Dancing for June

This year, he would spend the holidays with is family and get some peace and quiet, while June D's tour had been cancelled. Atlanta was too loud and too busy for the Texan. All he needed was a few days of rest in the rental property he shared with his wife and teenage daughter. Being a backup dancer for June D, the most famous singer in the world, was not free of its challenges.

               Stephan Spalding loved performing in June D’s shows. He knew that she appreciated having him as a member of her dance crew. He was on time, volunteered to train the weakest dancers, and constantly came up with new choreography to keep her looking fresh and relevant to a younger audience. He had helped her create her signature Torch Dance on Tik Tok, which garnered 12 million views on YouTube in a single day. It sent her hit new single, Toss Em’ Back, straight to number one on the Billboard music charts.

               Next, he would give his best efforts at the Coca-Cola Roxy for the commercial shoot. She would see how dedicated he was to her, and finally promote him. Rehearsals would take up most of his day for the next three days, so there was no time to waste. Unfortunately, he would have to cancel plans to spend the holidays with his daughter, Ladonna.

               “Hello? What is it, Stephan?”

               “Hey, Allison. I know you and Ladonna wanted me to spend the holidays back in Austin, but June D has a Coca-Cola commercial that she sprung on me at the last minute. I can’t miss it. It’s a huge opportunity for me, and I could become her Dance Captain really soon. I’m gonna take us out of the hood. Baby, I promise to buy you a house and get Ladonna into college. Please, try to understand. I hope the two of you can forgive me.”

               “Really? Again, Stephan? You always choose that selfish Jazz diva over your family. She doesn’t even appreciate you, let alone give you credit for helping her become famous. If it were not for you, her song would have flopped. You cannot do this to Ladonna. Don’t worry about me, it is her who you will be disappointing. Please, come?”

               “I can’t, Allison.”

               “The way she treated me and Nancy when we were assistants was horrible, I can only imagine how hard it must be for you to breathe air around that woman. She sucks it all up. I’m telling you Stephan, if you do this, I am not going to let you see Ladonna again.”

               “What?”

               “Yes, that is right. You heard me. You keep pushing us away, you always break your promises, and now you are going to miss the third Christmas in a row. She hasn’t seen you since her 9^th birthday, Stephan. She is 12 now. June D will understand, just go!”

               “I’m doing this for us, baby. Just bear with me. You will see when I make Dance Captain that our lives are going to change.”

               “No it won’t, you will be away more than you are now. You making Dance Captain is going to be the end of us. I’m lonely and I don’t have your support back home. You need to give up this foolish dream, and face reality. You have a good job here at the law firm that my uncle set up for you, just come home to us. Please? I’m begging you. I don’t feel safe here. There are always strange people lurking around the store at night.”

               “No. I can’t-“She hung up the phone.

               Stephan could feel the thrill of excitement coursing through his veins. This would be the one performance June D would see that would solidify his position in his mind. There was only one problem, he couldn’t get the conversation he had with Allison out of his head.

Did she really mean what she said? Would she keep Ladonna away from me? I’m sacrificing for them both, and I wish she could see that.

               They were living poorly in downtown Austin, renting out hotel room after hotel room, only to check out before 11:00 in the morning. He was struggling and it was embarrassing. The pay for being a backup dancer for June D was a bunch of peanuts in relation to what Casey, the current Dance Captain, made. She was getting paid thousands of dollars a week for maternity leave. Stephan had rehearsed the steps, memorized the counts and breaths, and almost injured himself on a number of occasions to her holiday song Toss Em’ Back. He learned everything he could from Casey, before she had to leave.

               A bottle of chilled Yuengling would not help him fall asleep that night, only getting June D’s nod for a promotion would do the trick. He could imagine it now. It would be as though he had won the lottery, or some grand prize. She had announced that Casey may not be returning to be a stay-at-home mom in Phoenix, Arizona and she would be watching the dancers to choose a replacement for Dance Captain on Instagram. Her fans would vote for the best dancer in her commercial after it aired on Christmas day.

               Dance rehearsal had been full of mistakes and mishaps. Dee Dee slipped and landed flat on her ass, but mostly the bony part. Evelyn spun around too quickly and popped Natarsha in the forehead. The woman had a massive headache and needed to take a break and a rest for a few hours. Tracy tripped and landed into camera 4, breaking the microphone attachment and the tripod it stood upon, simultaneously spraining her ankle and giving herself a pop in the breast by the fallen boom microphone overhead. It made a loud smacking sound, since Tracy was so top heavy. Ohna and Neveah partied hard at Little Five Points, were hung over and still drunk.

               Looking at the mess they were in, Stephan rallied the dance crew together for a pep talk. He was sincere, compassionate, understanding and a leader. June D watched in the distance. She could tell how great of a Dance Captain she would have with him taking the reins. Casey was right to have recommended him for the job. She would make him Dance Captain, regardless of the Instagram votes. The camera crew, staffers, and performers took their places on set.

