Waltz of Her Life

"No, I'm fine," Linda said, as she lowered herself into one of the lounge chairs. Just the same as before, there'd been no magazines in the waiting area. When Linda asked Maggie about this, years ago, Maggie had just laughed and said that they weren't operating a doctor or dentist's office there. She said that if someone had to wait for a long enough time to read a magazine, then there was a real problem.

Maggie still kept the same studio motif as before. Only a six-foot wall separated the lounge area from the rest of the studio. Bright, upbeat music played, the kind someone would use in a swing, either east or west coast. Linda felt she barely had sat long enough to make the seat warm before Maggie floated through the doorway past the receptionist desk and turned to greet her. She still had the same, fluffy blond hair as before but seemed tanner, more wrinkled and thinner than Linda remembered.

The theatrical bravado remained however. "Linda!" Maggie sang as she swooped down with her arms extended to give her a hug. "It's so wonderful to see you!" She held Linda close and rocked her back and forth as if she were a cherished family member. When she released her, they still held hands, standing across from each other.

"It's nice to see you also," Linda said. "And it's so nice to be back."

"Yes," Maggie replied, then turned her eyes down, looking at Linda's swollen belly. "Can you step inside my office briefly? We can catch up, girl talk, you know." She punctuated herself with a coquettish nose twitch, something she'd undoubtedly affected from her years in the business. Linda followed Maggie to the little office along the far wall, the one where she would pressure students into signing long-term contacts.

As they stepped inside, Maggie took one of the regular chairs that had been placed in front of the desk. She invited Linda to sit beside her. This helped calm Linda a great deal. Before she spoke, Maggie reached out for Linda's hands again. "Now, you know you're just like family here, don't you, that we love you?"

"Yes, I know."

Before Maggie spoke next, her eyebrows knitted together, enhancing wrinkles Linda never knew the woman had. "It's just that this is such a delicate situation."

Linda decided to make it easy on her, by patting her hand. "You're concerned about my being pregnant."

A pained expression on her face, Maggie simply nodded.