Cara saves the day

"Now do an arabesque. Cara straighten your legs. How many times do I have to tell you??" Mr. Alexei screamed.

Cara sighed and straightened her legs. She was exhausted. Her knees were like they were on fire, her ankles were giving away because of the strain, and her neck was stiff. She craved a hot bubble bath to ease her pain. She lamented herself for joining this beastly dance school. Her body was wasting away because of all stress and pressure to learn the number.

But, she loved to dance.

Cara's first and only true love was dance. She started dancing at the age of two and got her first pointe shoes when she was four. She was thrilled when she was selected for the Broadway musical Cinderella. They were in Paris right now. It was Cara's greatest wish to perform under the Eiffel tower. She could picture herself as Cinderella dancing her heart out when the audience watched enthralled.

But she was just a backup dancer and was a nobody. Their instructor Mr. Alexei only noticed her when she fumbled and yelled at her. But, Cara steeled her heart and worked hard to make her part perfectly.

She was annoyed at Mr. Alexei for screaming at her right now. He was right, but she wished he had been soft to her when he pointed out her mistakes.

" Ok dancers, rehearsal is over. You can go back to your apartments and take rest. We will meet tomorrow at 9'o clock. Bye"

" Thank god, it is finally over."

*

Cara trudged back to her cozy apartment. She ran a hot bath, got undressed, and stepped into the tub.

Cara heaved a contented sigh. The hot water soothed her muscles.

She finished bathing and settled down on the couch. She propped open her laptop and checked her emails. There was an email from her parents. How she wished she was with them. If she was at home, she would have gone ice-skating with her sister, would have done her Christmas shopping with her mother, and she would have decorated the Christmas tree with her father.

She opened the mail. As usual, it was filled with news from home.

Her little sister got her first gold star in her class for reading a story. A long-forgotten memory came back, Cara was four. The day she got her first gold star in class. She could remember her parents' faces, beaming with happiness. So proud of their daughter.

Her parents will be happy now.

Her parents have written that they wished if she had been at home instead of traveling. She wrote back to them:

Dear Mom and Dad,

I am doing fine. I am rehearsing hard, and my technique has improved a lot. Tell Cassy that I am proud of her and tell her to keep up her good work. I have been tailing away all week, but I will be back home soon.

Love you, Cara.

Cara knew that what she wrote was a lie. But, she knew that her parents had sacrificed many things to continue her dance coaching. She would never let them know that she wasn't happy.

She closed her laptop and took out her coat and hat. Cara realized that the only thing that can help her de-stress is a nice walk. She walked down the stairs and walked into the street.

The street was bustling with people. They were scurrying here and there, running various errands.

Tourists were walking about, exclaiming with ecstasy at the sight of the Eiffel Tower. She strolled to the Eiffel Tower. It was a feast for sore eyes. She stood there for a moment drinking in the beauty of the Eiffel Tower.

Tourists were milling about. Among them was a little girl who was barely seventeen years old. She was dancing. She didn't have a pair of pointe shoes but was dancing on her toes, her eyes were closed, and she sang softly. She danced with such grace that the passers-by stopped to admire her. Cara found herself admiring her elegance. Suddenly, something about that girl seemed familiar to Cara. She felt as if she has seen that girl before. But where?

**

She walked to the girl and waited for her to stop dancing.

The girl stopped dancing and looked at her. Suddenly, fear overcame the dancer's eyes, and she started to scurry away from Cara. Unable to contain her curiosity, Cara walked after her. She called after the girl," Hey there, wait."

But the girl started to run. Cara followed her. She caught up with her quickly and grabbed her by hand. The girl cried,

" Leave me alone."

" Why are you running away?"

" I wasn't running away. I was going home."

" Don't lie, you were running away."

" Well, even if I was, why do you care?" the girl's eyes were brimming with tears. She was trying to get out of Cara's grasp. But, Cara was more powerful than her. She asked,

" I am not going to bite you. Now tell me, why was you running away?"

She led the girl to a bench. She sat down and pulled the girl to the bench. The girl began,

" I come from a family in which no one wants a girl to dance. I was taught to study and get a job. My parents love me but, we are poor. They can't afford to buy me ballet shoes and tutus. I have started working at the Garnier without telling my parents. The authorities have let me work at the office to help them sort things. I have done this to ease my family's burden."

Suddenly, it hit Cara. She had seen this girl when she was rehearsing at the Garnier. Cara had seen her peeping out of the curtains, watching them practice. The girl continued,

" I love ballet. I learned to dance by watching other girls practicing."

