The Don Quixote Piece
Scene 7

"Listen to this funny moment, my Beth."

Lucia the French girl mopped the sweat of morning rehearsal from her face.

"I was recreating Tits and Ass for my father and my brother last week when they came to visit me."

Beth sat with her back against the studio's mirrored wall. Lucia, in first position, her hand on her hip, was placed before the mirror, looking into the mirror as she mopped at her shining face. Her face shined in the light. Beth did not react.

"I was relating this very curious taxi ride that I lived. I was going to the airport, no? And the taxi driver began to tell me of all the striptease clubs he had visited in his whole lifetime."

Beth did not react.

"It was strange. And how many times has this happened to you? I say, you know, 'I am a dancer, I dance.'" And Lucia the French girl looked from the mirror to Beth, casually dropping the hand towel onto her bag.

"And they react with an "ohhh" and with an animal look and immediately I correct them, I say, 'No no, I am a ballet dancer.' And this animal look becomes a confused animal look then, you see." She looked back to the mirror.

"Depends, on the man, no? But how many times does this happen? And when will I learn to say ballet in the beginning? You would expect it by now, no?"

Beth nodded uninterestedly.

"So I was relating this story to my father and he is giving me suddenly an ironic look, you know, with the eyebrows up, joking me, of course, over my nothing bust. And I responded with 'Yeah, tits and ass never got me a job.' And my father and my brother were looking at me without understanding. So I explained it was from A Chorus Line..." And here Lucia the French girl sings, "Tits and ass will get you jobs..."

But Beth still does not react.

"...unless their yours. And I was singing and singing and still they were not understanding me, you know. And their English is good enough for that, you know. And, well, forget it. Look, just forget it. What do you have today? What is happening with you? You will not let me cheer you!"

And Lucia the French girl eased down then onto the marley floor before Beth. She stretched her legs into the splits and began to massage at the inside of her left thigh. She looked pointedly at her friend.

Beth reacted finally: "Oh," just saying.

Beth sat then a troubled moment.

Then, at last, Beth spoke: "You've unnerved me."

And that was all Beth said.

And that was all Lucia needed to hear. Lucia knew exactly what Beth meant.

Lucia the French girl's eyes twinkled.

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