about Peter, just unearthing strange pockets of my own deranged mind, then showing them to him like a mental health ‘Show and Tell’. ‘So I bought a notebook, and a KitKat , and today I started to make my list, but if I’m honest one of the things I’m grateful for is the KitKat , and the notebook, and that I know where I’ll be sleeping tonight. Which definitely won’t be next to a teenage version of you, you giant sex pest,’ I chortled, then snorted, then went very quiet before muttering, ‘I probably should have just given the tramp some money, or a sandwich. That probably would have been more useful to a poor homeless man than me gorging myself on another bar of confectionery and writing down my thoughts and—’ Peter gently placed his hand over my mouth and held it there until he was sure I had stopped talking.
‘That was a lovely speech, Kate.’
‘I thought so. I’d practised it.’
‘Especially the sex-pest part.’
‘That was more of an ad lib. I was in the moment.’ I gulped down more coffee. Peter went back to looking out of the window.
‘Kate.’
‘Yes, Peter.’
‘I don’t want to bamboozle you with technical terminology or self-fulfilling labels, and I’m not judging you, but I think you should know, your KitKat eating, they’ve founda name for it. It’s called comfort eating .’ He handed me the last piece of the very food that was filling my void. ‘Hit the gym, Winters.’ He patted me on the head. ‘Enjoy the natural high of exercise. Run yourself to happiness, Kitkat, I mean Kate.’
‘You’re very annoying.’
‘But slightly more succinct than you. Now I’m afraid I have to go. My office prefers I shower and change before turning up.’ He gestured to his sweaty sports clothes and I tried not to stare at his partially naked body. I cursed Nike for their sparing use of fabric. ‘So enjoy your dance class and thanks for the KitKat.’ He was already halfway out of the door when he stopped and turned back. ‘You know, it really is good to see you again, Kate.’ He stared at me for a few seconds as if he was about to say something else, changed his mind, then, like a KitKat wrapper in the wind, or a tramp discovering a dry and unoccupied shelter, a half-naked Peter Parker ran off to start his smile-free day.
magdalena—43 years old—owner & dance instructor at The Studio dance school
W hat did I give up for love? Well, I definitely can’t be as much of a free spirit. That kind of living-in-the-moment attitude doesn’t sit comfortably in a relationship. In fact being changeable at all becomes more difficult when someone else’s feelings are involved. And we share our income and assets, which was not something I was previously used to doing. But the biggest thing I gave up for love is my country. I originally left Spain because I wanted to learn English. The opportunities for dancers were all in London so I came here. I planned to work for a couple of years then move home. But after 18 months I met Paul and we fell in love. I wanted to be around him so my move back to Spain got delayed, and delayed, and delayed. And Paul doesn’t speak Spanish, he’s practically allergic to the sunshine and he would struggle to find a job in Spain .
I truly believe that love is serendipitous. Paul is my happy unplanned opportunity. But if there was no Paul and no love I would certainly have moved home and spent the rest of my life living in Spain .
the studio | covent garden
It was becoming difficult to do anything without an entourage. Federico had insisted on coming because of all the male dancers. Leah had insisted on coming because she said love might also have stolen dancing from her (and because of all the male dancers). Henry was there because he and Leah were a package deal. Jenny Sullivan had come with her husband to prove not only that they could dance, but that they could do it well, and they could do it while being in love. Only Jane was there under the
‘That was a lovely speech, Kate.’
‘I thought so. I’d practised it.’
‘Especially the sex-pest part.’
‘That was more of an ad lib. I was in the moment.’ I gulped down more coffee. Peter went back to looking out of the window.
‘Kate.’
‘Yes, Peter.’
‘I don’t want to bamboozle you with technical terminology or self-fulfilling labels, and I’m not judging you, but I think you should know, your KitKat eating, they’ve founda name for it. It’s called comfort eating .’ He handed me the last piece of the very food that was filling my void. ‘Hit the gym, Winters.’ He patted me on the head. ‘Enjoy the natural high of exercise. Run yourself to happiness, Kitkat, I mean Kate.’
‘You’re very annoying.’
‘But slightly more succinct than you. Now I’m afraid I have to go. My office prefers I shower and change before turning up.’ He gestured to his sweaty sports clothes and I tried not to stare at his partially naked body. I cursed Nike for their sparing use of fabric. ‘So enjoy your dance class and thanks for the KitKat.’ He was already halfway out of the door when he stopped and turned back. ‘You know, it really is good to see you again, Kate.’ He stared at me for a few seconds as if he was about to say something else, changed his mind, then, like a KitKat wrapper in the wind, or a tramp discovering a dry and unoccupied shelter, a half-naked Peter Parker ran off to start his smile-free day.
magdalena—43 years old—owner & dance instructor at The Studio dance school
W hat did I give up for love? Well, I definitely can’t be as much of a free spirit. That kind of living-in-the-moment attitude doesn’t sit comfortably in a relationship. In fact being changeable at all becomes more difficult when someone else’s feelings are involved. And we share our income and assets, which was not something I was previously used to doing. But the biggest thing I gave up for love is my country. I originally left Spain because I wanted to learn English. The opportunities for dancers were all in London so I came here. I planned to work for a couple of years then move home. But after 18 months I met Paul and we fell in love. I wanted to be around him so my move back to Spain got delayed, and delayed, and delayed. And Paul doesn’t speak Spanish, he’s practically allergic to the sunshine and he would struggle to find a job in Spain .
I truly believe that love is serendipitous. Paul is my happy unplanned opportunity. But if there was no Paul and no love I would certainly have moved home and spent the rest of my life living in Spain .
the studio | covent garden
It was becoming difficult to do anything without an entourage. Federico had insisted on coming because of all the male dancers. Leah had insisted on coming because she said love might also have stolen dancing from her (and because of all the male dancers). Henry was there because he and Leah were a package deal. Jenny Sullivan had come with her husband to prove not only that they could dance, but that they could do it well, and they could do it while being in love. Only Jane was there under the
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