Slip Jig Summer Read online

  “C’mon!” Molly said and motioned for me to join in the circle.

  I shook my head no.

  “C’mon!” said Fiona and Lissa together.

  Reluctantly I joined the circle between the twins. I felt silly trying to keep up with their quick feet. Fiona then let go of my hand and grabbed Molly’s. Lissa grabbed both of my hands. We spun around the room with our partners.

  “I’m too dizzy!” Lissa said and let herself fall to the floor, pulling me down with her.

  Fiona and Molly collapsed next to us.

  “Okay, girls! That’s enough—time to shower and off to bed!” Aunt Lydia called down the stairs.

  “Party pooper,” said Molly and stuck out her tongue.

  Lissa turned off the music and yawned.

  “We are helping at the store tomorrow,” Fiona said. “Dad wants us there bright and early, unfortunately.”

  “The store?” I asked.

  “Our dad owns an aquarium store,” Molly explained.

  “And he forces us to help him once a week over the summer—on delivery day,” Lissa said, sounding annoyed.

  That’s why Molly knows so much about goldfish, I thought as we headed upstairs.

  As I lay in bed I sent a quick text to Yumi and Amber.

  So it turns out my cousins are Irish dancers. Should I take class with them? It’s basically that or nothing at all. But—they have their OWN dance studio. I can practice ballet in their house!

  Yumi texted back right away:

  Sounds cool. Some sort of dancing would be better than nothing, right? You’ll still be in shape come September. BTW—super cool about the home studio! I wish.

  The next morning we all woke up early so the girls could help their dad in his store—Quinn’s Aquariums. I went along too.

  “I hate helping at the store,” Fiona whispered to me on the drive over. “It’s so boring.”

  “No it’s not,” Molly said. “Did you know that there are twenty-five thousand identified species of fish on Earth? It’s estimated that there may still be over fifteen thousand fish species that haven’t even been discovered!”

  “No, I didn’t,” I told her. I wasn’t really listening. I glanced down at my phone. Still nothing from Amber. I had stayed up late texting with Yumi—apparently, Madame Lebrun was teaching this year’s summer session and was refusing to do any of the fun stuff Michelle usually did.

  “She probably doesn’t care,” said Lissa.

  “Hey! Don’t listen to those grumps!” Uncle Nolan called from the driver’s seat. “And you never know. Maybe Natalie will turn out to like fish as much as Molly and I do!”

  “I love fish,” Molly said, grinning. “And shrimp. And snails. They’re so cute!”

  “Snails are not cute,” Fiona said, looking disgusted.

  “Oh, I love snails so much!” Molly said. “They’ve got little antennas and little round mouths…Just you wait, Natalie. You’ll see how cute they are!”

  Lissa and Fiona both rolled their eyes. I wasn’t sure who I was going to agree with—I didn’t know that much about fish and other underwater creatures. I’d never really paid much attention to them—maybe they were cute and I’d just never noticed? I slipped my phone into my pocket. I would try Amber again later.

  Uncle Nolan’s store was in a small plaza that also had a diner, a shoe store and a dollar store. Quinn’s Aquariums was the farthest on the left and had a bright blue sign with the store name in yellow and different-colored fish swimming around the words.

  Uncle Nolan let us in and the girls walked around, helping switch on the main lights and all the lights for the various aquariums. A bubbling, flowing sound filled the store. It smelled a bit… fishy. I guess that should have been expected.

  I followed Molly as she switched on the lights and said her hellos and good mornings to all the aquatic creatures.

  “Here’s the golden apple snails,” she said, pointing to an aquarium full of pink snails with bright yellow shells. “Watch this,” she said. She reached under the aquarium’s cabinet and pulled out a container of pellets. She dropped in a few brown pellets, which sank to the gravel. The snails all began to make their way toward the bottom of the tank, their antennae moving every which way, searching for the breakfast they’d detected going past.

  “Cute, right?” Molly said expectantly.

