Lions Sleeping In The Hearts Of Lambs

You don’t know his name yet. But you will. His name is Percival Patrice Piddle, and in a few minutes he will be on every television screen in the country. That’s right Pee Pee Piddle. Standing in the darkened space waiting for the lights to come on, Percy remembered the horrible moniker he carried from first to 5th grade. Pee Pee Piddle. Children were horrible little jerks sometimes. “Places everyone. Lights in five minutes”. The disembodied startled Percy out of his revery and brought him back to the moment. Who would have thought it, Percy thought.

Yes indeed, who could have thought this? You see, at first glance, Percy appears to be ordinary. There was absolutely nothing about his appearance that stood out. If plain and simple was a person, it would be Percival Patrice Piddle. Percy was of average height, average build, with brown hair, brown eyes, curly hair which refused to bow in submission to a brush, and very pale skin. One would think Percy’s skin and the sun had an argument on the day he was born, and the two have not seen each other since. Compounding the problem, Percy also had a very ordinary life. He was brought up by loving parents who are still married. His intact home was a source of annoyance as a teenager when everyone was suffering angst over their parents divorcing. To make matters worse, both sets of grandparents are still kicking and also in intact marriages.  His siblings, Portence and Penley are nice people. His family was ordinary.

His father was an accountant, a good one, and was promoted every few years which afforded his family a good life. His mother was a homemaker, who made the kid's halloween costumes herself. So every year while the kids would pick up their costumes from the mall, Pee Pee Piddle would show up to school with his home grown costumes. One could only surmise his parents wanted him assassinated by a school bully. The kid had to go through life with a name like Percival Patrice Piddle for Pete’s sake. There were also no great tragedies in Percy’s life other than his name and the inevitable nature of his ordinary life. It was assumed Percy would become a mild mannered something or other. Marry a nice quiet girl, and have pale mild mannered children with incredibly cruel names. Ah, but sometimes, there are lions sleeping in the hearts of lambs.

At first glance Percy may seem ordinary, but he is far from it. You see, Percival Patrice Piddle is an extraordinary Latin Ballroom Dancer. That’s right, Pee Pee Piddle can Cha-cha, Salsa, Rumba, Samba, Mambo and Tango. Percy was a star when he danced. Percy didn’t just dance, he was passion personified. Yes! Pee Pee Piddle, was passion personified. Every twist of his hips, every gyration, every cha cha cha was perfection. When Percy dances, women clutch their pearls, and men are baffled by the sudden jealousy they feel for this ordinary man. The music played through every motion. A slow seduction without  him having to touch you. Percy was pure magic when he danced, he was perfect. There was no accounting for this other than the Universe having a twisted sense of humor. She placed this power, this gift inside the most unassuming human on Earth. 

Percy discovered his gift quite by accident. He was in Ms. Hiscock’s fourth grade class. The wretched woman had the nerve to chuckle when she read his name out loud on the first day of school. Really Ms. Hiscock...the nerve. It had been a regular day, as most extraordinary days start. Right before they were to be dismissed for recess, Percy needed to use the restroom. After denying his request three times, Ms. Hiscock finally agreed to set him free. Percy ran to the restroom. But since most children don’t need to go until right before, well anything really, there was a long line. Percy stood in line doing his own urine induced cha cha when one of the teachers noticed the little boy’s moves. Her name was Ms. Esposito, the only latina teacher in the school. Ms. Esposito, having taken notice of the lack of diversity in the school’s clubs, had created the school’s first Latino Dance and Music Club. During recess Ms. Esposito went to Percy and invited him to join the group. This meant skipping recess, but since he spent most of that time doing his best rendition of the invisible man, Percy agreed. 

That day,  in the school’s Gym, Percy learned: one, two, cha cha cha and danced his way into his calling. Ms. Esposito was elated. After the lesson, she bent down to Percy and asked him “Would you like to join the Latin-” Oh boy.  The Latino Dance and Music Club was created to allow latino children to express their culture, and there wasn’t a latin bone in Percy’s little body. This turn of events led to some quick thinking on Ms. Esposito’s part. The way she saw it, diversity meant there was a space for everyone. It meant the inclusion of all those who fell outside the box, and Percy was definitely an outlier. So Percival Patrice Piddle joined the Latino Dance and Music Club. Percy has been dancing ever since.

Those who know him, know how extraordinary this ordinary man is. How he changes perceptions everywhere he goes. Percy redefines grace and beauty when he dances. He kills notions of manliness, changes norms, and blazes a trail for the ordinary. Yes! Pee Pee Piddle is a trailblazer. His parent’s walls are decorated with his trophies. His face is well known in the dance world. He has danced for Kings and Queens, has travelled to every continent, he has seen the world. And tonight, in this broadcast of the World of Dance, Percy is making his world television debut. He is going to dance centerstage, lights, camera, all eyes on him. So that every little Percy in the world who sees himself in the man on stage, will hear the roar of the lions sleeping inside their hearts. They who fall outside the box, the quiet, the unassuming, the ordinary. They will be given permission to be extraordinary.

“ Are you ready Mr. Piddle?” The disembodied voice of the stage manager asks. Percy nods. He was ready. He was born for this.You may not know his name but you will. Yes, him, Percival Patrice Piddle.