The Finest Line

by Catherine Taylor

  There was a ripple of laughter and the introduction was made. “Ladies and Gentleman, please give it up for... the lovely... Vanessa!”

  Immediately the lights went down on the audience and came up on the stage. The pole gleamed threateningly. Mairead didn’t move.

  “You’ve got to do this Mairead” Miranda whispered. “My job is toast if this goes wrong.”

  “Shut up Miranda.” Kylie grasped Mairead’s hand. “This doesn’t even compare to your last stunt.”

  Mairead said nothing but trembled more as the first piano notes of the song began.

  “It’s just another beam,” Kylie told her firmly. “Just another routine and you’ve done it a thousand times before. You can do this Mairead.”

  Mairead nodded weakly and made her first tentative steps out on stage. The audience was fogged by darkness but their presence was tangible. She stopped halfway to the pole. When she hadn’t moved for at least a minute, the music died down adding silence to an uncomfortable situation.

  She looked across to the wings for her escape and Miranda and Kylie looked terrified. Other dancers came to stand with them and some of the girls laughed.

  Someone in the audience called out, “Hey sweetheart, if you don’t like that pole, I’ve got one you can swing on.” He was supported by some whistles and cat calls.

  Laughter erupted which was an entirely new experience for her. Gymnastic audiences kept their criticism civil with appropriate gasps and groans at failure, but never laughter.

  The more they jeered the angrier Mairead became and her nerves began to fade away. She walked slowly to the front of the stage, glaring down at the audience.

  “You can all kiss my arse but when you do make sure there’s a hundred dollar bill with it.” She turned to the wings. “Play the fucking music.”

  The first notes were nearly inaudible under the calls, cheers and laughter of men but Mairead heard all that she needed. She closed her eyes and let the song dictate to her body.

  The stage was hers and she would use it as she pleased and right now she needed to stretch. She wished that she had warmed up but the gentle introduction of the song allowed a quiet floor exercise that would have to suffice.

  She swayed her arms, her head and her torso to the music before stretching forwards and touching the floor with her palms. From there she did a backbend and brought her legs over slowly to finish in a stance ready for the refrain to strengthen.

  As it did, Mairead cart wheeled slowly, pivoting straight into a handstand at the base of the pole until she was stretched along its length. Gripping the steel with her ankles and calves she slowly drew her torso up until her hands had grasped the pole and she was upright.

  From there it was simply a matter of imitating her favourite moves she had seen the girls perform, adding her own unique improvements. There were no more distractions. The audience had gone silent and there was just the music and a chrome pole to worship with her body.

  Nothing mattered anymore, not the audience, nor James or his girlfriend. Mairead was doing what she loved and in a way that she had never attempted before and yet it was as if she had been doing this her whole life. Too soon the song was drawing to an end and it was time for her finale.

  After building up a spinning speed, she employed all her strength to grasp the pole with one leg bent and the other out straight. Mairead held her body and arms out horizontally and spun rapidly, gradually descending and slowing down until she could grasp the pole in her hands and allow her feet to alight gently onto the floor.

  The response was immediate and furious. Cheers and applause lasted several minutes as Mairead breathed deeply and felt the sweat saturate her body. In the wings, Kylie, Miranda and the dancers were hysterical. The woman in red hurried to her and hugged her.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen...” She shook her head and hugged Mairead again. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you... Vanessa!”

  “Take your mask off!” someone shouted and others took up the chant amongst the thunderous accolades. Mairead shook her head.

  The lights came up and Mairead could clearly see her excited fans. Only one was not joining in. She swallowed and felt a little weaker when she saw James standing and staring up at her and there was no amusement on his face.

  Quickly Mairead waved and ran off to the wings where she was swamped by the girls. She grabbed Kylie. “We got to get out of here.”

  Kylie was still way too excited. “Girlfriend, you just brought the house down.”

  “I think James knows it’s me.”

  Mairead’s revelation snapped Kylie’s attention back and she nodded. “We got to get out of here.”

  Stopping only briefly to acknowledge admiration from the dancers, Mairead followed Kylie and Miranda to the back room where the girls helped her strip down and return to her clothes.

  Mairead held the costume in her hands and adored it before handing it to Miranda, who shook her head.

  “Keep it!” she smiled. “It’s my present to you for allowing me to be part of all this tonight.”

  “Thank you,” Mairead hugged her tightly and grinned. “Hey Miranda, you’re now officially my fairy godmother.”

  They laughed as Kylie collected their bags and tugged on Mairead’s arm. “And if you don’t want to be pumpkin pie, I’d get your ass moving.”

  Miranda let them out through a side door into a dark narrow street that ran down the side of the club. A light rain was falling and Mairead held her face up to feel its cold sprinkle before letting out a triumphant shout.

