The choir kept singing and dancing. Everyone executed the final lift and hit the last pose with huge smiles. The crowd went wild as my students lined up to take a bow. The applause continued even when the other choral students climbed onto the stage to sing the final group song. Larry waved his arms. The kids sang. Larry turned and indicated the audience should sing along. Most did or at least pretended to. I couldn’t. Sound couldn’t squeak past the tears in my throat—tears I would never let fall. Not here. Not in front of the school board, who only cared about getting a trophy in the spring. When they fired me, my eyes would be dry. As far as consolation prizes went, it wasn’t much, but beggars really couldn’t be choosers. Applause signaled the end of the concert. The houselights flickered to life. The choirs left the stage as parents and friends stood up from their seats. Larry was mobbed at the foot of the stage stairs by audience members wanting to talk about the performance.
