The Last Dance

03

"You're quiet," Janet finally commented as they sat across from each other. "Is it because you're nervous, or are you naturally just quiet?"

Mariah found herself meeting eye contact with the woman briefly before replying. "Ah, both I guess. I'm not really talkative."

"Why not?" In response to the singer, the dancer shrugged. "Aisha sent me some of the work you were in. The way you dance doesn't suggest that you aren't talkative. You're dancing is loud, yet your words are quiet. Interesting."

The other woman found herself wondering what that meant exactly. She knew that she was loud in her craft, but she didn't think it contradicted with her everyday self as much as Janet was making it seem. Janet's lips kept moving but Mariah had long and stopped listening. She was focusing solely on the statement the woman had just made. Is everyone saying that about the girl?

"Do you?"

Mariah's eyes shot to Janet's suddenly as she asked quietly. "Huh?"

Janet couldn't help the chuckle that left her lips. "I asked do you want a drink other than that water?"

"Oh no, I'm okay. I don't drink." Truly, deeper rooted reasonings stemmed the woman's displeasure towards alcohol but that was simply another story for another pair of ears that wanted to waste their time listening.

"Why not?"

Flashbacks ran through the younger woman's head and why she didn't drink. Still, she settled on the lie of, "I'm just not a fan of how it tastes."

Mariah knew it was a lie but who had time to go into all of that? Definitely not the woman who had went through it, let alone the woman who was unbeknownst to Mariah, ready to listen to it all.

Janet settled with a head nod as she accepted the answer. "Ah, I understand."

The duo allowed silence to travel in between them. Mariah was racking her brain out though, she knew she needed to break the silence but she didn't quite know how. Finally, she scrambled up a sentence. Simple, but it would work for her. "The foods good."

"Thanks, I try."

Mariah's eyes widened as she looked up. "You cooked this? I thought you said your cook had made it?"

Janet giggled at the younger woman's face. "He had already left by time I turned around and came back here. So I just made it myself."

"Wow. You can cook really good." She complimented her skills truthfully.

Mariah didn't truly know what was so amazing about this meal. She hadn't ever thought to use asparagus on the side of salmon but Janet had just put her on to a new wave. She was familiar with the side of mashed potatoes but everything else seemed foreign. Then the salmon was in a way, light. It wasn't as heavy as usual. Maybe she baked it instead of grilled.

"I bake my fish and put a honey garlic sauce on top."

The dancers face furrowed. "I've never had it baked. It's really good."

"Exactly, that's why I'm not really a fried or grilled person anymore."

A sudden wave of comfortable silence wrapped through the home. Janet found herself thinking about the woman that sat in front of her. She intrigued her for some reason. She wanted to know why she was so quiet outside of her craft but she knew she couldn't just push that deep on first sit down. That meant that Janet would have to spend time with the woman, and that she was okay with.

Mariah seemed to be elsewhere though. Racking through her brain on how in the hell she was going to make this dance flow in her head. She knew what she wanted in the dance, she just didn't know if Janet would be open to it.

Suddenly, she broke the silence. "Can you do a split?"

Janet's head lifted slightly as they made eye contact. She shook her head. "Nope. Not my style."

The younger woman nodded before going back in her head. Okay, so splits out, maybe the hair flip into a drop at the chorus instead.

Janet watched the woman before her, she knew she was probably thinking about the dance but that didn't stop her from speaking. "Mariah, how long have you been dancing?"

"Since I was six. I wanted to be a ballerina but by time I was twelve, I had grown out of that and went strictly into hip hop, jazz and contemporary."

"So what made you make the jump into heels?"

Mariah's face furrowed as she tried to remember the exact reason for the abrupt change, and finally she answered. "Well, I was accustomed to heels from some of my dances as a kid but not stilettos. When I turned eighteen, my dance teacher caught wind that I was packing my dreams up and moving to LA and she sent me in Aisha's direction. Been there ever since."

"Wow, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

"I'm turning twenty nine." The younger woman answered easily.

"So for eleven years..."

"Yep. She's been training me for eleven years. That's why everyone says I'm her daughter."

Janet nodded, it seemed that her idea was working. Talking to Mariah about her passions seemed to get her out of her shell. "That's amazing. So to this split idea you had going, what were you picturing?"

"Maybe for the first chorus, and then you bend your knee back but if you don't have your splits then it won't work. We can fill it in with something else. Are you up for getting into your splits though?" The younger girl looked up hopefully.

The singer quickly shook her head. "As much as I've heard that hurts and how much time we have until the show? I'll pass." Mariah's head dropped slightly as Janet continued. "But after the showcase, I'll be open to it."

The dancers head popped back up as she smiled. "For real?"

"Yeah. I don't see why not." She mumbled back. "Who wouldn't want to see Janet Jackson do a split?"

"Good question. So when do you want to start learning the dance?"

"Like yesterday." The woman answered quickly. "I'm a perfectionist. I like to have stuff down pack. We have two months until showcase so the sooner we start the dance, the better."

Mariah nodded. "That's fine. Tomorrow?"

"How's 3 sounding?"

"Cool with me. Everyday or?"

"Up to you." The older woman replied. "Tell me your schedule."

The dancers head tilted. "Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"

"Yes, but with you I'll make an exception." Janet smiled at the woman and for once Mariah didn't break eye contact.

Instead she smiled back and replied. "That's good to know."