  “I feel amazing!” She twirled and danced on the shiny black road. Kylie lifted her and spun her around. “You are fucking amazing.”

  They laughed and hugged as they made their way to the end of the street.

  “Oh my god, you should have seen James’ face.” Mairead laughed. “If looks could kill, I’d be leaving here in a body bag.”

  “Was it something like that?” Kylie had stopped and grasped Mairead’s hand.

  “What?” Mairead was still laughing but her mirth died instantly when she saw James standing on the main street. His mouth was pursed tightly and he was glaring at her as they walked the remaining steps between them.

  She wanted to be brave and feel the anger that she had felt before but it was no use. All she could manage was to meet his gaze. “Hullo James.”

  His quiet reply somehow matched the anger and disgust on his face. “You’re a fucking little selfish bitch Mairead. You care for no one but yourself, and certainly not for your father whose career you are determined to ruin. If you’re going to fuck your own life up, is it too much to ask that you leave other people’s lives alone? Mine included.”

  Mairead crumbled and only remained upright as Kylie held her tightly around her waist by one arm as she tried to size up to James.

  “Man, you are still a fucking arsehole.”

  James looked at Kylie who withered under his burning glare. “Take her home.”

  He walked away, leaving Kylie to gather a distraught Mairead into her arms. For a long time they sat on the pavement, until her weeping was just part of the increasing rain.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The morning sunshine, streaming through Kylie’s bedroom window, did nothing to alleviate Mairead’s pain. Held in one arm, her head rested on Kylie’s breast whilst her friend blew smoke towards the ceiling.

  She trembled each time she recalled James’ words and was hugged a little tighter. Kylie’s pyjama top was damp from her tears.

  “It hurts so much. I can hardly bear it.”

  “The guy is a complete fucking jerk Mairead.” Kylie was angry. “I wish I’d smacked his fucking head in.”

  “He was right. I am selfish.”

  At that, Kylie sat up bringing Mairead with her. “Don’t you dare spout that bull shit to me. When every other arsehole including my family turned against me, you were the only one who was there. You stuck by me all the way. You saved my life.”

  Mairead smiled thinly
. “How do I save mine?”

  Kylie leaped from the bed and pulled the covers back. “By getting in that shower, putting your kit on and joining me for the best heart mender I know.”

  “Which is?”

  “Zumba Girlfriend. We are going to dance.”

  Mairead couldn’t think of anything worse. She would have been quite content to stew in bed all day but she knew that she owed it to Kylie to make some attempt at recovery.

  Kylie’s cure was remarkably effective and after a double class at the local sports club, Mairead was feeling a little less like dying and even had an appetite. As they were about to leave, she spied something through the window of a room.

  “They have a pole.” Mairead watched as a young fit man demonstrated moves to a group of women. Each took their turn to imitate the moves guided by the trainer.

  “Girl, I thought you would have had enough of that,” Kylie grinned.

  Mairead shook her head. “I loved it. It was mine to do with what I wanted. Not like gymnastics, that’s so rigid and precise and shit.”

  “You certainly took to it. How the hell did you do that anyway?”

  “Don’t you remember me swinging around the bars at gymnastics?” Mairead reminded her. “Mrs. Thiele used to tell me off for it.”

  Kylie laughed. “Oh my god Mrs. Thiele, the old bitch. ‘If you’re going to behave like a prostitute Mairead, please find somewhere else to do it.’”

  “I didn’t even know what a prostitute was.” Mairead laughed with her. “But she didn’t stop me but just made me do it a little more discreetly. It was just fun. I certainly knew nothing about pole-dancing.” She grasped Kylie’s arm. “Can we do a pole class tomorrow?”

  “If it keeps that smile on your face, you are more than welcome, but you are on your own girlfriend, I have to work tomorrow.”

  Mairead felt excited at the prospects of being back on a pole and lingered a moment to watch the trainer do another move.

  “Excuse me.”

  She turned to see two girls dressed in aerobic outfits, and about her own age. They had been in the Zumba class with her and their excitement was evident.

  “You’re Mairead Kavanagh, aren’t you?”

  After receiving a reluctant affirmation, one girl beamed triumphantly. “I told you it was her. Miss Kavanagh, would it be alright to get an autograph?”

  “Just Mairead,” She smiled as she signed two flyers from the centre, but felt her excitement wane. The girls were a reminder of who she was, a gymnast who could be performing in the Olympic arena, not the seedy world of pole dancing.

  Whilst a Zumba class was perfectly acceptable, Mairead knew the media would create some colourful headlines if she was caught swinging around a pole, even in a sports centre.

  James had spelled it out to her and she knew that he had been right. Her father had suffered enough and it was time to stop being so selfish and to try and pick up the mess she had made of her gymnastic career.

