Corina Fiore Week 36: A Second Chance

Picture 1


Picture 2


Corina Fiore’s Picture Choice: 1

Title: A Second Chance

I sat center stage, alone. The lights were dimmed, the curtains drawn. From behind the curtain, I could see the house lights flashing, beckoning the audience members back to their seats. The muffled rustle of the audience taking their seats and hushed voices subsided. Silence enveloped me.

I always loved the moment before the curtain parts. There is something exhilarating in that stillness. But that day, the sensation was significantly more intense. My limbs twitched. My heart raced. My palms were sweating. Blood pumped in my ears as my vision narrowed. I felt woozy, as if I was somewhere between sleep and consciousness.

During Act 1, I saw a well-dressed man three rows back. He was scribbling furiously in a notebook. As he glanced up, smile upon his face, I recognized him immediately. It was Nicolai Gavrikov, head choreographer and admissions officer at a world class dance academy I had applied to months prior.

Time stopped. The events of the past three years swirled in my head.

The argument.
The screeching tires.
His eyes through the windshield, cold and calculating.
The impact.
The blinding, searing pain in my legs.
The darkness.
People in scrubs, hurried in a flurry of activity.
The scissors cutting away at my blood soaked clothes.
The sounds.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
The words: compound fracture, left femur. Broken pelvis.
The staccato nature of the words: You. Will. Never. Dance. Again.
The despair.
The grueling physical therapy.
The hope.
The soft supple leather of my jazz shoes my first day back.
The audition.
The call-back sheet.
My second chance.

And here it was: the exact moment between my worst nightmare and my ultimate dream. I took a deep breath, calmed my center and pulled back into my body.

The curtains parted, the music cued. I popped my head, and shielded my eyes from the bright lights.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Like what you just read? Have a question or concern? Leave a note for the author! We appreciate your feedback!

Corina Fiore is passionate about learning and considers herself an education advocate. She currently writes textbooks and voice-overs for science software. When not blogging to evoke change in educational policies and women’s rights issues, she trains for her black belt.

#DailyPicspiration