Pretty in Pink

In life it rarely happens that one's expectations are exceeded. When such anomalies (or miracles) do occur it is important to record them... and today was one of those days.

We began our ballet/tap class with Teacher Annette. Teacher Annette was so lovely and stood so straight and tall. Audrey was in awe. As we fastened on her tutu, beside six other girls and their mothers, Audrey looked around and said, "Mom, what are all these peoples gonna do?"

"They are gonna dance - with you, Audrey!"

"Oh," she said, "like a princess?"

"Just like a princess."

Audrey peered wordlessly through the window into the mirrored dancing room with its bare wood floors, and its ballet bar wrapped around the wall. Soon the girls began to cluster in one corner - girls in black leotards with champagne-colored shoes and white tights. One girl even wore a robin's egg blue tutu. It was like something out of a Degas painting.

Audrey looked back at me, her brown eyes staring, mirror-like, into mine. "Mom," she whispered, "why are all these peoples getting married? Are they gonna marry...me, Mom??"

"No - not exactly," I said. "But you will get to twirl around in your tutus and glide from one end of the floor to the other. You will learn to walk with your toes pointed out and round your arms and float just like you were a bird instead of a human being...and, well, it's not like getting married... but I'll tell you a secret: in a way it's almost... kind of... better."

I watched proudly as my little Andaatje made slow, bashful, but eventually self-assured steps across the floor. When it was her turn to step and twirl she turned back to wave wildly at me, like a scene from an old silent movie, her lips mouthing the words, "Hi, Mom! Hi Mommy, hi!" I blinked back tears. Such a small moment - but it made my small life seem suddenly big.