Scott spoke again.
“I trusted you with my daughter.”
Derek looked up.
“We’ve been friends for thirty years.”
“I know,” Scott replied quietly. “That’s why this is so difficult to understand.”
Laura turned toward Audrey.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
Then she looked at Derek.
“You need to apologize to her.”
He hesitated.
Finally, he faced Audrey.
“I’m sorry.”
Audrey looked at him.
“For what?”
He swallowed.
“For lying to you. For making you doubt yourself.”
She didn’t answer.
And I didn’t ask her to forgive him.
An apology couldn’t
instantly undo weeks of confusion and hurt.
Scott told Derek that he wouldn’t be welcome in our home for the time being.
Laura understood.
Derek looked stunned.
But neither Scott nor I changed our minds.
After they left, we sat beside Audrey.
Scott put an arm around her shoulders.
“I should have listened when your mom said something was wrong,” he told her.
Audrey wiped her eyes.
Then she asked:
“Can I still dance?”
I looked at Scott.
He nodded.
“We’ll do everything we can to help you.”
******NEXT PAGE
That evening, I called Ms. Alvarez.
I explained what we’d learned and asked whether Audrey could return to the advanced program.
The instructor listened carefully.
Then she told me the recital auditions were the following week.
Audrey had missed important lessons.
Catching up wouldn’t be easy.
But she still had a chance.
“She earned her place in this program,” Ms.
Alvarez said. “If she wants to audition, I’ll help her prepare. She’ll still need to meet the same standards as everyone else.”
I thanked her.
When I told Audrey, she stood silently for a moment.
Then she went upstairs.
I heard her opening her ballet bag.
A few minutes later, she came downstairs carrying the shoes she hadn’t touched in weeks.
“Can I practice in the kitchen?” she asked.
I smiled.
“Of course.”
She put them on.
Then she began moving carefully across the floor.
At first, she seemed uncertain.
She had lost confidence.
Some combinations frustrated her.
There were evenings when she stopped practicing because she was upset with herself.
But Scott rearranged his schedule to handle transportation.
I took Audrey to extra lessons whenever I could.
And Ms. Alvarez worked with her to rebuild the skills she’d missed.
Slowly, the old Audrey began returning.
