A Chance Encounter

Tania

Being a University student was hard as it is; add to that long hours of dance rehearsals and what you get is a hard-hitting cocktail of fatigue, sleeplessness and never-ending deadlines. But as hard as juggling her student life and her life as a dancer may be, Tania was not going to give it up. Sure, she'd complain and whine and crib and cry. But giving up either of the two was never an option. Completing her degree was one of those things that she just had to do, because it was part of the unwritten script of her overachieving family. Plus she had put in too much effort now and had come a hell of a long way to give quitting, any serious thought. And dance... Well dance was everything for her. It was her heart and it was her soul; it was her ticket to freedom. The only time she ever truly felt alive was when she danced. So you see it wasn't really much of a choice. She had to juggle.

But as draining and stressful as such a hectic life may be, these were the moments that made it worth it. The moment when she had just finished giving yet another performance that brought every member of the audience to their feet. Well, 'almost' every member for whatever it's worth. Tania had been standing on the stage for at least a good one minute, basking in the glory of the applause that rang through the entertainment wing of the hotel where she and her dance crew had been asked to perform. She was sweaty and tired and gasping for air, but none of it seemed to matter in that moment. All that mattered was the rush of having all eyes in the room fixed on her and the feeling that she, along with her crew, had put up a fabulous show.

A few seconds later she and her crew stood in line and bowed by turn as the master of ceremonies for the evening announced each of their names. They ended the whole show with a group bow and proceeded to exit the stage. Back in the green room, the rest of her dance mates were bustling with energy and elation over having delivered a successful performance. Tania herself was content and relieved, that all had indeed gone well. But after she had changed and made her way out to the party area of the entertainment wing along with the rest of her crew, she felt the excitement fade away rather rapidly. The hidden aches in her body were beginning to come to the surface, her usual disinterest and lifelessness was returning. The sleeplessness too was fighting its way through, as she felt her eyes become more and more heavy.

The room was filled with people, most of whom were at least double her age if not more. Every single person in the room, with the exception of her and her dance mates, was dressed extravagantly; with clothes and accessories that seemed to be worth fortunes. Tania wanted to leave immediately. She'd much rather go home and curl up in bed or order a pizza and watch some shitty movie on the TV, than be surrounded by all these pretentious people. But she couldn't do that. It wasn't good for business. One thing that she and her crew had learnt through their years of dancing and doing shows was that when you're called to do a show for an event of this magnitude, you stick around and linger on. This gives the organizers the impression that you're actually enjoying and have value for whatever they have managed to arrange. Moreover, it's a good way to build industry contacts because you never know which other privileged person who took a liking to your skill, might walk up to you and make an offer.

So she stayed and followed her crew to the bar counter. One of the best things about such events is that there is always an open bar. And if she was going to put herself through the torture of enduring this party, she might as well make the best use of the perks it had to offer. All her dance mates took up a stool one by one, and she was left at the end of the row. But she didn't mind it. Tania wasn't really one to mix that much anyway. It wasn't that the members of her crew weren't good people, they were. But she just didn't vibe with them as much as one would expect her to, given that they had been dancing together for a little over two years now.

She ordered a glass of whiskey on the rocks and busied herself with emptying it. She wasn't looking to get high, though she wouldn't really mind if she did. The next day was a Sunday anyway, so she'd have enough time to get on top of her assignments tomorrow. She could hear her crew chatting and laughing away, to her left. Some of them seemed to be missing. They had probably gone to the washroom or to some relatively quiet place to blow off some steam together. Not that Tania cared, but her mind was probably just trying to engage her and keep her busy. Rowan, one of her dance mates turned to her and asked her if she was okay or if she would like to join in on their conversation, but Tania politely declined and Rowan didn't push her. He didn't mind or feel bad; Tania's crew knew how she was. And Tania was grateful for their presence in her life, not just because they were her connection to the one thing she truly loved and connected with - dance; but because they never pushed her to socialize or do anything for that matter, if she didn't want to do it.

Tania was probably on her third or fourth drink now, she wasn't really keeping track. But the alcohol hadn't gotten to her even slightly. She was still very much sober and just as bored. She had been playing with the rim of her glass absent-mindedly, when she felt the so far empty seat to her right be filled up. She wasn't really keen on looking who it was initially, but within seconds she found that her curiosity got the best of her. She turned to her right and lifted her gaze, to find a magnificent beauty sitting by her side.

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