Star-crossed double-cross 04

Chapter 04 - Balance

“Esta bien. Cinco minutos para descansar.” Mariana announced as she turned off the deafeningly loud pop music.

Exhausted, Lucian tried to catch his breath. Every muscle in his ever-thinning body was aching as he grimaced, looking up at the clock, realising they still had at least three hours of practice to go. Plodding over to join his mentor, Lucian gulped down half a bottle of water before collapsing in a nearby chair.

“Senorita, Lopez. When can I wear some normal clothes?” He asked while looking over before readjusting his pink hairband and dabbing the sweat from his brow with a towel.

Marana raised an eyebrow. “Normal? You don’t think what you are wearing is normal? And why are you speaking English? En Espanyol, por favor.”

Lucian sighed, trying to form a sentence in his tired mind. “Por que necesitas skirt? Hombre no wear skirt!”

“The word for a skirt is falda,” Mariana chuckled as she sat down next to him. “And when asking that question, you can use necesito or better still uso.”

Lucian rolled his eyes and tried again. ““Por que uso el falda.”

“Almost,” Mariana replied, smiling. “But you can’t use el when talking about a skirt. You need to use la. A skirt is feminine. It should be la falda.”

“I know it’s feminine! That’s the whole point,” Lucian exclaimed angrily, thinking that he was going crazy.

Mariana shook her head and smiled. “Calm down, Lucia,” she shot back. “And to answer your question. You’re not wearing a skirt. You’re wearing shorts. There are two leg holes, si?”

Lucian couldn’t argue with her logic but looking down at the flap of bright pink material sitting across his hairless thighs, it sure as hell looked like a mini skirt to him.

“Now, no more complaining,” Mariana said, looking him straight in the eyes. “You are still too self-conscious. Why are you so concerned with how you look? There is only the two of us here. I am not judging you.”

“I… I… just… I don’t know.” Lucian replied sheepishly. “I just don’t think these clothes are appropriate for a man.”

“Clothes are clothes, Lucia,” Mariana replied. “And to be successful here, you’re going to have to wear whatever we give you.”

“I’m trying, Senorita, Lopez,” Lucian answered, feeling for the first time in weeks as though Mariana was genuinely trying to help him. “I just feel so ridiculous wearing this stuff. What can I do?”

“I have an idea,” Mariana said while standing up. “We will kill two flies with one swat, as you say.”

Following her with his eyes, Lucian watched as the Latino woman walked over to the side of the gym. She then rummaged around for a while before returning with what looked like a shoebox. “Here,” she announced, passing the box across. “These will not only help with your balance but help you face your fears. When you wear them, I want you to think of yourself as another person. Comprende?”

Worried about what he’d find inside, with shaky hands, Lucian gently removed the lid of the box before dropping the lid to the ground. Letting out a loud gasp his head shot around to stare at Mariana. “High-heels!” he shrieked, “No way! Are you crazy?

Mariana remained calm. “No, I’m not crazy. Think of it this way. You would never normally wear something like this. So, when you wear them, you are no longer you, si?”

“No,” Lucian shot back. “I can’t.”

“You can, and you will,” Mariana replied. “Think of your mother. Think of the money.”

Feeling sick, Lucian looked away in disgust. “Here, let me help you,” Mariana added, kneeling down at his feet.

Petrified with his leg muscled tensed, Lucian watched on as Marian removed his shoes and socks before placing the terrifying shoes next to his feet. “I… please, no,” he muttered.

“Calm yourself, Lucia,” Mariana said, smiling up at him. They are just shoes. They will not kill you. Now relax your feet and trust me.”

Before he could reply, Mariana had already slipped the first shoe onto his right foot. And, in what seemed like an instant, she quickly repeated the process with his other foot before fastening the ankle straps tightly.

“Now stand up,” she commanded, stepping to the side.

After a moment of hesitation, Lucian obeyed. Tentatively pushing himself up from his chair. Unsure of himself, he felt his whole sense of balance shift as he adjusted his footing, feeling his calf muscles stretch to their limits.

“Now, walk to the centre of the room,” Mariana ordered. “Small steps. One foot in front of the other.

Feeling like he was having an out of body experience, Lucian again obeyed, stepping forward slowly on his wobbly, weak legs. “What the hell am I doing,” he thought as he tottered across the gym listening to the unusual clicking sound, terrified he was about to roll his ankle. When he reached the centre of the room, he slowly turned, placing his hand on his hips. “Ok, I did it. Can I take these things off now?” He asked as he looked over at Mariana’s smiling face.

(See image 4.1)

“Take them off? We are just getting started,” Mariana replied with a puzzled expression on her face.

“You mean… you expect me to dance in these stilts?” Lucian exclaimed in shock.

Mariana shook her head. “Men are so weak,” she shot back. “Always claiming to be superior to women, but they can’t do half the things we can do.”

“That’s not true,” Lucian countered. “It’s not that I can’t. It’s just not appropriate for a man to walk around in six-inch heels.”

“Who says?” Mariana answered. “Is it the law? And besides, those are three inches at most. My little cousin could handle them with ease. Are you telling me you can’t do what an eight-year-old girl can do? Are you that weak?”

“I’m not weak,” Lucian announced, all fired up and angry after being challenged.

“Esta bien,” Mariana replied with a smile, walking over to start the music. “Let’s see then. Same routine as before and with passion.”

As the room once again filled with the sound of cheesy pop music, Lucian looked down at his feminine looking legs, realising he had been tricked. The shorts that looked like a skirt were now the least of his worries as he shifted his balance in his new unfamiliar footwear. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the clock. “You’re doing this for mom,” he grumbled inside his head. “They're just shoes. You can do this.”