On That Midnight Street | Joanne

Chapter Seven

Dianne took a deep, cleansing breath.

"Me and Anthony are definitely not getting back together. I was speaking to someone else. I hadn't told you this before, because it's kind of... well, it's not common knowledge."

Joe turned to face her, noticing how she had begun nervously picking at her fingernails.

"I... I have a child. A daughter." She let the words hang in the air for a moment before she continued. "Her name is Emelia. She's six. That's who I was speaking to earlier. I try and speak to her every morning when she gets home from school, and- when I can- I call in the afternoon to say goodnight. The time zones are stupid, but that's... well. Yeah. It was really late for her to call tonight, which is why I took it. She'd had a nightmare and wanted me."

Dianne looked up to meet Joe's gaze. His eyes were bright and wide with shock, but there was something else there. Dianne wondered if it was relief.

"Oh, ok." Joe said after a moment's silence. "I think it's fair to say I wasn't expecting you to say that."

Dianne looked away.

Joe touched her arm softly. "How come you didn't tell me about her before?"

"That's a long story. Let me finish making this tea."

As he watched Dianne pour the water into two mugs, Joe's mind was blank. He had been so jealous and anxious and awkward when he thought she had got back with her boyfriend, but he had no idea how to respond to what she had just said. He had questions, of course he did, but none that he could think of.

"Here." Dianne held out a mug. "Careful, it's hot. And sorry in advance if it tastes like shit; I've only been drinking tea the British way for about six months."

Joe held his mug in his hands as Dianne sat back down next to him.

"Tell me." Joe said quietly.

Dianne sighed and pushed her hair back off her face. "Well, I guess there's a short and a long version. Basically, I was dancing professionally- like I do now, but on tours all over the world- and... I got pregnant. I couldn't get rid of it, no way. So I took just over a year out with an 'injury'. I got straight back into dancing after I had her. It's the only thing I've ever been really good at, and mum and dad had invested so much into my career that I didn't want to let them down. They agreed that I needed to dance and so my mum offered to care for Emelia while I worked."

Joe nodded along as she spoke. "And... and her dad?"

Dianne looked away. "If I'm completely honest, I don't know who it is. It was a silly, drunk one night stand and I don't think I even knew his name. I was 22. I met him in a nightclub after a show and... well."

Joe sat, taking everything in.

"My... my ex-boyfriend didn't know about her. Not many people do. I... I was always told by agents and teachers and stuff that babies are for when you retire from dance, because they ruin your body and you need time to care for them. And I know so many dancers who got turned away from jobs because they got pregnant or had kids. It ended their careers. So I keep her quiet, away from the media and away from the dance world. I'm so grateful to mum and dad for letting us live with them because I don't know how I'd..."

Joe reached out and touched Dianne's hand as a sob caught in her throat.

"I'm sorry, Joe" she said as tears formed in her eyes. "I don't get to talk about her much. And I really miss her. I really, really miss her."

"It's ok. Honestly." Joe rubbed his thumb protectively over her hand. "Do... do you have any pictures of her? I bet she's adorable."

Dianne wiped her eyes and picked up her phone. "Here. This is her last week before school. And here", Dianne swiped, "here she is in the Belle dress I got her for her birthday."