“Katy won an award for her dance routine!” Grandma Louise said. Her face had a big smile.

Helen looked at Grandma and beyond to Katy who was standing there in her ballerina dress, holding her arms out gracefully. She smiled proudly toward her Aunt Helen.

“She’s going to dance for you!” Grandma announced.

They were gathered today behind the house in the wide grassy lawn under the big red maple tree.  Lawn chairs were strewn about next to the picnic table.  On the table were the remains of their picnic, a bowl of potato salad in a tray of ice, a plate with a few remaining slices of tomato, some pieces of left over cold chicken tucked into a cooler bag. They had just finished eating and now was a good time for Katy to give them a performance.  Grandma stood and pushed her arthritic shoulders upward in a great show of pride. She had paid for Katy’s dance classes over the years. Katy had done so well, winning contests and several trophies.

 Helen gazed at them remembering how Louise had paid for piano lessons for Helen when she was a child. Helen had not done so well with that, crying because it was so hard for her to remember the names of the notes on the page of sheet music.

Charlotte, Katy’s mother, arranged the aluminum chairs in a neat row at the edge of the lawn. Katy moved into position before the chairs and waited.  Her mom turned on the music.

Helen sat in one of the lawn chairs and looked toward her niece, her long blonde hair tied in pink and yellow bows.

It was a beautiful summer day, with bright blue sky and a light breeze. The summer humidity was not yet oppressive. Helen was glad to be there visiting her family. Getting to know the women she had not been able to visit in such a long time.

The music filled the air with the sound of flutes that trilled between the songs of birds coming down from the tree tops.  Why had days like this not been possible in the past? Helen gazed at her aging mother.  She had become a stranger. She and Helen lived in different worlds with different values. Had they ever been a loving mother and innocent child?

Katy’s arms and legs swirled in the summer air.

Suddenly a bright blue sports car came up the driveway. It pushed forward aggressively then jolted to a stop.  The women stood quietly and watched.

The passengers were men. Who could they be?

The two men climbed out of the car. They were dressed in suits and ties. They had big smiles. They held their shoulders back and heads high, as if proud of themselves.

“Hey, oh! Louise? Is that you?” called the older man. The younger man, about Helen’s age, waved to them.

Helen recognized the face. From years past. A cousin she had not seen since her teens. That old man must have been his father. Yes, Uncle Dean and his son Gerald.  Helen shuddered. Her last memories of Gerald were not good. Why were they here? Why now?

“We were driving up in this area and thought we’d stop by,” Uncle Dean explained.  He put his arm around Grandma Louise’s hips and kissed her on the cheek. 

Gerald approached Helen with his hand extended.  She stepped back from him and folded her arms. Still he approached her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.  She shrugged and dropped out of his arms.

“It’s so good to see you,” Grandma called cheerfully. “We haven’t seen the two of you in decades.”

“We hit the big time, Louise. Won the lottery. That there sports car was bought and paid for in an instant. We jumped in her and thought we’d go see family we haven’t seen in years.”

“Jumped in her” the phrase sickened Helen. She recalled when Gerald had jumped on her. Held her down.

Grandma smiled and turned toward Katy, “We were just about to have Katy perform for us. She has a dance routine that is so original that she won a prize.” Grandma looked at Dean. “Why don’t you have a seat?  I’ll get you something to eat from our picnic table.”

Grandma walked over to the table, picked up a paper plate and began filling it with a little bit of everything that was left.  After serving it to Dean, the older man, she went back and filled another plate for Gerald. She finished off with two cups of ice tea which she delivered to them and placed on a small table next to them for their convenience.

Helen watch this subservient behavior with dismay. Standing now, because there were no empty chairs available, Helen regarded the faces of the men.  They had hungry looks, but they were not hungry for food. They were casting their hungry eyes over Katy’s young body.  The girl looked for all intents as if she were naked. Helen could see poor Caitlynn was cringing beneath their gaze. This was a school girl who had danced before hopeful mothers and distracted school boys. She was not used to the steady gaze of predators.

“Why aren’t you dancing?” Grandma screamed.  “Dance now, my princess!”

Katy grimaced, pulled her arms across her body. Winced and frowned. “I don’t feel good.  I don’t want to dance now.”

