Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 56831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
The studio was huge and impressive with polished wood floors, a wall of mirrors, and at least two dozen metal poles mounted floor-to-ceiling. Timothy had been right when he said this place attracted people from all walks of life. A group of three guys in their early twenties were chatting and drinking iced coffee at the far end of the studio. Over by the mirrors, a pair of middle-aged women were putting their hair up, while a mom and her two school-age kids did some stretches. I hadn’t realized the class was all-ages. How embarrassing would it be if an eight-year-old could do this but I couldn’t?
Pretty soon, I was greeted by a tall, handsome brunet dressed in black workout clothes. He had the body of a professional athlete and moved with so much confidence that I knew right away he had to be the person in charge.
“Come on in,” he said, since I was lingering just inside the doorway. “I’m Dare. Welcome to my studio.”
“I’m Romy. My friend Timothy is in your ten o’clock class. I told him I’d come and check it out.”
Dare nodded. “He called and reserved a spot for you. He also mentioned you were a little nervous, but just remember, everyone is at first. Just go at your own pace, and have fun with it.”
He gave me a quick tour of the studio and showed me where to put my things. As I stuck my jacket in a cubby, I tried to make conversation by saying, “Timothy told me you’re the founding member of a really successful dance troupe. After working with professionals, what made you want to teach…well, people like me?”
“I get a lot of joy out of showing people what they’re capable of.”
“Honestly? I don’t know if I’m capable of doing this at all.”
His green eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled at me. “Well, then I hope you surprise yourself today.”
A moment later, Timothy flung the door open and announced, “I’m here, queens! Let’s do this thing!” That was met with enthusiastic greetings from everyone in the studio.
He was dressed all in red, from his cropped T-shirt and leggings with shorts over them to his sneakers and oversized cardigan. When he spotted me, he rushed over and grabbed me in a hug, like we’d known each other for years. “I’m so happy you made it, Romy,” he blurted. “I’m not gonna lie, I thought the odds were fifty-fifty that you’d end up blowing it off. But here you are!”
After we did the rounds and he introduced me to everyone, he put his sweater with my jacket and we found a spot to stretch. “How cool is Glynnis? She homeschools her kids, and they do the most amazing activities every week,” Timothy said, as he indicated the family of three. “Can you even imagine spending your days learning art, music, and dance when you were their age? I would’ve been in heaven.”
A few more people filtered in while we warmed up, and I was shocked when someone called, “Romy? Is that you?”
I turned toward the voice and spotted a group of five little old ladies in neon-colored leotards, leg warmers, and headbands, as if they’d just escaped from a 1980s Jazzercise video. The one leading the charge toward us was Nana Dombruso, Adriano’s grandmother on his dad’s side.
She grabbed me in a hug when she reached me and exclaimed, “What a nice surprise! Is your brother taking the class, too?”
The mental image of Adriano trying to pole dance made me grin, and I said, “No, ma’am. I’m here with my new friend Timothy.”
“Oh, I know Timmy! In fact, I’m the one who told him about this class.” Timothy kissed her cheek, and I was introduced to the rest of Nana’s girl gang before she announced, “We’re late, so we’d better get ready! Hey, since we have a new student this week, I bet we can talk Dare into performing for us. I just love it when he works that pole!” I had to fight back a laugh.
Once the ladies rushed off to put their coats and handbags away, I said, “I can’t believe I just ran into someone I know. How’s that even possible, in a city this big?”
“It might be a big city, but within that there’s the LGBTQ community, and Nana is our grand dame. She’s basically a mega-ally, and a grandma to us all. I met her through my housemates at the pink Victorian, and Nana and Dare go way back, too.” Timothy bent at the waist and touched his palms to the floor as he added, “By the way, she’s the only person who’s allowed to call me Timmy. After I corrected her like, ten times, I finally gave up.”
Right before class, Nana succeeded in convincing Dare to do a pole dancing demonstration. I had a feeling she looked for any excuse to get him to do that, and she and her girlfriends were giddy with excitement.