From: magsrose@comcast.net   
      
   By MagsRose   
   See Chater 1 for header   
      
   Chapter 2   
      
   During the next couple of weeks Frohike and Emma got used to each   
   other's lives and habits. Emma had been enrolled at the National   
   Cathedral School for Girls part way through the current school year.   
   Michelle had been pleased that there was an opening. Emma had not   
   really wanted to leave her old school but she couldn't say no to her   
   mother, not at that point.   
      
      
   She liked the new school well enough but all her friends were across   
   town and without seeing them at school everyday those friendships   
   began to fade. Most of the girls at the new school had been together   
   since the fourth grade. They were nice enough but she was not part of   
   group and did not have any really close friends.   
      
   Frohike adjusted his work schedule to fit Emma's hours as much as   
   possible. He would drop her off at school then go join the guys at   
   `the office' as he now called it. Depending on Emma's schedule she   
   either took Metro home and he would meet her there usually within an   
   hour or he picked her up to take her to her dance lessons.   
      
      
   Byers and Jimmy had no trouble adjusting to a 9 to 5 type schedule but   
   Langly kept his own hours. He was working his way out of his snit but   
   obviously resented the fact that Frohike was not with them all the   
   time as usual. He often had some snide comment when Frohike needed to   
   leave. Frohike put up with it for a while then finally called him on it.   
      
   "Look, I'm not asking you to be happy about my new living situation   
   but you can just keep the stupid ass comments to yourself," Frohike   
   demanded.   
      
   He had found out about the dance lessons purely by accident. He   
   wondered if Emma would have continued with them if he had not stumbled   
   across a collection of mostly tartan plaid `costumes' in one of the   
   guestroom closets. Along with these clothes he found a sword. He asked   
   her about them when they were cleaning up after dinner that evening.   
      
   "Emma, I found some clothes in one of the closets upstairs that would   
   have been too small for your mother. They look like costumes."   
      
   She had noticed that he seemed to be methodically searching the whole   
   house for something but she hadn't said anything about it. She figured   
   he would ask her if he wanted her help. "Was there a sword with them?"   
      
   "Yes, a basket hilt sword. It looked Scottish."   
      
   "It is. Those are my dance clothes."   
      
   Dance?! Excellent. He liked that thought that his daughter was a   
   dancer. He didn't mention his dance experiences. In his mind she was   
   too young to know about the Tango.   
      
   "I take it they are for Scottish dances." This was a safe bet   
   considering all the plaid and the sword.   
      
   "Yes, would you like a demonstration?"   
      
   "Certainly." He was pleased that she wanted to show off for him.   
      
   She ran upstairs. He thought she had gone to put on one of the   
   costumes but she returned much too soon. She had changed shoes but not   
   her clothes. She also brought down the sword and a CD. She put the CD   
   in the player in the living room, chose a specific track and hit the   
   pause button.   
      
   She removed the sword from the scabbard and laid them across each   
   other to form a large cross in an open area on the carpet. She looked   
   at him, "It's kind of cheating to do this on the carpet. The sword and   
   scabbard won't move as easily if I kick them or step on them."   
      
   Kick them! Step on them! He looked at her feet in horror. The dance   
   shoes that she had put on had to be made of the thinnest leather he   
   had ever seen and they had next to no sole. She intended to dance   
   around this sword wearing nothing but these flimsy shoes.   
      
      
   Emma laughed at the look on his face. "Don't worry, Dad. The sword is   
   not sharp and I know what I'm doing." Then she added, "But remember, I   
   am a professional." She shook her finger at him. "Don't try this at home."   
      
   He knew this wasn't the first time she had done this and if he had his   
   way it would not be the last. So he sat back to watch.   
      
   Emma stood by the hilt of the sword. "Could you hit play for me?" He   
   got up and stood by the CD player. She posed with her hands on her   
   hips. "Okay."   
      
   The sound of bagpipes filled the room. She waited for a few measures   
   then made a deep bow and began dancing around the outside of the sword   
   and scabbard alternating either the right or left arm up in the air.   
   Sometimes it was both arms.   
      
   After completing a series of steps at one side of the crossed pieces   
   of metal she moved to the next. She did this on all four sides.   
   "That's not so bad," thought Frohike. "She isn't that close to them."   
   But when she got back to her starting point she stepped into the   
   spaces between the arms of the cross repeating the identical dance   
   steps only this time stepping and jumping over the blade and the   
   scabbard as she went around the four quadrants.   
      
      
   Then the music started to get faster. By the time she was done,   
   Frohike had reviewed everything he could remember about first aid and   
   tourniquets. He felt as out of breathe as she looked but he did   
   remember to clap when she was done.   
      
   "That was amazing!"   
      
   "Thank you. Considering how long it's been since I've practiced or   
   gone for a lesson that wasn't too bad. I only kicked the sword once."   
   Emma was proud of herself.   
      
   "You haven't been going to your lessons?"   
      
   "Not for about 4 months."   
      
   "Would you like to go again?" Frohike asked hopefully.   
      
   Emma hesitated to answer. "I don't know."   
      
   "Is this something you enjoy doing?"   
      
   "I like the dances and the competitions but sometimes the practice can   
   get a little tedious. The main problem is the time."   
      
   "Time to practice?"   
      
   "No, the lessons are right after school. I would need a ride to get   
   there."   
      
   "That's no problem."   
      
   "Dad, I know that being here with me is causing problems for you at   
   work." He thought he had shielded her from that but obviously she had   
   overheard some of his phone conversations with the guys. "I don't want   
   to make it worse by making you come and get me early every Tuesday."   
      
   "Look," he made sure he had her full attention, "this is all part of   
   being a family. We do things for each other that may not always be   
   convenient."   
      
   She just looked at him for a few seconds then surprised him by coming   
   over and hugging him. He held her tight for a moment then let her go.   
   "Okay," she said. "I'll go call Robin and let her know that I'll be   
   coming back."   
      
   "Robin?"   
      
   "Robin McRae, she's my dance teacher." She ran off to use the phone.   
      
   "Hey, when will I get to see the other dances?" he called to her in   
   the other room as she started dialing the number.   
      
   "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get to know them quite well when I start   
   practicing again."   
      
   It was because of the dance lessons that Jimmy got to meet Emma for   
   the first time.   
   Frohike had told him that when the time was right, he and Emma would   
   have all three of them over for dinner. Jimmy kept bugging Frohike to   
   pick a day, any day. He even offered to buy dinner or to cook it   
   himself so that neither Emma nor Frohike would have to. So when a time   
   came that Frohike couldn't get away to pick up Emma for her lesson,   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)