“Oh for pity sake, you must dance. You have an audience!” Grandma replied.

Helen felt Katy’s pain.  “No, Grandma. Katy doesn’t have to dance.”

Grandma gave Helen an angry look.  “She must dance. It’s good for her to be exposed to a new audience.” 

Exposed? Helen cringed and looked at her mother.  Years ago Helen would have been slapped silly if she had appeared in such a slight costume with grown men around. What had changed over the years?

“Honey, just go into your dream and dance,” Charlotte coxed. “Just dance your heart out.”

Katy looked at the men as if she were cornered by beasts.

Helen sensed Katy’s deep fear and desire to run away, but watched as Katy stood still, with pleading eyes, hoping to make her mother and grandmother happy. 

Helen was furious with herself for not knowing what to do.  If she intervened, what good would happen? She knew from past experiences with her mom that if she were to resist this glorious moment of Katy’s performance, there would be a fight.  Over the years Helen and her mom, Louise, could never see eye-to-eye. That’s a large part of why Helen rarely visited her family. But she was always careful to blame it on her job. Oh, such a demanding job it was!

The women of her family were here today having a rare, but delightful afternoon. What had gone wrong? The presence of the men had spoiled everything. But what was really happening?  It seemed to Helen as if, could it be possible? Katy had been trained to be a dancer and a call girl? Would she have a future on stage wiggling her body before audiences of wolfish men? Why were good Christian women pushing the young girl to dance? Making her a servant to their masters’ needs. Helen scoffed and rolled her eyes. Oh they thought they were good Christian women! But what was she if she remained silent?

“Mother, forget it, Katy does not need to dance. Not now. Not in front of strangers.”  Helen walked toward Katy who then burst into tears.  Katy, seeing her chance, turned and ran to the door and hid inside the house.

Grandma stepped forcefully toward Helen. “Who do you think you are, Helen? Coming in here with your radical notions. Scaring Katy like this! Now she’s upset. You’ve ruined the day—as usual!”

Helen stood her ground. She would not back down. Even though she held views exactly opposite of her mother, she had her mother’s stubbornness and will to fight. There were times in the past when they had slapped each other in the face. It could happen again for all she cared!

"Well excuse us, ladies. And I thank you for the feast. We’d better get going now,” Uncle Dean said. He was a man who had seen a lot of turmoil. He knew when to depart. A breeze blew the dirty paper plates and empty cups off the picnic table.  The two men headed for their bright blue sports car.

“Oh, don’t go!” Grandma pleaded. “Harold and Joe will be back this evening. I know you wanna show them your fancy car.”

But the men waved good-bye and climbed into the car. Soon Dean backed it out of the drive way, calling “Good to see you and the young filly!”

Young filly? Comparing Katy to a dancing horse! Helen was furious, but Grandma was going to have the last word.  Grandma screamed at Helen, “Now you’ve scared away our visitors—long lost family members.  They probably came to see your dad and brother.  Now they can’t!” Her shoulders dropped and her eyes looked sad.

“They should have stayed long lost!” Helen responded, folding her arms in front of her. She took a deep breath. She thought back to her teen years when Gerald had pounced on her. Louise had blamed Helen for the attack, had accused her of being a whore. Now Louise was showing off her grand-daughter like a prize pony.

Over at the door, Katy poked her head out, “They gone?”

“They’re gone.” Helen replied.

Katy came out and stood next to her mom. Charlotte comforted her daughter. “What’s wrong, honey?” 

Helen didn’t want to be some kind of finger-wagging radical, but something had to be said. She went to her niece, “Katy, if you ever feel uncomfortable about anything, listen to your instincts and obey them.  It’s your guardian angel, there to protect you.  You did the right thing.  I wish these other women had more sense when it comes to men.  Well, I have to go now. But I wish you well in your dance routine. Hopefully it will be more routine than it was today. Good luck. You may need it in future.”

Helen gathered her things and headed for her car. As she climbed in, she saw Grandma shaking her head and muttering as she carried the dirty plates and cups to the trash can. Charlotte was folding up the lawn chairs and taking them to the porch.  A beautiful day had been ruined. It would be a long time before Helen visited again.