The Talent Show

Mr. and Mrs. Reid sit in the first row. This isn't their first time at a recital, and they know the perfect spot to sit as their daughter wows the audience. Despite their daughter being only seven, the couple had spent tens of thousands of dollars in piano classes, with only the best instructors from, hoping their daughter would become as amazing of a pianist as Mrs. Reid's own mother, the infamous Claudia Green. 

Mrs. Reid remembers the awe of the audience when her mother would play, the congratulations and envy sent toward her grandparents, and the rapport her own parents received when Mrs. Reid herself was crowned Miss California. Now, it was Mr. and Mrs. Reid's turn, just like it was a week ago, and the week before that, and the other one hundred shows their daughter has performed, and soon, all the money poured into piano lessons would be worth it. Their daughter would be worth it. 

Mr. Reid sits, arms crossed, a large grin eating away at his face. The First Grade Glendore Academy Talent Show was not a prestigious recital like the Reids were used to. The stage is the very same one they watched the principal stand on during the beginning of the year announcements, and while they pay a too much amount of money for their daughter’s tuition, it lacks in the glitz and glamor that their daughter is used to. 

Mr. Reid leans over to his wife, "Can you believe these people?" he asks, nodding to the chairs around them. Mrs. Reid hides her smile. "What do you want to bet that their kids are going to end up running off the stage, Paige?" Mrs. Reid gives him a light shove as amusement illuminates her face. Nathaniel was just as much of an overachiever and perfectionist as she was. 

Mrs. Reid turns and moves her elbow to nudge him, signaling him to look at the woman in the corner's shoes as the lights begin to dim. They watch closely as the curtains, probably made of velvet, they were used to wool, move to each side of the stage, revealing the first-grade teachers beaming with excitement. 

Mrs. Reid can almost feel the anticipation flushing in her cheeks as she waits for her little Maya. Mrs. Reid smiles; she truly does have the best child. 

The children present in alphabetical order, with Maya towards the back, as Mr. Reid tries and fails not to fall asleep to what, in his mind, are mediocre performances. Finally, their name is called. Mrs. Reid's heart pounds against her eardrums as she waits in anticipation for the music department's keyboard, which was used in one child's rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," to make its way on stage. It's an inexpensive keyboard, not one Maya is used to playing. Instead, Ms. Parker, Maya's teacher, brings out an art easel and a cheap set of children's watercolor paints, followed then by Maya herself wearing a smock. 

Music erupts throughout the gymnasium as Maya digs her fingers into the paints and smudges them over the canvas. Mr. and Mrs. Reid grimace in pain. The show takes a total of three minutes until Maya grabs the canvas and proudly shows the audience a concoction of violently bright colors and random streaks. She looks out into the audience expectantly. The excitement in her eyes dying as she scans the rows of chair until all she sees are two empty seats.