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“Stop it!” I turned around, not wanting to face her. Raising my voice to my ballet teacher wasn’t something I’ve ever done and I was torn between anger and shame. “You know who I am. You know who my father is.” I’ve never tried to hide the rumors from Miss Rosa and she knew exactly who the man that could afford to pay to move her extravagant Parisian life all the way to Palermo just so his little girl would have a ballet teacher was.
“Yes.”
“My father has done a lot so I could have access to the best dance teachers in the world, but I’m not sure he’d just let me move to go to a dance academy.”
“A dance academy? Scala isn’t just a school, it’s one of the biggest stages in the world.” She stopped and raised a daring eyebrow. “And they’re auditioning in three months. Now, of course no one has heard of you, but a recommendation from me could open a few doors.”
When I blinked, the possibilities flashed on the back of my eyelids. I saw a room filled with people. I heard the orchestra. I felt my body moving in a never-ending pirouette.
“Don’t think,Madame, that I don’t know what a privilege that would be…”
“But you won’t take it. Shame.”
“It’s not up to me.”
“Have you ever brought it up? Talked to your father about it.” I shook my head. “Well, Grazia, you should. He’s a man of many resources. I’m sure you could be taken care of in Milano as well as you are here.”
“I…”
“But this is not just about him, is it?”
I flinched. “My brothers too.”
“Right.” Her guttural laugh raised to the ceiling. “I’m talking about the man that keeps sneaking in here to see you.”
“What?”
She shrugged. “I notice things, dear.”
“Right.”
“Don’t let men dictate your fate, Grazia.”
Easier said than done.
“I’ll think about it.” I said in one breath. “About leaving to Milano and advancing my career.”
“Good, because Palermo might be your home, dear, but it’s not mine. The world has so much more to offer and let’s be honest, I’m running out of time to enjoy it.”
“What?” I gawked at Miss Rosa. “What do you mean? You want to leave?”
“I’ve taught you the best I could, Grazia, and I did it well. You’re ready to move on, and so am I.”
“Wow, so you’re leaving me? Is it about money?” She just laughed. “You can’t leave me. You’re my mentor.”
“There’s nothing more to teach you here. You did it, Grazia, you’re a dancer. What you do with that from now on, is up to you.”
“When do you want to go?”
“A few weeks, maybe a month.” She stepped closer and placed a soft finger under my chin. “You can always come visit, but I’d much rather come to see you dance.” It sounded to me like she had everything figured out already. Her decision was made.
“Madame…” a lump formed in my throat and I couldn’t control my voice anymore.
“Oh, don’t get all sad, Grazia. I will see you for practice on Monday. If yourSissonneis as bad as it was today, I will put this cane on your behind.”
“Alright then.”
“I was thinking…” oh, man, that couldn’t be good. Rosa Mariano-Vitale doesn’tthinkabout things, she makes decisions, “starting Monday I want you to start rehearsing a solo from the Swan Lake. We’re going to focus on that for a while.”
