Fairplay, Denver Cereal Volume 6 by Claudia Hall Christian Page A

Tired,” Sandy said. “But…
it feels good to have finished this stuff with my mother. You
know?”
    “ I think it’s good to have
everything out on the table,” Tanesha said. “You can grieve and
move on.”
    “ What are you going to do
about…?” Heather nodded her head toward Sissy and
Charlie.
    “ Talk to them,” Sandy
said. “See if they need counseling. I don’t think there’s much else
we can do.”
    “ Do you think that’s why
they’ve had so much trouble?” Heather asked.
    “ Trouble seems to be our
way of life,” Sandy said.
    “ Well, they have a great
chance now,” Tanesha said.
    “ Just like you!” Heather
said. “I’m excited for medical school.”
    “ I know!” Tanesha said.
“Only few more weeks. I can’t believe it!”
    “ And Jeraine is still
going?” Sandy asked.
    “ Now why should I care
what that man does?” Tanesha asked.
    Heather and Sandy laughed.
    “ May I join you?” Anjelika
asked.
    “ Of course,” Sandy said.
“We’re just laughing at Tanesha’s hatred for the love of her
life.”
    “ I have a lot of
experience with that,” Anjelika smiled at Tanesha. “Hurts like hell
and feels wonderful.”
    Tanesha’s head jerked toward the woman.
She’d always thought of Anjelika as the spoiled, Russian princess
mother of her friend Jill. They shared a long, assessing look
before Tanesha gave a slight nod and looked away.
    “ Mack is such a beautiful
baby,” Anjelika said. “May I?”
    She held her arms out. Heather placed the
sleeping baby in her arms.
    “ It’s such a joy to hold
babies,” Anjelika said. “When we travel through Central America, I
go to the orphanages to hold the babies. They are so sweet and
lost. It’s a real joy.”
    The women watched Anjelika soothe Mack and
shift him to her shoulder.
    “ I’m looking forward to
seeing Rachel tomorrow,” Anjelika said. “I’m going to be in the
nursery this week to help with the transition.”
    “ You are?” Sandy
asked.
    “ Of course,” Anjelika
laughed at Sandy’s surprise. ”You sound relieved.”
    “ Relieved? At the very
least,” Sandy said. “You’ll let me know if anything’s
wrong?”
    “ Of course,” Anjelika
said. “But there won’t be. Rachel’s going to be fine. Soon, she’ll
be making friends. Mack here has already romanced all the six month
olds and is working his way through the one year olds.”
    The women laughed.
    “ I wanted to talk to you
about Sissy,” Anjelika said.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED and
SIXTY- FOUR
    Talent
     
    Sandy, Heather and Tanesha stopped laughing.
Their entire focus shifted to Anjelika.
    “ Oh,” Anjelika smiled.
“It’s nothing bad.”
    “ What did you want to say
about Sissy?” Sandy asked.
    “ She wanted to dance this
afternoon,” Anjelika said. “I went with her so that she wouldn’t be
alone. I studied dance for many years. We had a great time
stretching and playing. I wanted to see her dance so I put on some
music. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
    “ Sorry Anjelika,” Tanesha
said. “We’re kind of freaked out about Sissy and
Charlie.”
    “ It would be easier for us
if you just told us,” Heather said.
    “ I understand,” Anjelika
said. “Sissy danced for a while. Just for fun, nothing serious.
And… Well, you probably know this, she’s very good, like prima
ballerina good.”
    Trying to figure out what she was saying,
Sandy, Heather and Tanesha stared at Anjelika.
    “ My family has supported
the ballet in St. Petersburg since the time of Peter the Great,”
Anjelika said. “My father was a huge benefactor. In fact, it is how
he met my mother, how they fell in love. She was a soloist… a prima
ballerina.”
    The women nodded in unison.
    “ Sissy is better than any
I’ve ever seen,” Anjelika said. “And she’s only…”
    “ Fourteen,” Sandy
said.
    “ And she doesn’t have a
company yet?” Anjelika’s voice echoed with horror.
    “ We don’t know what you
mean,” Heather said.
    “