REMINISCENCE

TATI’S STOLEN CHAUSSON POINTS

Tatiana’s story continues

(Part 3 of three)

Tatiana watched the newspaper with excitement and sure enough an advertisement for Giselle appeared with a picture of Sylvia. The title of the article was “American ballerina wins international competition and will perform with Moscow Ballet in the title role of Giselle.”

Click to advertise on this website

The evening approached. Tati really didn’t want to attend a performance in the evening but she had no choice. Ivan said he would accompany her and her best friend, Nadia. Tatiana put on her most beautiful dress: one she wore at her Swan Lake retirement. She looked enchanting in her stunning and sedate purple and silk long dress. In addition, she wore the beautiful diamond necklace that Sergio gave her on their fortieth wedding anniversary.

They had excellent seats very close to the stage. This gave her the opportunity to see everything even though her eyes were weak. How thrilling! She had not been to a performance for a year. As she entered the theater and proceeded down the aisle, everyone stood up and applauded her entrance. After all, she was a famous international ballerina!

The overture was played and the curtain went up on Act One. How brilliant the orchestra! The costumes and stage settings were superb. Tatiana couldn’t take her eyes off Sylvia. Her lithesome, graceful and elegant movements took Tatiana’s breath away. As Tatiana was scanning Sylvia, she couldn’t help but notice her toe shoes. Purple! Purple Toe Shoes! They looked exactly like the ones she wore when she danced Giselle. Her heart was pounding. It was hard to concentrate on the rest of the performance. Could it be? But how did Sylvia get them, if in fact they were really hers?

Backstage after the performance, Tatiana made her way slowly up the stairs to the Sylvia’s dressing room. She tapped on the door and Sylvia answered.

“You are Natalia’s mother, right? Come in I was expecting you.”

Then she gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Yes,” Tatiana said in her best English with a heavy Russian accent.

“O, Tatiana, I must tell you something. “I’m so embarrassed!” “Will you forgive me?” said Sylvia.

“Forgive you for what?” asked Tatiana.

“Please sit down Tatiana, I want to talk to you alone,” said Sylvia rather shaken. “Thank you all for coming but I want to be with Tatiana alone,” said Sylvia to those in the dressing room. Then she began to tell Tatiana the strangest story. It seems that Natalia had shared many stories about her mother including the room of reminiscence. Even telling Sylvia that there was a key to the room in the kitchen drawer. Sylvia explained that she really wanted to dance in Tatiana’s toe shoes in Giselle. In her imagination she got the idea of borrowing them from the room of reminiscence. When she arrived in Moscow, she found the apartment and talked to the concierge. Sylvia explained that she was a friend of Tatiana’s daughter in America and wanted to put a gift from Natalia in Tatiana’s apartment as a surprise. Believing her story, the concierge gave her the key to the apartment cautiously and found the key to the room of reminiscence in the kitchen drawer. Once in this special room, using a flashlight, she found the purple ballet shoes and took them.

Tataina was shocked by the daring feat accomplished by Sylvia. By now Sylvia was crying and begging for forgiveness. She exclaimed that it was such a special evening dancing in Tatiana’s chausson de points. Tataiana with great compassion put her arms gently around Sylvia and forgave her.

“My dear,” said Tatiana, “You were spectacular as Giselle.”

I couldn’t think of any other way to thank you for what you have given to me, an old lady. I want you to have them as a gift. Keep them as a symbol of Reminiscence.

Sylvia kissed the old lady tenderly and said, “I will never forget this evening.”

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart, my dear Premiere Ballerina (First Balerina)!”

Tatianas trip home was filled with many memories and praises to the Lord for His loving blessings. How proud she was of her daughter and how glad that she had shared the secret room of reminiscence with Sylvia.