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and let him know. Wait.... Your mom sends her best. Now that I’ve got you on the phone, when will you stop in so we can talk?”
    Trapped. She knew Miss Holland was bound to ask. “I’ll call you once I’ve figured out my hours with Mr. Ryan.”
    “Good. I’m anxious to see you and hear all about your experiences. Call me when you’re ready.”
    h
    Bathing in the small bath tub forced Marta’s knees to touch her chin. She missed the showers back in her Billings boarding house, but being home mattered more than having a shower. Her mom had remained patient about her moping around, but now she had a job. Good fortune or at least a change offered her a distraction. She walked to the drug store on Callow and bought postcards, vowing to send them to Lynne and Steve later in the day. From there she caught a bus downtown to the community theatre.
    The play’s costume list hung on the bulletin board in the prop room. She’d investigated the raggedy costumes and decided she could repair, clean, and embellish a few, but four new costumes needed to be sewn. She closed her eyes and visualized a plan for sewing them: chenille with rag mop accents and feather-light wings. After all, they’d created the play for children; their imaginations created vivid costumes out of flour sacks or brown paper bags.
    Now Marta sat in the center section of the dark auditorium waiting for Mr. Ryan and the teenagers to arrive. Just then a handful of young teens tromped down the aisle, chatting and laughing. Marta stood as Hal appeared on the stage. “Welcome, everyone! Please join us in the front rows, and let’s talk about the play.”
    The shuffling bodies settled. Hal introduced the storyline of the play. “So you see, it’s going to be fun, especially adding the dances Marta’s offered to create for you. We’re lucky to have a professional dancer. I’ll let Marta explain her ideas to you.”
    Marta stood and felt their eyes follow her as she moved to sit on the edge of the stage. She straightened her spine and scrutinized the students. “We’ll be using the music from The Carnival of the Animals to create dances for each animal. I’ll teach you the basic steps, then create details to make each of your animals distinctive. But don’t worry, these will be simple steps, enough to keep it fun and not embarrass you in front of your friends. You’ll perform an opening group dance, a solo, and another group dance during the final party scene.
    Hal announced their roles. “Neil, you’re the tortoise; Pam, the butterfly; Terry and Valerie, the hens; Willis, the elephant; and George, the kangaroo. You’re invited to ham up your dances as long as you don’t get silly and forget your lines.”
    The teens laughed and poked each other but showed little enthusiasm for the play. Marta hoped they’d perk up and put energy into their roles as the production moved forward.
    Hal continued. “We’ll provide a schedule with the times you’ll need to be here. Plan on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for practicing your lines and Wednesdays afternoons for learning your dances. Tell your parents each practice lasts ninety minutes and we need you here on time, every day. Questions?”
    No hands raised so Hal handed out the scripts. “You’re on your own learning your lines. Come ready to work, but also to have fun. Let’s read through the script to familiarize all of us with the story.”
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    Marta returned home with notes scribbled in the margins of her script and set to work creating simple steps for the teens. The Carnival of the Animals remained a personal favorite. Now she had the opportunity to use the music and steps she and Lynne taught the little girls in Billings, plus add her own touches. In all, she’d use seven selections from Saint-Saëns music. She’d create fifteen minutes of movements. That matched the time she’d traditionally be on stage when she danced professionally. Hopefully the teens were up for it.
    Strangely, even