On audition day, I sat in the parking lot with Graham and tried not to check the time every thirty seconds.
When Tessa finally walked out, she didn’t say anything at first.
Then she smiled.
She had made the recital.
A few days later, Rebecca called me.
Sadie had learned what her father had done and was devastated.
“She was never angry at Tessa,” Rebecca said. “She was disappointed about not getting in, of course, but she wanted Tessa to do well. Colin made this about her when it was really about him.”
I believed her.
Still, I told Rebecca that Tessa needed space.
She understood.
By the night of the recital, Tessa was dancing around our kitchen again while waiting for me to finish getting ready.
The change seemed small, but I noticed it immediately.
Her ballet shoes were lying beside the door instead of hidden inside her bag.
