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Chapter 12
It was early morning as Colleen sat in a sidewalk café savoring the last sip of her Café Mocha. In a couple of hours she would be at the final dress rehearsal for her performance tonight. She was filled with anticipation and excitement as well as despair; but tried to remain focused. It was a very hard task; memories of what almost happened with JT kept flooding her mind. It had been two days since JT left for LA and she had said good bye to him, again.
He had left several messages for her but she did not return any of his calls. She thought it would be better that way. The pain and heartache of saying good bye again was just too much for her. His music had to be his first priority and there was no room for her. She had to accept that and move on; the show tonight was the first step in doing that. It could open up many exciting opportunities for her and take her life in a bold new direction. Other than being with JT, dancing was her only source of happiness.
Caught up in her thoughts, Colleen didn’t realize that Kelly had come in and sat down in front of her. “Colleen, Colleen dear, are you okay?” She asked with concern. “Oh, Kelly, hi, I didn’t see you come in.”
“No, apparently you didn’t. Deep in thought, huh?”
“Yeah” Colleen reluctantly replied.
“Thinking about the show tonight?”
“I’m a little nervous I guess.”
“Why, you are going to be magnificent. You’ve worked so hard; just relax and enjoy it.”
Colleen fumbled with her coffee cup. “That’s easier said than done.”
“Come on, you can do this. You love it. You’re performance will be flawless; tonight will be wonderful.” Kelly put her hand upon Colleen’s and squeezed it tight. “By the way, I noticed that you didn’t reserve any tickets for guest.” Colleen looked down, “I don’t have any guest coming tonight.”
“I know your mother won’t be back from her book tour until next month, but what about your father?”
“He and my granddad have so much going on with Jabot, my stepmother, and my little sister, Abby that I didn’t even bother mentioning it.”
“No friends or special guy, boyfriend maybe?”
“No, there’s no one, okay!” Colleen said defensively. “Okay, okay, I’ll drop it.” Kelly said holding her hands up. “Well, have you seen the papers and the flyers going around about the production tonight? It’s going to be a big deal and you’ll be the star, sweetheart.” Kelly placed a stack of material on the table in front of Colleen. She pulled them closer to her and her face began to light up when she read:
The New York City Ballet in association with the American Ballet Theatre proudly presents, “We Are The Music” at the New York State Theater featuring performances by: Peter Frame, Lisa Hess, Colleen Carlton, Lourdes Lopez, and Maria Calegari.
She looked up at Kelly with a smile, “I can’t believe this, amazing.”
“Umhm, now let’s get going, we have much work to do.” With that Kelly jumped up, clutched her purse, pulled Colleen up and they dashed out the door.
The day had soon passed and Colleen just entered the house with an arm full of shopping bags. She made her way upstairs to her room to put them away. Noticing the time, she realized she only had a little over an hour before she had to get to the theater. Anxiety swept over her so she decided to take a warm bubble bath to relax and unwind. While she was in the bath the telephone rang, the answering machine picked up___ “Colleen, it’s me. We need to talk. You can’t avoid me forever. Call me on my cell as soon as you get this, please!” Colleen didn’t hear the phone or JT’s message. She got out of the bath feeling better. She was more confident and focused; ready to embrace everything that tonight would offer.
Colleen arrived at the theater and went straight to her dressing room to get dressed. She had her hair done earlier that day. It was pulled up into a loose curly bun held by diamond studded hair clips. A few soft curls dangled from atop of the bun down to her neck. Her make up was superb. Her face looked smooth and supple highlighted by the rosy blush of her cheeks. The mascara and eye shadows made her blue eyes stand out even more. Her lips were covered in a glimmering pink gloss that made them look full and inviting. Colleen slipped into a pearl white camisole leotard with a scoop front and satin ribbons that criss cross in back. She tied on a short white satin dance skirt and pulled on her tights and ballet shoes; after adding white diamond earrings, the ensemble was complete. Seconds to go before the show, Colleen took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “You can do this, Colleen.” She encouraged herself just before she walked out on stage.