  They were pretty fun to watch, but they still seemed a bit icky—I felt they belonged in the same category as bugs and spiders. I was happy they were contained in the glass aquarium.

  “So not cute,” Fiona said in a singsong voice as she walked by with another container of fish food. She sprinkled some in other aquariums nearby and then scowled. “Uck. Fish food stinks.”

  “How are we doing, girls? Everyone getting their breakfast?” Uncle Nolan asked as he took out a blue net and a bucket.

  “Dad’s going to do the dead scoop,” Molly said. “That’s the more…not fun job.”

  “Dead scoop?” I asked.

  “Yeah, we have to make sure there are no dead fish floating in the tanks when we open for customers,” Molly explained.

  “Ew,” I said.

  “Exactly!” Lissa said. “Fish are gross, not cute.”

  “Just wait until she sees the kissing gouramis!” Molly said and grabbed my arm to drag me over to a big display tank at the front of the store.

  Inside the tank there was an abundance of pale pink fish—all making kissy faces. Sometimes they’d even go up to other fish and lock lips, like they were actually kissing!

  “Okay, these are kind of cute,” I said with a laugh.

  “Ha!” Molly said to her sisters. “I knew these ones would win her over!”

  The girls spent the rest of the day helping their dad in the store. The weekly shipment of merchandise arrived, and I helped unpack the boxes. Customers began to arrive. Fiona and Lissa mostly stuck with sweeping and stocking the shelves with fish food and aquarium decorations while Molly helped her dad talk to customers about fish and scooped their purchases into clear plastic bags to take home. Susan, the only actual employee at the store, worked the cash register.

  “Do you want to try catch some minnows for Mr. Stevenson?” Molly asked me, nodding toward an elderly man.

  I shrugged. “Okay.”

  “Any five will do. My turtle isn’t picky about what his lunch looks like,” said Mr. Stevenson.

  I took the net from Molly and dunked it in the water. The little fish immediately swam away from the net. I kept trying to sneak up on them from behind, but I wasn’t fast enough. I eventually caught two and deposited them into a bag full of water, but I could tell by Mr. Stevenson’s fidgeting that I was taking too long.

  “Um, why don’t you catch the rest?” I said, handing the net back to Molly.

  “Sure,” Molly said. She easily scooped up three more minnows.

  “Thank you,” Mr. Stevenson said.

  “You’re very welcome!” said Molly.

  By five o’clock the store was closed for the day, and it was time for us to head home. I checked my phone on the drive back. Still no messages from Amber.

  Eight

  On Saturday there was another Irish-dance class to go to. My cousins went to dance class Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays—all year long!

  I joined in the warm-ups and did the reel steps Thomas had taught me at the last class, but once again I didn’t move on to light jig and slip jig with the rest of the class. Anna didn’t want to overwhelm me, and Irish dance was a lot different than ballet. I continued to practice my reel steps. Everyone worked on their own steps at their own skill level even though they danced together.

  “Everyone helps each other out,” Thomas explained as Anna asked Fiona to show a younger girl her slip jig step. “When Anna sees a dancer is ready to move on and try a harder set of steps, she’ll ask one of the more advanced dancers to show them.�
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  The students changed their shoes and began to run through their hard-shoe dances, which were called treble jigs and hornpipes. There were a few kids who didn’t have hard shoes yet. I was happy I wasn’t the only one going over the steps in soft shoes.

  “Okay, so who is going to the feis next weekend?” Anna asked at the end of class.

  Almost the whole class raised their hands, including my cousins and Thomas. I noticed Molly’s hand was only halfway up.

  “Wonderful! I’ll see you there!” Anna said. “You’re all going to be amazing!”

  Anna bowed to her class, and I bowed back with the rest of the students.

  “What’s a…what did Anna call it? It sounded like…fish…or flesh,” I asked Molly as we walked out of class.

  “A feis,” Molly said, pronouncing the word as fesh. “It’s an Irish-dance competition. Ugh.”

