I sat down on the white bench, checking my watch. They were late, and nobody called me to tell me that class was canceled. I rose up from my seat and stretched my arms over my head, pretending to be oblivious to the cop now watching me. I glanced across the street to the dance studio, where little girls also stretched and practiced their dance. I was only killing time, but somebody noticed me. Now, the blinds were drawn, and the cop was near, contemplating his next move. But I was not going anywhere.
I sat back down on my seat. I kicked at the air before me, waiting. I was always waiting for something. I wondered how I got here. It was a year ago, and my brother saw the ad in the paper for acting classes. He was thrilled and dragged me along to the introductory class, and I was the one left attending. And here I am now.
More people walked by. They didn’t even glance my way. They knew I was there, watching and waiting. They didn’t care. Somebody did. Somebody probably watched too much of Law and Order or Criminal Minds, and they overreacted. Drivers overreact everyday, so I shouldn’t be surprised. I wasn’t. I was more annoyed, if anything, and now they weren’t just wasting my time, worrying about me. They were wasting his time, so when would he leave? Or would I be doing a dance with this cop, who was still watching me?
Ten minutes late. I’ll give my acting coach another five minutes, and then I would be gone. It was a long day anyway, and work was aggravating. I didn’t need any more aggravation. I wanted to have fun, which was a rarity in my life. I would just go home and watch television, but I wouldn’t watch Law and Order or Criminal Minds. I was paranoid enough, and I needed something to calm my nerves. I would turn to SyFy or the USA Network to be entertained until my eyes would close.
“Hey! You frozen up there?” I jumped to my feet as my acting coach and his wife climbed the stairs. “Did you get our message?”
“No.” I looked past them at the cop, who was still sitting there. “What message?”
“That we would be late and that it would be a small class tonight.” Just as my acting coach said that, two more students appeared behind him. “Come on. Let’s get this show on the road.” He unlocked the front door, but then he paused. He glanced out across the street and noticed the cop in his car. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Everything’s fine.” I was anxious for him to open the door and let me inside. “It’s just cold out.”
“Well, winter’s coming.”
“Yes, it is.” I stepped inside, and the screen door slammed shut behind me, snapping at reality. “Always something,” I muttered as I melted into routine, taking my seat and staring at the little stage. “Always something,” and a moment later, the events from before faded away.
