Excerpt
from "Hidden Talent"
Lost in the swirling crescendos of her classmate’s
performance, Emily was stunned back to reality by the sound
of her piano teacher’s voice.
“Emily? Are you sure you don’t
want to play just one short piece today?” asked Miss
Banks.
As her complexion transformed from its usual
milky white to the color of a sunburned peach, Emily shrunk
into the leather sofa in hopes that the buttery tan pillows
would somehow swallow her whole. Unfortunately, this did
not happen, and Emily remained in full view of the six pairs
of eyes that had expectantly fixed themselves on her, waiting
for a response.
“Umm, no, that’s okay. I’m
sure,” Emily reluctantly replied, silently praying
that her face did not look as fiery as it felt.
“Why not?” asked a petite, brown-haired
girl named Rachel in a loud, mocking tone.
“I don’t know, I just...”
Emily was losing her struggle to come up with a response,
so Miss Banks chimed in to save her.
“Emily is just saving up for the recital,
where she’s going to amaze us all. Right, Emily?”
replied Miss Banks with a wink and a reassuring smile. Emily
nodded, although she didn’t feel very reassured.
“Alexis, would you like to play next?”
Miss Banks directed her attention to a girl on the other
side of the room.
As Alexis walked confidently to the piano,
sheet music swinging from her hand, Emily stared at her
own hands as they clenched themselves together in her lap.
She had planned on playing today, in preparation for the
upcoming recital, and she was now extremely frustrated with
herself for not having been able to summon up the courage.
She couldn’t help but flash to four years earlier
when she had agreed to participate in her first recital,
probably the single most embarrassing experience of her
life. She cringed just thinking about it and tried to force
the memory from her mind. Not wanting to meet the scrutinizing
gaze of the other girls, all fellow 12 year-old pianists,
Emily pretended to be absorbed by her watch as she determined
just how much more time she would have to try to blend in
with the furniture. She also pretended that she didn’t
hear the snicker let out by Briana, the student who was
hosting today’s Lunch Lesson and whose couch had let
Emily down just minutes earlier.
Kristen Depken
New York, NY
kdepken@hotmail.com
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