Baby Steps

“Mommy! I-“

“Somebody’s at the door, Caprice! I’ll be up in a minute!” Cailynn yelled up the stairs frantically, quickly changing directions from up to down the stair case. I’m grateful I didn’t have two of her… Cailynn thought as she ran down the stairs. She shook her deep brown curls out quickly, putting herself together, before opening the door.

“Hello,” Cailynn looked down slightly to see a familiar face whose mouth was producing that familiar moderately Russian accented English. It was currently smiling slightly, a tight but not entirely unfriendly line.

“Maks!” Cailynn was surprised to see her there, with her black hair down and everything. “Maksima-Mariya! You… your hair’s down!” Oh, smooth. Cailynn thought to herself. Maks laughed a little bit.

“Only you would be surprised that I showed up with my hair down when you thought I was still in Russia.” Maks smiled.

“I didn’t even see you with your hair down at our equivalent to prom…” Cailynn smiled as she thought about the days in high school. “Would you like to come in? The living room’s on the left, dining room on the right.” Cailynn stepped aside and followed Maks into the living room.

“It’s a lovely place,” Maks commented and smiled as she sat on the smooth leather couch. “Too big for one person, though. I take it you moved in with that Russo kid from college?”

“Married with one kid.” Cailynn smiled and sat in a recliner opposite from Maks.

“Oh, I knew you would be.” Maks put her bag down at the corner of the couch. “You probably had to give the kid a beautiful and meaningful Italian name, didn’t you? I hope it’s a girl, for your sake. She’d be more likely to stick with dance and it might break your heart if she didn’t...” Cailynn and Maks both laughed at that.

“Yes, she’s a beautiful little five-year-old girl. She has her daddy’s coloring, but my build. She has his straight red hair, brown eyes, and porcelain skin. She has my average build, though. Caprice. It means ‘impulsive.’ She has a lot of heart for her dancing already and it’s lovely to watch.”

“She sounds wonderful,” Maks said earnestly with a smile.

“Have you married, Maksima?”

“No, I haven’t… I haven’t had time.”

“Oh, I’m sorry! How have you been?” Cailynn hurriedly changed the subject.

“Quite well,” Maks smiled and got a little comfier in the couch, tucking her legs under her, “but not quite as well as you.”

“That isn’t true! I’m working as a legal assistant. Surely you have the more enjoyable job.”

“It doesn’t always make up for a lack of family. I followed dance, though. You’re right. I followed ballet right back into Russia where I bounced from company to company, trying to figure out where niche was. I came back here, too. I’m actually stopping by on my way back to New York.”

“Maks, you’ve got to be kidding me!” Cailynn moved to the edge of her seat. “Any company in the world would love to have you! There has to be a more prestigious place that wants you than anything in New York.”

“There might be. But I wasn’t very happy there.” Maks smiled just a little bit. “That’s why I’m-“

“Mommy!” Caprice was storming down the stairs into the living room, in her yellow leotard and black skirt. “Oh, hi.” She smiled a little, almost apologetically, at her mom and her mom’s guest.

“Caprice, this is Maksima-Mariya. We were best friends when I went to that ballet school when I was younger, sweetie.”

“Hello, Caprice.” Maks smiled at her. “Do you dance too?”

“Yes!” Caprice’s entire face lit up and her chocolately brown eyes started to glow. “I love to dance! Would you like to see my room?”

“I…” Maks looked at Cailynn, smiling brightly at Caprice’s offer. “I think I’d love to.” Maks put her tote over her shoulder and followed Caprice up the stairs and to a door where “Caprice” was painted in beautiful pink cursive. Caprice stood and waited for both of the women to get up the stairs.

“Are you going to tell Maksima about your room before we go in, sweetie?” Cailynn asked.

