Bailamos? | Mark Owen [Take That]

Introduction

"You'll starve" Papa told me.

"Why?"

"That's not a profession... you have to be a lawyer or better yet! A doctor!" he said as a sudden glow in his eyes appeared when he imagined me wearing a white overall and walking down a hospital hall "Imagine it... Doctor Maria de los Angeles Rodriguez" he said looking up above as he created an imaginary banner headline with his hands.

"Why don't you finish your food Pedro?" Momma said and in an attempt to divert the conversation "Enrique got a mention in history this year" she added patting my ten year-old brother's head, who smiled as he knew he would get a nice gift for his achievement.

"Heeey congrats kiddo" I told my bro.

"Thank you" he said with his chest full of pride. He was an angel that boy!

"If you are a doctor you'll earn a lot of money to maintain your momma and I" Papa went on and took a forkful of beans.

"But I hate seeing blood!" I complained frowning and wanted the conversation to end right there.

I knew that conversation would take place eventually, as well as I knew my father wouldn't like the idea of one of his children becoming what they had always wanted and not what he had wanted.

****

Since I was four I had wanted to be a professional dancer, not like those women who only know a couple of movements and then appear in movies thinking they are as great as Liza. At first, mum and dad thought it was only a caprice but they took me to ballet lessons because by that time Papa had a well-paid job and there were no money issues to worry about. Dad secretly hoped I would get bored, but I didn't and mum knew how much I enjoyed going to my classes twice a week. Mrs. Morrison always told her I was special, as I learned faster than the other girls and my movements were way better than what they would expect from a five year-old.

When I was eight I unfortunately had to stop with my lessons as dad had lost his job and we couldn't 'spend money in useless things' now that mum was pregnant too. But I knew that as soon as I graduated I would improve my technique and do my best so I could work doing what I adored the most: dancing. In the meantime I had to resign myself to copy or even perfect the movements I saw on video clips and to show my friends my innate ability to dance salsa or any other beat, as my Latino origins indicated I could do.