Mrs. Henderson looked at the clock on the wall. Auditions were supposed to start in five minutes, and she had six students to hear. She clearly wanted to end this conversation quickly and get back to her planned schedule.
"Sarah, I really don't think—"
"Please." Sarah's voice was quiet, but there was something in it that made everyone pay attention. "I know you don't think I can do it. I know everyone thinks I'm just the quiet girl who plays simple songs. But I'm asking for one chance to show you who I really am."
Mrs. Henderson studied Sarah's face for a long moment. Maybe she saw something there that she had never noticed before, or maybe she just realized that saying no would take longer than letting Sarah try and fail quickly.
"All right," Mrs. Henderson said finally. "But when you realize you can't handle it, you'll need to switch to 'Für Elise' immediately. I won't allow you to waste everyone's time struggling through something impossible."
"I understand," Sarah said.
Mrs. Henderson gestured toward the piano bench. "Go ahead, then. Let's get this over with."
Sarah walked to the piano on unsteady legs. Her hands were shaking slightly, but not from fear. She was shaking from excitement, from the knowledge that she was about to reveal the secret she had been keeping for weeks.
She sat down at the bench and adjusted her position. The upright piano felt different from the grand piano she had been practicing on, but all pianos spoke the same language. She placed her hands over the keys and took a deep breath. Behind her, she could hear Mrs. Henderson settling into her chair with her evaluation sheets. The other students had arranged themselves around the room to watch. Sarah could feel their eyes on her back, waiting for her to fail.
Sarah closed her eyes for just a moment and thought about her grandmother's words: The brave choices gave me the life I truly wanted.