Chapter 13
Colleen exited the stage after an astounding performance. The cheering and applause of the audience was so loud that it shook the rafters of the theater. She was immediately greeting by other dancers, choreographers, and columnists. She graciously gave each of them her attention. After speaking with a group of admirers, Colleen headed for her dressing room. She was stopped by a man carrying a large bouquet of flowers. “These are for you, my lady.” She could not see his face, only the flowers; a couple of white roses surrounded by a mixture of lilacs, daisies, and baby’s breathe.
Colleen was pleasantly surprised and wondered who sent them. “For me? Oh my gosh, they’re lovely.” She stepped closer to smell them and to look for a card. “Who could they be from?” She smiled before taking them into her arms. “There from me, Blue eyes.”
“JT!” she cried in total amazement.
“Hey Beautiful.”
“When did you…How did you…..”
JT cut in, “I found out about the show from one of my people and I flew in this afternoon, you surprised?”
“Totally!”
“You’re something else, you know that; really amazing!”
“You liked my performance?”
“It blew me away….wow!” JT said shaking his head. Colleen’s eyes met his and for a moment neither of them moved or said a word. Trying to pull herself away she lifted up the flowers, “Thank you, I better go get dressed and put these in some water.”
“Alright, I’ll wait for you here.” Colleen started walking towards the dressing rooms; she looked back at JT for a moment before hurrying through the doors.
JT waited patiently in the hallway. He looked down to examine his appearance. He wore a light blue long sleeve shirt that snapped halfway up the front, blue jeans that were faded at the thigh and knee, and black boots. His hair had been cut recently, shorter than before. It flattered his soulful blue eyes, strong jaw line, and small mouth. He leaned against the wall with his fingers shoved into the front pockets of his jeans thinking about what he would say to Colleen.
Colleen walked out of the dressing room with a duffle bag in hand. She left the flowers in a vase on her vanity. She had changed into a long sleeve form fitting black off the shoulder blouse, black jeans, and black boots. Her hair was still in a loose bun with curls dangling at the back of her neck and a few curly strands of hair framing her face. She replaced the diamond earrings with a pair of sterling silver loop earrings. JT met her at the door, took her duffle bag in one hand and her hand in the other. “Come with me.” He whispered to her.
They arrived at Central Park twenty minutes later. It was dark by now and the stars were bright and prominent in the sky. The night air was light and warm with an occasional cool breeze. The park was sparsely populated and lit by street lights. JT got out, walked around and opened the car door for Colleen. “We’re here, hold on a sec. I’ve got to get something from the trunk.” Colleen stood there watching as JT opened the trunk and pulled out a brown wicker basket, a blanket, and a small gift bag. “What’s all this?” she inquired. “You’ll see, come on.”
He led her to a quite corner in the park. “Close your eyes”
“What?”
“Close you eyes” JT spoke louder; and so she did. He opened up the thick flannel blanket and spread it out over the grass. He got down on his knees and opened up the brown wicker basket and pulled out two wine glasses, a chilled bottle of sparkling grape cider, two vanilla scented candles; which he lit and carefully placed in the middle of the blanket, a container of fresh fruit, cheese, and crackers, a red rose, and a small black velvet box from the gift bag. “What are you doing?” she asked with her eyes still closed. “I’m almost done, keep ‘em closed…..Okay, you can open them now.” Colleen opened her eyes to a romantic picnic setting and before she could say a word, JT pulled her down onto the blanket. “You like it?” he proudly asked. “I, I don’t know what to say. I love it!”
“Just sit back and enjoy it.”
“I can’t believe you did all this. I can’t believe you’re here and that you came to see me perform tonight; reminds me of another time you came to see me dance.” She gave him a coy smile. “I remember.” Colleen looked down at the items on the blanket. “What is this?” she asked as she picked up the black velvet box. “It’s for you, open it.” She opened the box. It was a white gold “ballet lover” charm bracelet; each dancing ballerina charm had a diamond in the center. “Oh JT, it’s so beautiful.”
“I thought you’d like it. I got it for you after that night you told me you were dancing again.”
“Thank you so much.” She leaned over and gave JT a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. He put the bracelet on her wrist then he looked at her with a sad look on his face. “Colleen, why didn’t you return any of my calls?”
