Dancing Queen

Faith's melancholy moment turned instantly into joy. She immediately stopped crying once she heard the news. For the second consecutive semester, she had earned a perfect grade point average despite her dire circumstances. Even though Faith had never met me before, she was comfortable doing her own version of the "happy dance" in my presence. She put her laptop down just to jump around and swing her arms in jubilation.

I was happy to bring some sunshine into her life. I congratulated her. A hug seemed appropriate for the moment, but I was careful not to cross boundaries. Instead, I extended my fist and offered her a pound. Faith smiled as she accepted my congratulatory gesture.

We walked out of the building together. On the way out she talked about the two courses that threatened to shatter her goal of keeping a 4.0 grade point average. The courses required her to write many research based essays. While Faith enjoyed doing research, it was often difficult to complete assignments with her boyfriend in the way.

In addition to hiding Faith's books and taking the car (minutes before she'd have to leave for class), he would play music very loudly to disrupt her concentration as she worked on homework assignments. He even resorted to worse tactics on other occasions, like smoking weed in their small apartment so that Faith would get a "contact high" as she typed. On those days she simply opened the windows in her bedroom, then bundled up her three year old daughter to watch tv while she worked on her essays.

Immediately, I started to think of ways she could free herself from this character. Her designer outfit suggested that she was not short on cash, so I asked if she was working.

Me: Do you work?
Faith: Yes, I do. Why?
Me: I was thinking that I could talk to my Supervisor about creating a part-time position for you in our office. Your situation is something else. I don't even know what to say. Hooking you up with a job is the least I could do to help.
Faith: I really can't work during the day. That's my class time. I work at night. That's why I stay with this idiot.
Me: He works with you? 
Faith: No. He watches my daughter for free while I go to work. He puts her to bed and all that. He does it every night and doesn't complain.
Me: We offer evening classes. Why don't you switch your classes so you could work during the day?
Faith: My job doesn't offer day time hours. lol. It pays way too good to leave.
Me: What do you do?
Faith: I dance.