               June D was in another mood today. Stephan had hoped it wouldn’t interfere with her decision to find a new Dance Captain. All he could think about was getting his growing family out of the hood. The flat they shared above the liquor store was cold and pest-ridden. The winters were the coldest and the summers were the hottest, because the owner of Kay’s Liquor Stow didn’t want to install a heating and cooling unit upstairs. He knew he had to make the change to get his family into a better and healthier living situation.

Toss Em’ Back began to play loudly and the dancers took off, sprinting across the set and frolicking in the snow. Dee Dee, Evelyn, and Natarsha pretended to build a snowman at stage right, and the rest of the dancers performed June D’s viral dance that Stephan had come up with, the Torch Dance.

Is that me? Oh, no! I forgot to put my phone on silent. Who would call me right now? It’s my big moment and I don’t need any distractions! Dammit!

               The ringing ended, but started again. The director yelled, “Cut! Who did it? Who forgot to put their phones in the collection box at the door? You know what, I don’t care. Just take your call outside and hurry back, or you will be replaced!” He said, rolling his eyes towards the group of dancers.

               Stephan hurried to his coat sitting on a bench in the back, and zoomed to the exit. The phone rang again for a third time.

               Who is it? I don’t know this number.

               “Hello?”

               “Stephan Spalding?”

               “Yeah! Who is this?”

               “This is the Heart Hospital of Austin. My name is Ava. I’m calling to tell you that your wife survived, but we could not save your daughter, Ladonna. We tried to contact you sooner, but you wouldn’t pick up.”

               “What? Wait! What the hell are you talking about? My wife is at home with my daughter. The last time we spoke, they were decorating the Christmas tree. I don’t understand.”

               “Well, there was a burglary at the liquor store they lived above. The thieves were going to leave with what they had, but overheard Christmas music playing above them. They broke into the home and opened fire at everyone inside. I’m so sorry, Mr. Spalding. We will need to have you come to the hospital as soon as possible to take care of affairs. Your wife is asking for you, but she is barely stable. Again, we’re so sorry for your loss.”

               “Oh, my god! Oh, no! Ladonna! My baby girl!”

               Running inside to gather his belongings, a man in a security guard uniform knocked him down. The guy didn’t look back to see who he had pushed over, let alone apologize or check on the fallen person he had left behind. This angered Stephan, but it wasn’t important to him. He needed to get to Austin on the next flight leaving the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

               The director shouted at him, “Hey! You! Get your ass back on set. We need you to lift June D onto the sleigh. Let’s go!”

               Stephan ignored the tiny man and carried on with his things. He ran out the door and hopped onto the Marta that was parked in front of the Roxy.

               “Hey man, are you leaving any time soon?” He asked the driver.

               “My man, I’m on my break. I’ll leave when I get ready. So, have a seat.”

               “Damn it! I need to get to the airport. How long is your break going to take?”

               “I don’t know fool. Just take a seat.”

               A fleet of cars had arrived to pick up more tourists. Again, the loud honking of horns, people getting in and out of Lyfts, Ubers, and taxis had overwhelmed his ears. He couldn’t get away from the annoyingly busy city fast enough. He seized the opportunity and hopped in the back of an Uber that had been waiting for a fare.

               “Hey, I need to get to the airport. Can you take me there?”

               The flight back to Austin was the longest flight he had ever taken. Nothing was happening fast enough for him. Soon, he would learn that the peace and quiet he had wished and hoped for would never come. His heart hadn’t stopped beating rapidly since he got off of the phone with the hospital.

               My baby. No, not my Ladonna. Not my little girl. Please, god. No.

               He held onto his steering wheel as hard as he could, wishing it had magical powers to reverse this. He wanted his reality to change. The traffic was non-existent, allowing him to think of the good times he shared with his daughter, before her death. The new bicycle he and bought her for her ninth birthday, the daddy-daughter dance they had at her Kindergarten graduation party. Everything was more important than it was before.

               I should have come home every chance I had. I’m so sorry Ladonna. I’m so sorry Allison, please hold on baby. I’m on my way to the hospital.

               His phone rang again. This time, he knew it was the hospital.

               “Yes? It is Stephan Spalding. What’s going on?”

               “Are you parking soon? I can hear your turning signal.”

               “Yes, just spit it out. What is it? Is Ally okay?”

               “Mr. Spalding", the woman gulped loudly. Her voice breaking as she spoke into the phone, "She didn’t make it. Her wounds were too severe. She was shot in the neck and the bullet severed her carotid artery. We tried to save her, but she had lost so much blood. Her brain was without oxygen and blood for a long time, she didn’t survive our efforts to save her. I’m sorry, Sir.”

               Overcome with grief, his eyes filled with tears. They were overflowing so much that he lost sight of the road, missed a traffic light, and another one. He flew through another and was hit by an oncoming semi-truck.