It was early morning as Colleen sat in a sidewalk café savoring the last sip of her Café Mocha. In a couple of hours she would be at the final dress rehearsal for her performance tonight. She was filled with anticipation and excitement as well as despair; but tried to remain focused. It was a very hard task; memories of what almost happened with JT kept flooding her mind. It had been two days since JT left for LA and she had said good bye to him, again.
He had left several messages for her but she did not return any of his calls. She thought it would be better that way. The pain and heartache of saying good bye again was just too much for her. His music had to be his first priority and there was no room for her. She had to accept that and move on; the show tonight was the first step in doing that. It could open up many exciting opportunities for her and take her life in a bold new direction. Other than being with JT, dancing was her only source of happiness.
Caught up in her thoughts, Colleen didn’t realize that Kelly had come in and sat down in front of her. “Colleen, Colleen dear, are you okay?” She asked with concern. “Oh, Kelly, hi, I didn’t see you come in.”
“No, apparently you didn’t. Deep in thought, huh?”
“Yeah” Colleen reluctantly replied.
“Thinking about the show tonight?”
“I’m a little nervous I guess.”
“Why, you are going to be magnificent. You’ve worked so hard; just relax and enjoy it.”
Colleen fumbled with her coffee cup. “That’s easier said than done.”
“Come on, you can do this. You love it. You’re performance will be flawless; tonight will be wonderful.” Kelly put her hand upon Colleen’s and squeezed it tight. “By the way, I noticed that you didn’t reserve any tickets for guest.” Colleen looked down, “I don’t have any guest coming tonight.”
“I know your mother won’t be back from her book tour until next month, but what about your father?”
“He and my granddad have so much going on with Jabot, my stepmother, and my little sister, Abby that I didn’t even bother mentioning it.”
“No friends or special guy, boyfriend maybe?”
“No, there’s no one, okay!” Colleen said defensively. “Okay, okay, I’ll drop it.” Kelly said holding her hands up. “Well, have you seen the papers and the flyers going around about the production tonight? It’s going to be a big deal and you’ll be the star, sweetheart.” Kelly placed a stack of material on the table in front of Colleen. She pulled them closer to her and her face began to light up when she read:
The New York City Ballet in association with the American Ballet Theatre proudly presents, “We Are The Music” at the New York State Theater featuring performances by: Peter Frame, Lisa Hess, Colleen Carlton, Lourdes Lopez, and Maria Calegari.
She looked up at Kelly with a smile, “I can’t believe this, amazing.”
“Umhm, now let’s get going, we have much work to do.” With that Kelly jumped up, clutched her purse, pulled Colleen up and they dashed out the door.
The day had soon passed and Colleen just entered the house with an arm full of shopping bags. She made her way upstairs to her room to put them away. Noticing the time, she realized she only had a little over an hour before she had to get to the theater. Anxiety swept over her so she decided to take a warm bubble bath to relax and unwind. While she was in the bath the telephone rang, the answering machine picked up___ “Colleen, it’s me. We need to talk. You can’t avoid me forever. Call me on my cell as soon as you get this, please!” Colleen didn’t hear the phone or JT’s message. She got out of the bath feeling better. She was more confident and focused; ready to embrace everything that tonight would offer.
Colleen arrived at the theater and went straight to her dressing room to get dressed. She had her hair done earlier that day. It was pulled up into a loose curly bun held by diamond studded hair clips. A few soft curls dangled from atop of the bun down to her neck. Her make up was superb. Her face looked smooth and supple highlighted by the rosy blush of her cheeks. The mascara and eye shadows made her blue eyes stand out even more. Her lips were covered in a glimmering pink gloss that made them look full and inviting. Colleen slipped into a pearl white camisole leotard with a scoop front and satin ribbons that criss cross in back. She tied on a short white satin dance skirt and pulled on her tights and ballet shoes; after adding white diamond earrings, the ensemble was complete. Seconds to go before the show, Colleen took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “You can do this, Colleen.” She encouraged herself just before she walked out on stage.
