Let There Be Peace

Chapter 9

            "Keeho, buddy, can you put this pain patch on my back? I can't reach it," Soul asked.

"Yeah, I got you, man," Keeho replied, peeling the paper from the back of the patch. "Where do you want it?" he asked as he hovered the patch over Soul's skin.

Soul pointed to his lower back on the right side and Keeho gently applied the patch and smoothed it down.

"Thanks, man. I appreciate it. I appreciate you," he amended. "Did you get a chance to talk to Paz?"

"Yeah, we talked," Keeho confirmed.

"And?" Soul was trying not to sound impatient, but he was dying to know how their conversation had gone.

"And --- it was just like I said. She doesn't like me that way," Keeho answered.

"Oh, man, I'm sorry," Soul replied.

"No, you're not. And you shouldn't be," Keeho countered. "You don't need to be sorry because she wants you and not me. You should be rejoicing right now."

"How can I be happy when my friend is sad?" Soul questioned.

"Because our own happiness rarely aligns with the happiness of others. If I were to think that way, I could never be happy because there are so many people suffering in the world. But I think we have to grab these moments when we have them. Speaking of which, why the hell are you standing here talking to me right now?"

"What do you mean?" Soul asked.

"I mean, your ass should be out the door and running to Soul's studio. I just gave you the green light. What are you doing still standing here?" Keeho challenged.

"So, you want me to ---? You really want me to go get her?" Soul questioned.

"You'd better! I just want her to be happy, and you make her happy. So, you'd better not screw this up because I will be pissed as hell if you don't fix this," Keeho replied.

Soul picked up his jacket and the house keys and ran to the front door. As he opened it to leave, he turned back. He ran to Keeho and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"You're the absolute best, man. I love you," Soul said as he gave Keeho's back a heavy thump.

"If I tell you I love you, will you leave?" Keeho asked in exasperation.

"I'm going. I'm going," Soul assured him.

When he reached the studio, he ran through the door, screaming, "Paz!" at the top of his lungs. Just then, he stopped in his tracks as 12 pairs of eyes stared at him.

"Ladies, don't get distracted," Paz told her class of tiny students. She glanced at Soul and called out, "We weren't supposed to meet today, were we?"

Soul just waved his hand, signaling that they didn't have an appointment that day. He sat against the wall and watched the little girls as they tried to mimic Paz' moves. Every once in a while, she would come up behind one of them and reposition them.

"Ladies, this is the big finish! Get in your line!" The diminutive dancers formed a sloppy line that Paz quickly corrected. "Okay, now we stagger every other girl," she yelled above the music. She showed them how to have the odd girls lean left and the even ones lean right. "Okay, now, everyone lean the opposite of how you did the first time," she instructed. "Now, we get on one knee and do the jazz hands," she told her pupils. They were still not coordinated, but Paz smiled. She had a lot of patience for their mistakes. She knew they would get it eventually.