They Never Expected

Chapter 13

13

The last two weeks leading up to State Finals were consumed by practice after practice of our marching show with Tara after we finally received news from Ms. Bradford that our band would be going for the first time in its history. Most days, I would use the full-size gym inside the hospital after all of the patients taking Physical Therapy had left and Ms. Bradford would come run my rehearsal after the band’s rehearsal finished. On other days, though, Tara would take me out to the open field out behind the hospital where we marked off the yard lines so I could rehearse the show on a full-scale field. Dr. Groves cut me back to two Physical Therapy sessions per day as opposed to three and told me that practicing the show was working faster than my third session had been each day. He would drop in once in a while to check my progress and chat with Tara while they watched me march. Tara gave me the nickname ‘The Machine’ after a few days of watching Ms. Bradford’s rehearsal environment. Tara used her own knowledge of marching band to find key errors in each run-through and used methods her own director had used to help me build on my old weaknesses.

“Chin up! Chest out!” Tara followed me through a run-through like an annoying little mosquito buzzing in my ear, “Get your toes up!”

I stopped mid-step and turned to face her, “If you don’t stop acting like Kathy Bates mid-hissy fit, my toes’ll be high enough to touch your head. I can’t think.”

“Is that a threat? How about we tack another run-through onto the two you have left for that?”

“Um, Tara? I’m not sure that I’m even that bad.” Ms. Bradford called from across the room.

I groaned dramatically, pretending more for her sake than my own that she was burdening me and I continued into the next set.

“Stop!” she bellowed.

Just like every other time she’d stopped me without warning, I was prepared. I pointed my toe and came to a complete and steady halt. Tara circled me like a lion with its prey, checking off all of the marching elements one-by-one out loud so I would know what I needed to improve going into the rest of the show, “Your left knee is bent too much… Keep your legs straight. Your toes can always be higher. Remember to roll all the way through. And… Go.” Ms. Bradford nodded at Tara’s observations approvingly, standing back to watch me finish.

I took the next steps into the end of the closer and finished it out. As Tara cut off the last note, I stood straight and tall with my chin up and my chest out. Ms. Bradford brought me down to set and stood watching me for a second, “Slow. Turn. Turn.”

I turned ninety degrees to face what would be the end-zone and marked time with the beat I’d been given.

“Forward. Move.”

I moved in tempo straight to the end of the gym and Tara met me there with a water bottle in hand, “Great run Grace. Let’s take a break.”

“Am I at tempo yet?” I asked, taking a lengthy swig of my water.

“Actually, you’re ten beats above tempo for the opener and the closer. You’re three beats above tempo marching the ballad. So, if you get to do this, you’ll have some wiggle room tempo-wise.” Ms. Bradford gathered her things and came to walk across the gym with us.

“Are you being serious?” I asked, stopping halfway to the bench on the other side of the gym.

“Absolutely.” she grinned.

I jogged to catch up to them as we walked the rest of the length of the gym, Tara and I taking the occasional sip of water. I sat down on the bench and propped my leg up, rolling up the sweats my parents had brought me to see how my leg looked.