  “You don’t like them?” I asked her.

  “I never win anything,” Molly said. “I hate going. I’d rather be at the store helping Dad. I’d rather scoop the dead floaters than go to a feis!”

  That night I was able to chat on the phone with my mom.

  “You’re dancing with your cousins? That sounds wonderful!” my mom said.

  “Well, it’s not the same. You know, as ballet. I’m going to be behind when I get back.”

  “But you’re having fun with your cousins. I really wish you got to see them more often.”

  “Yeah, they’re okay. Molly is pretty cute, I guess. She’s really into fish.”

  “Mm-hmm. That sounds wonderful!” my mom said. She sounded distracted.

  “And…Uncle Nolan turned into a fish. And Aunt Lydia was totally okay with it,” I said.

  “Oh yes, that sounds like fun,” she said.

  “Mom.”

  “Yes?”

  “Are you even listening?”

  “Yes, of course I am,” she said.

  “So you’re not worried about Uncle Nolan turning into a fish?”

  “Oh,” my mom said. “Look, Natalie, maybe now’s not a good time. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Yeah, okay. Good night, Mom,” I said.

  “Good night, Natalie. I love you.”

  “I love you too,” I said, but she had already hung up.

  Nine

  The morning of the feis my cousins woke up at the break of dawn. Or maybe even before—I swear, the sun wasn’t even up yet! They were all rushing around the house, their hair in curlers, making sure they had everything they needed for the day’s events.

  “Where are my socks?” Fiona asked me.

  “Um…on your feet?” I said. She was already wearing a pair of purple socks.

  “No, not these socks! My dance socks!” she said. “Oh, never mind! You won’t know where they are!” She rushed back down the hall to her room.

  “Girls? Are you almost ready?” Aunt Lydia called from the front door. “We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago!”

  “I’m ready,” Molly said glumly and came out of her room carrying a green duffel bag and a garment bag.

  Fiona and Lissa followed close behind her, both with backpacks and garment bags. They all had colorful curlers in their hair.

  “But…your hair?” I asked as I followed them out to the minivan. “You’re…leaving the house like that?”

  “Yeah, we take them out when we get there,” Fiona said. “For maximum curliness.”

  “It’s so embarrassing,” Molly groaned. “We don’t even have tinted windows in the van.”

  “Oh, shush, Molly. You can take them out during the drive over if you want,” Aunt Lydia said.

  The feis was about two hours away. During the car ride I helped Molly take the purple foam curlers out of her hair.

  “We wouldn’t have to wear them if we had wigs,” Lissa said.

  “Wigs?” I asked.

  “Yeah, most of the girls you’ll see today will be wearing curly wigs so they don’t have to worry about doing their hair. They just pop on their wigs. It’s so much easier,” Fiona said.

  “Mom says they’re too expensive,” Lissa said with a frown.

  “They are too expensive!” Aunt Lydia said. Clearly they had had this argument before. “Especially when I have to buy three of them!”

  “I don’t need a wig,” Molly said. “I could just, you know, not go.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Aunt Lydia said. “I think you girls look beautiful with your own hair and not those silly wigs.”

  When we arrived at the high school where the competition was being held, I noticed several girls with curly hair. Lissa and Fiona were happy to point out the wigs. I felt a little out of place with my hair pulled up in a ponytail. I waited with my cousins and Aunt Lydia in the registration line. All three got numbers to pin to the front of their dance dresses. Little wooden stages a couple of inches high had been set up around the large gymnasium. We had to walk around to find out which stages the girls would be dancing on and at approximately what time. The first dance of the day for the twins was the two-hand reel.

  Lissa helped Fiona with her curlers as Aunt Lydia helped Lissa with hers. The twins then changed into their matching school dresses—white with navy-blue Celtic knots. The dresses were long-sleeved and knee-length. The girls pulled their white dance socks as high as they would go.