" But why did you ran away from me?"

" I was afraid that you'll recognize me because you have seen me before. If you had asked me where had I learned to dance, I would be forced to tell the truth. You might report me and I would lose my job.", she cried. Cara felt sorry for this girl. She put an arm around her and said,

" You have a great talent. Don't waste it. Keep practicing and when you get a steady job, you can enroll yourself in a ballet school."

" Yes I will."

" That is the spirit. Don't stop practicing."

" I will leave now. Thank you for understanding me."

The girl got up and started walking into the night. Cara trudged back to her apartment. She took off her hat and coat and dropped on the couch. Oh my god! What a day, she thought.

Cara slowly got up and started to prepare herself for bed. As she snuggled down her bed, she thought, if she only could help that girl in any way. She fell asleep.

***

She woke up early in the morning and got ready for rehearsal. She looked all around the Garnier for that girl, but she didn't see her. The practice finished late that day, and Cara fell asleep at the moment her head hit the pillow.

The next day was the D-day. They were to perform at the Garnier, and after that, they would go back to Texas. Cara was so excited to perform and was longing to get back home.

The dress rehearsal progressed smoothly until the lead dancer who played the part of 'Cinderella' fell down and twisted her ankle. She was in pain and couldn't even stand up. She was rushed to the hospital. Everyone was in a state of gloom because of her bad luck. Mr. Alexei was pacing around. He doesn't have a Cinderella now. Seeing the helpless look on his face, Cara had an idea. She rushed to the office of the Garnier and found the girl whom she met last night. She dragged the surprised girl to the studio and hauled her in front of Mr. A and said,

" Mr A, this girl is a wonderful dancer. Can you let her do the part of Cinderella?" Mr. A scowled at her and said,

" Cara, don't play games with me. I have never seen this girl dance and how can you ask me to let her into the musical. She doesn't know the dialogues and the dance number."

" She can learn. I met her yesterday, and she has been watching us practice for the last few days. She knows the number, and you can teach her the dialogues."

" Fine young lady, I will let her dance. But, if she fails to impress me, you'll lose your spot on the team."

Cara gulped. But, she was determined to save the musical. She pushed the girl to the center, and Mr. A switched on the music. The girl was a little nervous at first. But, the music was so lovely that she couldn't help dancing to it. The whole studio watched her, enthralled at her grace and elegance. Finally, the music stopped, and there was silence. One by one, people applauded, and Mr. A was beaming. He said," Well, you have impressed me, and you'll be playing the part of Cinderella. Now, come with me. I will teach you the dialogues."

" And, Cara thank you for saving the musical."

Cara grinned. She was so happy that everything came together. The girl proved to be a quick learner. She learned the dialogues and perfected her routine before the opening night.

****

Cara was so excited when the opening notes of the piano struck. She knew her part perfectly and put her heart and soul into the performance, and even Mr. A was proud of her. As for the girl, she was splendid. The audience watched her dance, spell-bound. When the dance ended, the audience gave them a standing ovation. The girl was beaming at her parents, who had heard the whole story and came to see their daughter dance.

After the play, the audience poured into the backstage to congratulate the dancers. The girl's parents approached Cara and thanked her for opening their eyes.

" We can never thank you enough for giving this opportunity to our daughter. We never realized that she had it in her. If it hadn't been for you, our daughter would have never had a chance to prove herself. Thank you dear." they told Cara.

Cara was grinning from ear to ear. If only her family had been here, they would have been so proud of her. Suddenly, a familiar voice called her, " Cara dear, we are so proud of you." She turned back to see her parents and her little sister. They were looking at her proudly.

Cara rushed to their arms and hugged them tightly. Her parents told her that they wanted to see her perform and booked tickets to Paris. Her little sister was jumping up and down, excited to see her sister. Cara picked her up and hugged her.

Suddenly, the girl rushed back to her and said,

" Cara, I got a scholarship from Joffery Ballet. I can continue learning ballet for free. Thank you, Cara. I am so happy now."

Cara congratulated her, and when the girl turned back to go to her parents, she called after her,

" Hey, what is your name?"

The girl turned and smiled," Cara, that's my name."

Cara watched her, her mouth hanging open. Her parents looked after the girl, bewildered. Then they said,

" Cara, that was a nice twist, right? We are so happy that our daughter is kind. We couldn't be more proud of you."

Cara laughed and hugged her parents. All she wanted was her family with her, and she got it, she thought as she hugged her mother.