84 Ribbons Read Online Free

impossible goal, but now--”
    “Now it’s possible.” Marta danced around the kitchen, circled her mom, then twirled down the hall and into her bedroom.
    She took down her wooden cigar box of ribbons and sat on her bed. Every time she opened the lid, she felt a tingle of excitement. She ran her fingers through the pink satin ribbons and smiled. Twenty ribbons so far.
    Savings the ribbons began when she received her first pointe shoes. Miss Holland told the class about Maria Tallchief, a famous ballerina. A reporter wrote that Maria wore out hundreds of pointe shoes during the first dozen years of her career. Then and there, Marta decided that she was going to save the ribbons from every pair of pointe shoes she wore out. “I’m going to be a ballet dancer like Maria Tallchief,” she confided to Miss Holland. “And, when I collect eighty-four ribbons, I’ll be ready for my first professional solo.”
    “Why eighty-four ribbons, Marta?” Miss Holland asked.
    “If I work hard, I’ll perform lots. That means I’ll wear out several pairs of shoes every year. After I dance in the corps for a year or two, I’ll save dozens of ribbons, so I’ll earn a solo. I counted. I think eighty-four ribbons is about right.”
    She found a magazine photo of Maria Tallchief and hung it on her bedroom wall. Evenings as she got ready for bed, she copied the pose Maria held. Each day as she prepared for ballet class, she touched the photo for luck. After five years, the touching had faded the photo to a mere shadow. But now her life as a dancer was beginning. Was eighty-four a reasonable number of ribbons? It had been a childish idea, but just maybe it was accurate. She put the photo in the ribbons box and set it aside to take with her to Billings.
     
    Marta left home Thursday afternoon, August twenty-ninth, with two medium-sized suitcases checked through to Billings. She carried her small white shoulder purse and a vanity case. The hat and gloves she left home wearing had already been tucked into her bag. She hoped young Montana women didn’t stick to “the rules” during hot summer days.
    The calmness from the day she received the invitation had lasted only a day. Jitters took over regardless of what she did to ease them away. Now she squeezed and released her mom’s hand every few seconds. “I hope I can do this. Wish you were coming with me.”
    “Oh, honey. I wish I could. But your greeter will meet you and help you get settled. I’d just be in the way. Now stop worrying. You’ll be fine. Your friends last night thought you’d be a star before long.”
    “Friends are good for that.”
    Marta’s mom brushed away imaginary lint, a sure sign she’d cry any minute. “You have enough money? Remember to eat. And call me as soon as you arrive.”
    “I promise.”
    They stood side by side waiting for her bus to be announced. Her mom held her hand the way a parent holds onto a young child about to cross a busy street. They both startled when the loudspeaker blasted through the Greyhound depot. “Now boarding for North Bend, Ellensburg, Moses Lake, Ritzville, and Spokane.”
    Marta grabbed her mom. They hugged with arms tangled in arms and heads tucked tightly against each other’s shoulders.
    “What if I’m not ready Mom?”
    “You can do anything you set your mind to; why would this be different?”
    “I feel funny inside. First I’m scared, then I want to laugh, and then I think I’m going to throw up.”
    “Remember to breathe once in a while.” Her mom shook her head and let out a slow sigh. “Marta, I love you so. I can’t tell you how much I‘ll miss you.”
    “All aboard for North Bend, Ellensburg, Moses Lake, Ritzville, and Spokane. Last call, last call.”
    Marta boarded the idling bus and slid into an empty seat next to a window. When everyone had settled, the driver closed the door and the bus pulled away. Marta waved until they rounded a corner and her mom disappeared from view. Twenty-four hours