David was surprised by the music choice, but he let the rhythm take over. Nadia closed her eyes and melted into him as if they were one. Thanks to the emotionally charged song and David’s strong arms, the nurse completely let go. She couldn’t hear or sense anything from the world around her. She wasn’t smiling now, nor was she playing with her body. The others watched in awe at the peculiar dance, where Nadia collapsed into the instructor like a rag doll. Maggie glanced at Andrew. Would they ever dance like that in their lifetime? Would there ever be such harmony between their bodies? She envied the Polish woman, who, even after two kids, was still in perfect shape. “How lucky Nadia is! I’d switch places with her in a heartbeat!”
What Maggie didn’t know was that for Nadia, dancing was the remedy for the things she endured every day. She had no idea how many times Nadia’s husband had beaten her in front of their children. Nor did she know about the deep, lasting physical and emotional scars that Nadia had collected over the years, or that she might never see her family again—at least not until her husband was jailed or dead. Nadia would have given anything for the peaceful life Maggie lived.
Bea couldn’t contain herself. She simply couldn’t keep it in. Few things made her angrier than a parent neglecting their child. She had never been able to have children herself. She would have done anything to get pregnant, but her body simply wouldn’t allow it. After countless miscarriages and hormone treatments, she finally gave up. The attempts had cost her her marriage and nearly her health. By the time she was ready to consider adoption, there was no one left to adopt with. She didn’t want to do it alone. She had dreamed of a “real” family—one with a good husband and a well-behaved child. Ever since she consciously started preparing for parenthood, she had been reading parenting books. She educated herself continuously because she wanted to be the best mother possible. But since she had no one to practice her knowledge on, she became the unsolicited advisor in her friend group. Often, she would even approach strangers if she felt they weren’t treating their children properly. This time, she was particularly furious when she noticed the little girl, no more than six years old, playing on a tablet for the entire duration of dinner at the next table. Meanwhile, the parents were engrossed in conversation, laughing and drinking wine. By the time Bea finished her meal, she had perfected the monologue she intended to deliver to those ungrateful parents.
Emma couldn’t remember the last time she went out. Her daughter, born with a cognitive disability, had placed an immense burden on her, one that her daughter’s father had fled from by moving abroad. What hurt Emma the most was how much her daughter longed to communicate with the world, but almost no one had the patience for it. Only Emma’s brother and sister-in-law helped her selflessly as she struggled alone. When her brother surprised them with a tablet and a special program, a new world opened up for the family. It finally allowed her daughter to express things she had never been able to before. The program made it possible for her to communicate with others, not just her mother. Still, Emma found it hard to go out. She wasn’t used to trying to feel comfortable around strangers anymore. Her sister-in-law kept encouraging her until she finally went to the hairdresser and visited her old pedicurist.
Her brother looked Emma over with satisfaction, even though she still seemed unsure. He was happy to be the one to take his exhausted sister out to dinner for the first time in years. He could hardly wait to see how Emma would react to her favorite old restaurant and the special wine he had chosen for her. The food was wonderful, the wine exquisite, and the break from the mundane routine was priceless for Emma. Meanwhile, her daughter, flushed with pride, ordered herself a drink at the beginning of dinner and ice cream at the end. The evening was simply perfect—until that moment when, out of nowhere, a distraught, angry woman appeared, calling Emma a shameless, ungrateful, selfish fool and her brother a worthless scumbag, insisting that their child should be taken away immediately because they were clearly unfit to be parents.