"Yeah, except for the one thing I wanted to do," I said.
"Buck up, Freya," Mom said.
I scoffed. "Thanks for the pep talk."
"You know what I always say."
I pretended to think. "Synchronized swimming doesn't get the respect it deserves."
She pointed at me. "That's true. It never has. What other sport do you know that combines the athleticism of swimming, the artistic skills of dance as well as the danger of possibly blacking out and drowning to win gold?"
I bit back a smile.
"I'm serious."
"I know," I said. "You're so morbid."
She waved me off. "Anyway, I meant the other thing I told you. When life gives you lemons..."
"Squeeze them into the eyes of your enemies," I finished.
Mom nodded sagely as if that bit of wisdom was all I'd ever need in life.
"Okay, but in this case, who's the enemy?"
"Life, circumstances, your own body. Take your pick."
My brow furrowed. "So, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying—" Her eyes shot to the pool where the girls had just finished their routine before shouting, "Run it again! Thecadence was sloppy, and that rocket split still needs more height if you want to compete against the teams at the top."
The girls didn't complain, only nodded and got back to business.
"The cadence didn't look that bad," I said.
She sniffed. "It's got to be better if they want to win."
"Maybe you need different music," I said under my breath, but of course, my mother heard.
"Excuse me?"
Lifting my chin, I met her hard stare with my own. "It's not the girls' fault. The choreography's good; they execute it well, but the music should accentuate their performance. Instead, it detracts. The artistry and musicality's not there because the composition is all over the place—which in turn makes that section look messy. See?"
My mother's jaw worked as we watched the swimmers reach the part in question.
Again, they performed the moves flawlessly.
Again, the music made it look wrong.
"Huh," Mom said.
"Music matters," I said.
She nodded. "Good catch. I'll see what we can do."
The compliment, the acknowledgment that I'd made a potentially valuable contribution, had my heart glowing.
"What I was saying before is you shouldn't let anything hold you back," she said.
