Chapter 3 First Soloist

• That evening, the dance troupe held an audition for the first soloist.
• My daughter arrived late, and when she finally stood on stage, she unexpectedly missed the beat.
• “Did your daughter make a mistake today?”
• The judge next to me communicated with me through sign language.
• I shook my head to indicate my lack of knowledge.
• She quickly recovered, seamlessly moving into the next dance step. Yet, this minor mistake turned out to be a fatal flaw.
• The music gradually slowed, leaving only the final leap to complete the dance.
• That was the signature move my daughter excelled at and took immense pride in.
• She made a sudden leap but unexpectedly lost her balance and fell harshly to the ground.
• “Perhaps she just overate,” the judge sitting next to me suggested, trying to offer an explanation.
• She stood on stage, her face flushed with embarrassment, completely at a loss for what to do.
• The judges quickly halted her performance, prompting her to storm off the stage.
• The next contestant was Joanne Zimmerman, the daughter of the woman with whom my husband had an affair.
• Joanne was the half-sister of my daughter, sharing the same father but different mothers.
• Yasmine Sullivan, Joanne's mother, was a former colleague of mine. She was permanently expelled from the dance industry for bribing judges during a competition.
• Joanne worked very hard at her dancing, but she was somewhat lacking in natural talent.
• The results of the audition were soon revealed.
• My daughter's name was missing from the list. All I saw was her fierce glare before she stormed off toward her father.
• On the way home, my daughter reprimanded me for not granting her the first soloist position.
• Seated in the front row with her father, and taking advantage of my inability to hear, she began to berate me. “Why wasn't I given the first soloist position? This dance troupe is bound to fail sooner or later.”
• Her father chimed in, “Can't you see who's the principal dancer of this troupe? It's your mother! Does this troupe even have a promising future?”
• I watched as they exchanged a glance and shared a laugh, completely ignoring my presence as if I were invisible.
• “Joanne's dance was quite impressive,” her father suddenly remarked, his words successfully irritating my daughter.
• “Impressive? No matter how much she practices, she'll never match the talent I have.”