Caprice smiled brightly. “Mommy let me do this when I was three. I was really excited and I spend a lot of time up here.” Caprice opened her bedroom door and walked inside with Maks and her mother following. Caprice was glowing, and Cailynn was excited to see her like that. Maksima, with her usually cool and distant regality, was in awe at this five-year-old’s bedroom.

“Oh, wow…” Maks took in the wood floors, the one mirrored wall and three soft pink ones. There was a black carpet, a bed, and some more conventional kid things in the back. Caprice had a short barre by the mirror and a longer one on the wall opposite of it, and went for the one on the wall where she sat and tried to get her little black ballet slippers on. Caprice finally got them on and started doing her plies, from first position, to second, and so on. Maksima made it about ten feet in the door and turned around to see that wall, too. There was a shelf with CDs, a stereo, and Caprice’s little dance shoes. She had her soft ballet shoes on and her little tap, jazz, and character shoes were sitting on her shelf.

“We did this for her and figured if we moved in the next few years, somebody would really enjoy it. We always thought there was a chance she’d grow out of it. I never thought she’d embrace it like this.”

“Mommy?” Caprice came running up to Cailynn happily. “Can we put some music on?”

“Maybe later, sweetie…”

“Let the girl dance, Cay.” Maks smiled down at Caprice, then took a seat by the door. “We’re never too busy to watch.”

Caprice smiled and put in a mix CD of ballet music. She ran out and started working on her solo from the studio. She did it a few times and Maks and Cailynn sat and talked and watched.

“Her technique it outstanding for her age, Cailynn,” Maks awed.

“She looks up to big name ballerinas like you,” Cailynn commented.

“She really is something to watch, especially for her age.” Maks and Cailynn sat in silence for a few moments.

“So are you wanting to be Auntie Maks now that you’re back in the states?” Cailynn asked Maksima with a smile.

“You don’t have siblings. Who else is going to spoil the kid in shoes and tutus?” Maks smiled and turned towards Cailynn. “Is that what most of the girl’s closet is? Because I brought a present, just incase.”

“You have no idea…” Cailynn smiled over at Maks. “I really envy you sometimes, you know.”

“How so? You have the beautiful home with the husband, kid, and dog.” Maks pointed out.

“And you have the dance career everyone else always wanted.”

“I dance. You can dance. You could’ve been teaching conventions or entire studios anywhere but you aren’t.”

“I wanted a more dependable job with a little more free time for a family.” Cailynn interjected. “I miss dancing.”

“And I wish I’d had that common sense when we graduated. I’m happy with my job, but I wish I had a family.” Maks confessed.

“I’m happy with my family but I’m jealous of your job.” Cailynn countered.

“Cay! I’m burnt out on it sometimes. I don’t love it like I used to…” Maks’s expression said she was ready to beat her head off the wall. “I wish I had Caprice’s enthusiasm.”

The song stopped again and Caprice came running over and was excited to get some input from her mother and Maks. Maks, unexpected to Caprice, pulled out a present.

“Do you know what I am, Caprice?” Maks asked her, sitting on her level.

“You’re Mommy’s friend.” Caprice stated. Maks smiled a little.

“Yes, I am. My job, though. My job is to be a beautiful ballerina.”

“Really?” Caprice had the cutest drop-jaw expression.

“Really really. This is for you, Caprice.” Maks smiled a little bigger.

“Thank you…” Caprice looked at her mom and then back at Maks. “Am I allowed to open it?”

“Of course, darling.” Maks smiled and watched her open it. She ripped off the shimmering wrapping paper of her little box, and opened the little red and black box to pull out her very first pair of pointe shoes.

“Miss Maksima, these are big girl ballet shoes!” Caprice looked at the satin pink shoes, a set of ribbons and pink snaps tucked in the bottom, and back up at Maks. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. You can call me Aunt Maks, though." Maks was still smiling at Caprice's terminology. "They’re all yours, just promise me one thing.”

“Okay?” Caprice asked.

“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to be perfect. That’s the key to never stop loving to dance… I want you to never stop loving it.”