Tommy regarded Milou for a moment, then gave a long, highly amused and scoffing snort.  âYouâre taking the mick. Youâre bloody good at it too - you almost had me believing you! I was literally about to book a flight to them Netherlands ,just to see this Milou Dining Hall, I was.â Â
So caught up in the artistic fantasy of being âa dancerâ, Tommy hadnât considered the risks until Milou brought it up. And of course. Of course injury would be a possibility, a career-ender. It was like sports, in that way.  âIs it luck, or talent?â Tommy asked, then grinned.  âThatâs a trick question. If you say âluckâ, then it implies your success is through kismet and not hard work. If you say talent, it implies your dancer-mates are all worse than you, egotistic innit. So which is it, luv.â
She was so modest though, Tommy had to cut her a break. âHonest though - itâs inspiring, to hear you talk about dancing.â
Milou didnât hesitate at the bet - and her wager was both surprising and strangely pleasing.  âBloody hell - you teach dance as well? Iâm not dancing in front of no teenagers. Youths can be vicious, man.â
Quietly, he repeated the location: Noord Brabant, and listened as Milou continued.  âNo fancy posh dance college, then?â Tommy pressed his lips together though, when she inquired about his mum. She was too easy to chat with, that was the problem. It had slipped out and she was keen and interested enough to follow-up. Tommy gave Milou a brief, tight smile.Â
âErm, we - I mean, she split, ages ago. When I was still a youth. Left me and - and my dad.â And their grief, and the ghost of Tommyâs sister. But Tommy just shrugged.  âSâalright, ages ago, yeah. I turned out alright, didnât I.â He nudged Milouâs arm, trying to lighten the mood.  âSay that I did, or Iâll cry over mummy and thisâll all get right awkward.â
Fortunately, the ride bypassed any need for further conversation, at least for the next minute or so. It did live up to the name âHurricaneâ, Tommy half-laughing and raising his hands as Milou excitedly screamed her way through the turns and drops and spins.
When it was over, Tommy stumbled out, offering Milou a hand to help her as well.  âIâm almost tempted to have another go!â
âIt would be worth the flight,â she said, winking, not actually stating that there was no Milou dining hall. There should be though, she had given that place her all. And it would be kind of funny, the type of fun Milou liked to inspire.Â
âHmmm,â she said, liking the trick question even if he already continued on it. Kismet, she liked that, she had no idea what it meant, but she liked it. Still, he ended with the question still there, and she narrowed her eyes in mischief. âItâs hard work,â she answered. âHard work, passion, and a healthy dose of convincing my parents to drive me across the country for practices,â she said with a nod. Talent was one thing, sure, but Milou also believed that drive was a huge part of it.Â
Milou grinned. âMaybe I love talking about dancing a little too much, not as much as actual dancing though,â she added.Â
Laughing, she gave him a light pet to the shoulder. âNo, no, theyâre not teenagers, theyâre likeâŚ. Eight, seven, maybe six. Young.â And then she brightened slightly. âOnly on occasion, but yes.âÂ
Milou shook her head. âNo, noooo, listen, art school in the Netherlands⌠well, lets say most people there would be sitting in the park smoking weed every day during break, throw together some cool piece of art, and then nope out. Honestly, the biggest hipsters youâll ever see. I freaking loved it, everyone was so weird and different and had such weird fashion styles. We had the art teachers, the modern art kids, the dancers - aka me -, the Rock academy, the more classical music. It was a constant chaos of different art forms, it simply couldnât be posh,â she explained.Â
Milouâs smile faded a bit, she took Tommyâs hand in her own and gave it a slight squeeze. âNah, you turned out alright, still⌠itâs okay to still be sad about it. Growing up without one parent present, no matter how good the other might be, it sucks. Youâre an amazing person, whether despite or because, that doesnât matter.âÂ
The ride went by a little too fast, Milouâs face completely lightened up at the speed and the wind in her face. She felt like a five year old. âAgain!â She called, grabbing Tommyâs hand tightly when he offered it, taking his âtemptationâ as a reason to go another round. âHurry hurry!!!â