Vanessa's Talent

I live in a small town with no secrets, where everybody knows everyone and we stick with our own. Where no one does anything to draw attention to themselves because there will be major judging and rumors will fly. Oakridge NY population 5004 was not the town where you wanted to be unique in, but I did not have a choice. I remember the day clearly when my whole world changed, the ground was basically demolished around my feet, I was introduced to the real world and I felt it's teeth.

I awoke to silence and stillness on that hot day in June and it startled me because my house was always filled with some form of noise, music, television, voices, breathing. I looked all over the house for my parents and not finding them I began searching for a note telling me when they would be back, but all I found was a 5 word note. "Take care of yourself kid". No explanation no nothing and that was 2 years ago, they didn't even leave a forwarding address, they took all their clothes, money, important papers, and the car. They left nothing but that note, overdue bills, and me, I became the talk of the town.

The freak, the outcast, the girl who was abandoned by her parents, became my whole identity I never felt so alone and so exposed all at the same time. I remember the stares, the pity and the whispers, the rumors stretched out like spider webs everyone had a theory, all eyes were on me and not in a flattering way they were just waiting for me to crack. The sheriff looked for my parents for a while but after a year everyone knew that they had no plans of ever coming back for me and the case hit the cold case file. I was now a ward of the state and it meant I needed a place to stay I bounced around from foster situation to situation for a few months until I finally had a permeant place to live.

I ended up at the Oakridge church they had a room for me, I know how it sounds a room but it was actually the best place for me. I had a roof over my head, structure and a plan I would stay with the pastor until I turned 18 and then I would be free to make my own decisions. The bank foreclosed on our house three months after my parents disappeared and everything went on sale by auction, after the bank got its money back the rest was put in a educational fund for me. I had $5000 waiting for me when I wanted to go to college and that was it, the reality was if I wanted to go to college I was going to have to work really hard and save some serious money.

Dance saved my life it came into it when I had absolutely nothing I mean I had no parents, no friends, no money and I was beginning to think that I wouldn't have a future. I used it as a release at first a way of expressing myself without having to talk, I was all talked out I had been asked why so much I hated the words. "Why did your parents leave you Vanessa", I used dance to stomp all the noise out of my everyday life, dancing helped me clear my head. I could be myself even when I felt all eyes on me. At first it was just a hobby and I had no idea how good I was until a teacher at school told me that I was good enough to major in dance in college if I wanted to.

After that encouragement I did everything I could to be able to take dance lessons I ran errands, bagged groceries, babysat, recycled bottles and cans for extra money so that I could take more lessons I took everything from Salsa to tap. And now here I am at the biggest audition of my life going down memory lane going over every turn, step, and pivot so that it will be perfect, hoping that someone sees the same talent that teacher from Oakridge NY noticed from me all those years ago.