scream. Go on, Wend, you’ll love it.’
Wendy wrinkled her nose. She was younger than Juliet and on the plump side, with a cloud of dark wavy hair, enormous boobs and a penchant for high heels. Today she was wearing bright-red strappy sandals with a two-inch heel, the sort of thing Alicia wouldn’t have been able to walk in, let alone stride around a classroom with any confidence. ‘Maybe,’ she said hesitantly. ‘I’m not sure it’s my cup of tea, though.’
‘Go on, you’ll have fun. It’s a beginners’ class, so anything goes. And you feel great afterwards – really buzzy.’
Alicia couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt ‘really buzzy’. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d had fun. Before she could stop herself, she heard her own voice saying, ‘I’ll go with you. I’ll give it a whirl.’
Juliet did a double-take as if the reply was unexpected. ‘Seriously?’ she asked. She didn’t quite say ‘YOU?’ in a tone of disbelief, but she might as well have done. ‘Okay. Excellent. Now you definitely have to come, Wend, if Alicia’s brave enough.’
Alicia felt almost tremulous at what she’d just put herself forward for. Her – belly dancing? What on earth would Hugh say when she told him? The thought of his stunned face made her want to giggle. ‘Yes, come on, Wendy, you know you want to,’ she said, light-headed at her own daring. ‘Life’s too short not to give things a try, right?’
Juliet and Wendy were goggling at her breezy optimism. It was a staffroom first. ‘Um . . . okay, then,’ Wendy said after a moment. ‘Why not. We could make a night of it, couldn’t we?’
‘Brilliant,’ Alicia said. ‘You’re on.’
Getting a nice haircut was one thing, but belly dancing . . . As the days passed that week Alicia began to wish she hadn’t been so quick to put herself forward for it. What had possessed her? She hadn’t done any dancing since she was a student, when she’d shuffled about self-consciously at the uni bop every week. Maybe the occasional embarrassed jig at friends’ weddings, after a glass too many of bubbly, but that was her limit. Alicia had always been a fan of limits – and for good reason, she thought now.
Just as she was on the verge of backing out and composing an apologetic, untruthful text to Juliet about an unexpected family emergency, Hugh came back on Thursday with another carload of washing from Lilian, and something seemed to snap inside Alicia as he heaved it into the utility room. More drudgery. More washing. Was this really all she was good for?
Come on, Alicia , a voice said in her head. It sounded how she’d always imagined Christine’s voice to sound – encouraging and kind. There’s more to you than housework and moaning. Don’t back out now.
‘I’m afraid I won’t be able to do that tonight,’ she found herself telling Hugh as she went to get changed. ‘I’m going out with some friends. Belly dancing, actually.’
So there she was that first evening, her face a study of trepidation, her body a mass of nerves, as she drove to meet Juliet and Wendy at the dance studio in Lyme for the class. I can’t believe I’m actually doing this , she thought dazedly. Nor, it seemed, could Hugh.
‘Have a nice time,’ he said as she left. He still had that same confused, wary expression, as if he half-expected her to elbow him and laugh that of course she wasn’t really going belly dancing, she was taking up flower arranging at the WI club. Silly husband! Had he seriously believed her?
‘Thanks,’ she said instead and shut the front door, feeling a prickle of excitement despite her nerves. She never usually went out in the evening. Occasionally there was something on at the school, a PTA meeting or a fund-raising event that she and Hugh tried to go along to whenever possible, babysitters permitting. But going out like this, just her on her own, before the children were even in bed – that was a novelty. It felt
Wendy wrinkled her nose. She was younger than Juliet and on the plump side, with a cloud of dark wavy hair, enormous boobs and a penchant for high heels. Today she was wearing bright-red strappy sandals with a two-inch heel, the sort of thing Alicia wouldn’t have been able to walk in, let alone stride around a classroom with any confidence. ‘Maybe,’ she said hesitantly. ‘I’m not sure it’s my cup of tea, though.’
‘Go on, you’ll have fun. It’s a beginners’ class, so anything goes. And you feel great afterwards – really buzzy.’
Alicia couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt ‘really buzzy’. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d had fun. Before she could stop herself, she heard her own voice saying, ‘I’ll go with you. I’ll give it a whirl.’
Juliet did a double-take as if the reply was unexpected. ‘Seriously?’ she asked. She didn’t quite say ‘YOU?’ in a tone of disbelief, but she might as well have done. ‘Okay. Excellent. Now you definitely have to come, Wend, if Alicia’s brave enough.’
Alicia felt almost tremulous at what she’d just put herself forward for. Her – belly dancing? What on earth would Hugh say when she told him? The thought of his stunned face made her want to giggle. ‘Yes, come on, Wendy, you know you want to,’ she said, light-headed at her own daring. ‘Life’s too short not to give things a try, right?’
Juliet and Wendy were goggling at her breezy optimism. It was a staffroom first. ‘Um . . . okay, then,’ Wendy said after a moment. ‘Why not. We could make a night of it, couldn’t we?’
‘Brilliant,’ Alicia said. ‘You’re on.’
Getting a nice haircut was one thing, but belly dancing . . . As the days passed that week Alicia began to wish she hadn’t been so quick to put herself forward for it. What had possessed her? She hadn’t done any dancing since she was a student, when she’d shuffled about self-consciously at the uni bop every week. Maybe the occasional embarrassed jig at friends’ weddings, after a glass too many of bubbly, but that was her limit. Alicia had always been a fan of limits – and for good reason, she thought now.
Just as she was on the verge of backing out and composing an apologetic, untruthful text to Juliet about an unexpected family emergency, Hugh came back on Thursday with another carload of washing from Lilian, and something seemed to snap inside Alicia as he heaved it into the utility room. More drudgery. More washing. Was this really all she was good for?
Come on, Alicia , a voice said in her head. It sounded how she’d always imagined Christine’s voice to sound – encouraging and kind. There’s more to you than housework and moaning. Don’t back out now.
‘I’m afraid I won’t be able to do that tonight,’ she found herself telling Hugh as she went to get changed. ‘I’m going out with some friends. Belly dancing, actually.’
So there she was that first evening, her face a study of trepidation, her body a mass of nerves, as she drove to meet Juliet and Wendy at the dance studio in Lyme for the class. I can’t believe I’m actually doing this , she thought dazedly. Nor, it seemed, could Hugh.
‘Have a nice time,’ he said as she left. He still had that same confused, wary expression, as if he half-expected her to elbow him and laugh that of course she wasn’t really going belly dancing, she was taking up flower arranging at the WI club. Silly husband! Had he seriously believed her?
‘Thanks,’ she said instead and shut the front door, feeling a prickle of excitement despite her nerves. She never usually went out in the evening. Occasionally there was something on at the school, a PTA meeting or a fund-raising event that she and Hugh tried to go along to whenever possible, babysitters permitting. But going out like this, just her on her own, before the children were even in bed – that was a novelty. It felt
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