Chapter 13
Colleen exited the stage after an astounding performance. The cheering and applause of the audience was so loud that it shook the rafters of the theater. She was immediately greeting by other dancers, choreographers, and columnists. She graciously gave each of them her attention. After speaking with a group of admirers, Colleen headed for her dressing room. She was stopped by a man carrying a large bouquet of flowers. “These are for you, my lady.” She could not see his face, only the flowers; a couple of white roses surrounded by a mixture of lilacs, daisies, and baby’s breathe.
Colleen was pleasantly surprised and wondered who sent them. “For me? Oh my gosh, they’re lovely.” She stepped closer to smell them and to look for a card. “Who could they be from?” She smiled before taking them into her arms. “There from me, Blue eyes.”
“JT!” she cried in total amazement.
“Hey Beautiful.”
“When did you…How did you…..”
JT cut in, “I found out about the show from one of my people and I flew in this afternoon, you surprised?”
“Totally!”
“You’re something else, you know that; really amazing!”
“You liked my performance?”
“It blew me away….wow!” JT said shaking his head. Colleen’s eyes met his and for a moment neither of them moved or said a word. Trying to pull herself away she lifted up the flowers, “Thank you, I better go get dressed and put these in some water.”
“Alright, I’ll wait for you here.” Colleen started walking towards the dressing rooms; she looked back at JT for a moment before hurrying through the doors.
JT waited patiently in the hallway. He looked down to examine his appearance. He wore a light blue long sleeve shirt that snapped halfway up the front, blue jeans that were faded at the thigh and knee, and black boots. His hair had been cut recently, shorter than before. It flattered his soulful blue eyes, strong jaw line, and small mouth. He leaned against the wall with his fingers shoved into the front pockets of his jeans thinking about what he would say to Colleen.
Colleen walked out of the dressing room with a duffle bag in hand. She left the flowers in a vase on her vanity. She had changed into a long sleeve form fitting black off the shoulder blouse, black jeans, and black boots. Her hair was still in a loose bun with curls dangling at the back of her neck and a few curly strands of hair framing her face. She replaced the diamond earrings with a pair of sterling silver loop earrings. JT met her at the door, took her duffle bag in one hand and her hand in the other. “Come with me.” He whispered to her.
They arrived at Central Park twenty minutes later. It was dark by now and the stars were bright and prominent in the sky. The night air was light and warm with an occasional cool breeze. The park was sparsely populated and lit by street lights. JT got out, walked around and opened the car door for Colleen. “We’re here, hold on a sec. I’ve got to get something from the trunk.” Colleen stood there watching as JT opened the trunk and pulled out a brown wicker basket, a blanket, and a small gift bag. “What’s all this?” she inquired. “You’ll see, come on.”
He led her to a quite corner in the park. “Close your eyes”
“What?”
“Close you eyes” JT spoke louder; and so she did. He opened up the thick flannel blanket and spread it out over the grass. He got down on his knees and opened up the brown wicker basket and pulled out two wine glasses, a chilled bottle of sparkling grape cider, two vanilla scented candles; which he lit and carefully placed in the middle of the blanket, a container of fresh fruit, cheese, and crackers, a red rose, and a small black velvet box from the gift bag. “What are you doing?” she asked with her eyes still closed. “I’m almost done, keep ‘em closed…..Okay, you can open them now.” Colleen opened her eyes to a romantic picnic setting and before she could say a word, JT pulled her down onto the blanket. “You like it?” he proudly asked. “I, I don’t know what to say. I love it!”
“Just sit back and enjoy it.”
“I can’t believe you did all this. I can’t believe you’re here and that you came to see me perform tonight; reminds me of another time you came to see me dance.” She gave him a coy smile. “I remember.” Colleen looked down at the items on the blanket. “What is this?” she asked as she picked up the black velvet box. “It’s for you, open it.” She opened the box. It was a white gold “ballet lover” charm bracelet; each dancing ballerina charm had a diamond in the center. “Oh JT, it’s so beautiful.”
“I thought you’d like it. I got it for you after that night you told me you were dancing again.”
“Thank you so much.” She leaned over and gave JT a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. He put the bracelet on her wrist then he looked at her with a sad look on his face. “Colleen, why didn’t you return any of my calls?”