I’d done was unimportant. Like I wasted all that time.”
She looked down at her hands where they were folded on her lap. “Then there was just plain stubbornness,” she admitted. “The moment my father withdrew his support, I became determined to prove I didn’t need it. I could become a dancer without his help.”
“And now?” Dr. Smythe asked when she fell silent. “What has changed?”
“Katie. Or I suppose I should say she’s changed me.”
The doctor smiled. “I have to admit, I’ve found your stories about her fascinating. It sounds like you’ve had a truly remarkable impact on her.”
“I have. It’s taken me a while to acknowledge that.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“Because by acknowledging it, I’m also acknowledging that I have abilities and opportunities for success outside of being a dancer that still rely on everything I’ve worked so hard to learn.”
“In short, you’ve negated the number one reason to continue pursuing the same goal you set as a child.”
Jasmine nodded.
“Why do you feel you’re able to acknowledge it now?”
“Because Katie has impacted me just as much as I’ve impacted her. I can’t acknowledge her achievements without acknowledging the part I’ve played in them, and I’m so very proud of her. She deserves all the acknowledgement I can give her. She’s helped me find my new path, one I’m excited about pursuing now that I can look at all of my past effort and training as building blocks rather than something I’m giving up.”
Now, as she ate the Quiche Lorraine her father had prepared for them, she revealed that path to her family.
“I wanted to discuss something with both of you,” she said during a lull in their conversation. “Something I’m going to need your help with.”
May and their father exchanged glances.
“Are you pregnant?” May asked.
Jasmine glared at her. “Of course not. We’re both pure and untouched, at least as far as Bàba knows.”
“I am under no such delusions,” he said as he cut into a stalk of asparagus.
Her eyes lifted to the ceiling. “Look, I’m trying to be serious here. I’d like to open a dance studio.”
She was met with blank stares. It had her fiddling with her fork as she fought a bout of nerves.
“It’s crazy, I know. It probably seems like this is an impulse, but it’s not. I know it’s going to take a lot of planning and saving money to make it happen. But with your management degree and business experience, May, and your accounting skills, Bàba, maybe you two can help me figure out where to start.”
May and her father both stood at the same time. Jasmine watched warily as they approached her from either side of the table and sandwiched her in a hug.
“I’m so proud of you,” her father said.
“You will be so damn good at this,” May added.
That was all it had taken for Jasmine to finally admit how very much she really did need her family’s support, not just from a practical standpoint, but from an emotional one.
She left her father’s house feeling ten times lighter than when she arrived. May vowed to sit down with her soon to develop a business plan. Her father said he was happy to help with any accounting setup and oversight she might need. Neither of them had the funds to assist her with investing in the space she’d need, but there were loans and lease options she could explore now that she had built up some credit.
Between their encouragement and the preliminary list of potential clients already stored in her phone, her spirits were high as she returned home with May and went through her exercise and practice regimens. She still intended to participate in a few upcoming auditions even though her ultimate goal had changed. She would consider them learning experiences and pay more attention to them from the perspective of the people making the hiring decisions. If she could manage it, she would even try to schedule some time with them outside of the audition just to pick their brains. Who knew when and if that kind of knowledge might come in handy as a business owner who would soon be making her own important staffing decisions?
She was also considering enrolling in some night classes. It would take more time and applying for financial aid, but it could only help to have a business degree. Since she had already earned her bachelor’s degree in dance, her hope was that at least the core classes would transfer to shorten the length of