The Christmas Waltz

The Safety Dance

After dinner, Mum offered to put Roland to bed. Excited to spend time with his grandmother, he happily accepted and they left the kitchen together. That left Robin with his father as they sipped some whiskey together.

"Everything coming along for the show at the end of the month?" Dad asked, setting his glass down.

Robin nodded, swallowing his sip. "Wait until you see Roland in the kids' number. He's doing exceptionally well. He may need to switch to a teacher who can work with him and nurture his talent even more, if that's what he wants."

Dad frowned. "You don't think you're that teacher?"

"Not with the studio we have now, no," Robin replied honestly though it was still a painful admission. "Besides, he might need someone more objective than his father and his mother if he wants to pursue dancing professionally."

"That is true," Dad agreed. "We had to turn you and Marian over to Tuck after all."

Robin nodded, recalling his second teacher and coach. "Exactly."

"Do you think Roland wants to pursue dancing professionally?" Dad asked. "Or does he just want to keep doing it for fun?"

"I'm not sure," Robin replied. "I think Marian and I need to sit down and have that talk with him like you and Mum did when I was his age."

Dad nodded. "I think that's a good idea. You can do it after Christmas."

Robin chuckled. "Absolutely. Let's get through the show and the holidays. Then we can have that talk."

"So was that what kept you? You wanted to get a little more practice time with Roland?" Dad asked.

"No," Robin said. "I had a student come in. She originally signed up for lessons for her wedding but since that fell through she's been hot and cold about continuing. But I think she's made up her mind and she wants to see it through."

Dad frowned. "Wait, is this the student your mother was worried about?"

Robin sighed, not surprised Mum talked to his father about Regina. "Yes. Regina had a breakdown at her last lesson and Mum was worried I was going to go out of my way to help Regina. I promised her I wouldn't. And it seems that Regina got whatever comfort she needed and is only my student."

"Good," Dad said. "Dancing requires a great deal of vulnerability and trust and so it can be easy to mistake those for deeper feelings."

"I know," Robin replied. After all, his only romantic relationship had been with Marian, his dance partner since he was a child. He had also seen his share of ill-fated romances amongst other dancers and had just lost his other instructor due to an affair with a student - who was taking classes with her husband. The instructor and student ran away to California to start a new life together, leaving the husband and Robin to deal with the fallout. Robin was just glad the man didn't blame him or Marian for the affair, rightly directing his anger to his soon-to-be-ex-wife and her new boyfriend.

He then thought of his most recent lesson with Regina. While she was more open to making mistakes and letting him correct her, he still felt some resistance from her. She carried a lot of tension and he needed to find a way to help her relax during their sessions, which he shared with his father now.

Dad nodded, rubbing his chin. "I think you need to build a little more trust with her. Have you tried the blindfold?"

"I don't even think we're up to the blindfold," Robin replied honestly. "Any other ideas?"

"Trust fall?" Dad suggested.

Robin chuckled. "Really?"

His father shrugged. "I don't know. But I'm sure you'll think of something."