Love and Truth (17 page)

Nic,

You said you’d let me know what you decided about “hot guy Jonathan”. I haven’t heard shit from you since then which means you are either having the best sex of your life, well ummm… I guess that would be more like the ONLY sex of your life and you’re too busy to hook a bitch up with the juicy details or it went to shit and you’re pouting. If you’re sad, heartbreak kind of pouting then you BETTER call me! I can’t have my best friend off in another fucking country sad and heartbroken. I promise I’ll be good. No bullshitting, for real. If you need me you know I’ll do my best to listen and help. I miss your damn face and wish this 12 months would hurry the hell up!

On another note, I saw your mom today. I was picking up my birth control pills at the pharmacy (just making sure I am good to go if Aaron is without protection) and she was there picking up a prescription for your Gran. She said your Gran has been a little under the weather lately. Maybe you should call and check up on her. Anywho, your mom probably thinks I am a grade-A slut because she saw what I was picking up!!! LOL Better to be prepared than prego like Lindsey Merser. Her life is all jacked up now so I pop my BC pills with pride


Luv u, lots of hugs and oh yeah I MISS YOUR FACE CHICA!

Calllllll me ASAP!

A~

I sighed and clicked reply. I dreaded the report I had to give her, and now I was worried about my Gran. I would have to call Mom today and find out what is going on. Or maybe it was in her emails.

To:
Annie Richards

RE:
Hot guy drama update

Hey, sorry for the delay. Things have been a little nuts. I will condense all of this the best I can and I will elaborate more when we talk next.

Basically, Jonathan had a one night stand with Emiko’s best friend almost a year ago. He never called or tried to contact her again after the night they had sex. The girl ended up pregnant, got sent to live with her grandparents and had a miscarriage, all unbeknownst to Jonathan. Emiko knew and has harbored all of this resentment towards him since she found out not only because he treated her friend terribly but because she is the one who told her friend he was a good guy. Emiko felt responsible for what happened and her friend blamed her too.

I learned all of this in a letter he left for me the next morning after I talked to you. He said he lied to me because he didn’t want to lose me before he ever had me… he apologized profusely, proclaimed his determination to make it up to me no matter what and said he would fight for me. He says he is wrecked by the news

Emiko delivered to him, but he doesn’t want me to believe that he is his mistake and that he can be a better person for me. He pressed a flower that represents truth and loyal love in the pages of the letter…

His letter broke my heart Annie.

I took a couple of days to clear my head. I spent time with Emiko and we had a blast shopping, eating out, laying on the beach, etc. Then all hell broke loose when we saw him at a karaoke bar we went to last night and he was with Mina! I freaked out, got pissed, sang
Take a Bow
trying to show him I could give a shit about him then he went and got all romantic on me! Get this, A. He went up on stage and sang freaking LENNY KRAVITZ to me! And when I say he sang it to me, I mean he looked me right square in my eyes girl and sang every single lyric of
Can’t Get You Off My Mind
with everything he had! It was the single most romantic moment of my life. You know I’m a sucker for music, especially good music. Then add Jonathan and his sexy, raspy voice and well…. I was done for!

We ended up making out like animals in the back of the bar and it got to be too much for me. This guy is so overwhelming in every way. He then proceeded to basically ask me to
be his
and I shut down… He got pissed, told me he was done chasing and begging then told me the ball was in my court. But before he walked away he said he wasn’t waiting forever….

So that’s where we’re at. I woke up this morning feeling awful and empty. A, I think I may have really screwed this one up bad. I don’t know what to do now.

Thanks for telling me about Gran. Will call today… I’m glad you aren’t getting knocked up anytime soon and I doubt Mom thinks you’re a slut! LOL

I start classes tomorrow so maybe being so busy will keep my mind off of the drama that’s Jonathan Hayes.

MISS YOU TOO!

XOXO,

Nic

I clicked send and opened all of the emails from my dad and mom. Dad was just checking in on me, asking about the big charges on the credit card. He ended his last email by saying “you never get a second chance to make a first impression." He always loved quotations. I replied by promising to be more frugal and saying that I would do him proud tomorrow. I gave him X’s and O’s and wrote that I loved him and missed him.

