“Dammit.”
He really needed to remember to keep his phone with him. Hobbling as he was, Kyle never managed to get to the damn thing before whoever was calling hung up. He looked at his missed calls on the way back to his recliner, and was just about to call Timmy back when it rang in his hand.
“Hello?”
“Dude! I got your message, man. Are you okay? That sucks!”
He sighed, settling back in his chair and propping up his foot again. It was good to hear Timmy’s voice. “Hey, Timmy. Yeah. I’ll be okay. How’s Mexico?”
“Rad, man. We’re all super stoked about the waves and the weather. We just came in for some lunch. Are you hurt bad? Can you dance?”
“No, I can’t dance. They rehearsed in an understudy who will cover me for a few shows, and I had to cancel my exhibition.”
Timmy sighed. “Oh, man. I’m sorry. You’ve been working hard on the solo thing, I know.”
“Yeah.” It broke his heart, really. It was nice that Timmy understood that without him having to explain.
“You need to cheer up. Make some popcorn and hot cocoa and watchIt’s a Wonderful Life.”
He didn’t have the stomach for popcorn or the heart to tell Timmy he wasn’t into a movie.
“Hello, you there?”
“Sorry, yes. I was just thinking about when I was eight and my pet rabbit died?—”
“Oh, I’m sorry dude. What was his name?”
He grinned. Timmy’s sympathy was a hundred years late but still adorable. “Really, Timmy?”
“Heh. Sorry.”
“His name was Oreo. He was black and white.”
“Clever.”
“Anyway, I got up one morning, and he had died overnight.” He waited on Timmy, but the line was quiet. “No comments?”
Timmy was chewing on something. “Nope. ’M good.”
“Okay, well. Oreo died, and I was very upset, but I had rehearsal and I had to go because it was tech week. I didn’t want to be there, I didn’t feel like dancing, but I knew I had to. My dancing has always been everything. I missed birthday parties, school events, weddings. I missed my grandmother’s funeral because it was opening night. I didn’t learn to ride a bike. I didn’t date. I never stayed up late and watched David Letterman. It was always dance. Always the work.”
“Wow.”
“I loved it anyway, Timmy. I still love it. But I can’t do it halfway.”
“Okay. So don’t. Is this about Colt, man?”
“I… I don’t know. Maybe.” Was it about Colt? Or was it about him? He shook his head. “Everything, all of it, was about that exhibition. It was going to be ours. But he just kept… he couldn’t say no to anyone. He couldn’t make the show his priority, and I don’t know how to work that way. I shouldn’t have expected him to…. I shouldn’t have asked it of him in the first place. If I hadn’t asked….”
“Wait. Wait. What are you saying, man?”
“He doesn’t even like being in front of an audience. I knew that. I shouldn’t have asked him to work with me. He couldn’t do it all.”
Timmy went silent for a long few seconds. “He wanted to do that show with you. More than anything.”
“Then he shouldn’t have been doing so many other things at the same time! I thought I was helping him out by taking something off his plate for him when he couldn’t manage it himself. You had to see him all wild-eyed and…. Jesus.”
“Huh.”