Dancing Queen

Chapter 22

"Yes, exactly. Let's book for the moment the 16th, eventually I'll contact you again" Frida smiled with the handset in her ear "All right, Mrs. Lewis. See you soon" and she hung up. She exhaled long and wrote some notes on the notebook in front of her.

Every time she came up with organizing a new recital, she believed it would be better organized than the previous time, but in reality it always seemed like the first time. There was still to contact the lighting agency, choose the pieces to dance, choose who to dance what... She closed her eyes briefly and sighed, there was time. It'd be as perfect as ever.

'I just need to find that damned tailor list' she thought, getting up quickly to search the small filing cabinet by the door.

Outside her small office it was swarming with children and lessons and music and she loved feeling all that life just a few steps away, having the possibility to choose to silence the silence of her office to launch herself into some lesson which, at that time, they had been a little reduced due to too many commitments.

Passing the open door, Frida froze. She had to double look when she spotted Christina near the entrance, leaning over the toes of her shiny black heels to try to peer through the half-blacked-out windows.

She frowned and took a deep breath, moving closer to her.

"Hello".

The woman in question turned her head towards her voice and slowly returned her feet to the ground, raising an eyebrow.

"Christina... What are you doing here?" Frida asked when she was almost in front of her, crossing her arms across her chest.

Christina looked at her for a long time and then a smirk appeared on her perfectly made up face "Ah, I see. Not the babysitter, but the dance teacher" she shook her head derisively.

Frida refrained from asking what was her problem and pretended not to notice "This is my dance studio, yes. Welcome. Why are you here? I thought you had a plane to catch".

The woman smirked and crossed her arms over her chest "For your information, the plane is tonight and I wanted to spend some more time with my daughter".

"Heléne is dancing at the moment. It's very important that she does it, there will be a recital soon. Benny didn't warn me, though. Does he know about this plan of yours?" Frida asked in a calm tone, but already feeling nervous.

Christina snorted "Benny doesn't have to know everything I do or want to do".

"No, but he must know if it's about Heléne".

Christina glared at her "How dare you? Stay out of my and my family's business".

Frida repeated to herself to keep calm, that she shouldn't cross any kind of limit because it wasn't just her or the contemptuous tone of the woman in front of her "Your family is also Benny's".

Christina took a few steps towards her, placing her hands on her hips "I don't know what that loser of my ex could tell you, but Heléne is my daughter and even if I haven't been around a lot lately, I'm and remain her mother and if I want to come get her to take her with me, it certainly won't be Benny's recent fuck of the month to stop me".

Her words were almost hissed under Frida's nose, having every intention of being intimidating. Again, Frida told herself to keep calm, that it would be no use to fight against her when she had every kind of artillery deployed and ready to strike against her.

"Christina... Listen to me..." Frida sighed "I'm not here to make war on you. We don't know each other, I don't know anything about you and you don't know anything about me, but we have one thing in common... we both love Heléne" she tried to reason with her "You're her mother. I know, Heléne knows, Benny knows. I'm not here to take anyone's place... But, listen to me, don't put that little girl in the middle just because you and Benny are at war" she said almost begging her, not even recognizing her own voice, but suddenly feeling the need to having to convince her not to add another notch to the already long list of disagreements between her and Benny.