  There was an accordionist on the corner of every stage to play for the dancers. I stood with Aunt Lydia and Molly by the stage where the twins were going to be dancing the two-hand reel. There were five other sets of partners hanging out there too. I recognized Thomas and a girl named Shaina from class.

  I was mesmerized as the musician began to play and the dancers performed on the tiny stage. Fiona and Lissa danced beautifully, as did Thomas and Shaina. I clapped for them as they bowed at the end of their performance, first to the judge sitting at a table in front of the stage and then to the musician.

  “So, who won?” I asked as they all left the stage area and new dancers began to line up.

  “We have to wait and see. We check over there if they have our numbers,” Fiona said, pointing to a long row of boards, still mostly empty, and a long table full of boxes of medals. Volunteers stood at the tables, ready to post results and hand out the medals.

  “Oh, they’re doing the Tir na Nog!” Lissa said, looking over at a stage with a bunch of little kids.

  “Let’s go watch!” said Fiona.

  Molly and I followed the twins over.

  “What is this?” I asked.

  “Tir na Nog,” Molly said. “The wee kids get to dance. It’s just for fun. They usually give them all a teddy bear and a medal when they’re done.”

  Most of the boys and girls wore dressy clothes, but not traditional Irish dress like the older competitors. One at a time they skipped around the stage and did a few little steps. They were adorable.

  Molly’s reel was next. She had already changed into her solo dress, which was much fancier than the “school dresses” her sisters had worn for their two-hand reel. Molly’s dress was mint green with pink roses and silver sequins. She got onstage and was dancing beautifully until she froze and seemed to forget her steps for a moment. Her face turned crimson, but she started dancing again. When she was done, she quickly bowed to the judge and the musician and went back to her spot in line.

  “Ah, she always does this at competitions!” Lissa said. “She forgets her steps!”

  When we checked the boards later, we found out that the twins had come in third place for their two-hand reel. They registered with a feis volunteer, who happily gave them their bronze medals. Molly did not place in her solo reel.

  The rest of the day passed in a blur—the girls going from stage to stage, dancing and then checking in at the results board. Fiona and Lissa both had fancy solo dresses like Molly’s. Fiona’s was pure white and covered in colorful sequins and gems,
while Lissa’s was purple with turquoise curlicues and silver sequins. They both wore sparkly rhinestone headbands.

  Fiona ended up with a silver medal for her slip jig, and Lissa got two more bronze medals—one for her reel and one for her hornpipe. Molly didn’t win any.

  “Maybe next time,” Aunt Lydia told Molly as they packed up their things to head home. Molly rolled her eyes, but I didn’t think her mom noticed.

  Watching the girls dance all day had made me itch to dance—but not Irish dancing. I was eager to practice ballet, to make sure I wasn’t getting too rusty.

  “When we get home, could I use the dance studio?” I asked on the drive back.

  “It’s all yours!” Molly said. “We’re all danced out.”

  Ten

  After dinner I changed into my ballet tights and leotard. I slipped my leather ballet slippers on my feet and headed down to the dance studio. After their long day of dancing, my cousins were showering and resting.

  I sent a quick text to Yumi before I got started.

  Hey. Just went to my first Irish-dance competition with my cousins. Was pretty interesting. How is Madame Lebrun?

  I also decided to try Amber, even though I hadn’t heard from her since I got to Windsor.

  Hey, Amber. How is your summer? How is ballet class? Miss you. Miss ballet.

  I fooled around with the stereo until I found a radio station that played classical music. My phone beeped. It was from Amber:

  Hey. Ballet is good. Madame No Fun is really working us. It’ll be good come September. You Irish-dance now?

  I texted back:

  Just trying some classes with my cousins. I can’t go to ballet here. Wish I could.

  I got another text from Amber:

  Hopefully we’ll still be in the same class come September.

  I reread the text. Hmmm. Sometimes students were moved up to more difficult classes if they were excelling, and sometimes they were moved down to an easier class if their original class was progressing faster than they were. Was Amber suggesting I might be moved to a less advanced class because I missed one summer of ballet?