Into the Light

24. Left to My Own Devices - letter 2

07/10/1213 Uman

Dear Rith,

I just received a letter from Chaim, and even though this will take so hopelessly long to reach you, I still wanted to write and say a very Big Thank You for your help. I really appreciate it, and please don't now shake your head and say that it was nothing - it meant a lot to me that I could rely on your assistance in getting everything just right.

I'm just hoping that being privy to the secret (well, provided that it still is a secret?) won't make your life too difficult. I'm keeping my fingers crossed here and hoping that my little secret will hold until I get back - and trying to brace myself for the thoroughly possible case that the cat will have jumped out of the bag by then...

Of course all this is ancient history by the time you get this, but I want to babble on some more! You see, Chaim wrote at length about the Trust and the dance theater premises, and his excitement about it all was simply contagious! I'm glad to hear that the premises and all are coming together so well, and my only complaint is that I'm not there to see it all happen. I'm ready to burst at the seams here, and it makes me a little worried to know that Chaim is there to take care of everything. He's damn efficient when he really puts his heart into something... but there's so much work to be done anyway that it's just not possible to accomplish everything in a couple of months - right? At least that's what I'm counting on!

I can't wait to get back to Dirna. I've been working hard all the while, and you might be interested to know that since exactly one week now, I'm doing the full Phase Four routine every day. Of course I can only hope that I'm doing everything right, but at least no part of me has begun to cause any inordinate amount of pain, so I guess I'm on the right track. It's tough all right, but I'm feeling rather confident with it.

I'd really like to go and see a few classical dance performances while I'm here, but so far haven't felt brave enough. You see, I'm trying to avoid being seen in public, and at least for now I've considered places such as theaters and concert halls to be off limits. But I fully intend to see something before I leave, and hopefully I'll then catch a performance featuring that friend of yours! Come to think of it, you never told me her name, though, so I'll just have to trust my luck.

In his letter Chaim also dropped some hints that made me really anxious to get back. He mentioned that you're actually planning to give a little performance with the kids as soon as the stage and auditorium are ready... Now, I wouldn't want to sound like a spoilsport - but surely the training facilities are the highest priority? Okay, I do understand that everybody is eager to get to show what this is all about, and to make free dance known, and all that... but I'm telling you that I'll be a broken man if I can't be there to see when Rashim performs for the first time! Yes, I know it would be nothing new to him, performing as such, that he's been on stage several times while he was still in the classical dance school, but - you know what I mean, Rith! Please don't make it happen too soon anyway!

But hey, I wrote to thank you, not to put extra pressure on you! (at least that wasn't my original purpose...) I'm just hoping very much that I can get back soon and be there to see the Dance Theater happening, not just come there to see that it's all taken place already.

Okay, I'll stop pestering you - take good care of everything (like I know you'll do anyway), don't be too hard on the kids, and tell many greetings to everyone! And don't forget to take care of yourself, either!

Hugs from

Toni