Tutu Special
It wasn’teasyforTonytobebothmomanddadtoEmma
- anddancingat herballetschoolfeltliketoomuchtoask
BYCARRIEHEWLETT ILLUSTRATION:MICHAELDELUCCHI
CHILLOUT|FICTION
B
UT why?” Emma
pouted.
“Because.. .” her
dad said in a no-
nonsensetone.
“Whybecause?”
Emmapersisted.
“Becauseforone
thing,I can’tdance!”Tonysaid.“Unlike
you,I havenosenseofrhythm.”Heloved
hisnine-year-olddaughterdearly.But
puttingona tutuandtakingpartina bal-
letrecitalwasnothisideaoffun.
“Thatdoesn’tmatter.Myteacher’sbril-
liantandI’llhelpyouwiththemoves.
AndJade’sdadisdoingitandsois
Lorna’s,” Emma said in a wheedling tone.
“That’s their choice,” Tony said firmly.
The guys at the pub would never let him
live it down and would be pulling his leg
forever if he succumbed.
“Well, maybe you wouldn’t be able to
keep up, Dad. I mean, it’s a challenge, so
quite difficult. And you’re not that fit and
don’t do sports.”
“What do you mean it’s a challenge?”
Tony interrupted, his competitive streak
rising despite his best intentions.
Emmashrugged.“It’sa challenge, like
a competition. All to raise funds for the
local children’s hospice. If you complete
the dance session, you’ll have helped
raise the money.”
Tony looked at his daughter’s bright
face, with her blonde hair tied back into
pigtails. So much like her mom. Since
losing his wife two years ago things had
changed dramatically for them both.
He’d done his best to take on the role of
both mom and dad, but it hadn’t been
easy. He’d had to lean on friends and
neighbours, asking for help and advice
when needed. And he had a full-time job
as a secondary school teacher too.
Emma had been brilliant though, pull-
ing her weight and helping with chores- bless her. His gaze softened.
She’d always wanted to be a ballerina
and her mom had enrolled her at the lo-
cal ballet school at the age of three. Since
the death of his wife, he now took Emma
to her ballet class every Saturday morn-
ing. Nothing gave him greater pleasure
than the thought of her continuing with
her dream.
He sighed. “Okay, tell me more about
this challenge then.”
Emma gave a big smile and animated-
ly filled him in. “For one Saturday, all the
willing dads have to put on tutus and
we’ll give them a ballet lesson. You have
to learn to pirouette like me!” She twirled
round the room, keeping perfect bal-
ance, making Tony’s heart sink. He was
useless at dancing, always had been. His
wife had delighted in teasing him about
doing “dad dancing” right from when
they’d first met.
“Here,” Emma shoved an A3 page into
his hands. “That will explain more. I’m
going to go call Jade!” She exited the
room with a flourish.
Tony stared at the document, reading
it through.
Channel your inner prima ballerina and
raise cash for the local hospice.
Sign below to take part.
He slowly shook his head. If he said no
now, he’d look like a jerk. If he took part
the guys at the pub would jeer for
months. He was caught between a rock
and a hard place.
His daughter raced back in and seeing
her happy face decided him. Some things
were worth suffering for. He grabbed a
pen and signed, handing the page back
to her. “Okay, bring it on!” He grinned.M
EETING his pals at the
local pub a few weeks
later, Tony apprecia-
tively sipped his pint.
Hewasalwaysgrateful
tohisneighbour for
babysitting while he enjoyed a pint or
two on a Friday night. He still hadn’t told
anyone he was going to be donning a
tutu as it wasn’t exactly an easy thing to
bring up in conversation!
“So, what are you doing tomorrow
then?” Joe asked. “Anything exciting?”
“Nothing much, same old,” Tony said,
keeping his voice neutral.
“Ah well, at least you won’t be dealing
with a blocked drain, eh,” Joe laughed.
“Don’t know what my wife does, but I’m
going to be up to my elbows in muck and
grease.”
“What we do for love,” Tony said in a
resigned tone.E
MMA was awake bright and
early the following morning,
jumping up and down with
excitement. “This is going to
be brilliant! Too, too amazing
for words!”
“Nice pun,” Tony said wryly.
“What’s a pun?”62 | 22 AUGUST 2019 you.co.za