  Wellington had certainly given her some clarity. She knew where she stood with James and hoped that one day she might be able to earn back a little of his respect for her. As much as the idea beckoned, Mairead was decided that her venture into pole dancing was over.

  After lunch and a movie, Mairead was having some success at shutting James out from her thoughts or at least not feeling her heart being ripped apart each time his face and words came back to her.

  She even managed to get some sleep that night, but in the morning she felt sad as she watched Kylie prepare for work.

  “I’ll be back at six and we’ll grab some movies and some junk food and a couple of bottles of red.” Kylie grinned at Mairead’s pouting face. “You know you could try cleaning up this place to keep yourself busy.”

  “But I’m only here for another week,” Mairead teased. “Is that going to be enough time?”

  “You cheeky bitch,” Kylie snatched up a handbag and turned on her heels. “Get those bare feet in the kitchen and be sure my dinner is on the table at six or there is going to be trouble.”

  Mairead grinned as Kylie planted a kiss on her forehead. “Yes Dear. Have a nice day at work.”

  When Kylie was gone the emptiness of the two-bedroom flat seemed ominous and Mairead was thinking that some housework could be distracting and even a brand new challenge. Her apartment in Australia had been serviced and she certainly hadn’t experienced domestic duties prior. It could be fun.

  She had dressed in an aerobic bra and shorts for Kylie’s sake, rather than explain that she had no intention of going back to the sports centre. All she needed was some good techno beats and she would be ready for a completely new type of workout.

  With music blaring, Mairead danced and tumbled throughout the flat armed with vacuum cleaner, mop and bucket and a variety of cleaners. As each task was completed Mairead celebrated by dancing in the lounge before launching into the next.

  Morning achieved a gleaming kitchen, vacuumed carpets and shiny floors. Lunchtime was exchanged for a sparkling bathroom, well made bed and washing fluttering on the clothes line.

  When by mid afternoon there was nothing left to do, Mairead danced from room to room admiring her work, feeling very proud. It was time to celebrate by cranking the music and doing a shuffle.

  Her body was gleaming with perspiration as she indulged in this exciting dance movement she had learned from the internet. It didn’t have the grace of gymnastic floor work but it still required co-ordination and talent and it was a hell of a lot more fun.

  Caught up in her reverie, Mairead didn’t notice as the light increased in the room. Only as she did a conveyer belt movement across the floor and spun around did she realise that she was no longer alone.

  Her hand trembled as she turned off the music and stared at James and Vanessa standing at the front door.

  “My apologies Mairead,” James was grinning. “We did knock.”

  Vanessa was smiling too and looking more beautiful than the other night. Casually dressed in jeans and loose white gypsy top, her hourglass figure was evident. The white blonde hair was actually just blonde but definitely natural, allowing amazing contrast to her olive skin. The proof of her blonde eyelashes surrounded a pair of violet eyes.

  “May we come in Mairead?” Even her voice sounded lovely.

  Mairead nodded trying to remember the simple task of protocol for visitors. “Please sit down. Would you like something, something to eat or drink maybe? I think we’re out of milk but I could run to the supermarket.”

  “We are fine thank you Mairead,” Vanessa sat down next to James on the couch. “But please get something for yourself. You have certainly earned it.”

  Mairead became painfully conscious of her messy hair, lack of make-up and sweaty body. There was even a hint of body odour.

  “I’ve been cleaning... oh and dancing.” She tried to keep her eyes on Vanessa but a glance at James made her extremely nervous. Had he come to complete a verbal thrashing or worse in front of Vanessa?

  “You have incredible talent Mairead.” Vanessa seemed genuinely awed. “James has told me how brilliant you are but until you see for yourself...”

  “I’m really very sorry I used your name the other night. It was a really thoughtless and horrible thing to do and I apologise so much.” As the words blurted out the tears quickly followed.

  Vanessa was up immediately taking Mairead’s hands in hers. “Mairead, you mustn’t believe for one moment I was offended.” At eight inches taller, Vanessa bent down to smile into Mairead’s face. “To have my name given to such a magnificent performance is one of the greatest honours I’ve ever had. Your apology is not accepted because you have nothing to be sorry for.”

  Putting an arm around Mairead, she led her to the couch and gave James a kick to his shoe. “You go on the other chair. Mairead is going to sit down with me.”

  James complied and Mairead reluctantly allowed herself to be held by the very woman she was trying hard to hate. The smell of her industrious day
drifted up to her nose to seal her unease.

  “I really should have a quick shower and change my clothes.” She gently tried to release herself from Vanessa’s attention and looked shyly at James. “Could I please have five minutes?”

  He smiled and nodded. “Let her go and have a shower Vanessa.”

  Vanessa sighed and smiled. “Of course she can.” Her smile shifted to Mairead. “Call out if you need anything.”