals at the community center back in Maui.
The music took over, and before I knew, I was dancing to it, executing the graceful moves of the traditional choreography, leaving behind the world, and the sad reality around me. I was one with the music.
The round of applause pulled me out of my trance, just as the music faded away.
“Amazing… that was incredibly beautiful,” a strange man’s voice sounded behind me, and I turned to look at him.
“Anne… meet George,” Jonathan said as he checked the video and pictures, he had taken of me.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Jonathan hasn’t stopped talking about you ever since he met you, and now, I understand why,” the handsome man said, as he entered the room with his hand stretched to greet me.
Not so good dealing with such effusive compliments, I flushed and mumbled a thank you.
“I’m delighted you decided to pose for him,” George added.
“I hope it won’t be a disappointment,” I said, allowing my insecurities to surface.
“That’s impossible,” Jonathan assured me, as he walked towards George to greet him with a sweet kiss. “Welcome home.”
“It’s good to be home,” he replied. “I’ll leave you two to work, but I expect you both for lunch, okay? I’ll order your favorite.”
Jonathan chuckled and accepted. “We’ll be there.”
21
George left, and I looked at Jonathan. “Do you want me to change back to my clothes,” I asked, still a bit shaken after the dance through memory lane.
“No… you look perfect like that. Just take a seat on the chair and do whatever you want… I can get you a book, or you can use your cell phone…” he suggested, grabbing his camera once more.
I sighed but did what he asked, choosing one of the books he had on one of the shelves. If I picked up the cell phone, I couldn't resist going over the other night’s pictures, and I wasn’t ready for that.
I barely noted when Jonathan moved from his camera to his sketching book, but not because I was concentrating on the book, I held in my hands… I don’t think I read a single page of it. I kept playing the other night’s events on my head, trying different scenarios, making different choices, and hoping for different outcomes… a futile exercise, since I couldn’t change anything, and dwelling in the past wouldn’t help me.
Jonathan grazed my forearm with the tip of his fingers to call my attention. “Did you hit your arm against the door, too?” he asked, with a deep frown as he noticed the finger marks on my skin from when Daniel grabbed me.
“Yes…” I lied, with a scornful scowl. “But I won’t be seeing that door anytime soon,” I assured him, with a brave smile, though bravery was the last thing I was feeling today.
