The Sisters Academy camp matched me with Tamia, an energetic seventh grader with a wonderful imagination. On the first day of camp, Tamia told me that she was trying to find her inner dragon. When I asked her what she meant, she said that she had been working on telepathy and telekinesis, and that she was so close to finding the inner dragon, but not quite there yet. Throughout the week, I’d ask her if she’d found it. She’d always tell me that she was progressing.
Although I don’t know very much in the department of inner dragon-seeking, I knew that Tamia’s dragon liked to dance. While we learned pliés and grande battements, Tamia was usually off to the side, busting a move of her own, or bouncing with unending energy. Her friends would always tell her that she was the best dancer at school. These claims were put to the test on Friday, when we had a dance off. After half an hour of non-stop dancing and singing, Tamia won. The decision was unanimous. If ballet wasn’t her forté, hip hop certainly was.
“Tamia, that was amazing,” I told her. “Where did you learn to dance like that?”
“Beyoncé taught me everything I know,” she said. “Beyoncé and Ciara, I guess. Their music is so fun to dance to.” After a moment, she asked me, “Why can’t you dance like Beyoncé?”
“Well,” I said, “I don’t think dancing is quite my forté.”
“Yea,” said Tamia, “maybe you should stick with swimming or tennis.” I could always count on Tamia for honesty.
As we made our way to the bus to say goodbye, Tamia told me how much she would miss camp. We hugged, and as she took a few steps away, she ran back and her face lit up.
“I FORGOT TO TELL YOU!” she said.
“Tell me what?”
“I think I found my inner dragon,” she exclaimed. All I could do was smile.