1. Mr. Park-walk
The last few months had been an exciting time for Keri. She'd had several new opportunities come her way and she was grabbing them with both hands.
She'd always been into fitness, and athletics, and was also interested in gymnastics. She worked on her flexibility a lot, for instance.
Recently, though, she'd seen adverts for, as well as, people discussing something that had become intriguing to her.
Pole fitness.
Being a modern young woman in the ever-changing world, she knew the stigma surrounding "Pole Dancing" from the older generations but also knew the benefits from people who had advised her to seek it out.
She thought this would be something fun for her to attempt and help her build on her body. And she was right. These last few months had been incredible. Her stamina levels were up, she was eating right, and the odd "cheat day" here and there never hurt but mostly she was looking after her body and it was looking after her.
Everyone had noticed that her body had become more toned, and she was so proud of herself.
Her other passion was getting out and walking in local beauty spots. She enjoyed the park the most, especially at around dusk.
Sometimes, when the sky was clear, she could see the stars coming out. She loved looking at them and could stare at them until morning came, she felt.
In recent weeks, she had been temporarily joined in her nightly strolls. As walking in the opposite direction, each night, was a man, he was fairly stocky, taller than her, and seemed several years older, maybe mid to late 30s as opposed to her early 20s. He was always alone, had a kind face, and always smiled as they passed each other.
The smile was sweet, slightly crooked to one side, and very unassuming. For reasons she didn't yet understand, it made her stomach do a little flip. She'd seen him under street lights, and he wasn't unattractive, to say the least, but also wasn't "drop to your knees" gorgeous.
There was something to that smile, though. She couldn't yet put her finger on it.
But this was now a nightly occurrence.
She'd walk, she'd see him, he'd smile, she'd smile back and inside she would flush and then not think about it again, at least until he would appear in the distance again for the next instance of this.
It also was a little confidence boost. An older, she assumed, single, as he wasn't ever walking with anyone, a fairly handsome and strong-looking gent smiling at her.
But she knew nothing about him. He may be just nice, maybe gay, or both. He just seemed kind. And she just enjoyed their "meet-cutes" for what they were.
These confidence boosts were helping her in her pole fitness, too. The body was in great shape, and just when she felt her mind might take over and make her shy or not want to get on that pole and practice, Mr. Park-walk's smile popped up. The power of this single small gesture was helping her so much from time to time.
The recent pole practice had been so intense due to the ladies putting on a show for a real crowd soon. Which was exciting for them all. It would showcase the class and let people see their progress.
Keri felt great about this as she was a natural with her background and how she could use her body and have the pole as an extension of herself. But also, performing in front of people would be something new, and fun but slightly worrying for her.
2. Performance
The performance was to be at a local venue, and what Keri hadn't realised was that it was open to anyone. Now she was terrified.
The venue had a bar, and she was worried that it would turn into something she didn't want to think about. And here was where the thoughts were rearing their ugly heads.
"What if they are all drunk leery men?"
"Are they going to be expecting a full-on strip show?"
"Are there bouncers in case things get bad?"
Thankfully, the tutor, Mia, had told them she would perform first and then explain that her students would be doing a first-ever exhibition. And that if the room felt wrong, she would immediately cancel the whole thing. The venue manager had also told them the room was fairly well mixed, slightly more on the female side.
This calmed the voices.
As the buzz backstage began to heighten, she heard most of the girls had boyfriends, girlfriends, best friends, and family all coming out to support, so she knew it would be a friendly crowd.
As Mia went on to do her set. The crowd clapped and cheered and sang along to the songs playing. It was a party out there, and this was exactly what Keri needed.
The nerves had been replaced by excitement. The next moment would be a joint performance from the 5 girls and then an individual 5 minutes per girl, and Keri was to be last. Mia and the class thought it was for the best as she was the stand-out.
They made their way onto the stage, and Keri was off to the far right of it, and even though the spotlights were fairly bright, she thought for an instant that he was there, Mr. Park-walk. But it couldn't be, and if so, why? Was he married to one of the other girls? Or maybe Mia? She'd spoken of a partner, but we'd never seen them.
But as the music started and the poles were mounted, she kept snatching glimpses. One second, it was him. That smile was the easy spot. But then, she questioned it.
She had to concentrate. Come on, girl. This crowd and these ladies deserve your best. If it is him, you'll see him when you are centre stage in about 25 minutes. They all finished and the crowd was great.
She spent the next 20-plus minutes, running her routine through her head. She had this. She knew she had this.
The DJ then announced Keri's name, and she strode out with confidence and her second outfit of the night. In this sparkly get-up, she thought she might look like a glitter ball, but she had a sexy disco soundtrack to her routine, so it would all look great.
Then she noticed that Mr. Park-walks' seat was empty. Had she dreamt he was there, I mean, really?
But this was a mistake, and just before she started, he was there. He'd moved in front of the pole, a few tables from the stage, and that smile was there too.
The performance was excellent, and she was thrilled with how it went. The others had watched from the wings, Mia was welling up a little with pride. As for a few of Keri's friends, they told her how great she was, but this time, his face was missing in the crowd.