I read Mom’s emails and learned that Gran had been sick. She kept getting bad colds, and this last one turned into a nasty respiratory infection. The doctors gave her medication and she was home resting. Mom stopped by daily to help around the house and make sure she was taking it easy. My Gran didn’t know how to slow down, even at her age. I knew I would have to call her soon. I missed her a lot. Mom sounded happy otherwise, and said she mailed me a care package yesterday. She wished me luck for tomorrow and said for me to call soon. I replied and let her know I would call today.

I scrolled down and saw an email from the school.

From:
The Ryuku Academy of Dance

Subject:
Exchange Student Summer Workshop Program Orientation

Dear Student:

You are receiving this email because you are enrolled in our Foreign Exchange Student Summer Program Intensive. We would like to congratulate you on receiving a coveted spot in our summer workshop. This is our second year developing a program geared toward exchange students. We were pleased with last year’s success and we anticipate another successful summer. As you already know, your classes will be autonomous from our yearly regular students. Throughout the summer, you will be evaluated and your technique will be assessed in order to decide if you will be a part of our End-of-Summer Showcase. There will be several dance companies here to observe the dancers in our showcase. It is our hope that many of you will be chosen to join one of these companies and begin your career as a working professional dancer.

Ballet technique will be judged based on the following:

-
Grand Adagio
, with développés in each position, promenades, and pirouettes;

-
Petit Allegro
, including jumps on two feet, jetés, temps levés, assemblés, and beats;

-
Grand Allegro
, including grand jetés and tour jetés, and either balancés or waltzes.

-Men, please include simple tour en l’air.

Jazz technique will be judged based on the following:

-Isolation

-Parallel Position

-Axial Movements

-Improvisation

-Piqué passé

-
Chassé with and without turn

-Pas de bourrée

An announcement will be made midsummer as to whom we would like to invite to the showcase auditions.

Please make sure to arrive at least fifteen minutes early on Monday. Orientation will begin at 8 am sharp in the main studio hall. You should come fully prepared for a minimum of six hours of classes. You will receive thirty minutes for lunch and three breaks throughout the day.

You will receive your student handbook and Code of Ethics during orientation. Since this program is in the English language, you will not have to worry about translation or communication barriers. All of our exchange student program directors, composers, choreographers and assistants are fluent in both Japanese and English.

We look forward to meeting you and hope that you enjoy being a part of The Ryuku Academy of Dance.

Sincerely,

Shinju Murakami

ESSW Program Lead Director

Reading this email reminded of why I was here. It centered me immediately. I came to learn about my birthplace, which I was doing. My days with Emiko were amazing and I knew that would continue, but this was my primary focus. Dance has always been the core of who I am, and receiving this email solidified why I couldn’t afford to be distracted. I badly wanted to perform in that showcase at the end of the summer and I wanted to be selected by a company. This was always my dream and I had to stay focused.

I decided as soon as I read the email that I was going to spend the day relaxing; preparing all of my dance attire and packing my dance bag for class tomorrow. Jonathan Hayes was getting pushed to the back of my mind and I was moving on with my goals for this summer.

I called my Mom and we had a great talk. I focused on dance, the island, and Gran, leaving out the details of meeting Jonathan.

“Mom, is Gran going to be okay?” I asked her. “Is she taking it easy? Because we both know it’s almost impossible for her to relax. She needs your help.”

“I know, honey, and I’m doing my best. You know how bull-headed she can be. She didn’t even want the medication that Dr. Ryan prescribed, insisting that medication was man-made chemical poison.”

“Please tell me you’re making her take the medication.”

“She’s taking it. I made her promise and I check the bottle every day to make sure she is. She’s slowly improving, so I know the medication is doing its job.”

“Okay, that’s good. Please tell her I called and said hi. I love you both.”

We hung up and I spent the rest of the day hanging out in the zen garden and then with the Nakamuras. We watched TV and they translated for me. I started to feel anxious about tomorrow morning at dinner. I double-checked my dance bag to make sure I wasn’t missing anything and put on pajamas. I was in bed at 8 pm but couldn’t sleep. Eventually, I rolled onto my side and looked at the vase of white chrysanthemums on my nightstand. They looked as beautiful as they did the day he left them for me. I slowly closed my eyes as a single tear trailed down my face.