MOVING IN STEREO

Homesick

"There's a crack in my window
A bird in my room
Angels all over
That watch over you
When I'm walking on water
All my dreams have come true
Still, nothing means nothing
Without you, you"

Homesick

Dua Lipa

The past three years have been the happiest of my life. I mean, every single thing has gone right. I graduated college and got my first coryphée position with the Atlanta Ballet. I even found a part-time receptionist job at a small lawyer's office around the corner from our apartment. It's like one morning I woke up, and everything was getting complicated, and then before I knew it, everything had worked out. I didn't really do anything, well, I broke down in my car. Not many guys these days would stop to help you out when your car breaks down, not at night in Atlanta anyway. And Nick, he has been the best. I love Nick. I liked him the instant we met. I mean, I thought he was cool, kind, you know.

It was crazy. It was early December, and I had just finished dancing to The Nutcracker. It was my first year actually in the ballet company as a coryphée. I was just an apprentice before. It was the third time that day I had danced, and I was worn out. My legs, my feet, killing me. I think it was about eleven-thirty, maybe a little after. I remember I didn't even change except to get out of costume and put on a sweatshirt over my leotard. I lived with Amelia, and her new fiancé had just moved in. It wasn't too far from the theater. Anyway, I hit one of those damn potholes, and it tore the tire right off my little car. It made this horrible sound, and I could barely steer then whoosh. I couldn't even get it off the road. I got out and looked and panicked. I mean, I felt sick. I couldn't call my dad because he and my mom were visiting family in Spain. I didn't know what I was going to do, and then out of nowhere, Nick pulled up behind me. I was a little freaked out at first, but he took charge.

He didn't pay much attention to me. He was really shy, like he barely looked me in the eyes. He just told me to sit back in the car where it was safe. I opened the trunk, and in literally like 10 minutes, he had the tire changed. He was so sweet. I had done more than mess up the tire. It messed up the steering somehow, and he told me it would be hard to steer, and it was a lot hard! He also gave me his number and said that if I couldn't get it fixed, call him, and maybe he could help me find a place to fix it. He knew some people or something. He wouldn't take any money or anything, but I got his hand and held it until he looked me in the eye and then thanked him. He was so sweet. He turned red. It made me laugh. He waited behind me with his flashers on while I started my car. When I saw myself in the rear-view, I laughed. I looked awful. My stage makeup, well, most of it anyway, was still on. I couldn't even believe he talked to me.

I mean, it wasn't too long after that I actually moved in with him. It wasn't a thing at first either. After that night, I did end up calling him. It wasn't the next day, though, maybe a few days later. I had to get my car fixed, and I just didn't know what to do. I could have taken it somewhere, I guess, but I didn't know what I was doing. Amelia was the one who suggested I call him, so I did. You know what? He was so kind too. He met me somewhere; I think it was at the grocery store near my house, believe it or not. Anyway, we met, and I followed him to this garage, and I had no idea where it was. It wasn't too far, but I would have never known it was there or how to get there.

I had to leave it, but it was so cool that he introduced me to the man in the shop and told him what had happened and what was wrong. Even though I didn't have a clue, I didn't look like a dumb-ass. I filled out the paperwork and went along like I knew it all. I was going to call Amelia, but Nick asked if he could give me a ride home or anywhere else I needed to go while we were out. You know that was so nice. Who would ever even think to ask that from an almost stranger? He was just so sweet. I didn't need anything but let him take me to lunch. I was dying for Waffle House hash browns, and that's where we went, and I bought us lunch.