The girl’s face filled the screen.
She was crying again.
But this time, she was smiling.
“That was beautiful,” she whispered.
Elena smiled.
“Thank you.”
June hesitated.
Then she asked, “Could I do that?”
Elena considered the question.
“I don’t know exactly which movements would work best for you, sweetheart. But we can find ways to dance that fit how you move.”
June looked down.
Theo leaned toward the tablet.
“See? I told you.”
His sister made a face.
“You told me she was going to stand up.”
Elena turned toward him.
“Did you?”
Theo looked sheepish.
“I thought maybe if she could stand for the wedding, June wouldn’t be scared anymore.”
Marissa gently squeezed his shoulder.
Elena glanced at James.
Then she looked back at the children.
She was beginning to understand what June had been afraid of.
But she didn’t yet know the whole story.
***
June’s fear had begun several weeks earlier at school.
Her class was preparing for an end-of-term performing arts showcase.
Every student had been invited to participate.
June loved music.
She played keyboard, remembered songs after hearing them only a few times, and enjoyed inventing movement sequences for her friends.
