his attention. Makayla, in turn, was tugging on Katie’s. Will held up a finger.
“One sec, kiddo.” To Jasmine, he said, “They asked the players to stay for a few more shots. Do you mind keeping an eye on Katie?”
“Of course not.” She smiled at Katie and her friend. “Come on, ladies. Let’s go see what trouble we can get into. Hey, Katie, maybe you can show Makayla a few things you’ve learned in your ballet lessons.”
Her eyes lit up. Having planted that seed, it wasn’t long before Jasmine and Katie were surrounded by a group of girls. It all started with Katie showing Makayla how to pirouette and somehow progressed to every girl who saw them wanting to be ballerinas. If it hadn’t been so adorable, Jasmine would have found it aggravating. The kids all talked over one another and did whatever movements they thought were right, bumping into each other in the process.
“Okay, ladies,” she said with a loud clap that startled them into silence. “You want to learn to dance? Here’s what you have to do.”
She started by separating them with enough distance between them that they wouldn’t knock each other to the ground when they lost their balance, which was pretty much inevitable without a barre. She positioned Katie in front of everyone else and stood beside her.
“Ballet is about precision,” she said. “Precision means doing things the exact right way. How many of you think you can do what Katie’s doing?”
She looked down at Katie and said, “First position.”
Katie positioned herself as she had now done many times. The girls attempted to copy her. Jasmine talked them through it, verbally explaining what they needed to do with their bodies and walking from one child to the next, correcting anything that wasn’t even close to proper form.
“Very good, ladies,” Jasmine praised them when they were all in position. “You’ve just taken your first steps toward becoming ballerinas.”
The girls exchanged gasps and wide-eyed looks.
“Now, who wants to learn how to perform a proper pirouette?” she asked.
Hands shot into the air. Amused and inspired by their enthusiasm, she spent another fifteen minutes working with them before Makayla’s mother approached.
“I’m so sorry to interrupt, but we have to get going,” she said.
Makayla’s face fell. “But, Mommy, I want to be a ballerina like Katie.”
Glancing at Jasmine, Ruby asked, “How much do you charge for lessons?”
Belatedly, Jasmine noticed the other mothers who had gathered to watch their children. They appeared to be hanging onto every word. Beyond them, she spotted Sierra with her camera. Her new friend had likely documented at least part of the session too.
“Oh, I don’t…” Jasmine trailed off, not wanting to say she didn’t offer lessons with Katie standing right there. “I, uh, don’t currently have any openings.”
There was a murmur of disappointment, both from the kids and the mothers.
“That’s a shame,” Ruby said. “You’re so good with the kids. This one won’t stay still and listen to anyone for this long. You’ve really got some magic. Could I get your number so I can stay in touch in case any openings come up?”
Not seeing a graceful way out of it, Jasmine reluctantly agreed. Seven other mothers quickly followed suit. Each one of them gave her similar praise to Ruby, saying their kids didn’t generally show this much interest in an activity. Several offered to pay more if needed to get bumped up to the top of the “waiting list.”
As much as she hadn’t expected the detour in her day, Jasmine couldn’t deny that the praise gave her a solid boost. She’d had two more failed auditions since her first one. This span of fifteen minutes had given her more self-confidence than she’d had in years.
She’d even had fun with the kids. Maybe it had been because they had all voluntarily wanted to participate and hadn’t been dragged into it by their parents. Whatever the reason, seeing them try so hard and respond so positively after managing to perform a position and pirouette made her happy.
As happy as her lessons with Katie made her.
It put her in a pensive mood. Her life had been slowly shifting from the path she’d been on before her accident. For the first time, that knowledge wasn’t quite so terrifying.
Could a future in teaching possibly bring her the fulfillment she needed?
Or was she using it as a handy excuse to abandon all her years of effort when she was one successful audition away from achieving her dreams?