The question doesn't surprise him. It was where the conversation was leading, and it's far from a secret. Keeping his eyes on the street ahead of them, he answers simply, "Danced. I was a soloist with Emon Ballet Company. Retired six years ago."
Professional dance in a company like Emon Ballet is hard on the body; most dancers have short careers once they go pro, so retiring at his age isn't unusual. But that wasn't why he left when he did. I couldn't keep performing after my husband died. He's said that to a lot of people by now. The simplest explanation possible, and it still hasn't gotten any easier. But it obfuscates the uglier truth; he hadn't just lost the drive to perform. For a while, he lost the drive to do anything at all. He still only dances ballet when he's alone.
"A lot of ex-company dancers go on to work at the big ballet schools, but that wasn't for me. I needed to take a big step back from all of it."
Now is the time to say it; get it out there, like he usually does. All it would take to find out that he was married is searching his name or glancing through his social media. Will's imprint remains on every part of his life, and he wouldn't want it any other way. It's best that anyone he's interested in hears it from him rather than discovering it on their own.
"Will, my husband--he died suddenly right before the spring season. Dancing was such a big part of our lives. I couldn't do it without missing him, and it hurt too much. So I had to stop."
That's a lot more than he normally says. He knows it's awkward; Verity definitely hadn't meant to stumble over the biggest tragedy of his life when he asked him what he used to do for work. But it's not something Orym can avoid sharing. Everyone who knows him knows this. The basics, anyway.
no subject
Professional dance in a company like Emon Ballet is hard on the body; most dancers have short careers once they go pro, so retiring at his age isn't unusual. But that wasn't why he left when he did. I couldn't keep performing after my husband died. He's said that to a lot of people by now. The simplest explanation possible, and it still hasn't gotten any easier. But it obfuscates the uglier truth; he hadn't just lost the drive to perform. For a while, he lost the drive to do anything at all. He still only dances ballet when he's alone.
"A lot of ex-company dancers go on to work at the big ballet schools, but that wasn't for me. I needed to take a big step back from all of it."
Now is the time to say it; get it out there, like he usually does. All it would take to find out that he was married is searching his name or glancing through his social media. Will's imprint remains on every part of his life, and he wouldn't want it any other way. It's best that anyone he's interested in hears it from him rather than discovering it on their own.
"Will, my husband--he died suddenly right before the spring season. Dancing was such a big part of our lives. I couldn't do it without missing him, and it hurt too much. So I had to stop."
That's a lot more than he normally says. He knows it's awkward; Verity definitely hadn't meant to stumble over the biggest tragedy of his life when he asked him what he used to do for work. But it's not something Orym can avoid sharing. Everyone who knows him knows this. The basics, anyway.