Money Trees

20 ✮ barre

Double update?!? Whattttt

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"Did you see the pas-de-deux in the second act?!" Gaia raved, an enthralled expression plastered on her face.

  Mai grinned. She was so excited, it was adorable. "I know! And her fouetté turns? Spectacular!

  Gaia nodded quickly. "I wish I could start pointe. Then I could do the turns. But I'm too young..."

  "Oh, don't worry. They were the worst! My feet were always bruised and my toes were always sore!"

  "Really?"

  Mai nodded. "I hated them. Anyway, I'm really impressed, Gaia. You really seem to know your stuff. Apollo mentioned you're an expert at ballet?"

  A wistful smile played on her lips. "I love ballet. It's so magical."

  Apollo cleared his throat, reminding them that he was still there. They were on their way out and Gaia and Mai had completely excluded him from their specialist conversation about ballet.

  People kept giving them sad looks of pity. However, apart from the looks, they were loving the special treatment. Usually, food and drink weren't permitted in the theatre but they were able to bring snacks in with them. And they could skip queues. And people moved out of their way, giving them a clear path. They were loving it.

  "Do you ever dance?" Mai asked.

  "Yes!"

  Apollo smiled at that.

  "I love to dance! Sometimes I'm too tired. But sometimes I'm not. I can move my arms. And sometimes I practise my footwork in bed. And I can try to pirouette and... and..."

  Gaia's smile fell slightly as she tried to catch her breath. Apollo stopped pushing her chair and kneeled down beside her. She pursed her lips, breathing in and out.

  "Gaia-"

  "Don't say it, Polly. I don't want to. I really don't want to."

  "Don't want to what?" Mai asked, perching down beside them.

  Apollo rooted in the pocket on the back of the chair and pulled out nasal prongs connected to the oxygen tank through a long tube. "Gaia, we agreed that if you got out of breath you would put these on."

She crossed her arms. "They're so embarrassing. I'll look weird and everyone will stare."

Mai shook her head. "They're not embarrassing at all. I think they're pretty cool. Think of them like a barre you're using to support you. I know you don't need the extra oxygen or the barre but it's nice to get a bit of support sometimes, isn't it?"

Gaia's gaze shifted between Apollo and Mai. "I sometimes need the barre to practise my arabesque..."

"Me too! And it's not embarrassing is it?"

She shook her head hesitantly. Here eyes flicked to the oxygen before she slowly took the nasal prongs and put them on. As Apollo connected them to the oxygen tank, the tank made a hiss sound. Gaia's shoulders relaxed, and she met Mai's gaze with a small smile.

"There, see?" Mai said gently. "Life is so much easier with a barre!"

Apollo threw her a look of appreciation before going back to push her wheelchair once more.

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The car ride was filled with chatter. Gaia had called shotgun so Mai was forced to the back but she was able to lean forward and poke her head through the gap between the front seats and engage in the conversations. They discussed everything. From TV shows to books to more ballet. Apollo and Gaia told Mai stories of their youth and she listened fervently. She wasn't used to Apollo talking so freely about something so personal and she enjoyed it. She felt much closer to him.