shakti

Faith spent a lot of our dance class crying in a bathroom but when she came back she started doing this amazing improvisation. She was doing a swaying walk in her black onesie outfit, the fabric was gathered in elastic at the waist and made her romantic and round on the hips. her legs overcrossed and she was tip-toeing and moving fast and sweetly, i let out a little laugh because i was happy and relieved. She was laughing with the other dancer; moving had extricated her from her mood (pervasive, unshakeable, Faithmood) for a little while.

Shakti is her secret name and I only ever call her that in my thoughts. I catch myself mentally calling her Shakti every day but it's never once slipped out. It's a weird thing to be stuck in my head, since it's not as though I ever hear anyone calling her that.

She and I embraced a long time after class and she said "I really love you so much, you are such a good friend to me" and I thought about how good it feels to take care of her even though she is impossible. She'd never said it so plainly before. I really love her too.