The Dancing Girl

The Wreck

The gypsy girl was nearly freezing. Her plumb lips were going blue as she continued walking down the narrow street. Nevertheless, she had to dance to fight the cold. She had to dance while jiggling the coins in her bright colored skirt, waving along her hair that was wet from all the snow because she had no choice. If she did not want her sister to be beaten till her body gets limp and faint, she had to earn some more money. She did not care about being beaten but she had to protect her sister. 

"One day..." she said to herself, "one day I will no longer have to dance and beg for money. I will not get cold under the rain. I will see the ocean. Is it really that blue, does it really fade into the sky and swallow the sun, like my grandmother used to tell me?" "I won't have to stand the beating. The oily smell of the coins won't linger on my finger tips..."

She tried to remember the face of her grandmother. She used to tell stories about pirates in big ships, strangers living on very very tall buildings and ships that go across the ocean to other cities. 

The clouds kept poring snow as the gypsy girl continued dancing barefoot. It felt as if the winter would never end...

(Unknown POV)

I had just woken up from a very uncomfortable sleep when I heard the annoying sound women in the neighborhood were making. "They never get bored for fighting, do they? As if this is their only source of entertainment!" I grumbled to my self. 

I hated living here for as long as I can remember. I hated how much people despised other people's happiness, how everyone, including my mother would talk trash about others' lives and the worst thing was that nobody liked strangers in this neighborhood. But I had no choice until I had a steady earning to move out on my own. Even if I did, my mother would never let me leave her alone with my father. She was only 15 when she had me so we grew up like sibling more than mother and son. She used to play with me as if she was playing with a friend. After all, she was a child herself when she gave birth to me.

Although she was very happy with me during day time, my mother would cry herself to sleep almost everyday and I hated my father because of that, knowing that he was the reason why my mother did not even caressed my head when he was home. Apparently, he was jealous of the love his wife showed to his own son.

 My mother never really loved my father because she was forced to marry him when she was only 14. Nevertheless, mother was so keen on me that when I left for the army, she was devastated and cried every time I called home. Although she was a dear to me, my mother was no different than the other women in the neighborhood. She would talk trash about other women and she would openly curse or hang her face in despise when beggars or gypsies came to our neighborhood.

I wanted to have my own family but I could never force a girl to live in this wreck we call home, regardless of how much she loved me. 

I stood up from my bed and went to the window when a muddy snowball hit it. The children of the neighborhood were having a snowball fight again and one of the little fuckers decided it would be funny to annoy the neighbors. Just as I reached to open the window to shout at those bastards, I froze still. The most beautiful thing I have seen in this world, a head full of long black curls and a smile brighter than the snow itself took my breath away. She was eyeing every window she passed and for a brief second, our eyes met. I could swear my heart skipped a beat. 

I wanted to go outside and grab her by that thin waist of hers and kiss those plump lips although they were about to turn blue from the cold. I realized that she was not wearing any shoes and she only had a bright red poncho on her that matched the skirt hugging her luscious hips that she was swaying from side to side, stopping right at the ankle, exposing the colorful anklet she was wearing.

I felt like the gypsy girl was the only source of color in this grey and pale neighborhood. I had to know who this beautiful beast was. Hell, I had to have her between my arms.

While I was dwelling in my thoughts, I heard my mom shout from from the kitchen. 

"Alee, are you up? The tea is ready! Go get some bread!" 

I hated going grocery shopping but hell, it was my chance to follow the gypsy girl who was turning the corner just then. I could run to the market in the next block and get the bread without my mom too suspicious. Even though I was turning 23 next week, my mother was still very protective over me and the thought of me leaving the house for another woman would drive her crazy.

"Yeah mom! I'm on my way! Do you need anything else?" I shouted back as I was getting dressed. Shouting was the only way of communication in our house.

Before my mother could answer, I was out the door. I even had to tie my shoe laces as I was hopping down the stairs in front of the house. I even tripped and stumbled but I found the railer to hold on the last second.

I paced towards the end of the street while trying not to slip on the muddy snow. I could not run, I did not want to bring the attention of the old bitches in the neighborhood because once they noticed me running towards the gypsy girl, they would totally run and tell my mother. I was not in the mood to put up with the bickering of my mother which would give me a massive head ache at the end of the day.

I waited until the gypsy girl was around the corner so the old bitches would not see her, then I could call out and if I had luck, she would turn around for me to see those beautiful coal black eyes. The moment I turned the corner I froze to stop. She was gone. But how? I had just seen her take the road to the left.

-------