Twirling in one's footsteps

To see the previous edition of "Twirl", our never ending love affair of a star-crossed cowboy and ballerina, go here.

"Can I ask you something?" Wade repeated. His eyes were downcast and his cheeks flushed. Vivi gulped, a hard knot of peanut butter and bread lodging in her throat. Nodding, she grabbed the bottle of water and guzzled it, praying she wouldn't start coughing and ruin this moment. Her stomach was tied in knots and her fingers were making the edge of her peanut butter sandwich damp.

Wade fiddled with the brim of his cowboy hat, running his fingers over it. Vivi's heart was pounding in her ears. Finally, Wade took a deep breath.

"Would you want to come to dinner tomorrow?" Wade blurted out. "At the ranch with my grandfather? I mean, I know it's quick and we haven't known each other very long. I'm sure you got a million things to do this weekend but I just thought you two should meet."

Vivi let out a huge sigh of relief. "Sure," she chirped. "That'd be great."

"Wonderful." Wade beamed. "I thought you'd be ok with it, but I didn't want you to think I was too pushy or weird."

Vivi shook her head and smiled. "Not at all," she said, nibbling on her sandwich. Wade leaned back against a tree and took a swig of water.

"So tell me," he said, tearing off a chunk of his sandwich. "Why'd you get into dancing?" Vivi felt her spine tighten and tried to remind herself to breathe. She hated talking about her father and how she had become a dancer.

"I never had a choice," she said carefully, taking another bite. "My father put me in ballet when I was two. That was it."

"You said he was some big time dancer, right?" Wade said, popping a chip in his mouth.

"Basically," Vivi replied. She wasn't going to mention her father had been one of the world's top dancers. The last thing she wanted to talk about was the scandal that had sent them to Texas and away from New York and European culture.

"So if he's such a big shot, why aren't you dancing in New York or Russia?" Wade asked. "That's where ballerinas go, right?"

Biting her lower lip, Vivi stared at a blade of grass tickling her foot. "He ran into some financial trouble," she said diplomatically. "He had been a partner with my dance teacher for years, and they were great friends. When she came back here to take care of her ailing mother, he followed. They were going to run a studio together, but then I was born."

"That's pretty cool," Wade said, polishing off his sandwich. "It's like you were born into it, you know?"

"I know," Vivi replied bitterly. Wade's eyebrows drew together. Before he could say anything, Vivi burst out, "I know this is terrible of me to say, but I wish I wasn't born into it. I'm so tired of it. All the rules, the politics, the pressure. It's not fun anymore. That's why I wondered into the dancehall that one night. I'm tired of doing what's expected of me. In fact, I don't even know who I am."

"What do you mean?" Wade asked, arching his eyebrow.

Vivi placed her half eaten sandwich on a paper plate. "Like before I met you, I would have never thought I liked country dancing. I would have never ridden a horse." Wade grinned as she continued, waving her arms in the air to punctuate her words. "I mean, what else is out there that I like? What if I'm like a good photographer or would be a perfect doctor or something? How can I know what I want to do if I don't know what I can do?"

"That's a good point," Wade replied.

Vivi sighed and shook her head. "It's dumb," she replied. "All I'll be is a dancer. That's my destiny." She thought of Mrs. Angelson and Damien, and the favor she owed. Her stomach tied in knots and tears filled her eyes. Every step she took with Wade snarled her deeper into the mess her father had made.

Wade leapt to his feet and swept up all the leftover trash into a bag. He tied it onto the back of the saddle and held out his hand.

"Come on," he said, pulling her up.

"Where are we going?" Vivi asked as he pushed her up onto the saddle. Wade looked up at her, the sunlight dancing off his light eyelashes.

"You need to find out what you like, right?" he asked. Vivi nodded.

"Well darling, there's only one way to do that," he said, swinging himself over the saddle. Wrapping his arms around her, he rested his chin on her shoulder. His lips tickled her ear as he whispered, "An adventure."

With that, he spurred the horse and they were off like a shot. Vivi leaned against him as the wind blew through her hair and the grass flew by.

In that moment, she felt as good as when she was twirling.

To be continued....

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! Tomorrow we have an Ode to Christmas cookies and Saturday, the third date of the Fuzzy Duck and Rubber Chicken!