Tiny Dancer : The Story of a Michael Jackson Back Up Dancer

Chapter 3

She stormed into her apartment and sat at her desk prepared to cry. She felt silly. She felt childish too. She saw how beautiful Tatiana was, how could she think Michael wouldn't see it too?

As she shrugged off her sweater, a thought trailed across her mind that maybe Michael didn't choose her for beauty, but maybe for dancing.

Selene was fresh out of the Juilliard level of academy dancing. It filled her with bitterness to know that some bimbo with make up could possibly tread on her ability. She clenched her fists and a tear from rage escaped her eyes. A knock came to her door and she heard her lock being jiggled and she groaned, "Go away..."

The lock jingled being picked and only one person in the building could pick a lock, Ms. Lovelace.

She entered but Selene kept her eyes away, still at the desk.

Ms. Lovelace came into her vision and she asked in that dry, posh tone that older women usually had, "What's eating you? I made you banana bread."

Selene looked to her finally with eyes glassy from tears and the woman looked how she always did.

Her hair kept up by the blue bedazzled butterfly pin. Its wings that suspended on a spring, bounced as she walked. She held the banana loaf bread in her hands, the sunset red nail polish still avoided one chip. She wore the same sky blue, crocheted shawl everyday and Selene always wanted to ask if she made it herself.
"I really don't want talk about it. If that's alright, madame."

Lovelace tsked and said, "Didn't you have that big new dance opportunity today? Didn't it go well?"

Selene grimaced and sniffed, "No. I got the rug pulled out from under me.." Selene explained about her meeting Michael then Tatiana getting the part when she really believed she deserved it.
"I just admire, Michael Jackson so much. And now I feel like the one man in the world that I truly look up to, doesn't think I'm good enough."

Selene took down her pinned up hair, "But oh no. Obviously Tatiana was just perfect. What a crock.." she tossed down her hair pins and crossed her arms.

Lovelace stood in the middle of her elaborating and said, "So you're gonna let some uptown floosie dictate how you feel?"

Selene was surprised by her sudden volume and she widened her eyes.

"Hesitate and you lose young lady. If she's so good, I assume she's not looking for any snakes in the grass to come up and bite her..." Ms. Lovelace smirked cheekily.

Selene looked to the floor, heartbroken with words she left unsaid but she understood where Lovelace came from.

She pinched Selene's cheek and said very soft and secret, "This is only a chance for you to be ready at every moment for her to slip up. And as for Mr. Michael, you better prove to him that he isn't always right. You're the best dancer I've seen. You had better get that message across to everyone there..."

She took the banana bread and said, "Why don't you go and toss some crumbs to the birds? It always helps me when I'm down in the dumps."
Selene smiled and knew she was spot on in every angle. Its not that she hated Ms. Lovelace, she just never completely had her mind mapped out.

Somedays she'd be shouting like one of the crazies, somedays she was sweeter than cherry gin. She often wondered if her next door neighbor was a dementia patient now on the mend.

Selene saw her out and to the desk she happily picked off pieces to feed to the birds.

She opens the window to the fire escape and outside she bounced little crumbs down its rails and steps. Several little birds all came to pick at the snack they had found. It was mostly little brown finches, they happed around the banana nuts and sweetly shared with each other.

Until suddenly, another bird swooped down, a plump red cardinal stole all the nuts from the finches. They tweeted like a tiny argument and the cardinal flew away with a now full belly.

"Now that's not fair.." Selene tossed another handful of crumbs down to them for a second chance.

A bluejay approached the flittering, tweeting mob and Selene scowled,
"Nuh uh...don't you do it!!

The bluejay hopped over and didn't steal the finches share at all. The bird pecked at its own pieces of bread and Selene smiled.

She gets an idea and shuts the window.

She wanted to be the bluejay in the street full of cardinals. If Tatiana thought she was tough shit, she was gonna learn. If Michael wanted a class act of good dancing, he was about to see what it looked like. Juilliard didn't train losers and she was determined.
Selene went to the empty bedroom she had cleared for a dancing space.

She flicked on the lights and began her routine stretches. She switched on a metronome to practice her sit ups in timed rhythms. She was gonna show them all. She should have been the very first pick for this role.