The next morning, Rebecca got up early as usual for her rehabilitation session. Last night’s events hadn’t left much of a shadow in her heart.
Desmond and Helia came along to practice with her.
“Starting over” might sound grand, but putting it into action was a different story. It was far harder than
she had imagined.
Rebecca had been on this European trip for nearly ten days, and she had stuck to her rehabilitation exercises. She thought she was making progress, but in truth, her body’s flexibility barely improved.
Her injured leg still refused to respond, and each session brought excruciating pain. Despite eating generously at every meal and without restriction, she had lost nearly ten pounds.
She had always been slender, but now, dressed in her black practice outfit, she looked as thin as a sheet of paper. It wasn’t just the training that was taking a toll; the pain was too.
It hurt both during and after practice. At night, she would secretly massage her leg under the covers for an hour at a time, unable to sleep despite exhaustion.
Yet even so, she refused to give up.
Thinking back on the wasted five years, she asked herself, “What’s the purpose of life? Is it to do what I like and live the life I desire? If so, what do I truly want?”
Of course, she wanted to dance. Even if she were like a crippled swallow, unable to fly again, she could still sweat and dance for herself.
Once she had decided this, every day felt joyful. Even in pain, her heart was happy, and that was enough.
She warmed up for 15 minutes, and pain brought sweat that drenched her practice clothes.
Desmond and Helia were used to this by now. They knew how much she suffered and how hard it was, but as dancers themselves, they understood how much dance meant to her.
Half an hour later, Rebecca’s strength reached its limit. Her injured leg couldn’t bear her weight, and she collapsed with a heavy thud.
“Rebecca! Are you okay? I’m sorry I didn’t catch you.” Desmond rushed over, guilt written across his face.
Rebecca shook her head, sweat streaming down. Gritting her teeth, she said, “It’s not your fault, Desmond. I can’t always rely on you to protect me. I have to do this myself.”
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