Tales from the Yoga Studio (39 page)

So she drives up to the “cottage” in Los Feliz, and then Sybille, Stephanie, and Billie pile into the back of the town car. Sybille has a look of nonchalant horrified fascination as she listens to Billie.

“They made me leave the other yoga place I was going to because I was too good. Did Stephanie tell you? All the teachers were threatened by me.”

“I'm sure.”

“It happens all over the place. What the hell? I figure since this place is out on the fringes anyway, I wouldn't ruffle anyone's feathers. I'll bet you're good, too. Look at those long, skinny legs.”

“Thank you,” Sybille says. “They could use a little better tone, I suppose.”

“You don't want to get muscle-bound, sister.”

“I was referring to my self-tanner.”

“People always ask me if I've had work done,” Billie says. “A compliment, isn't it? I'm not saying I
wouldn't
have work done, it's just that I wouldn't let them touch me until I turn fifty. And I don't have to face that anytime soon. We nearby? I need to do some meditating.”

When Billie starts snoring, Stephanie tells Sybille that Lee is eternally grateful to her for referring the lawyers. She doesn't mention anything directly about the fact that Sybille picked up the tab for breaking the contract with YogaHappens. It's up to Lee to do that, if she wants to, and Sybille has an unexpected streak of modesty Stephanie has noticed from time to time.

“It was incredibly generous of you. I'm still not sure why you agreed to get involved.”

“Number one, I'm very fond of
you
. You've completely underestimated your talent and skills and appeal, and that is so much more endearing than overestimating, it made me want to help out your friend, since it obviously meant so much to you. Number two, this Frank person was a real estate developer in Las Vegas. That's where the money comes from. Having lived with a real estate developer for all those years of my horrible marriage, I knew it would be easy to find something on him, wave a threat in his face, and get him to back down. It was about twenty hours of billable time. My lawyers are very familiar with this territory. How do you think I got the divorce settlement I got? Especially since I was the one having the affair.

“And by the way, I was surprised by the final revision of the script.”

Stephanie has been expecting this comment and is prepared with a response. “It wasn't exactly what we discussed,” she says, “I hope you didn't mind.”

“No, it was brilliant. You toned down all my excessive suggestions. And I respect the fact you didn't tell me in advance. I would have objected. As I was reading it, I realized I actually do care about making a good movie—even more than I care about humiliating my ex-husband.”

“Are we still talking about starting a shoot in October? ” Stephanie asks.

“Definitely. From what I've heard, we should expect several months, possibly years, of setbacks and delays, but I'm extraordinarily tenacious. I hope the tenacity carries me through this yoga class.”

“Don't be silly,” Stephanie says. “You can do as much or as little as you choose. Lee leads the class, but you're free to do what you want.”

Sybille gazes out the window, as if she's taking this in. “In that case,” she says, “I might just drop the two of you off and try to book myself a massage.”

K
atherine stayed up most of last night finishing the dress for Lee. It was supposed to be a going-away gift, but now it's a welcome-back gift. Not that Lee ever went anywhere. It's more that Katherine's been away herself, still hurt by the look Lee gave her that day in the studio when she tried to warn her about the owners of YogaHappens. She's carried that grudge about as long as she wants to. It's time to get rid of one more burden.

She slips the dress on and looks at herself in the mirror. It's gorgeous, but not really her style. It will need some alterations, but it will look amazing on Lee. She's going to need some clothes to start going out, now that she and Alan are officially separated. Maybe she and Lee can go out to some clubs together.

Katherine sent Conor her sunrise e-mail, as she thinks of it, over three weeks ago. Not a peep. She is surprised he didn't answer, but she understands, too. Or at least she's stopped checking her e-mail on an hourly basis to see if there is anything from him. If it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be.

She takes off the dress and, using tissue paper, folds it carefully and lays it in a box. She loves all these little accoutrements that seem so outdated in a way—tissue paper, the dress box with a handle. She'll present it to Lee after class today.

She slips into a faded blue sundress she did a little reconstructive surgery on a couple of days ago. Not especially chic, but more her style.

It's going to be a warm day, and as she's gathering up her mat and water for class, she looks out the window to the slope of the hills and the sparkling reservoir. Who's kidding who? It would be nice to share this view, this house with someone else. Sometimes she feels an aching for that. But she can cope with aches. She really can manage alone.

As she's locking the deadbolt on her door, she hears a little ringing somewhere down the street, like maybe an ice cream truck, something she's never seen in all the time she's lived here. The bougainvillea has grown up so high, she can't see the street clearly. She really ought to cut it back. She hears the bell again, a little closer this time, and more familiar. Almost like the bell she had on ...

She walks to the sidewalk and looks down the street, and that's when she sees him—Conor, pedaling up the hill on a big Dutch bicycle, not pink, but green, with a big red bow on the handlebars. He's breathing heavily and grinning, and he waves.

I can't,
she thinks.
I'm doing so well now. It isn't going to work out, and in the end, everyone's just going to get hurt.

“Brodski! ” he calls out, puffing. “Do you know how long it took me to get this bike? Sorry about the color, but the pink would have taken another two weeks. And I didn't think you should be without wheels that long.”

Don't, don't, don't,
she hears in her head. And then she slips out of her sandals and drops what she's carrying and starts running toward him, feeling as if her heart is going to burst.

L
ee had been hoping for a big turnout, but only about fifteen people showed up for the class. Maybe some of her students are still angry at her for announcing that she was going to close and then doing an about-face and telling them she wasn't. Or maybe they just fell out of the habit of coming during the two weeks she did close so she could go away with the kids and explain everything to them as best she could. How their lives were going to change now, how she and Alan would always be their parents, their real family, even if they would be living in different places permanently, not just for a little while as she'd said before. Forever. That was a tough one to swallow herself, but the sooner she lets go of “maybe there's a chance . . . ,” the sooner she'll start to heal.

Fifteen isn't a bad number, really, and the others will drift back. Some of the students she feels closest to came in support. She has them all on their backs in savasana, their eyes closed, and she goes around to each and cups her hands over their eyes and gently touches their temples.

“Thank you for being here,” she whispers to each, offering something up, but trying to draw strength from them as well.

Graciela reaches up and grabs her hand as she touches her; a smile trembles on Stephanie's lips; and Imani whispers back, “I have something to tell you after class.”

It would be perfect if Katherine were here, but she understands that she needs more time. She'll give her however long it takes.

Lee goes to the front of the room and sits in lotus, her hands on her knees and her fingers touching in a loose bhudi mudra. She closes her eyes and tries to get her breathing in unison with the class, but she feels a little clutch of panic at her chest. There are so many details to work out, so many knots to untie. What will it mean for the kids? And how is she going to move forward and face everything alone? She's always wanted to think of herself as being such a strong, independent person, but the truth is, she's been connected to someone—even the wrong someone—for so long now, she isn't sure if she's going to be able to cope.

She presses her fingers together a little more tightly and breathes as slowly and steadily as she can. She instructs the class to roll onto their sides, to sit up, to give thanks, and then she opens her eyes.

The first thing she sees is Katherine standing at the back of the room, a dress box in one hand and Conor's hand in the other. They're both smiling, their cheeks flushed in an unmistakable way.

There are moments in life when you understand with certainty that no matter how difficult the immediate future is likely to be, you are going to be able to face it. You are going to walk into it with calm and conviction. You might not get through it unscathed, but you will get through it. Your life isn't the way you thought it would be, but you know for sure you're not alone. And looking into her friend's kind eyes, Lee has one of those moments.

All right,
she thinks,
let's begin
.