Ameera, Unveiled (46 page)
Polly smiled and touched my arm. “You deserved the spotlight. Too many people pulled the plug on you. Girlfriend, you were always meant to shine! Don’t let anyone tell you to watch . . . ever again!”
The word watch hit me like a sledgehammer. She was right. I didn’t want to ever watch again. I smiled, looking out my window as the runway lights crept into view.
The plane bumped onto the runway and cruised to our concourse. “Bye-bye,” the flight attendant said and waved. It sent me back to our own parade-float waves in Hedo. I saw Polly’s amusement as we walked off. We marched away, pulling our costumes, and left the TSA checkpoint. There were no more catcalls, zaghareets, or adoring fans.
“I don’t think we’re rock stars anymore,” I said to Polly. I hoped the taxi line would be short. We continued walking up the incline. Before anyone could reply, I spotted a handsome, sexy man standing in full view with a bouquet of flowers and a familiar boyish grin.
“I don’t think you’re gonna need to worry about a taxi,” Polly said as she spied her own welcome committee of two. She kissed me and headed toward her children. Lara was focused on her own leather-vested beau.
I grinned and headed toward my supporting actor, dropped my bags, and let Steve scoop me up.
“Welcome home, Ameera,” my husband whispered. “Happy anniversary!”
“You have no idea,” I said, basking in our embrace.
Ameera and I were home.
Meet the Palmetto Oasis Belly Dance Troupe Members
(with their dance names)
| Sybil Yocum | (Saaraa) Co-founder and Executive Director of belly dance troupe. Between the many plates she keeps in the air, she teaches belly dance to women of various walks of life. |
| Jennifer Forte | (Jessamyn) Older of the Forte sisters, recovering from her recent divorce. She has a naturally sensual, warm, and joyful personality that lights up a room with her smile. |
| Lara Forte | (Nashwa) Younger of the Forte sisters, supporting a single-parent household. Her lifestyle embraces working hard and the reward of playing hard. |
| Kelly Guyton | (Parvaneh) Single professional student pursuing a PhD while working with troupe member Denise. Soft-hearted and kooky, she embraces fulfilling duty in life as well as nurturing relationships. |
| Denise Hudgins | (Nasreen) Small-town Southern woman pursuing new self-improvement goals as a remarried empty nester. She's reclaimed a healthy self-image despite heavy responsibilities. |
| Kat Varn | (Ameera!) Happily remarried empty nester pursuing the forbidden zone of dance. Serendipitously, she is led to a group of women linked by the same love of dance. |
| Polly Taylor | (Aj'bani) Professional, single, uninhibited woman seeking a venue to reinvent her love of dance. She is a woman who was raised to never fear pursuing her dreams. Through a six-week belly dance course, she and Kat develop an unusual friendship. |
| Ruth Mead | (Tasma) Co-founder of belly dance troupe with Sybil. Formerly a resident of Charleston, she now resides in Georgia with her college sweetheart husband. |
| Melody Meadows | (Muruj) Happily remarried and mother of two young children pursuing belly dance to bolster a damaged self-esteem from a toxic first marriage. She struggles with taking off her “mommy hat.” |
| Cheryl Curcio | (Hana) Third classmate of Kat and Polly during Sybil's belly dance class. A cheerful, romantic, single professional, she dives headlong into an artistic dance world linked to her Eastern Mediterranean ethnicity. Because of family issues, she's unable to join her friends in Jamaica. |